Dogs
By Suzanne Alicie
Hardwood floor owners often find that their favorite puppy paws have left terrible scratches that ruin the finish of their floor. As a dog owner who has hardwood floors, I can share the despair and dismay at all those unintentional marks. The dogs don’t intentionally scratch the flooring, but a good play session with a tug of war rope can cause their claws to dig in. Running to the door to greet you in the evening and coming to a sliding stop can leave a huge gouge in the surface of the hardwood floor. Simply put, there are many ways your dog can unintentionally scratch your hardwood floor.
It can be very difficult to keep your dog from scratching a hardwood floor, but with a little preparation and adaptation you can keep both your dog and your beautiful hardwood floor.
Grooming to Protect Hardwood Floors
Proper claw grooming is very important to help preserve your hardwood floors. Dogs have hard claws that grow much the same as human fingernails. Unless your dog spends time outside his claws will likely need to be trimmed and shaped in order to keep them under control.
There are dog grooming products such as claw clippers that are made specifically for a dog’s nails, and files to smooth the edges of the nails. You can buy these tools in order to groom your dog’s claws yourself, or you can take your dog to a professional groomer. Your dog’s nails should be trimmed regularly so that they do not click and scratch the floor when they walk. If you trim your dog’s claws at home be very careful not to cut the nails too short, you could cause your dog a great deal of pain.
Doggie Fashion Accessories to Protect Hardwood Floors
Pet specialty stores have booties that you can buy for your dog in order to keep him from not only scratching your hardwood floor, but to also protect furniture and you in case he jumps. Some are made of a soft flannel and others have leather soles so that the dog can even wear them outdoors.
These little booties don’t interfere with your dog’s ability to walk, although the first few times you put them on you will probably enjoy a good laugh. Dogs don’t usually enjoy anything on their feet and initially will tend to high step or walk sideways as they adjust to the booties.
Another thing to watch when you put booties on your dog is their tendency to gnaw in order to remove something they don’t like. It will take time and patience on both your part and on the part of your dog to get him to happily wear booties. Nonetheless, the effort will be well worth it when it comes to protecting your hardwood floor.
Protecting the Hardwood Floor for Dogs
In the event of a small scratch, as distressing as it can be, you must understand that your dog did not make the mark intentionally. Punishment will not make any difference to the inadvertent scratches that will occur.
To protect your hardwood floor you may choose to apply wax. A layer of protective wax will help provide a buffer between your dog’s claws and the actual wood of the floor. This can make treating light scratches as easy as reapplying wax and filling in the gouge that was caused by your dog.
Dogs are a responsibility and much like children they will cause messes and damage, but dog owners love them anyway and just try to keep the destruction to a minimum. We will happily live with a scratched hardwood floor to enjoy the unconditional love of our puppies.
- How To Help Dogs Walk On Slippery Floors
Watching a dog react to a slippery floor can sometimes be amusing, but dogs will often learn to fear slippery floors over time if they struggle with them, and the problem can become a nuisance for pet owners. An inside dog that is afraid of slippery...
- Pet Grooming Mistakes
By Julia Williams We all want to take great care of our pets, because we love them. Our pets depend on us to do the things they’re unable to do for themselves. They count on us to make good decisions for their health and longevity. Choosing a nutritious...
- How To Trim Your Cat’s Claws
By Julia Williams Trimming a cat’s nails regularly is an important aspect of responsible pet ownership, because it can keep them from injuring themselves, other pets and you. Trimmed nails are also much kinder to your furniture, curtains and carpeting....
- What Is The Purpose Of A Dog's Dew Claw?
By Linda Cole Dogs have a toenail located on the inside part of their front leg that's called a dew claw. Most dog owners know where it's located and remember to clip it at the same time the rest of the dog's toenails are trimmed. If this...
- How To Give Your Pooch A Pedicure
By Suzanne Alicie One of the tasks that often gets overlooked by dog owners is the doggie pedicure. Unless you have a breed that gets groomed often you may not spare a thought to grooming your dog’s feet. But this is actually very important for their...
Dogs
How to Stop Dogs from Scratching Hardwood Floors
By Suzanne Alicie
Hardwood floor owners often find that their favorite puppy paws have left terrible scratches that ruin the finish of their floor. As a dog owner who has hardwood floors, I can share the despair and dismay at all those unintentional marks. The dogs don’t intentionally scratch the flooring, but a good play session with a tug of war rope can cause their claws to dig in. Running to the door to greet you in the evening and coming to a sliding stop can leave a huge gouge in the surface of the hardwood floor. Simply put, there are many ways your dog can unintentionally scratch your hardwood floor.
It can be very difficult to keep your dog from scratching a hardwood floor, but with a little preparation and adaptation you can keep both your dog and your beautiful hardwood floor.
Grooming to Protect Hardwood Floors
Proper claw grooming is very important to help preserve your hardwood floors. Dogs have hard claws that grow much the same as human fingernails. Unless your dog spends time outside his claws will likely need to be trimmed and shaped in order to keep them under control.
There are dog grooming products such as claw clippers that are made specifically for a dog’s nails, and files to smooth the edges of the nails. You can buy these tools in order to groom your dog’s claws yourself, or you can take your dog to a professional groomer. Your dog’s nails should be trimmed regularly so that they do not click and scratch the floor when they walk. If you trim your dog’s claws at home be very careful not to cut the nails too short, you could cause your dog a great deal of pain.
Doggie Fashion Accessories to Protect Hardwood Floors
Pet specialty stores have booties that you can buy for your dog in order to keep him from not only scratching your hardwood floor, but to also protect furniture and you in case he jumps. Some are made of a soft flannel and others have leather soles so that the dog can even wear them outdoors.
These little booties don’t interfere with your dog’s ability to walk, although the first few times you put them on you will probably enjoy a good laugh. Dogs don’t usually enjoy anything on their feet and initially will tend to high step or walk sideways as they adjust to the booties.
Another thing to watch when you put booties on your dog is their tendency to gnaw in order to remove something they don’t like. It will take time and patience on both your part and on the part of your dog to get him to happily wear booties. Nonetheless, the effort will be well worth it when it comes to protecting your hardwood floor.
Protecting the Hardwood Floor for Dogs
In the event of a small scratch, as distressing as it can be, you must understand that your dog did not make the mark intentionally. Punishment will not make any difference to the inadvertent scratches that will occur.
To protect your hardwood floor you may choose to apply wax. A layer of protective wax will help provide a buffer between your dog’s claws and the actual wood of the floor. This can make treating light scratches as easy as reapplying wax and filling in the gouge that was caused by your dog.
Dogs are a responsibility and much like children they will cause messes and damage, but dog owners love them anyway and just try to keep the destruction to a minimum. We will happily live with a scratched hardwood floor to enjoy the unconditional love of our puppies.
- How To Help Dogs Walk On Slippery Floors
Watching a dog react to a slippery floor can sometimes be amusing, but dogs will often learn to fear slippery floors over time if they struggle with them, and the problem can become a nuisance for pet owners. An inside dog that is afraid of slippery...
- Pet Grooming Mistakes
By Julia Williams We all want to take great care of our pets, because we love them. Our pets depend on us to do the things they’re unable to do for themselves. They count on us to make good decisions for their health and longevity. Choosing a nutritious...
- How To Trim Your Cat’s Claws
By Julia Williams Trimming a cat’s nails regularly is an important aspect of responsible pet ownership, because it can keep them from injuring themselves, other pets and you. Trimmed nails are also much kinder to your furniture, curtains and carpeting....
- What Is The Purpose Of A Dog's Dew Claw?
By Linda Cole Dogs have a toenail located on the inside part of their front leg that's called a dew claw. Most dog owners know where it's located and remember to clip it at the same time the rest of the dog's toenails are trimmed. If this...
- How To Give Your Pooch A Pedicure
By Suzanne Alicie One of the tasks that often gets overlooked by dog owners is the doggie pedicure. Unless you have a breed that gets groomed often you may not spare a thought to grooming your dog’s feet. But this is actually very important for their...