Tuesday, July 31, 2012

Claws on Flooring: How to Protect Your Floors From Pet Damage

By Pamela Noble


The dilemma: you have a great dog and high end tile flooring - these two things don't always go together well. Most dogs and cats, no matter how well-trained, cannot help but scratch up particular kinds of flooring. Depending on the plan of your home and the type of flooring, it can be hard to keep your pet off it completely. Plus, it is a situation which would probably not be ideal for your dog, because of the limited space you'd be allowing your pet to wander in the house. If you can, that is great. Problem resolved. But this does not need to be the sole solution.

Keep Off the Floors

If you can stop your dog from entering the area where the damageable flooring is found, do it! This is the easiest, most fail-safe response to the problem. Use dog gates to limit entrance to areas where there's exposed flooring. It's possible to get custom pet gates, freestanding pet gates and extra-wide pet gates, so really there is a choice for each type of space. If you can't limit access to the entire room, try localizing where the dog is allowed, eg on a runner or rug, and reinforce this rule with treats and positive encouragement. Try and make these appointed parts of the room attractive to your dog so they naturally prefer to be there. Try placing toys, bedding, and other comforts in these areas.

Protection

Place rugs and other safe havens for your pets in the areas where you have damageable flooring. This could reduce the natural damage from the pets trampling the floor. Depending on the floor type, you can use wax or sealants to defend the finish from scratches.

Dog Dens

Going further with the idea of providing a protected haven for your dog, try creating a comfortable den for your pet. Irrespective of whether you have flooring to protect, your dog should have a den area in your home. Dogs like to have cozy, den-like areas to retreat to for snoozes and relaxing. They're naturally den animals and will spend a lot of time in these places, lessening the time they spend scratching on your flooring. This really works to reduce damage! Utilize a crate or a dog bed.

Dog-Proof Your Floors

2 words: laminated floors. This type of flooring is cheap, comes in a good range of colours and finishes, copying most wood and stone types, and looks good! It is also impervious to scratching and scuffing. Laminate flooring offers a great permanent solution to floor damage due to pets. It's not hard to install and straightforward to replace. Worth a shot!

Restoring Damaged Floors

If you love the floors you have, don't sweat. There are techniques to remove and restore the damage that has been caused. There are multiple refinishing methods, varying from floor type, such as tile, cork and stone that can be protected with sealant that can be reapplied once it's lost its original finish. One of the best things you can do to keep your floors looking great and prevent damage is to clean regularly. Getting rid of dirt as soon as it appears impedes dullness, scratching and marking. Carpets should be cleaned professionally every year.




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