Luxurious hardwood floors enhance your property’s resale value because of their warmth and unique aesthetic appeal. You may need to give your hardwood flooring more care and attention if you have pets in the house. Since dogs’ nails could leave scratches on your floors, you’ll have to keep your pets groomed and your flooring clean. Below, you’ll discover how to prevent dogs from scratching wood floors to keep your valuable flooring in excellent condition.
6 Tips to Keep Your Dog From Scratching the Floor
Follow these six ways to prevent your pets from scratching your hardwood floors.
1. Trim Their Nails Often
Dogs’ long, rough nails can scratch the floor, especially if they spend a lot of time inside. You can keep dog nails fromscratching wood floorsby trimming them regularly. Even though a dog groomer can professionally cut your pets’ nails, the task is easy enough to do yourself. Follow these steps to trim your dog’s nails successfully:
Secure your dog in a comfortable sitting or standing position.Take your dog’s paw and make room for the trimmer by bending the nail away from the paw’s pad or fur. You may also want to separate the pad from the nail if the nail curves into it.Avoid cutting the quick, which contains some of your dog’s nerves and blood vessels. You can find this pink, fleshy part of the nail by holding the dog’s paw up to the light if your dog has light-colored nails.Keep the scissors parallel to the nail’s tip and in front of the quick to prevent injury. Snip off a small section at the edge of the nail.Cut your dog’s dark-colored nails in small snips to avoid harming the quick. The quick looks like a small circle when you examine your dog’s nails straight on.Continue trimming your dog’s light or dark nails until they clear the floor when your pet is upright. You might have to groom one paw at a time to make sure the nails are short enough.Smooth out your dog’s nails with a file or electric rotary tool. You may decide to use a rotary tool instead of a trimmer because it tends to provide a more comfortable experience for dogs.
As you cut your pets’ nails yourself, you may also want to trim the fur between the paw pads to prevent them from slipping as they run.
2. Take Your Dog for a Walk
Taking walks outside with your pets can improve their physical health and help enhance your bond. This practice can also be helpful for your floorboards. Walking your dogs around your neighborhood or at the park is a natural way to trim their nails. It also helps them release energy so they’re not running around the house later.
During your daily walking routine, try bringing your pets to an area with a lot of friction, such as a sidewalk or on gravel, so they can wear down their nails as they walk. This method helps you save money and time on grooming and clippers.
3. Put Protective Boots or Nail Caps on Your Pets
Another way to stop your dog from scratching the floor is to invest in protective boots. Since dog fashion accessories are popular, you can find a set of cute, functional shoes for your pet to wear that guard your floors against marks. These boots have skid-proof bottoms and comfortable padding that keep your dog from skidding over your hardwood floors and digging into the panels.
Since your dog might not be accustomed to how these boots feel at first, you’ll have to be patient during the adjustment process. These protective shoes might not work if you find your pet gnawing at them because they’re uncomfortable. You might also find the process of removing them and putting them back on when you take your dog outside isn’t for you.
Instead, you can use nail caps to protect your floors. After trimming your dog’s nails, apply small caps over them that keep your flooring safe from marks and scratches. This product tends to be more comfortable for your dogs’ paws.
4. Use Area Rugs or Carpet Runners
Your dog might have a favorite spot in the house to run. As dogs run throughout your living space, they scratch the floors and leave messes, reducing your home’s aesthetic appeal. Consider where your pet gets most excited or where your flooring is most vulnerable, and place rugs or carpet runnersin these high-traffic areas.
Common spots include the kitchen, especially for mealtime, and the entryway when you get visitors.
Theserugs and carpet runnersslow your dog down and take the beating from sharp nails, saving your floors. Besides their protective qualities, rugs also come in various colors, patterns and textures to enhance your room’s design.
5. Clean Your Floors
You probably already have a habit of cleaning your hardwood floors regularly to maintain their luxurious appearance. Keeping your flooring clean is even more necessary when you have pets in the house. Dogs shed their fur and bring dirt in the home from the outside.
This debris can leave tiny scratches on your floors that are difficult to remove after you or your pet step on them. You can avoid damage from pet hair and outside debrisin the entrywaysand other parts of your home by vacuuming and dusting them more often than usual.
6. Get Your Floors Finished
Besides the preventative measures you can take with your dog’s nails and fur, you can also keep your dog from scratching the floor bygetting your hardwood flooring refinished. A few coats ofpolyurethane finishcan protect the wood panels from scratches and other forms of wear and tear for many years. You could also consider an anti-slip finish to prevent your dog from skidding against the floor.
Anti-slip or non-skid coatings give your floors an extra grip to keep dogs from marking them up as they run through your home. On slippery floors, pets would use their nails to keep them from sliding. Applying a non-skid finish gives your dog grip on the floor and can cover up any light scratches that are already on your floors.
Schedule an Appointment With 50 Floor for Scratch-Resistant Flooring
Even after taking care of your floors, you may discover you need to have them replaced. Our team at 50 Floor providesin-home consultations, where we bring floor samples to your house and let you choose the best one for your living space.
We offerhigh-quality hardwood flooringand can answer any questions you may have abouttaking care of them. You may also preferscratch-resistant vinyl flooringthat looks like natural wood but is easier to maintain with pets in the house. Reach out to our professionals online or call 1-877-50-FLOOR toschedule an appointment.
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