You absolutely love snuggling up with your pup on the couch. The only problem is that she tends to shed everywhere, tear the fabric, eat her food on it and generally make it look dirtier. What are you supposed to do? You don’t want to kick your best furry friend off, but you also need to protect your furniture. With a pet couch cover that stays in place, you can do just that. Discover how to protect your couch from your dog while ensuring you are both comfortable at the same time.

What is a pet couch cover

Dog couch covers are slipcovers or large, waterproof blankets that sit on top of your couch cushions and protect your couch’s fabric from pet messes. They can be made of different materials like leather, nylon, polyester, microfiber, velvet and cotton and come in different sizes depending on how large your couch is and how large your dog is. Many companies offer fun designs and a variety of colors so you can include your couch cover into your home design or complement it with the color of your couch. Pet couch covers come in handy when your dog decides the couch looks a little comfier than the carpet.

Features to look for when searching for pet couch covers 

There are many brands of couch covers for dogs that look and feel nice and also do a great job protecting a couch from dog fur, dog pee, drool and dirty paws. When shopping, stick with this criteria:

• Easy to clean — cotton, microfiber and velvet rank among the easiest fabrics to clean
• Comfortability — pick fabrics that are soft and not itchy
• Durable and chew proof
• Stays in place either with elastic straps that go around the back or sides of the couch, sides that easily tuck into the cushions or an anti-skid underside
• Waterproof, so that you can protect your couch from pee, vomit or wet paws and fur
• A design that either matches or complements your home décor
• The measurements line up with the size of your couch.

Best couch covers for dogs

You can find couch covers for pets at many stores, including Orvis, Pottery Barn, Target, Macys and Walmart. If you can’t buy in person, read customer reviews, which can give you insight into how well a couch cover stays in place and how easy to clean the fabric actually is. Here are our favorite couch covers for dogs:

1. The Blue Zoca provides 100% waterproof and leakproof protection from your dogs drips, drools, paws and claws. It’s machine washable, soft, thick, absorbent and reversible, coming in three colors that reverse into grey. Costs $88.99.
2. The PupProtector Waterproof Throw Blanket is waterproof, machine washable and can be transferred from your couch to your car seats to your bed. Costs $129.
3. Petsafe CozyUp Sofa Protector is a combo waterproof dog bed and couch cover made from microsuede fiber. It’s machine washable and has an anchor that keeps the cover in place on your couch. Costs $54.95.
4. The Ameritex Waterproof Dog Bed Cover Pet Blanket is waterproof, machine washable and made of soft microfiber. If you need to, you can move this blanket to your bed at night, too. Starts $19.99.

Of course, you can always use positive reinforcement with treats and clicker training so that your dog won’t jump on the couch. But who else is going to cuddle with you during your Netflix binge? A couch cover may just be the better choice for you and your furry BFF.