We have 5 shih tzus...they don't shed like other dogs..only when the hair gets long..it comes in clumps. I don't let them have run of the house. They hang out outside on the deck in warm weather..but when they are in the house..they are only in the kitchen. The kitchen gets vacumed once a day. At night they sleep all together inside a play pen. I think the only way to control the hair is to contain it. Can't imagine life without a dog..they are the best.