Malamute Decor
Decorating for Dogs in your Life
When we had one dog, carpet was fine.
It was grayish and matched the malamute fur. With two and three
dogs we vacuumed more and cleaned more nose prints off windows.
But beyond that many, the amazing thing I started to notice is that
dogs make DUST. Yes, dust. It's something you don't think
about! You expect hair, and muddy paw prints and smeary windows
but you don't expect dust! What is dust? Just dead skin and
dander, so it makes sense to have more dust with more bodies
in the house. Since we do have several indoor dogs, we are always
looking for ways to make it easier to keep the house clean and have
it look nice. Along the way, we've discovered a few things that
work - and a few that don't. We've got lots of dog loving friends
and have included their ideas and suggestions too. If you have
something that's worked for you, feel free to write. So until
I ceramic tile all the floors AND the walls so it can be hosed down
;-), here are some ideas 
that have worked for us in the Decor á
la Dog department.
I also must put a note in here about destruction. Your malamute doesn't have to be a home terrorist. It's called teaching them MANNERS. If you don't want them peeing on the walls, teach them. If you don't want them chewing up furniture and doors - TEACH THEM. If you want a clean house - keep your dogs clean. Yes, some are harder than others, but you wouldn't let your children destroy your home - why let your dog? I'm getting tired of the attitude that malamutes are so destructive your house will be a shambles because you live with them. No, only if you let them. Yes, they can be more destructive than most dogs - but with sufficient toys, an outlet for energy and manners learned as young puppies they make GREAT housepets. And your house doesn't have to look like a battle zone (at least until they shred that toy).
Here is our house - it's got 7-9 malamutes living in it at all times. The messiest room is my Office! Note no carpeting, and all the dogs lounging around....
Riggs watching TV in the bedroom Jazzy and Moo in their bedroom
An extra "dog quilt" keeps the
good quilt cleaner
Kitchen - note the black countertops Dog-friendly (that's Holly) family
l- easier to keep clean room furniture and flooring
My messy office - but that's not the
dog's fault!
Forget light-colored carpeting. If you must have carpet at all -- get a Berber in a tweedy color as it holds up better to nails and dirt. When the carpet wore out we opted for oak hardwood floors covered in urethane (to resist nails). Vynal tile works well, but best of all is ceramic tile. Some dogs have problems on slippery floors, but we've found they do get used to it. Choose flooring that can stand up to an occasional mopping with bleach or disinfectant. Avoid "waxed" wood floors and throw rugs that can't go in the washer. Need a bigger "carpet"? The rubber backed ones that can be cut to fit a bathroom are very handy and bigger than your typical "throw" - usually 5' x 6' or larger. They don't slide and can go in the washer when dirty. The best colors? Brown, yellow and tan flecks show nothing. I just wish those colors would come back in style! One Item I've fallen in love with for hard wood floors is my Roomba. Amazingly, the dogs ignore it! (I thought they might "hunt" it). Anyway, for all that hair and grit you get from dogs it's amazingly thorough. What's a Roomba? It's a small, robotic vacumn cleaner that cleans your floor unassisted. I feel the Dirt Dog is the best model for those of us with dogs as it handles hair the best, and get an extra battery - you'll use it.
Cleaning Products: My favorite cleaning products are Mr. Clean Magic Erasers - they get the grime off everything - and Windex - what would I do without it! Though I am in love with my Scooba - a robotic floor washing machine. Fill the tank, set it down, and it cleans the floors! I love this thing - like the Roomba it is a robotic floor cleaner. I hate scrubbing floors and it does a very good job getting up pawprints and grime. Other items I couldn't live without - a swiffer for quick cleanups and dusting and my Dyson vacum cleaner. That said, lets get to decorating....
Furniture: If it's a weave forget it! The hair will weave itself in and you'll never get it out though it's not as bad as short stiff hairs from a lab or rottie. The best upholstery fabric for malamute fur is brushed velour or corduroy upholstery. It holds up well and is fairly easy to clean (wide tape is great for plucking off hair during shedding season - I stock up at the dollar store!). We know a few people that swear by leather (as long as your dog isn't a chewer - sometimes leather is a little too close in smell to rawhides...). A nice throw where the dog likes to lay is easier to clean than upholstery. If you're very particular you'll train your dogs to stay off the furniture altogether! I buy tables, chairs and bookcases from office supply stores because they are built to last for years. I love the futon furniture that has removable covers. Muddy paw prints? No problem!
Walls: Whatever you paint them, keep an extra gallon of the same color on hand. It's handy for touching up nail scratches on the woodwork or the lower part of the walls that just get grungy from dogs walking by or shaking when wet. Avoid wall coverings that are not easily cleaned. Wood or Formica paneling halfway up the wall is easy maintenance in some rooms. Also, faux paint designs in brown and yellow never seem to show the dirt.
Kitchen accouterments: I am simply in LOVE with my new black marble-look formica countertop. Doesn't show dust, dirt or crumbs and the occasional wayward paw print (try explaining that to a dinner guest!). I put down a parquet wood floor with several layers of urethane and I'll let you know how that holds up....well, it doesn't. Though it might be ok for a one-dog household, it's got a lot of "scratch marks" from the Scooby-do race through the kitchen (you know what I mean - where they paddle and run but get nowhere), though the color is good. One thing I added was a cupboard facing the family room that could hold a bin with a full 40 lb. bag of dog food. That has been wonderful - a pet "feeding center". When we decided to get a new kitchen, we opted for a pet friendly one - and one that wouldn't show the wear and tear (hopefully) our old kitchen took. I also like our new stainless steel "look" refrigerator - it LOOKS like stainless - but the nose prints don't even show - not sure how they did that but it looks like some sort of silver fleck coating over the steel.
Screen doors (especially door walls): Don't. Period. Just leave the glass and open windows for air unless it's a "top-only" screen! I'm still looking for an industrial strength screen that can't be pawed but won't let mosquitoes in. The pet-resistant plastic screening seems to hold up well as far as holes go, but the dogs just rip it out of the frame so it has to be constantly put back. Malamutes will think nothing of pawing a hole through the screen or even running through it. That goes for low window screens as well. If anyone has a good solution I'd love to hear it!
Car interiors: Medium colors are best. Dark colors show all the white fur, light colors the muddy paw prints and guard coat when it blows. Give up and put covers on if it's really important to keep it hairless and clean (like a leased car). But most Malamute owning people with more than one dog don't have cars anyway - they have Sport Utility Vehicles, enclosed trucks or vans. There's not enough room in a regular car to transport more than 1 Malamute anyway.
Vacuum cleaners: The consensus
is that a shop vac is best (I couldn't take the noise!). I discussed
this with a vacuum professional who told me commercial vacuums are not
that good with dog hair because that's not what they were meant to pick
up (it's not like there are many dogs in offices). He said the
most important thing was a good "beater bar" and lots of suction
- brand is not that important. I recently bought a Dyson and am hooked. No bags and it's soooo easy to empty, though
I'm partial to Hoover (the furry kind of course) . I also am in love with the little robotic Roomba's. They are great for running around and getting all the grit and hair you just don't have time to vacumn all the time. When I'm pressed for time, I put them down to run around. For cleaning dirty paw prints I've fallen head over heels in love with my Scooba (like a Roomba, but it washes floors).
Window coverings: Avoid horizontal blinds -dogs just get caught in them trying to look outside and they're terrible dust catchers. Verticals are better for dust, dogs can part them to look out without too much trouble. They can also be individually replaced if necessary. I've also heard the wood blinds don't hold up well.
Avoid too much chrome, glass and anything that can acquire nose prints. Avoid clutter as that attracts the dreaded dust. The downside of no carpet is "mal bunnies" and fur balls drifting around. Wallpaper is difficult if you have a puppy that finds a corner and thinks it's fun to pull it off (just try and replace that pattern). Painted walls are better for that reason. Keep some touch up paint handy.
Clean ups: Potty accidents should be cleaned up with an enzyme cleaner or bleach - alcohol works well in a pinch. Avoid ammonia as that smells similar to the ammonia in urine and may confuse a pup. The best air fresheners I've found are the Glade plug-ins. Safer than candles, they don't last a long time, but do a good job. There are several commercial "deodorizer" machines available through dog catalogs but I've never tried them. Febreze fabric spray is great for getting odors out of furniture and fabric (don't believe the internet scares going around - they are urban myths).
Landscaping: The consensus is either give your mal his own place to dig (like a sandbox) or don't allow it. If you like that decorative ground level lighting, put it in the front yard. Fence off flowerbeds and gardens (or suffer the consequences). If you have fruit trees, the malamutes WILL discover them and eat the fruit when it falls or even attempt to climb the tree before it does! Gardens suffer the same fate - and they'll wait until it's ripe of course.
Doors: If your dogs paw at doors, the best thing I've found that stands up to it is texture splatter paint found in some hardware stores. It comes in a spray can and looks like tiny splatters and speckles. It's a pain to put on (the nozzle keeps clogging) but it's tough and worth the effort!
Misc: Hide bathroom wastebaskets under the sink or at least get one with a lid. If you can, do the same with kitchen trash. Eventually they'll figure out the lid, but it buys you time. Once they figure it out, I turn it backwards and that may discourage rummaging for a few more days. With puppies, don't assume anything. Get a crate and use it until you are SURE he is potty trained well and won't get into too much trouble. Just when I think I've got them outsmarted, they change the rules! Also, put the bar soap up high. I'm not sure why, but our guys love to EAT the soap. oo000oo.00ooo0o0 Bubbles!
In general, thinking ahead can save lots of cleanup later. One of the best things you can teach your dog is to wait to let you wipe muddy paws before entering. Mats at doorways are great for collecting dirt and debris. Make the extra effort to potty train well. Don't allow your dog to dig. Brushing the coat daily eliminates lots of hair -- and even some of the dust. Gosh they make a lot of dust!!!