How To Protect Furniture From Pet Destructive Behavior

Introduction

When my husband and I adopted our dog, Lucy, we knew that she would likely come with some destructive behavior. I mean, she was a puppy. We set up an appointment to have her spayed and microchipped as soon as possible because we wanted to make sure that if she ever got loose, we’d be able to find her. We did our best to puppy-proof the house by moving anything that could break or cut her out of reach. But it wasn’t until after Lucy had a few accidents on our brand new couch (and proceeded to eat through the plastic mattress cover on our bed) that we started considering how best to protect our furniture from future damage—without having to resort to keeping all of it covered in plastic (which does nothing for your home’s aesthetic). Here are some of the tips I learned along the way:

Move furniture away from the wall.

It’s important to keep furniture away from the wall, as cats love to scratch furniture that’s close to the wall. They also like to scratch on furniture that is close to the floor, and furniture that is close to the ceiling. It’s best if you move all of your furniture away from these areas, as it will protect your cat from scratching them at all times.

Use double-sided tape on furniture.

Double-sided tape is a great way to protect furniture from pet damage. It is easy to apply, remove and inexpensive. You can find double-sided tape at any hardware store and it is a quick and easy solution for protecting furniture from pet damage.

Use citrus to deter scratching behavior.

Citrus oil is a natural repellent, and it can be used to deter scratching behavior in both cats and dogs. It’s safe for use on furniture, carpets, rugs and most other things your pet might scratch up.

Citrus oil is easy to make with just three ingredients: 100% pure essential oil of lemongrass (also called citronella), jojoba oil or another carrier oil (such as coconut or almond), and water. Just add equal parts of each ingredient into a glass jar with a lid that will let you shake it up vigorously. Then store the jar in the fridge until ready to use! Make sure you label this one so no one accidentally drinks it!

To apply citrus oil: First put on some rubber gloves; citrus oils can cause skin irritation if they get on hands! Then spread the mixture evenly over areas where pets have been scratching or chewing; this should be done with each application as new damage occurs due to repetition of bad behavior patterns over time.”

Give your pet a place to go to the bathroom.

If you have a dog or cat, it’s important to give them a place to go potty. Dog training pads are great for indoor pets. For outdoor pets, consider giving your pet an outdoor litter box like CatSpot or Pet Loo. You can also put in a pet door so that they can easily come and go as they please. If you have a dog, consider getting them their own dog house or bed so that they have somewhere safe to rest when not sleeping inside with you at night. If you have cats who are going outside (and thus exposed to the elements), they may enjoy having their own cat house where they can stay warm in winter and cool during summer months!

If all else fails, consider using crates for travel purposes – this will give your pets somewhere safe and secure when traveling by car (or airplane!)

Place plastic over sofas or chairs.

You can buy plastic covers at any home improvement store. They are inexpensive, easy to install and remove and even easier to clean. Since you can use them over and over again, they allow you to protect your furniture from pet destructive behavior without spending a lot of money.

Trim your pet’s nails regularly.

Trim your pet’s nails regularly.
Use the right tools for the job, such as a nail clipper or guillotine-style trimmer (which can be found at any hardware store).
If you’re trimming their nails at home, try to keep them calm while doing so—if they’re too excited, they might jump up and get away before you’ve finished! Be sure to hold onto your pet firmly while they’re getting trimmed so they don’t run off with their sharp new toys still attached to their feet. If this is impossible because of how destructive their behavior has been already (say if there are holes in all the furniture), then consider bringing them into a professional groomer instead where someone else will do it for you and make sure no one gets hurt in the process! 4

Watch for potential problems in your pet’s behavior.

You should also keep an eye out for any potential issues in your pet’s behavior that may be contributing to the problem. For example, if your dog is scratching furniture, it could be because he has fleas. Or maybe your cat suddenly started scratching furniture more often than usual and you’ve since learned that she was going through a stressful period in her life.

If you spot these signs, it’s important to act fast so that you can address the root cause of the destructive behavior.

If you keep things out of reach, and make sure your pets have a safe place to scratch and eliminate, you can protect your furniture from pet damage.

Keep things up off the floor. If you don’t want your pet’s claws on certain surfaces, then keep those surfaces out of reach by putting them on top of furniture or in a closed-off cabinet.
Make sure the litter box is clean at all times—it should be cleaned daily if possible. If the litter box isn’t kept clean enough, it could encourage bad behavior from your cat or dog because they might associate their accidents with their toilet experience (and not with their own body functions). This could lead to them deliberately defecating elsewhere instead of using their litter box—which means more cleaning for you!

Conclusion

We hope this post has given you some ideas on how to protect your furniture from pet behavior. Not every solution is right for every person and their pet, but hopefully at least one of these ideas will be helpful for your situation!