We did our floors 2 years ago - lounge, family room, bedrooms with laminate wood look. Went for industrial grade- hasn't scratched at all. Our lab is 11 now & spends a lot of time inside. Pro's- easy to keep clean and looks wonderful. Con's esp with dogs- the tapping noise from his nails on it drives me a little crazy when he prances around at 3am looking for socks to steal..and then I'm up..for the day. It is slippery for dogs - our old boy has trouble getting up if he lays on it, so we've had to put down rugs for him. If he zoomies he slides out which now results in injuries. I wouldn't consider it on steps or landings near steps if you have dogs.

I agree with refinishing the wood on the stairs. You could have a heavy duty cotton runner fixed in place to protect the wood and provide traction for the puggles. I think going from tile floor to wood or wood look stairs would look fine. Im sure you could find lots of photos that have this mix of materials.

We have laminate floors and previously had two cats and two dogs, it has held up really well, no scratches. Current dog is 16, the only problem is she slips a bit.

We have slate on our floors leading to wooden staircase leading to carpet. When we build our new house we will stick with tiles (not slate) as its great with our two dogs as they don't slip at all so if you have the right kind of surface tile they shouldn't either. The dogs do slip a bit on wooden staircase, but with your little pugs i imagine it should be fine. Good luck

We are currently in the same situation with flooring and have been researching heaps of info. Currently living in QLD so bamboo flooring is out of the question as it does not tolerate humidity. With our two small dogs (who do run around psychotically at times) vinyl/laminate style planking was recommended. These are very easy to install...you can do them yourself. The only thing with the planking and dogs is don't go for the high gloss finish as they will slide badly on it and it will show scratches. I was told that in 5 years I would not be happy with surface so make sure you get a style that is slightly rough. Hope this helps and good luck!

You could have a runner of carpet up the centre of the stairs over the timber. We are in a similar position shifting from a carpeted and tiled home to one of timber flooring and carpet so I have decided to put a runner down the middle of the corridor where they can chase each other.

Good luck with your decision it's not easy with pets to consider.

Just be aware that if your dogs can be unreliable wee wise, and you don't find it soon, that laminate can swell.

I like the first suggestion about refinishing the steps and painting them white. Then a sturdy sisal runner up the centre ?