The Fur Plan

Short, dense coat · the sofa or the bed is covered

Short-coated dog hair on a fabric sofa (they lie all over it)

Coats like this: Labrador, French Bulldog, Bulldog, Beagle, Rottweiler, Boxer, Great Dane, Doberman, Staffy, Kelpie, Chihuahua, Pug, Greyhound, Whippet, Vizsla, Weimaraner, Pointer, Dalmatian, Mastiff, Basset Hound. Short, dense coats shed short, stiff hairs that work their way into fabric.

Change this first
The dog lies all over it, so one small cover won't catch much. Give them one spot that's theirs, and work on the coat.
Why

A cover only works on the patch under it. When they use the whole sofa, covering it all is just a worse sofa. Two things are left to try: giving them a better place to lie, and taking loose hair off the coat before it drops.

Today

Put something that's theirs — their own bed beside the sofa, or a folded blanket at one end — and see over a week whether they take it. Meanwhile brush tonight with whatever you have for now — a damp rubber glove or even a damp hand lifts some loose coat — and see the buying section for what suits this coat and look at what comes off.

What you can stop doing

  • Trying to keep a throw in place. The dog isn't staying on it, so you're washing a throw and a sofa.
  • Vacuuming the floors more. The sofa is the problem you named; floors can wait.
What comes next
  • Brush with whatever you have for now — a damp rubber glove or even a damp hand lifts some loose coat — and see the buying section for what suits this coat, starting at two or three times a week. Loose hair on the brush is hair that doesn't land in the house. If the skin looks pink afterwards, you're pressing too hard or going too often.
  • For hair already in fabric: a rubber glove, slightly damp, in short strokes toward you. Try it on a hidden corner first.
Only if you decide to buy something
A brush for this coat: a rubber curry brush or grooming gloveOnly if you don't have anything that reaches loose coat. Gentle; the pins should never scrape skin.

We don't sell products or earn commissions. These are things to look for; the shopping is yours.

The goal isn't zero hair. It's less cleaning that actually makes a difference.

If the shedding has suddenly got much heavier, or there are bald patches, red skin or a lot of scratching, that's a vet visit first, not a cleaning plan.

This page assumes you own no tools yet.Tell the planner what you already have and it rewrites the plan around it, and tells you if there's nothing to buy.Adjust this plan for my home