Will a Dog Ruin a Hardwood Floor?

Nails

• If your dog has sharp toenails, he can scratch your hardwood floor. Large dogs repeatedly walking or running across the floor can cause deeper scratches than smaller dogs. "Keeping your dog's nails trimmed and using a file or buff can prevent most of these scratches," according to A-1 Wood Flooring.

Dog Booties/Nail Covers

• You can use dog booties when she is inside the house to protect your hardwood floors. If your dog doesn't like the booties, she'll probably pull them off immediately. Some people try baby booties or socks on their dog's paws, but dogs also might pull these off.

  A better way to keep your dog from scratching your hardwood floors is to purchase nail covers from your local pet supply store. Nail covers hide the sharp nails, and some dogs don't seem to mind wearing the nail covers as much as the booties.

Pet Gate/Pet Bed

• One way to prevent your dog from damaging your hardwood floors is to install pet gates and make certain rooms off limits when your dog is inside. You can allow your dog to access certain rooms so that any damage he causes is confined to that room.

  Purchase a dog bed, and set it up in her designated room. No matter what design you choose, the most important thing is that your dog stays on the bed. When your dog is in the house, take her into her designated room, and put her on the dog bed until she gets in the habit of using it whenever she's in the house.

Urine Stains

• Removing dog urine stains on your hardwood floors depend on how fresh the stain is. Removing stains that have set for a longer period of time will take more work, but stains that are fresh can be taken care of in short order.

  To take care of fresh urine stains, you need paper towels, warm water, white vinegar and a stain and odor remover that contains bacteria and enzyme properties. Check the label to see if you can use this product on hardwood floors.

  Blot the fresh urine with a paper towel. Scrub the affected area with white vinegar to remove the stain and neutralize the odor. Rinse with warm water. Blot the affected area with paper towels until thoroughly dry. Apply the stain and odor remover to discourage your dog from urinating on the area again.

  Older pet stains might have seeped into the wood, and you might need to sand the wood to see how much damage has been done. Keep sanding until you reach an area that isn't stained, or the stain is too deep to sand. If you find that the stain goes deeper than the surface, you might have to replace that section of flooring.