We have an old home that needs new floors. In the 1980's addition, we put laminate down, figuring it would hold up to the dogs (each over 80 lbs), boys (3 sons, ages 14 to 4) and general debris. I also didn't feel too guilty for not using hardwood since it was a later year addition. The floors do hold up. The dogs take off running on it and there are no scratches. HOWEVER, I haven't found a way to clean it. There are streaks all over the floor, no matter what I do. I've heard that if I get down on my hands and knees and use a cloth and rub hard and only in one direction, there will be no streaks. With three boys, 2 dogs, 2 jobs and an old home to restore you KNOW we have time for that. It's really frustrating. As for engineered floors, we considered putting them in the entry way and connecting dining room, since they are supposedly more durable. I'm very glad that I found your website. So, what IS durable with large dogs? Would factory finish hardwood floors hold up to the claws of animals as they decide to take off after the cat? (I forgot about her) Or, will I get claw marks either way and just need to choose between a scratched up hard wood floor and a scratched up engineered floor? As far as I'm concerned, until I find a practical cleaning method, laminate floors just aren't an option. Besides the guilt (putting laminate in a new home feels okay, an old home with 100 year old 10inch wood trim?), I just can't deal with the streaky mess.