This is the post that will literally write itself.
Because when people come to our house, they’re always surprised that it doesn’t smell like dog.
Also? There isn’t fur just everywhere. That is, if I have a ten minute warning, because let’s get real, I have to live my life, after all. And these rescue pups – two red heeler/great pyreneese mixes {we call them our pyreheelers} have endless energy and shed like a MUG.
I receive this question a lot when it comes to how I keep our house clean with Rigby and Fitz inside. Especially with hardwoods. Is it doable? How to I manage?
I won’t lie. It can take a mental commitment, and I near lost my mind the first time we brought our first rescue {Chloe} home. But when we lost her to cancer a few years ago, and immediately found room in our home {and our hearts} for two more… I knew we were in trouble. Because not only was it double the love and trouble, but this is the place where two passions collide.
Two conflicting passions: an orderly, functioning house… and rescues.
I believe in a clean house. Some friends probably may call me anal. I run a fun ship, but a tight one so that I can be happy as a functioning human being. I also have little helpers and a definite co-pilot, so that means it’s not all up to me, and that certainly helps.
If it were up to me, we would probably have about ten more. Puppies, not children. And I often tell Jamin in an alternate universe if I were solo with more time, I would in fact be the animal rescue lady. I just want to save all the animals and make all the things. As life has it, our kids, the rehab, business and pups give us both more than we can handle. And so we’re managing a house with two.
The kiddos asked if they could have a turtle the other day and I said when the basement is complete, we will revisit the topic. Jamin’s jaw dropped. I’m such a softy for animals, it’s a problem. Not-so-secretly, I’m rooting for a hedgehog.
But back to all things pups in the house: One of the biggest changes we made, is that we have rules.
I have no problem with treating my dogs like fur babies, but when we noticed their behavior get out of control, we started with little things to keep them in order and us sane. {Read: we worked one on one with a (legit, degree holding) dog trainer/whisperer a year ago and never looked back because two were a lot to handle.} For instance, they aren’t allowed on the furniture unless they’re invited. So all these photos you see aren’t where I caught them… it’s where I told them they were allowed. Dogs are members of a pack and they crave hierarchy and order. They also crave both mental and physical exercise. Without it, our dogs have anxiety.
This was hard for me to accept at first, because I just want all the snuggles. Why does everything have to be hard?
So we did little things, like they know to sit before they exit and enter the house. They come when we call {this comes in handy when they escape our fence on occasion and come right back to us}. The food comes from the alpha and that means all of us – even the children participate in this. They don’t get to put their paw on us when they’re being loved because that shows ownership of the human and… I could go on and on because there’s a lot of psychology behind it, and we have to work on it daily. Most of the time, the owners need more training than the dogs. My point? It makes a difference in their behavior and the resulting orders. It’s a real thing when you’re in a committed relationship with an animal, and it goes beyond pretty pictures and snuggly hugs.
So back to the house and all things clean: This wasn’t our first rodeo. So in the combo with rules, a must-have was a Swiffer Sweeper.
And we have NEVER looked back.
Listen to me now – if you take nothing away from this site other than what a lunatic I can be or how to nicely pair pillows or that I enjoy self depreciating humor and sometimes all at once… listen to this: If you have pets and hard floors of any kind, and do not own a swiffer sweeper… your life is too hard.
You’re doing it wrong.
The moment I opened up this puppy, I was zooming around the room, and done. Hair collected like magic. It just blew around with our vacuum cleaner {of a superior branded nature} And with two pups, we are NO strangers to hair. It’s kind of a nightmare if it’s not maintained.
I’m talking zoom and done. Jamin makes fun of me because I have a daily ritual of a quick swiffer ceremony through the house. I can’t believe I’m saying this but I’ve made it my job because there’s something therapeutically rewarding about it… I kind of enjoy it. WHAT.
Simply empty out the filter and dump the contents every few sessions, and change out the pad. Charge in between. DONE.
It makes cleaning fun, dare I say it? Isn’t that the point?
#yogapantsalways #yesIamadork #yesthatisartsuppliesstuffedinthecornerwhereourdeskwillgo
So if you’re wondering if you can handle a pet indoors… trust me when I say we’ve had our come to Jesus moments. We’ve had our trials just like any other commitment that you decide to make {and then wonder if you’ve lost your everlovingmind}. But we know they’re worth it. The memories. The sweet snuggles. The kids cherish these relationships and it’s teaching them valuable life lessons we can’t replicate in any other way.
These not-so-little trouble makers have our hearts… not to mention they make the best fluffy hugs ever.
You can do it. Just get a Swiffer Sweeper to make your life easier… and then make a promise to yourself that you won’t lose your crap when you take the fam to the movies {because you thought it was safe to ditch the crates now that they’re over two} and come home to find exploded paint bottles, a half eaten box of Rid-X and a half-chewed paint brush… all over your brand new rug and sofa. On Christmas Eve.
Thankfully, that paint was water based.
I was able to take a deep breath and move on. And the rest of the mess they made, came right up with the swiffer.
No, we still have no idea how they got into the homemade, high-placed cinnamon rolls on the counter and ate every. last. one.
I’m still kind of bitter about that one.
Like I said, often it’s the humans that need to be trained.
Yep. Still worth it.
We couldn’t be more passionate about a product and thank the makers from the bottom of our hearts. Seriously. Thank you for saving our sanity.
Now please figure out how to make one that attaches directly to the dog in a bubble suit so that the hair never even touches the floor. Kidding not kidding. Thhhaaaaannnnnkkkkssssss.
One satisfied fanatic, over and out.
Teresa says
Ha! I can relate…a new foundling plus a burnoose mountain dog equals a lot of hair. Our winning combo is a Roomba and a Swiffer Wet Jet 😉 COuldn’t live without either!
Sara B says
How often do you bathe them? What do you use? That is our biggest trial of keeping the smell at bay.
ashley @ the handmade home says
Hey Sara! We probably bathe them once every three months. I know it’s not good to do it often because it can dry out their skin. Of course, if they play in the mud that’s a different story ;} I guess a lot of it could do with the breed of the dog? But our last dog was the very same way. They’re all little rescue dogs/mixed breeds.
I think it’s because they do stay inside so much. When they’re outside for a while they have that “outside” smell for a bit but then it fades and they kind of blend in with our house. We use baby shampoo. Sometimes {in the cold weather} we have them groomed and that’s the best smell EVER. And we just clean up after them often. I hope that helps? Maybe not?
Julie Owensby Odom says
LMAO! My 4 little birdies have flown the nest so ‘fur babies’is really what they are here. If not for the husband, I, too, would be the dog rescue lady. Why do husbands not get this? It’s jut our need for nurturing after all, and, fair warning, it gets worse with an empty nest.
On November 19, our 12yesr old Sophie, an Olde English Sheepdog, went over the Rainbow Bridge. ???????? Knowing this was coming, I got a little rescue 3yrsrs ago. We are searching for the right dog to go with our little Romeo., whose name should be VELCRO!
The hair around the house has diminished with the loss of our Sophie, & is manageable now with the Roomba. I had no idea the Swiffer Sweeper worker so well-thanks for that recommendation. I concur with hiring a great dog trainer. For me, it made the difference between losing my mind and having a great, fun, generally well behaved best friend for 12 years who was also the best Frisbee dog ever!
ashley @ the handmade home says
HAHAHAHA I’ll probably have ten when my kids leave. I have snuggle issues. ;}
Donna J Burkle says
I have a border collie/mini aussie mix and she sheds so bad! I am about to lose my mind! I have to sweep twice a day and there is still hair on stuff!
ashley @ the handmade home says
Awe I know it can be nerve wracking. I think they go through seasons too. We’re in shedding season right now and it drives me batty. We got away with shaving Chloe because it worked with her hair… these two are double the mess with their long hair and would look like weirdos if we shaved them. I swear I could create a third dog daily with all their hair. We even tried paying the groomer to do the special hair brushy out thing and clearly it didn’t do much. You’re not alone!
Michelle says
Didn’t know about the paw thing showing “ownership”!! Got to work on that one with our G Shep! And, coming when called. Perhaps we have a few things to work on. Got a vacuum good with tile floors. Went back to sweeping because it still seems better than the vacuuming. Well, now I’m going to go try the Swiffer. I need EASY and GOOD! 🙂 Thanks.
ashley @ the handmade home says
YAAASSSSS! It traps the hair with the wipe so it actually has time to suck it up. And doesn’t just blow it around. We LOVE it. It’s seriously my not-so-secret-weapon.
We learned so much with our dog trainer! Be sure to read up on it… it’s fascinating stuff. This guy is legit and worked in zoos with hippos and injured animals and stuff like that. I had no idea you could have a college degree in such things. Rigby and Fitz were pulling us when they walked and that was wrong too. They were showing anxiety because they wanted to be the leaders. They’re supposed to walk at your side because you’re the alpha. It’s crazy. And sometimes exhausting. ;} But well worth it!
Sue says
Rid-x? Did they get sick? Also, I have little scratch marks on my hardwood floors from nails. How do you deal with this problem.
ashley @ the handmade home says
Hey Sue! Ha good question – it scared me to death and it was on Christmas Eve! They’d gotten it off the kitchen counter, torn into the box but not much was missing to equate to much in their bellies – they spilled/sprinkled most of it around the house so that last statement was a bit dramatic of me. We think they got into it and then decided they didn’t really like the taste. Of course we panicked and googled since it was after hours for the vet. It’s made of purely organic material so they were fine. And we were lucky because it could have been something else. The half a dozen giant pioneer woman maple cinnamon rolls however, made them throw up. Ew.
As far as grooves in the hardwoods go, that is an issue with us as it is all dog owners and is a real bummer when it happens. But we also have three kids so its hard to keep up with it all. We keep their nails trimmed regularly, and use touch up pens. We also do all we can with preventative measures to keep them from getting too riled up indoors and going absolutely crazy. If they want to play they go outside. We try not to let them run like crazy in the house because of their size. It helps.
Stephanie B. says
Hi! Thank you for the great information! Question…how do you keep the dog smell from your home? I’m also worried about my house smelling fresh! During the summer I always have windows open and don’t smell my puppy, but we live in the Midwest and open windows aren’t an option during the winter!
ashley @ the handmade home says
Hey Stephanie – great question! I guess it’s not anything we actively sought after so much as something that just happened – our house with our last pup was like this too and we didn’t even know they were supposed to “stink it up” until we visited other homes or people said things to us.
I know that we clean different areas almost daily. It’s far from perfect but we try to stay on top of things they make stinky like pillows and their towels (we keep fresh ones in their crate) washed frequently. We keep their food put away (with a lid) when not in use which is good for the alpha / heiarchy thing anyway – and we just freshen up often with floors and such. I also love a good candle, if that helps. 🙂 Our dogs get plenty of exercise outside but we don’t leave them out all day which I think makes a difference … and when they are out for a while the smell fades and they smell like our house.
I am just listing things that we try to be intentional with and that’s pretty much it. Again, far from perfect but it works for us. I hope that helps!
Jamie says
Great tips! It’s gotten a lot better since I took your suggestion. Thanks for sharing!