Best sofa with a Springer

sysadmin

We're looking to replace our current 10 year old leather sofa very soon but are wondering if there is anything other than leather that we could go for considering we have a frantic and often smelly, wet, muddy springer... 
Has anyone got / had a velvet sofa before? I they easy to mark?
Yes i could stop him from going on the sofa, but i'm not going to.  

KxMx

No experience but would have thought velvet will absorb more easily than the leather which is fairly easy to wipe clean.
How about using throws either on the whole sofa or a section which is for the dog
That way you can just throw in the washing machine as needed.

Aranyani

I have a fabric sofa and just cover it with cheap throws that get washed often and replaced every couple of years. 

I'll never bother buying a 'nice looking' sofa as long as I have dogs, as long as its comfy it'll do because it'll just be hidden anyway! 

I don't buy leather because I don't agree with using another being's skin for furniture. 

Emmia

Velvet can be a nightmare to keep looking nice and clean, even without a dog.  I'd probably ego for leather again, but perhaps with washable and replaceable throws...