We all love our dogs; however, sometimes our flooring does not love them as much! Those nuisance dog claws can make a mess of flooring such as wood, cork or vinyl. Thankfully, there are some clever ways to keep your dogs and cat claws from damaging your beautiful hard wood floors.Training your dog is one of the best ways to achieve this and rewarding their good behaviour with Healthy Dog Treats such as the ones you can find at https://theinnocentpet.co.uk/collections/healthy-dog-treats
Rugs and mats
One way of preventing your pet from damaging your wooden floor is to use rugs. With a carefully placed rug, you can minimise the amount of contact your pet makes with the floor without totally covering the wood. Animals and people tend to walk on the same parts of the floor, with other areas only getting minimal wear. Place a rug on these heavy-traffic areas and your damage problem might be solved.
If your home only has hard wood in certain parts of the house, it might make more sense to keep your pet out of those rooms. You can use a baby gate or simply keep the door closed; however, many people like to let their dogs roam all over the house. If this is the case, barring entry will not be an option.
Claw sheaths
Repeated walking on the same part of the floor will eventually damage all kinds of wooden flooring. To avoid this damage to the floor, dog claws can be trimmed neatly by a specialist or vet. Cats’ claws should not be trimmed, however, as they need them for climbing outside and it will be traumatic and deeply unnatural for them to lose their claws. A much better way to keep dog and cat claws under control is to use claw sheaths, often called ‘soft claws’, which cover each nail with a thin rubber sheath.
Cleaning and coating
Another method of protection for floors is to keep the wood clean, as any dirt on the surface can act like sandpaper and make small gouges into the wood. Consider a high-quality steam cleaner especially made for cleaning hard wood floors and think of it as an investment in your flooring.
Finally, ensure your wooden floor still has its protective coating. This acts like a seal and protects wood from marks, dents and stains. Get the coating redone every few years to ensure total protection.