5 Easy Ways To Fix Pet Damage Around The House
Pets are friendly, adorable, cute, and entertaining. They can lift your soul in the twinkle of an eye and get you rolling on the floor, laughing. Have you noticed how well kids flow with them? Your little one will grow up with their best friends being a major part of the family.
While we're loving up on owning a pet or pets, it's a neverending task taking care of them and ensuring they have the best care for their growth. One of the challenges owners face at the initial stage of adoption or purchase is securing them and making them comfortable in their new home. Without this assurance of safety in a new home, Walkin' Pets Blog says pets could run away easily. Some pets develop separation anxiety when they're left alone for too long. As a pet owner, you need to understand how to draw the balance and train your pets to feel at ease in their new homes, according to Springbrook Animal Care Center.
Pets sometimes resort to damaging stuff around the home when they're anxious or bored. If your pet is constantly damaging your expensive appliances and home decor, we understand your pain. Aside from helping your pet, one other thing that you should focus on is finding ways to fix and avoid future damages.
Chewing and licking furniture
If your dog isn't chewing items, the cat is licking the furniture or blanket. It's hard to find a pet that doesn't chew because this action can be therapeutic for them. American Kennel Club says it's a fun activity for them, and they engage in this for self-amusement. While you leave these little friends to enjoy their acts, it becomes a big concern when they begin to damage your valuables. If they're not closely monitored, you'll find their strong teeth working some wonders on your furniture set and possibly destroying it beyond repair.
Sometimes, this habit may be a result of boredom for your dog or to reduce the pain of incoming teeth for a puppy, says University Animal Clinic. According to Cuteness, your cat may be suffering from a disorder, allergy, or nutritional deficiency if they're licking things often. In cases like this, you'll want to take your pet to the veterinarian for diagnosis and treatment.
On the other hand, when your pet is clearly destroying your valuables because of boredom, Country Living suggests buying chew toys for them. With this, they'll focus on their little toys and desist from attacking your furniture. Applying anti-chew sprays on your furniture surface also works, says DogLab. There are tons of these in the stores, however, DailyPuppy recommends a little squirt of lemon for a quick remedy.
Scratches and tear marks on your furniture and surfaces
Have you ever wondered why your dog keeps scratching your floor and doors? While there are several possible reasons, Wag! says it may be for fun (essentially, your dog is bored). Another reason for this act, according to Furevables, is that your pet is just trying to make themselves comfortable on the floor before lying down. Sometimes, it may also be a sign of some disorder that needs proper attention. For whatever reason, these scratch marks can devalue your home during sales, says ManageMyProperty.
One way to avoid this damage in your home is by regularly trimming your pets' nails (via District Floor Depot). Pets' nails can really get long within a short while, and longer nails make a more visible mark. The shorter nails will have little or no impact on your floors and doors. Likewise, Dogs and Clogs suggests getting your dogs a comfortable dog bed. This will help them stay relaxed and give them a comfy place to snooze.
Do you allow your dogs to exercise daily? Taking your pets for walks and engaging them in activities will also keep them from performing scratching acts out of boredom. The Goody Pet recommends ensuring your pet gets around thirty minutes of exercise daily to keep them happy (and worn out).
Soiled rugs and furniture
Yes, peeing, vomiting, and pooping on your rugs and couch can be one of the most disgusting acts from pets. Sometimes, the rug and couch just seem like the best potty around. If you're wondering what the causes are, according to Rug Chick, it may be a result of anxiety, accident, excitement, or the presence of visitors. Most times, getting their messes off the rug and couch is tough and more embarrassing when you have guests around.
Potty training is the first step in avoiding accidents, says PetMD. Another way to deal with your pets' messes on your rugs is by investing in low-cost floor coverings. With an expensive rug, you'll always be washing and trying to salvage your investment without throwing them away. However, when your rugs are quite affordable, you'd be quick to change them whenever your pets pee on them (per Remnant King Carpets).
There's also a chance that your pet has an illness that is causing them to have messy accidents. If potty training is not the answer, contact your veterinarian for advice and to schedule a check-up.
Pets coming in with dirt
This is very common for a pet owner, especially during the fall and summer seasons. Getting your pets to come in clean after a walk or play day during this time is very difficult. On one hand, you'd be tempted to keep them in all day, however, boredom also makes them damage things, right? What to do then?
One of the ways suggested by My Brown Newfies is placing doormats at the entrance to trap the mud on their paws. You'll want to invest in a doormat that is specifically designed to absorb any dirt on your pet's paws before they enter the home — not all mats are created equally. While dogs may be very intelligent, you may struggle to teach them to wipe their feet off! Alternatively, you can use some paw wipes to get the dirt off of their feet. These are easily available and effective, similar to baby wipes (Dog's Best Life).
You could also consider getting them some booties to wear when outside. These are great for keeping dirt outside, as well as for protecting your pooches' feet when the ground is too cold or too hot.
Pets shedding fur
We know shedding is a natural process that isn't initiated by your pet. Still, it has severe consequences that may damage your expensive appliances in the home or spread some disease to your family (via KingCounty.gov). According to Fetch by WebMD, your pet may be shedding due to several reasons, which include parasitic and bacterial infections. However, Great Pet Care says some breeds are heavy shedders which lose much hair often. To help keep down the mess when your pet is excessively shedding, brush their hair daily, recommends PetMD.
One major place to check for pet hair is the metal behind the refrigerator, computers, and electronic appliance says Whiskers to Tails Petsitting. The presence of heavy fur in this area can clog up condenser coils and reduce the performance of your cooling devices. Also, your computer system may get damaged by pet fur when it sneaks in the fan and clogs it up. This eventually makes your system overheat (via Quick Connect Computer Services).
To avoid this, it is important to always vacuum out the dust from the back of your refrigerator and use compressed air to clean computers regularly. Vacuuming and sweeping around these items will also help get rid of the fur that may be lying around waiting to find its way into fans. Also, don't forget to check your keyboard – pet hair can get stuck under keys — so wipe it with a clean, dry towel while cleaning (per SpareFoot Blog).