Sorry I can't recommend anything other then what you're doing. It's the exact same way here.

Our dog has an *under-coat* and sheds volumes of hair. We had our carpet removed and laminate put down because I felt I could keep it cleaner. We have leather furniture so I can wipe it off. It's NEVER ENDING. But, we love our little dog, and that is the sacrifice we make for having him. We never wear black clothes ( he's fawn )

What we give up for our pets! I would rather have him and a less than perfect house than not have him...it's that simple :-)

Seems to me that the dog hair will be there, whether it's wood floors or carpet. It's just that you might see it more readily on the wood floors. The issue isn't so much your type of flooring or your type of vacuum cleaner. It's the dog! :-(

We have wood floors throughout our house, with just a few area rugs, plus two dogs. We would rather see the dog hair on the wood floors rather than not see it on any carpets. Having said that, some vacuum cleaners do a little better job than others in picking up dog hair. However, most of them do at least a passable job with dog hair.

Let's hope others have found a great solution to this issue that we both can use.

arizonarose: Agree!! The dogs stay inside. While in a lot of situations, we try to deal with the cause rather than its effects, this is not one of them.

brush the dog at least once a week.

shave the dog?

Daily do a "swish" with a dust mop....spray the mop with a little vinegar and water so it picks up the hair and just swish it over the wood floors every day. Shouldn't take more than 10 minutes even for a very large house.
Then at least once a week....vacuum to get what the swish with the dust mop missed.
And....that's one of the reasons I like my poodles!! LOL!
Linda C

We have hardwoods throughout and daily I run a lightweight vac. and once a week I mop with a microfiber cloth. Takes me roughly 15 minutes to vac. every day. Imagine what you are seeing on the hardwoods being trapped into carpet- yuck.
Make sure you feed a high quality diet and adding fish oil to their food can help minimize shedding. Also depending on the breed daily or weekly brushing with the proper tools can help minimize the hair in the house.
I have to disagree with the suggestion to shave the dog- dogs require their coats to regulate their body temp. Shaving it off disrupts their ability to cool and heat properly.

Paraphrasing the words of one the great posters on the Decorating Forum, somethings the best change you can make is a change in attitude.

Maybe you could make a decision to lower your standards of cleanliness. Unless there is someone in the house who is terribly allergic, there is nothing wrong with having some balls of fur here and there on the floor.

With regard to the dirt that is being tracked in, carpet runners along the major pathways through the house will help contain the durt.

Ouch, came back to this thread and saw my typo. That should read:
Sometimes the best change you can make is a change in attitude.

Graywings....I like your attitude!!
My worth as a human being is not measured by lack of dog hair on my floors nor the match of my pillows to my area rugs...but rather to the ease which people feel when being at my home.
That said....there are people whose houses I am uncomfortable in because of cats on the counter. But I am only a visitor, they live there and that is their choice.

I am reminded of a couple of weeks ago when I hosted a luncheon for 8 women....and one gal was sitting on the love seat and my toy poodle wanted to lie next to her....and she was pushing her away. I told her "You need to sit in that small rocker and she won't bother you." She repiled that "No....she needs to not sit on the furniture!"...I told her...."sorry this is my house and her's too."
A little dog hair and doggie kisses are a good thing....unless you go into anaphalatic shock form dogs.
Linda C

Oh my goodness, who could push away a toy poodle? I would have had that dog in my lap for the entire visit!

When my kids were babies, I was able to stay home with them. One of my big things was dog hair. I religiously brushed the dog every day (outdoors) and vacuumed daily also. My MIL was terrified of animals and couldn't understand why we'd have a dog and two cats in a house. Didn't we know cats suck the breath out of babies? The dog loved MIL and always jumped on her when she visited. I was secretly very happy.

I am in the same boat. We replaced all of our carpet throughout the house, including stairs and closets, with hard wood (medium dark). With 2 English Cream Golden Retrievers and a Jack Russell, you can imagine the hair. The goldens are only in the family room area when we are home, but their hair seems to be everywhere as we track it around. I am not a fan of the swiffer because the travertine in the kitchen/hallway can get scratched from the grit/dirt. I usually sweep with a broom and watch the dog hair fly around, then I use the Dyson ball with the hose attachment to suck it up. I use the swiffer once a week, after I've used a spray cleaner with the microfiber mop. It picks up any left over hair.

As for the poodle....having 3 dogs myself, i love them, but when company comes over, my guests' comfortableness comes first. My MIL story...I am not a cat person (even after having 2 because my husband likes them. I can't eat anything my mother in law makes because she lets her cat onto her counters. they live in a different state now but we are going to visit this week. maybe i will lose a few pounds!

If I had all wood floors it would be like living a fantasy -- wood floors are perfect Roomba territory!

We have five boxer dogs, a big house and two ROOMBAS. I can hardly wait to get carpet out of some of our rooms and have all hard floors in their place. Roombas work great WHILE I get to do other things, like sew! They do require a little bit of maintenance every third run or so: empty and check the brushes (simple) but WOW, it is so great to have the floors swept ALL the time. They get under furniture, under cabinet toe kicks and do a better job than I would.

I was about to suggest a Roomba too.

I'd suggest a furminator for the dog. They are expensive dog brushes, but they get out more hair than any brush I've seen. I try to do 5 minutes of brushing a day--it's shocking how much hair you can get rid of with a furminator in that time. Secondly, you are wasting time with the hand-held vac. You probably spend more time emptying it than cleaning the floors. They only hold about as much hair as I get off with the furminator in two strokes. I use a large dust mop and move fast, and it's much quicker than vacuuming. Once a week I steam clean, it's not fast, but it gets up anything that got missed during the daily sweep. Love your wood floors: they increase your homes value, they look beautiful, and they aren't imbedded with mystery yuk lurking in the fibers. And then go stroke the dog, because he'll make you live longer and more happily. (2 goldens and 1 lab--not bearded collies, but pretty good shedders in their own right.)

I didn't read all the posts so forgive me if I'm being redundant. What about a Swiffer dry head to use on a daily basis just to catch the fur?

I have a lot of cats and 2 large dogs. I use the swiffer for daily hair pick ups and then a Electrolux canister vac for deep cleaning. I have all hard surface flooring.

I second the Furminator pet brush. I have one for my cats and the brush is AMAZING. I wonder why my cats aren't bald for all the hair it gets out!! I think it will cut down on your sweeping a lot.

And I second the Swiffer. I use it 2-3 times a week to get up the fur, and then once a week use the Swiffer wet mop pads on it to get up the grime. I only have carpet in one room (living room) and I HATE it there!

The whole dog hair issues is half of the reason why I still have carpeting. The other reason is that my dog is just getting older and has some arthritis issues. I've bought dog beds for her, and she never uses them. A cushioned carpet is just way easier for her to just plop on, and she's got several favorite areas for a snooze.

The carpet is better for the older dog (and while I'm always vacuuming, it's way less stressful on me to not SEE the dog hair like I would on a hardwood floor.)

Sometimes it's how you look has to take a backseat to how you (or the dog) feels!

Several of you mentioned having rather large dogs and wood floors. I have been shopping flooring, but avoiding wood as an option because I have large dogs and have been told they will destroy the floors with their nails, drool, etc. What have been your experiences? I'm not as concerned about a few scratches - with or without dogs, that will happen. It is the mess caused by the submerging of the nose in the water bowl (which is really funny to see, but very messy).

Also, thanks for Roomba recommendation. I have been wondering if they are worth the money.

For the record, every cat I know (including my own) feels it is his inalienable right to have access to every room and every surface in the house. They are king (or queen) of the household you know!

I would also agree that carpet is better because the hair doesn't float around.

But, that said, how about a cheap cannister vac? I bought one at Walmart that you carry in one hand and vac with the other.

I guess out of sight out of mind for some people, but don't you realize all that hair, pet dander and dirt is still there, trapped in your carpet! Especially those of us with babies crawling around on it! EWWWW. Not to mention how bad it is for people with allergies or asthma!

Don't hate your floors, they are keeping you healthier and cleaner. I have a long haired dog, a long haired cat, 3 long haired daughters LOL(seriously, their hair used to clog my vaccum when I had carpeting!) and fluff balls floating every so often. The hardwood floors are sooo much easier! To keep it simple and quick, I keep the pets brushed (furminator is great, but our vet suggests using only once or twice monthly so as to not "over thin" the coat) and use a big WIDE dust mop (bought it at Lowes, Home depot has them too). My house is quite large and it only takes about 15 mins. to "mop-up" all the hair and dander in the morning. Once a day is usually good. And every day I think how if I had carpet at least 1/2 that "stuff" would still be lurking in the fibers! Also keep in mind how much easier and cleaner it is when your pets (or children) have accidents of any kind!

Run don't walk and get a furminater. Yes, they are expensive but they remove an amazing amount of hair from dogs and cats.