Have Terrier, Need Sofa + more

[AilFin]

Hi, I am a new member. I have read practically everything on the site, plus looked at nearly all the photos, and I still have questions.

I have a 45 lb., 14 mo. old, male Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier. While under the supervision of my teenagers, from ages 2 months to 12 months, he partied in our living room.

He rarely gets on our leather sofa unless he wants to (1) stand on his head and dig a little for the benefit of whoever he is standing next to; or (2) toss the relevant cushions off so he can bury something in the bowels of the sofa (usually a shoe, toy, or grooming tool). For some reason, he has not chewed the leather at all. This sofa has lasted 7 years, and is ready to go to my husband's office for him to nap on. It only cost $1000, and I am eager to get rid of it.

My plan is to buy a sofa. I am also considering buying two loveseats because the center cushion of the sofa is rarely sat upon, and the room is only 13 x 20. I prefer a sofa that has 4 to 6 loose cushions, so I can turn and rotate the cushions. There would be no skirt to remove, should it tempt the dog. My husband and I plan for this to be our last sofa purchase, so we figure it should be of high enough quality to last 20 years (which sounds like leather to me).

Questions:

* If I buy a Hancock and Moore or Bradington-Young leather sofa, what grade and type of leather would be the best match for a family which includes one terrier, three 18 year old teenage boys, one teenage girl, one husband, and a beleaguered wife/mother? I think we are finally passed the stage of needing our furniture to be covered in stainless steel.

* Do you think a fabric sofa would be better? I am considering Taylor King and Hancock and Moore sofas that do not have skirts. The dog removed the skirt from an upholstered chair already. Then he took off the fabric side panel which was stapled to the frame. He sleeps in that chair sometimes, and he has not harmed the rest of it.

* Do you think another sofa I am considering, which has oak sides, back, arms, and legs, would be more practical? The cushions and removable armrest pads are the only upholstered parts. Oak is very hard, and the maker has not had any customer complaints about dogs chewing and ruining the wood. The cushions would be covered in heavy duty fabric. But ... this custom made sofa costs around $3,000 plus delivery from another state and is not my favorite in terms of attractiveness.

If I buy a fabric covered sofa, I plan to buy a couple of leather chairs, swivel or tilt back, and ottomans.

Thanks for your advice,
AilFin

[drcollie]

Welcome to the forum.

* Most dogs don't bother sofas at all, product failure is the result of the human owners failure to clean & condition the leather periodically.

* Most cushions are not swappable, and are tailored for specific location on the piece - at least in better furniture. If you take care of the cover (as mentioned above) you won't need to try to move them around.

* Price Grade has nothing to do with durability. Again, have to take you back to the first statement on care. Buy the grade that has the color/look/feel you happen to like.

* Leather outlasts fabric four to one.

* Your terrier is still in the puppy stage, and can destroy anything with chewing if he chooses to do so. Crate training can take care of most of that, but that's another topic. Another 6 to 8 months and he should be done chewing.

Good luck!

[AilFin]

Thank you!

The dog is crate-trained. The teenagers need to be. Anyway, it doesn't matter what the dog did to the furniture because I am eager to replace it all, and now I have a good reason to. We will contact you within a month when I have a better idea of what I want the living room to look like.