Are there any dog friendly flooring options that are carpetless?

Try area rugs that can be professionally cleaned but leave the hardwood floor or whatever there is down there. If there is a concrete slab floor try the laminated wood flooring with area rugs to give a softer feel in places.

I’d consult with a flooring company and an animal hospital.
They may or may not approve my suggestion of a sub flooring with a drain covered by a fine strong non-metallic mesh flooring that can be hosed down when needed. Throw rugs and large pillows for the dog among the furniture. I do not know if this exists, but it sounds good to me.

@woodcutter I think it would just be subfloor. That would be a nice surprise to uncover hardwood but I am not going to hold my breath. Laminate is durable then?

@Sunny2 Non metallic mesh? I haven’t heard of that I will look it up. What a creative approach though. Sounds like fun.

@rosehips The floor I’m describing is the snap together flooring that is really tough and a lot less money than the real hardwood, The floating kind is better I think because there is a slight amount of give vs glue down.

My new house has polished concrete floors and we have lots of area rugs. I have an old dog who takes meds for incontinence. If I miss a dose I might find her lying in a puddle. I have found that it is much easier to clean a dog spot from an area rug than a carpet with a pad.

Look into cork flooring: http://www.wicanders.com/en/collections/corkcomfort/the-collection/
Not as durable as laminate, but the dog would be happy. :)

I’m a believer in linoleum. It’s my favorite. You might be able to find a good tile floor, but it would have to be installed with a good underlayment, and some installers skimp on that part.

I agree with @longgone…our dog never had a problem with cork floors, they are not too slippery and also rather warm, not a lot colder than carpet, which is also nice for the feet of the human inhabitants.

@woodcutter I think I have heard of it. We would probably be able to install it ourselves saving an install charge. I was wondering how durable it was. Would it also mean you could replace high traffic areas with out redoing the whole floor?

@Judi That might be an option for the basement. I have seen that awesome wedding planner David somebody do that for outdoor weddings. It looks great.

@longgone Bamboo is environmentally and allergy friendly. Another plus is given this is Alaska warm floors would be a huge advantage. I like the fact that it would be nicer on the dog’s joints.

@YARNLADY Well I have to admit the lineolum in the kitchen bath and dining area held up great. It just looks really ugly. I am sure there are better options though and taste might have had something to do with it.

@newtscamander It does sound tempting. I would personally love bamboo. But the rottweiler literally picks the carpet up with her paws as she plays. And it was laid correctly just stretched a little with age and use.

Sigh this is tough. Maybe I will just measure the sq footage and get estimates for different types of flooring and get her a gift certificate for something midrange and let her pick with a little input from me. : )

Thanks for all the ideas.

@rosehips Have you shopped linoleum lately? There are some beautiful patterns, including some designed to look like real wood.

^As a renter I have not, there was a time I mentioned updating the flooring to a landlord but he didn’t care to do that.

I will have to remedy that, however.

Qualifier: My husband has been in flooring for 20 years. I consult him on all flooring questions

You don’t want laminate. Laminate is little better than plastic-coated cardboard. It’s fine if you’re on a budget and you don’t have pets or small children, and you’re not planning on moving furniture around much. You have to be careful how wet your mop is. Laminated flooring is not water-friendly.

Real hardwood, sand and finish style, would work well, but the dog’s paws would likely scratch the finish. My husband recommends a buff and coat every few years.

Enginnered hardwood is where it’s at. Real wood, with a seriously hard, baked on finish. It will stand up to the Rottie’s claws, and in extreme circumstances (say, after a few years of puppy paws and chew-bone scrapes) the engineered floor can be buffed and re-coated just like raw hardwood.

Bamboo is a lovely choice for floors, but it tends to be a little soft and gouges easily. For small breed dogs, awesome. For a Rottie… not so much.

I completely agree with @Seek_Kolinahr
I have Real hardwood in 1200 sq ft of my home (primary living space), Engineered Hardwood in another 1000 sq ft, and a large sun room with laminate.
Having had an Akita of about 120 pounds for years and now an energetic Terrier/Shepard have seen the reality of what @Seek_Kolinahr states.
Laminate is so slippery that you would not want to risk injury especially with larger breeds prone to hip issues.
I just refinished my Hardwood and keeping their nails trimmed will help on the timing of the buff and coat. I am vigilant on the nails now that I put many many hours into the refinish.

With the big shed that my Akita blessed me with, it was important to have hardwood and leather furniture for the constant fur collection. I can’t imagine how many vacuum cleaners I would have gone through with carpeting and a doubled coated large breed.

@Seek_Kolinahr Thank you so much. That was just what I needed to hear. Salesmen always have an agenda so it’s hard to tell what is a pitch.

@blueiiznh Thank you for the double affirmation. Akita’s are truly beautiful hairy monsters. Luckily Rottweiler’s are less shed prone but the are of similar stature and well I think Akita’s beat activity level. But it enthusiasm is something else.

@rosehips And most salesmen have never installed a floor in their lives. They just know what they’re being told to push that week.

@rosehips That kind of floor is pretty tough but as with anything you buy, you get what you pay for ,meaning the cheap stuff is going to disappoint. The sticky part is though, if you damage a section of the floor its going to be a bugger to replace that piece unless it is close to the end of the lay. If it’s out in the center its going to be a PITA. And yeah it is doable on your own in a weekend.