i have a Lab/shepered mix. he is an indoor dog and 7-8 months old. anyone who chains there dog up in the back yard is an asshat. If its not going to be in the house, then you dont need one. my dog sleeps with my on my little twin sized bed every night. he is like a son.
as for smell, i have found over the years there are two things you can do for your dog. one is to wash him every week, or the other is to not wash him at all. after washing a dog they seem to smell MUCH worse 2-3 weeks after when any fragrance from shampoo wears off. then it tones down to something only detectable up close.
as for house smell, this is true. your house will smell like dog if you keep a big breed inside. i vacuum three times a week and febreeze the hell out of my furniture, but it is noticable when people walk in. but then again i dont invite anyone over to my house anyway.
btw, his name is SAIGA, after my favorite rifle, my saiga in .308