Keep Dogs From Scratching Up Your Deck With An Easy Solution

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Did you find a new scratch mark on the deck? One that looks suspiciously like it was made from a certain set of paws? Lovable paws that have made many more scratches on your deck surface over the past months. Well, if so, there's a very easy solution. To prevent your dog from scratching up your decking further, install a deck gate.

A deck gate will help you to better monitor where your dog is at all times, whether on the deck or down in the yard. It's also, more importantly, a safety measure to prevent your dog (or small children) from falling or slipping down the steps. In a dog's case, a gate will also keep them from running (i.e., flying) down the steps too fast and hurting themselves.

So, while you may install a deck gate to stop your dog(s) from scratching up your deck surface, its main purpose is a different kind of protection. What's more, a deck gate could provide that finishing touch that maybe your deck was missing all along, just as a bonus. You can install a deck gate in just a few hours, and you can even DIY one yourself with some wood strips (for the rails and balusters), deck screws, a hinge and latch set, and the tools (like a power drill) to put it all together.

Of course, a deck gate would need railing to attach to, so this scratch-prevention idea is for raised decks, in particular, as any home deck that's 30 inches or higher off the ground will already have the required railing to use. (See some unique fence gate ideas that make a big style statement, too.)

If you go with a premade deck gate, you have a few options as far as material: metal, aluminum, vinyl, or composite. For color, you're looking at either black or white (or a combination of both), gray, or brown. And for the design, most gates feature the traditional vertical balusters or spindles, which should match most deck railings. That said, such a gate could also work with deck railings made of horizontal bars or cables (like seen above).

When choosing a gate for your dog, make sure the spacing between the balusters is no more than 4 inches apart, so that your dog won't be able to squeeze through. One advantage to building your own deck gate, aside from cost, is that you can make the gaps even smaller if you need to.

You can also make it any height. Note that, according to the International Residential Code, the minimum height for gates (and railings) is 36 inches, but some municipalities have increased this to 42 inches. While you can definitely find retail gates that high, there will be fewer. As for deck openings that are wider than 48 inches, you also might need to build your own.

Adding a gate to your deck is not only a simple solution to your dog's deck-scratching habit, but it's also an affordable one considering how much it cost to build the deck in the first place. A premade gate or gate kit measuring 4 feet wide falls in the $200 to $300 range, with the usual outliers found on both ends. For example, this Anqtovp aluminum cable-railing gate at Lowe's is 32 inches wide, and costs over $550.

Of course, there's an argument to be made to build one yourself. Consider, a DIY gate that can keep your dog safe as well as from scratching your deck surface, can be designed to your specifications and cost under $40 for the materials. For example, you can get wood strip measuring 2 inches by 2 inches by 8 feet at Lowe's for $2.88, or the same size in rough redwood for $5.28 at The Home Depot. As for the hinge and latch set, you can get a Hillmaster for under $20 at Amazon. For the deck screws, you can get 126 2-inch Deckmate screws for under $12. And, of course, the do-it-yourself labor is free.

Another point in favor of DIY-ing a deck gate? Your dog can be an assistant! (Check out some genius pet-friendly home improvement ideas.)