Designer Kevin Harris. Via Belgian Pearls.
5 Ways to Keep Dogs from Scratching Hardwood Floors
Pebbles in the picture…Bam Bam is missing
When you have beautiful hardwood floors, it is a pity for them to get scratched up because of your dogs. I have seen it happen myself, with my two medium size dogs Pebbles and Bam Bam. Take some preventive measures to protect your investment in hardwood floors and keep yourself from having to make costly repairs.
1. Cut Their Nails
Keeping your dogs’ nails trimmed helps them stay off the floors, with the pads of their feet as the primary point of contact instead. Between trips to the groomer, sand or buff down the tips of the nails to keep them short and rounded so they don’t have any jagged edges that can catch on the floor and leave a big scratch.
2. Use Rugs
Lay down rugs in the high traffic areas where the dogs spend most of their time. If they are always running from the front door to the kitchen, put a rug along this path to keep them from scratching the floor there. The room where your dogs sleep is a good candidate for an area rug, as is the area just inside your door if your dogs greet you when you get home.
3. Play Outside, not Inside
When dogs play inside the house, they use their nails to try to grip the floor and gain traction. This is especially true when you play ball because they have to change direction so frequently and end up clawing at the floor. Make it a rule to save your active play for outdoors to protect your hardwood floors.
4. Get Dog Booties
Although they can look silly, dog booties are an effective solution for protecting your floors, provided your dogs will put up with them. Choose booties with non-slip materials on the sole to give your dog the traction it needs on the floors. For small dogs, toddler socks will work just fine, and are a lot cheaper than specialty booties!
5. Apply Nail Caps
Several companies sell nail caps that you can apply with adhesive to the ends of your dogs nails. These caps are made out of materials that will not scratch hardwood floors, offering the protection you need. You will have to apply new caps every month or so, but they will help if the other solutions have not been working.
