Spring clean: How to enjoy your furry friends without the furry house

This is branded content for PetSafe Australia.

Sarah Ambler knows a thing or two about life with dogs, from toilet training and dog hair to muddy paw prints through the house no matter how much you clean.

Living in a small duplex with her two dogs, Logan the husky cross and rescue dog Stanlee the golden labrador, it can be a never-ending battle to keep everything clean.

Even so, she wouldn't have it any other way.

"It's a challenge and keeping the house clean takes up a lot of time," said Sarah, who grew up in a family that always had dogs around and is now marketing manager at pet products company PetSafe.

"But of course it's worth it - they're such a joy and my life wouldn't be the same without them."

It's a scenario most pet owners are familiar with but there are strategies and innovative products to ease the load and give you more time to enjoy the fun side of your household's furry members.

With the spring cleaning season well and truly here, we asked Sarah how she (attempts) to manage the challenge.

It's a fact, most dogs shed, a lot, so there's always going to be a bit of fur flying around. Taking the time to regularly brush your dog and your cat can reduce the amount - a robot vacuum cleaner is pretty handy too.

"I do have the robot vacuum cleaner that goes around my home everyday and that honestly has been a lifesaver," said Sarah. "It just keeps the house relatively clean so I don't have to vacuum twice a day.

"But I also take them for a regular deshedding at the groomer as well as using a deshedding shampoo when I bath them, and do lots of brushing."

But while Stanlee loves a brush, Logan is not a fan so Sarah uses an enrichment toy as a distraction while she grooms him.

"Something like our Frosty Cone - I put some cream cheese or peanut butter in the cone and that keeps him busy while I brush him," Sarah said.

"The enrichment toys are also great to keep them out of the way when you need to do some cleaning - dogs love to be involved when you're sweeping or mopping."

Organising the toilet situation for your dogs and cats is another issue to think about as part of a more organised home strategy.

Sarah loves the Pet Loos she has at both her home and at the office for when her dogs accompany her to work. It's synthetic grass and features an easy-to-clean design.

"In our home, the Pet Loo has been a massive help," Sarah said. "Both our dogs are inside dogs and we have a really small yard. For me, it means I don't have to walk them all the time to go toilet. At the office we have one on the balcony which saves a trip down 11 floors every time one of the office dogs needs to go.

"It's very handy when you're at the toilet training stage too. Puppies or maybe older adopted dogs that need more toilet training get used to knowing this is the place to go so there aren't any accidents."

It's a lifesaver for the garden as well. "My grass is looking really good because you don't have so many of the burn patches." said Sarah, "and you can sit on the grass without worrying you might be sitting where the dogs have weed."

PetSafe's Wee Care Enzyme Cleaning Solution is specially formulated to remove pet stains. "I use it mostly to clean our Pet Loo but it's great for puppy toilet training to clean up any accidents," said Sarah.

For cats, PetSafe has self-cleaning litter boxes that keep the litter box fresh and odour free. It means you can say goodbye to the hassle of the unpleasant daily job of scooping. Plus, because it's always scrupulously clean, your cat isn't tempted to use another spot in the house instead of the litter tray.

Ensuring pets have plenty of clean, fresh water is important, but having puddles of water and jowly dribbles throughout your home is a pain, and also a hazard.

Replacing the traditional water bowl on the floor with an innovative water fountain designed especially for your pets can help solve the annoying problem. It also means you won't spend as much time filling bowls.

"We have one of the large pet fountains that the dogs love because it has running water which they prefer," said Sarah. "Our labrador is a big dribbler but the fountain has a lip around it so there is less dribble going onto the floor.

"I also find they tend to drink more than they would from just a normal bowl, plus I don't have to be constantly filling up bowls or worrying that they don't have enough water."