10 Simple Ways to Protect Furniture from Your Dogs

Imagine finally buying the best ergonomic chair on the market only for your dog to chew and destroy the legs in a few days! This is the reality most pet parents are faced with daily. If you want to save your home furniture from those sharp teeth and claws, you need to come up with a proper solution for effective furniture protection from dogs. 

A dog with a nasty chewing and gnawing habit can wreak havoc on your home. Not only will you have to constantly replace furniture items, but you will not be able to trust your pet enough to leave it alone for any extended period. 

However, once your dog gets in the habit of chewing furniture, getting it to stop will not be easy. With the right training, it is possible to eliminate the problem. It will take time, though, so you will need to have a plan to protect furniture legs from dogs until the training is complete. 

In this article, we will look at 10 easy ways to protect furniture from dogs that you can implement at home. There is no need to waste lots of money on new furniture when effective solutions will cost you a lot less. 

Why Do Dogs Love Chewing and Destroying Furniture?

Getting to the bottom of the chewing problem is the first step to fixing it. You need to understand why your dog chews furniture, to begin with. After all, this is not common in all dogs, meaning something must be triggering it. 

The following are some of the common reasons why dogs chew furniture: 

Boredom

Simple boredom can be the root cause of all your furniture problems. If you notice that your dog only chews on your smart desk on days that you couldn’t make time for it, your pet may be experiencing boredom. 

If that is the case, a solution for furniture protection from dogs is to buy some chew toys and make time to play with them as often as you can. A lot of exercise will also help.

Medical Problems

If your dog was never in the habit of chewing before, but suddenly cannot seem to stop chewing on your home office desk, it may be a sign of an underlying medical condition. In this case, rather than worry about the teeth marks on your furniture, you should take your pet to see a vet as soon as possible. 

Separation Anxiety

There are certain breeds of dogs that are aloof and have no problem being left alone all day. However, other breeds are a lot more sensitive and quick to feel neglected when left alone at home. 

If your dog does not do well alone, it may easily suffer from separation anxiety when you have to go somewhere for a while. When this happens, it usually takes out its frustration on your brand-new ergonomic chair!

Fear

Dogs have different ways of reacting to frightening situations. While some dogs will lash out at you, others will take it out on your sunroom furniture. You have to understand how your dog behaves so that you can come up with viable ideas for furniture protection from pets. 

Attention Seeking

At times, your dog may simply be seeking your attention. This usually happens when you have a new addition to the family. If your dog feels ignored, it will destroy your furniture to get your attention.

10 Easy Tips To Protect Furniture From Dogs

Allowing your dog to run rampant throughout the house, destroying expensive furniture along the way, is not ideal. Consider not only the costs but the dangers posed by formaldehyde in furniture if your dog regularly chews on it.

The following are 10 simple solutions that you need to implement to provide furniture protection from pets: 

1. Use Lint Rollers or Packing Tape To Pick up Fur

The fur on sofas, carpets, curtains, chairs, and other furniture items is a big problem if you own a dog breed that sheds a lot. There is only so much cleaning up you can do until you feel overwhelmed by the amount of shedding.

Investing in a simple lint roller or packing tape will help to make the cleaning-up process easier. Simply run your lint roller over the surface of your sofa and have it look as good as new. 

2. Go for Sofas With Removable Seats

One of the biggest problems is knowing how to clean your furniture after your dog has messed it up. If you have, for example, heavy sofas, you will struggle to get them out of the house to clean them up. 

However, some removable seats will quickly solve that problem. All to have to do is take out the seats that need cleaning and remove the dirt somewhere else before returning them. It will be easier to dry them too if you can separate them from the sofa.

3. Do Not Allow Pets in Certain Rooms

If you have very expensive ergonomic office chairs with lumbar support in your home office, do not let your pets anywhere near that area. Not giving your troublesome pets access to the furniture is the best way to protect furniture legs from dogs. 

It may require a bit of training to achieve, but in the end, you need your dog to understand that there are certain areas of the house it is not allowed to go to. Failing that, your other solution is to keep the doors to the rooms with expensive furniture firmly closed at all times. 

4. A Nice Dog Bed Goes a Long Way

If you can address the anxiety issues that your pet has, you may be able to save yourself from having to buy a new L-shaped standing desk every few months. One way to do this is by investing in a good bed for your dog. 

When your pet has a comfortable bed to sleep on at night, it will be less likely to be anxious all the time. A good bed will not only allow your dog to sleep well at night but also gives it a place to retreat to when it is feeling anxious, rather than attacking your furniture.

5. Set up a Mud Room

Do you have a room that you and your family use when coming into the house with dirty shoes? The more you have to clean your furniture, the quicker it will start showing signs of wear and tear. 

Having some kind of mud room is essential when you want to avoid tracking mud and dirt throughout the house. In the same way, you can provide furniture protection from dogs by making sure all your pets have to pass through the mudroom first, in case they have any mud on their paws. 

6. Color Coordinate Your Pet and Your Furniture

Another way to minimize the number of times you have to clean furniture is to match the color of your furniture to that of your dog's fur. Imagine having white sofas and a black dog! Any stray fur will be immediately noticeable because of the color contrast. 

This means you will be forced to get up and clean the couch every time the dog passes by. Eventually, the constant cleaning will leave its mark and be more responsible for damaging your furniture than the dog itself.

7. Buy Pet-Friendly Materials

There are certain materials that you can choose for your furniture that will be better suited for your home. Consider buying leather and microfiber items because these have been shown to provide better furniture protection from pets. 

8. Avoid Bare Wood Furniture

Sometimes, the temptation of a bare wooden furniture leg can be too much for your dog to resist. Pups, especially, have a hard time stopping themselves from chewing on wooden furniture when they are teething. 

If you cannot avoid having wooden furniture legs, the next best thing is to make sure that the dogs do not have access to it, otherwise, sooner or later you will find teeth marks on your furniture. 

9. Regular Grooming Is a Must

If you are going to be keeping your dog, or any other pets, inside the house, regular grooming is a must. You cannot have a dog running around leaving fur on all your furniture. A well-groomed dog is also a lot less anxious, which will reduce the chances of it chewing on your furniture. 

While good grooming services do not come cheap, can they be compared with the cost of a new adjustable desk? It is better to keep your pets clean to ensure you protect furniture from dogs.

10. Use Covers to Dog-Proof Your Furniture

One of the most effective solutions to troublesome pets chewing on your furniture is to buy a furniture protector from dogs. This is a cover that you can throw over your furniture to keep it safe from those sharp teeth. 

You can use a throw, blanket, slip, or some other specific cover that you buy for that purpose. The downside of this is that you will be covering up your furniture, which does not do your décor any favors. 

However, instead of covering everything up, you could only cover the specific areas where your dog likes to sleep or the parts of the furniture that seem most vulnerable to being chewed. 

FAQS

What material is chew proof?

There are various types of materials that you can buy that can resist the effects of being chewed on by dogs. However, given enough time, no material is 100% chew proof, because the dog will eventually cause some form of damage to it. 

If you want to buy material that is resistant to dog teeth, consider canvas, nylon, high polyester, and acrylics. Even with such material, the evidence of being chewed will be visible, although not as severe as other materials. 

What can I spray on wood to stop dog chewing?

There are many anti-chew sprays that are commercially available, such as Rocco & Roxie Extreme Bitter Spray, Fur Goodness Sake Bitter Apple Spray, Grannick's Bitter Apple, and Vet's Best Bitter Cherry Spray. These sprays have different success rates so you will have to work out which one works best for you. 

What smell do dogs hate to chew?

If you are looking for a homemade solution to your dog's chewing problem, you can try anything that has spicy or bitter flavors. Dogs hate those smells and are unlikely to chew anything that smells like that. However, be sure not to use any chemicals that may cause harm to your dog. 

Does spraying vinegar stop dogs from chewing?

Dogs do not like the sour taste of vinegar, so any furniture that tastes like that will be safe from being chewed on. However, you must avoid using concentrated vinegar solutions as this might harm your pet. A concentration of about one part vinegar to four parts water is both effective against chewing and safe for your dog. 

Does lemon juice stop dogs from chewing?

Yes, dogs do not like the smell of any citrus fruits, including lemons. If you spray this on your furniture, it should keep it safe from your dog’s teeth. However, consider the way the lemons will affect your furniture surfaces. Lemons are acidic and likely to leave stains. 

A better solution would be to buy commercial sprays, such as Vet's Best Bitter Cherry Spray. You get the same effect of deterring your dog, while at the same time not having to worry about damaging your furniture.

Think About Effective Furniture Protection From Dogs Today!

An effective solution for furniture protection from dogs will save you a lot of money and a massive headache down the line. Consider investing in any of the options mentioned in this article while you work on training your dog, or addressing the issue behind the chewing behavior.