The plastic wear layer of laminate is probably better if you anticipate more dog accidents. A wider plank would probably be better in this case. If the urine gets into a seam, then the smell/moisture will infiltrate the laminate substrate and you will probably have to replace a plank. You can get click and lock engineered hardwood. It installs just like click and lock laminate. Kahrs has been mentioned a lot on this board as a good brand. The engineered flooring that imitates solid hardwood the best uses a sliced or sawn face layer instead of peeled. I prefer the very thick sawn face layer products, but they are generally high priced compared to solid hardwood. Look for a satin sheen if you can find it, because it hides surface scratches better than semi-gloss. We have a medium dog and kids and scuffs and scratches are not a big deal with our hardwood floor. They are hardly noticeable because the red oak had lots of grain, is natural in color/finish, and has a satin sheen. Even where the dog jumps onto the bed and her claws have dug slightly into the wood, it just adds to the character of the #1 common wood. Laminate tries to imitate clear or select grade hardwood and gives a uniform and repeating surface picture. It is generally durable, but it does dent and the surface layer can chip on the edges/ends if not installed properly and/or in commercial applications.

my cousin recently built a house. This is one area where it made sense to not pay the builder upcharge. They had the builder put in the cheapest carpet available, and then hired their own contractor to rip it out and put in hardwood flooring before they moved in. More choices, and cheaper. I think the builder even bought the carpet back from them.

My experiences are that with whatever you do you're going to need carpet or run a runner for the dog... Dogs in my family have never been able to get used to the solid surface - one of them needed to be carried because they were so nervous sliding on the steps. As far as durability, laminate. Hardwood is softer and you'll pay a premium to find a hardwood product that can handle large dogs.

I made an error about the Grand Illusions. It is not carried by Premiere. The flooring they are carrying is also Armstrong but it's from the Flooring America line of Armstrong and they sell it to Premiere. It's called Hampton line. I can't find the Hampton except at Premiere. The Grand Illusion is the same floor, looks and feels just like hardwood, but you can find it on-line at different sites. They are both absolutely beautiful and unless someone tells you, there is no way you can tell the difference between it and hardwood. This laminate is like none out there. It has a satin sheen just like hardwood. I have one sample I'm not going to use so if you'd like me to send it to you, I will. Just send me a personal e-mail with your mailing address. Or you can go to the Armstrong site and get a sample for $5. The Grand Illusion link is in the margin or I suppose you could search for Grand Illusion. The color in the Grand Illusion that I like is an exotic, number L3025 and the name is Cabrueva. Good luck. Let us know what you decide on. My DH, being the sceptic that he is had to do the ultimate test on the GI sample. He took a kitchen fork and with all his strength tried to scratch it and couldn't. He's sold!! Also, I was able to get the guy at Premiere to go down .50 a foot on the Hampton line. Since we need so much that's a savings of $800.00. Just mentioning this should someone want to try to get a better price. I'm sure my 1600 sq. ft. order helped. LOL The salesman informed me that he can get the Hampton in the exotic color same as the Grand Illusion. They recommend a padding that is .60 sq. ft. It's the best of the two paddings and you don't hear "clicking" like you normally would on a laminate floor. If nothing else, I highly recommend you see these laminates in person before you make your final decision. You will be amazed.