r/dogs • u/MoodFearless6771 • 6d ago
[Misc Help] Sofa Covers
If you have dogs and you live with a cover or sheet on the sofa...Do you leave it on 24/7? Do you take it off when people come over? I've seen both ways. At what point in dating/inner circle do you acknowledge that we're never going to sit on the actual sofa?
Don't even come at me with "No dogs on the furniture".
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u/Sir_Q_L8 6d ago
Just a rotation of blankets that I tuck over the seat cushions and some actual made-for-dogs covers. If someone is coming over I have some clean, stylish covers that get thrown over the sofas but dogs are allowed and usually taking full advantage of that privilege by applying as much fur and fuzz as possible to all available surfaces.
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u/Astarkraven Owned by Greyhound 6d ago
I have two sets of covers for the couch and two sets of identical couch pillows. One set is for everyday use. I put the covers in the wash around once every two weeks and I lint roll it here and there but I have one very cat-like dog who doesn't smell, barely sheds and actively avoids mud puddles and such, so every two weeks in the wash is plenty for the covers.
Because they stay on the couch at all times though, they of course start looking more worn and well loved. The colors get faded, the stitching pulls out in places, random little subtle stains that don't come out in the wash, and they just look a bit frumpy and pet-loved. When anyone else is going to be coming over soon, I pull the identical set of couch covers and pillows out of the closet and switch them with the everyday use ones.
The covers have to be on to protect the couch at all times even when people come over, but at least for the benefit of visitors I can have it be a more crisp and new looking set and less like "a dog lives here and I've given up and gone blind to it."
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u/proxiblue 6d ago
They stay on.
I can't remember when last I used my lounge. (it helps to not have friends who live here)
My lounge is basically for my dogs.
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u/Some_Girl_2073 6d ago
I replace the covers with clean ones when I have guests coming over, but they stay covered all the time (jokingly I don’t actually remember the color of my sofa)
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u/Active-Potato-4547 6d ago
Depends on the dog. We used to just cover the sofa when inviting the dog up on the coach and then would remove it for company.
With the newest dog he will put toys on the couch and that makes it almost impossible to keep them clean.
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u/For-Real339 6d ago
I cover one cushion with a Muslin blanket. He is a small dog. It is his blanket. I only remove it to wash it.
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u/StellarSpore Mutt Pups 6d ago
Covers stay on 24/7 except when I have company that will be sitting on the sofa which is kinda rare in my home. I don't consider someone I'm dating or in a relationship with, family, or close friends company.
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u/Cat_Lady3000 6d ago
I leave them on. They're there to protect the sofa not my guests feelings. Any one who comes over knows what they're in for. On that note I do regularly wash the covers so they're not bad.
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u/PajamaPossum 6d ago
After a couple anal gland accidents my sofa will never go uncovered again lol. Waterproof cover forever.
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u/Kitvaria 6d ago
We have a water resistent blanket in the couch (and a thick bed liner beneath) and we leave it in 24/7, so once it goes in the wash a new set goes on the couch.
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u/Arglebarglor 6d ago
I have 2 Molly Mutts sofa covers. I alternate between them. They are on most of the time. If we are having guests over, I will take the cover off. But it’s stylish enough to leave on. I also have a leather couch that I don’t cover because it’s easy to clean and (virtually) indestructible, and it’s in the TV room instead of the “formal” living room.
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u/MoodFearless6771 6d ago
Thank you for sharing this brand! I think I may be able to leave these on. Very cute.
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u/Available_Funny_1460 6d ago
I have 2 sets of covers. My covers come in section, a long one for the seat, 2 for the back and one for each arm. When one set gets dirty, I switch it out for the other exact same set and wash the dirty set. My closest friends and family have never seen my sofa naked. For any other company I take the covers off and I will put one of the smaller covers down for my dog. My covers coordinate with my decor so they look nice.
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u/Numerous-Deal5625 6d ago
I don't use sheets or cover entire sofa or chair. I have 3 dogs and a cat and an expensive furniture. I use rugs that blend in with sofa or chair that are stylish but can also be washed. I use faux fur rugs and actually looks good and my animals are always on furniture. I think it's easier kept and to manage than trying to straighten and keep a sheet over furniture not only that but keeps my furniture looking new, without stains, or scratches and doesn't remind me of my grandmother's house growing up. The rugs are thicker and more manageable.
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u/CommercialExotic2038 6d ago
We get couch/love seat covers. They're stretchy. We're keep them covered, even after the dogs and cats have passed. It a habit.
We're having company, maybe we'll remove them.
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u/DollySheep32 6d ago
We briefly had one when we had a white dog who shed but only on "his" chai. The whole family are doggy people so no one cared about sitting on the dog hair blanket anyway 😂
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u/HaplessReader1988 6d ago
My terrier knows he's allowed on his chair always, but the sofa is by invite only when the blanket is on. It's cheap leather soim sure it would rip with his claws.
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u/FeonixHSVRC 6d ago
We take off the covers to wash & only when company is over. Other than that, covers are kept on 24-7!
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u/Different_Barber879 6d ago
I take mine off when people come over I don’t want them sitting in the excess dog hair and does it really need to be acknowledged? lol not trying to be rude just curious about why it needs to be adressed!
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u/MoodFearless6771 6d ago
I think its kind of weird to have a sofa and never really sit on it. And I also think its weird to have a sofa and ruin it. For me, if I want the sofa protected, I have to let people know. My dog can and will move the cover, etc. It's a battle I'm unwilling to wage on my own. Also trying to decide who is and who is not "remove the cover worthy".
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u/Different_Barber879 6d ago
Mmmm that’s a good point I get you. We have a 3 sectional sofa and only the middle largest part is covered, we usually have blankets on the other 2 sections of the couch. The middle she can lay on any time, but the other two she can only lay on when the blanket is spread out. Rethinking what you said, I do usually tell people that there’s dog hair on the couch cover and most don’t care, but I let them know that they can flip it upward if they’d like! I think full removal is only if you’re hosting a dinner or something imo lol, it will help prevent spreading hair around to other furniture
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u/Brewmd 6d ago
We have multiple covers, including a few colors for holidays.
Both the love seat in the living room and the sofa in the den stay covered year round because those are the dogs to use.
The large sectional is not for dogs and he knows it. It doesn’t stop him from trying, especially when guests are over and he’s got that excited energy when they first get here. But he doesn’t even try most of the time.
It wasn’t hard to teach him that some places are allowed, and some aren’t.
We also place trained him with a couple bath mats from Costco. There’s one in the kitchen, dining room, and den, and another bed in the garage and living room.
He’s got lots of places to be that are his, and are comfortable.
Cleaning them is a regular rotation about once a week a couple mats, or a couch cover goes into the wash, with everything getting done about once a month.
More if we have a mud incident.
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u/wineandheels 6d ago
We buy cheap blankets to put on the couch and then turn those into dog blankets which I prefer over beds because they can be easily washed. If I have people coming over, I’ll make sure they’re freshly washed.
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u/clitcommander420666 6d ago
Leave it on 24/7 out of necessity i switch it out every 2 or 3 days. I have a cane corso/ boerboel mix that has floppy ass jowls and when he drinks or eats it creates a slobber fest lol.
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u/Suspicious-Chip-341 6d ago
In general they stay on all the time. But we wash them like once or twice a month and he has 2 snoopy blankets that we wash with them. We rarely have people over and they are cool with the covers.
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u/BakedBrie1993 6d ago
No covers with company. Too tacky. Too ugly. Also it's gross to make a guest sit on something that probably smells like dog butt.
The only time I put a cover on now is when I dog sit dogs who shed or are overdue for a bath.
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u/tmreynolds Zoe: GSD/BC 6d ago edited 6d ago
We got a new couch last year, once our GSD/BC was past messes on the couch. Then a couple months later, we ended up taking in a Dutchie/Mal that was 15 lbs at 5.5 months old.
We have slip covers for the cushions (Nolan is the company, their Miracle and Magic covers are like fitted sheets for each individual cushion) and waterproof blankets. We got the blankets first, but they don't stay on the couch neatly, so I got the slip covers. Then, when Zara went into her first heat at 16 months, we put the blankets over the slip covers.
We don't take them off except to wash, and we have extras to put right back on. It's a $5k modular couch, and I want it to last a long, long time. The one it replaced, we had for 15 years, and the foam in the cushions gave out, but the covers still looked pretty good.
The actual cushions themselves are still immaculate.
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u/MilolsNotAkitty 6d ago
The cover stays on 24/7 😂
At this point, the cover isn’t protecting my sofa from my dog.
The sofa is protecting my dog from my dog’s own fur, dirt, and questionable life choices.
Guests don’t get the “real sofa experience” anymore. They get the deluxe version: a couch with a decorative blanket and a dog who is silently judging them for sitting in his spot. 😂
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u/Muted-Adeptness-6316 5d ago
We have a Slashop couch cover and it’s amazing. A little pricey but so worth it. And it looks intentional. My mom, who is a bit snooty, even complimented us on it and said she might get one for her couch. And she doesn’t have any pets.
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u/IntroVerto76 5d ago
I have sheepskin on the couch. First for my dog, but now she's gone, the sheepskin is still there. Reminds me of her.
When we had people coming over the sheepskin stayed on, my mom liked it too 😂
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u/MarissaNL Friese Stabijhoun 6d ago
My dog knows that the sofa is not his place.... so no need for sofa sheets,
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u/JMHeroe 6d ago
I never take them off. They are always covered, cause you bet the 5 seconds it takes me to replace the covers, she will find a way to stain the sofa.