The Best (and Worst) Sofa Fabrics for Pet Owners

　　(Image credit: Esteban Cortez)There are people in this world who don’t let dogs on sofas (or even on rugs). I’m not one of them. Why even have pets if they can’t be on the furniture with the rest of the family, am I right? #dogsfirst!So when my husband and I find ourselves on the hunt for a new couch, the biggest consideration is not how nice it is, or how pretty, but how well it will hold up to paws and shedding fur and the mud and who knows what else our two pups bring onto the couch with them. That makes this velvet Chesterfield I pine for an impossible dream. But what makes for the best sofa fabric, anyway?To find out, I talked to some people who would know — the makers of both dog beds and people furniture: Denise Eddy is the home and gift buyer and Jon Comeau is the pets product development specialist at Orvis. They tag team their knowledge in coming up with products (like this bed) made with materials that can withstand life with pets. The two main things to consider, they say, are how well the material can stand up to being soiled, and if it will survive a flurry of claws.I also turned to some fellow pet families to hear about real world experiences with different sofa fabrics.First things first: what should you avoid if Fido and Fluffy are going to snooze on the sofa with you?Lose the loose weaves and anything high maintenanceThe trouble with fabrics like tweed, Denise says, is hairs and dirt can get trapped in the weave — not to mention claws can snag and tear it. And forget something high maintenance like velvet. It’s a magnet for hair, she says.Sondra, who lives with Buddy and Jelly Bean, doesn’t dig her “nubby fabric” sofa. “It traps dirt and pieces of random sticks I don’t see them bring in until it’s too late,” she says.Skip the silkSilk can stain very easily, Denise says. And everyone loves a beautiful dupioni silk sofa but if they can get a claw into it it’s going to be pieces. (Chelley, who I spoke with for real-world advice, learned about silk the hard way when her Shih Tzu shredded a silk-covered sofa.)Say no to suedeWhile true suede is durable, the Orvis team says, “the problem in a sofa fabric is cleaning it. If it happens to get soiled, it’s a lot more difficult to clean than leather.”