Hi
   We might be getting a new Leather suite soon ,how easy are these suites to rip under attack of a puppys claws ??.
Dont really want to spend alot of money and have it ruined within a week any advice anyone ,must be loads of doggy owners with leather suites with tales to tell :-) .

I've got an 8 month old staffy who bounces about all over my leather sofas and I've had no problems.  they have been pooed and peed on but are still looking great - and smell doesn't linger (unlike the carpets which are needing replacing!).  Leather is great because dog hair can be wiped off it too unlike fabric which it sticks to.  happy shopping.

i have got a 4 year old lab and a 6 month lab, they get on my leather suite sometimes, and its great, i just wipe any marks off with a damp cloth, and no hair sticks to it  either.

I know nothing about qualities of leather etc, but I have  'inherited' furniture which is quite thick heavy duty type leather (like Chesterfields are done it, exept mine isn't that make!!) and it's been wonderful - now 25 yrs old and looks as new - not one mark on it and it';s taken a LOT of abuse..However I wouldn't be too sure about some of the modern very soft thinner types that you see advertised in the furniture warehouses on the telly - the kind of Italian look that;s in - wouldn't trust my lot not to trash it!!

HTH

Gus and my two sons jump all over mine and I think theyre great :)

My 3 kids have caused more damage to our last leather suite than our OES (who should not be on it but he does  go there!)
We have replaced the old one with another leather one as we were very satisfied with its durability and its easy to clean!

Jude

WE have a cream leather suite and 2 labs and no problems at all in fact it great the hair doesn't stick lol and any marks just wipe off.  However the cat has ruined the back with his sharpening of claws grrrrrrrrrrrrrrhhhhhh

Being honest what you have to watch is the hide.  My first Leather suite cream , I had for about 8 years it left us with not a mark on it. ( we sold a fair bit of our big items from our house as we were building a new one and everything else went to storage) The second one which I have to say was just a fraction under £3000.. was by the same maufacturer but it was a softer and smoother finished, it was a better grade of hide.(In the suppliers eyes as it looks better).   This one we have had for only a year and it is a few marks on it, I was really miffed.

The tougher leather seems to be more grainy..   which will be my next one again. The most robust one was the cheaper one.

Good luck.

Pam

EDITED to add, that I would not have anything but I leather suite though as it cleans a treat.

My suite came from my Mam & Dad. They had it about ten years. Their dogs jumped all over it, the cats were all over it, now my lot are all over it.
When my parents bought it it was second hand and the woman said she'd had it for 10-12 years.
It's one of the ones with a Dark oak frame, a bit like the one on the Dfs advert, but the cushions are a thicker leather.
The dogs climb all over it, the cushions have not sagged and there are very few marks on it. The marks that you can see are along the backs of the cushions where the cats walk.
Oh! My ferrets play down the back of it as well so I use 'orange' leather cleaner and there is no residual smell.
The woman my parents bought it from lives down the street and when we brought it out to take it to my house a few months ago she came out, she's had two leather suites since this one, she asked my Mam if she was throwing it out 'cos she would love to have it back.
Also with it being an older suite the frame is a lot stronger than what they sell now.
If I ever did need another suite I would look at second hand, older, better made one.
I would never pay the stupid prices they want now.

I have a male rottie and he thinks nothing of jumping all over it playing chase when my daughters shepherd is hear and i have had the suite for about 5 years and not a mark on it but it is the thick leather i think it is what type you get.
Carol

I agree 100% with Pam - my experience with saddlery and bridle leather (and kids shoes) taught me that the grainer thicker leather designed with some 'give' in the cushion area is going to be far more resistant to dogs claws (and kids shoe buckles) than the thin stuff which is stretched tight - our suite is nearly 3 years old and looks as good as new (apart from the small patch of enamel paint curtesy of OH!)  HTH

so you are all saying thumbs up then :) .Also what i can gather is do we go for the cheaper suites so we get a tougher grainy leather ??? .

Thanks for the comments they have been great .

With leather you really get what you pay for - cheaper is not always the grainy stuff - it's often not been cured the same way as the more expensive stuff and will start to dry out quicker - and dry leather cracks  :(

Hi

When I got mine from DFS they gave me a choice of leather grades to choose from, I got the toughest grade as the differance in price was minimal (but then they were on sale). The dogs and cat haven't damaged it and it even stands up to buckles on the kids shoes which the leather in the car hasn't.

Nikki

Well here's something I can relate too :rolleyes: - I have £2000 worth of cream leather sofa which admittedly wipes clean and comes up a treat when pupster has had her dirty paws up there - BUT, other half always allowed her to take her toy's onto the sofa...So I couldn't exactly tell her off when she missed her toy and put her teeth through the sofa!!! - Yes, it is ripped :( - never mind eh????  If I could turn the clock back I would not allow her up there in the first place!!!
Sarah
PS. Its the soft leather!

In my experience with both of mine , both bought from a good store is to look at the material, if it feels quite rough to the touch then that would be better. The smoother, crease free is what I have.  You will get good grades in both of these also but I personally would go for the rougher grain.

I wished I could get my old one back :-(

Dont' worry about colour neither both of mine have been cream, the clean easily.

Another little tip is , If you get pen on them do not under any circumstance scrub it, depending where the pen is either put a heat towel on it and tried and either sit on it or lean on it as often as possible ( can take weeks) and wait for it to rise

My sisters little girl got pen on mine , I got the company out to fix ( £75)  , next time it happened a freind gave me the above tip and it came out no problem with the heat over time.

Good luck

Pam

We're also looking for a leather sofa at the moment.

Went to several places and noticed they have the samples of leather to look at - and i am afraid i was very, very naughty and rubbed my nails on each sample to see how easy they scratched! MOst do scratch very easily but there is the "domestic" leather which i believe is meant more for families and meant to be a bit stronger - still looks very nice. The waxed leather seems to get very scraped very easily although i like the look.

I'd love to hear which makes etc. people think are good. This time round, we are after a better quality suite after our wretched DFS fabric one ended up with seats like pancakes due to the filling :(

Am i reading this right - that some peeps are very happy with scratchy animals and the very soft leather? It seems so liable to scratching though

A friend has just splashed out on a GPlan creamleather suite but her dogs aren't allowed on the sofa, unlike my girl who sits on the top and watches for us out of the window :)

Lindsay

Hi Lindsay
we got our sofa from DFS about seven years ago . It has lasted well and is fairly soft leather in a mid blue colour that doesnt seem to show dirt . There are a few odd scuffs now but nothing drastic and it has been WELL used and luckily our cat doesnt use it as a scratcher
Lesley

Hi Lindsay,

I think both of mine are " Cambria"   I tried to find my receipt but as I have moved in the last 9 months it is in a " Safe Place" you know what that means. SO safe I can't find it LOL.

A key thing if you are worried is make sure the place you buy from has a good Customer service/relations etc.

As a few of the popular furniture places don't.

For example I bought mine out of John Lewis , some people think they are expensive but they have time and time again price matched things for me. The service is second to none.

My first suite had a natural scar on the side, I noticed it when it was delivered. Now as we know because it is a natural product that is going to happen but as the price I wanted the scar on the back LOL.. They left it and after a month with the heat etc I felt it was more promenant.  I called them.  Rather than send anyone out, they ordered a whole new one. Not even one peice as they said they wanted to ensure both were the same shade again. The came picked it up and swapped it over.  Even gave me £50 of Lewis vouchers for the trouble ( which I have to say was none but a phone call). 

I have heard some horror stories. Depending how you are paying for it, if you are buying cash it is worth putting on your visa then paying the bill as you get a bit of added protection.

I know I sound a bit OTT but I just always play safe with some of these companies now.

Oh the joys of purchasing things.

BFN Pam

Hi Lesley and Pam,

thanks for your thoughts :)

John Lewis is one place we haven't thought of trying in fact, thanks for that. I like that example of customer relations!!! :D

Lindsay

I took out 5 years insurance with mine which covers for everything and the sofas will be replaced if they are damaged in any way.  It was quite pricy (£250) but far cheaper than a new suite.

Just wanted to mention that we have decided on our sofa....G Plan! I am amazed at their sofas, lots of designs and very good quality, but also good strong and yet soft leather Besides they have a winter sale on at the moment....and so hopefully the sofa/s won't be much more expensive than our old one! :D

Saw a great site online, www.classicchoice.co.uk, which has lots of great classic designs such as button backs and so on, lovely :) but we feel the GPlan stuff is the best for actual body and back support overall. So we're off on saturday to make our final decision as to which style and colour to get.  Silly but i feel quit excited...no more plumping up stupid pancake cushions, and no more dog hair problems :D

Lindsay