How to Protect Your Timber Floors From Dogs
Dogs are humanity’s best friends. Whatever amount of love we give them, they give it back to us tenfold. However, this deep bond that we have with our pets doesn’t change the fact that they need to be managed and controlled.
Like children, if you just let your dogs run wild around the house, your floors, your walls, your carpet and your furniture are going to get damaged.
In this blog, we’re going to help you avoid this problem by focussing on how you can protect and maintain your timber floors from your beloved dogs.
Keep your dog’s nails trimmed
Your dog’s nails, if not kept in check, will do a lot of damage to your timber floors. Unlike cats, dogs don’t have the ability to retract their claws. This means every time your dog runs, jumps and trots across your wooden flooring, it’s going to get scratched.
One way to avoid this is to make sure that your dog’s nails are trimmed at all times. It is recommended that you trim your dog’s nail every three to four weeks. Though this won’t completely eliminate the scratch marks, it will certainly lessen the severity of the damage.
Alternatively, you can also use nail caps so that the sharp ends of their claws don’t make contact with your timber floors. These nail caps are usually easy to apply and don’t affect the way in which the dog moves.
Place Doormats at the entrances
When you take your dog out for a walk or when they venture out in your backyard, their paws are naturally going to get dirty. If you’re not careful, all that dirt, grime and grass are going to be carried into your home and onto your precious floors. If you already have scratches on your timber planks, all that debris on their paws will likely get stuck in those small crevices, making your floor look even worse.
Because of this, it’s important to place mats at the main entrances of your home. These mats will be able to scrape all that dirt from your dog’s paws.
After each walk, you should also give your dog’s paw a quick wipe with a washcloth and some water.
Create a playing space for your dog
If your dog likes to run around, throw their toys about and bite things, it’s best to give them their own little space to play in. This could be a small space in a bedroom, a little confined area out on your deck or the garage.
To encourage your dog to stay within that space, you can simply place their favourite toys and cushions in that specific area.
Having a dedicated playing space for your dog also allows you to focus all your efforts in protecting that specific part of your home. You can install durable plastic mats on the floors, protect the walls with foam and so on.
Keep water and food away from Timber Flooring
In the same vein, you should also keep the dog’s water and food bowl away from your timber flooring or indeed any part of your home that you want to keep clean. Dogs are messy eaters and if you let them feast near wooden flooring, you’re going to have to do a lot of cleaning.
Another consideration is water damage. Spilling too much water on timber flooring will eventually cause the wood to rot and warp over time. Because of this, make sure your dog is drinking water on non-porous surfaces like ceramic tiles or vinyl.
It is also recommended that you avoid the kitchen and outdoors spaces as those areas are prone to germs that can contaminate the food and other pet supplies.
Make sure to have a regular cleaning and maintenance schedule
No matter how much you try, you’re not going to be able to fully protect your floors from your dog. Dirt is going to find its way into your home, scratches will slowly appear and fur will start falling all around the house.
As a result, you should have a regular cleaning routine so that your floors remain clean all throughout the year.
For minor scratches, there are also DIY repair methods that you can use to prevent dirt and grime from getting stuck in those crevices. It’s best to do such repairs early before the scratches get deeper.
You can also hire a flooring specialist for timber floor and deck sanding. This process will remove any superficial blemishes on the planks and give your timber floor a fresh new look.
We all love our dogs. That being said, most owners will likely admit that they despise a lot of the work that goes into cleaning up after their beloved pet. Hopefully, the tips that we’ve discussed above will help alleviate some of the stress that comes with flooring maintenance.
