How to Protect My Deck from My Dog?

1 Chewing the Deck

If your dog loves to chew on toys or play with sticks when fetching, you know how big the possibility is of your dog moving on and chewing your deck. To stop your dog in it tracks, I suggest that you spray ‘no chew’ spray to corners, edges, and other places that your dog may be able to gnaw at. No chew spray is normally available in any pet store. Another way to discourage your dog is to keep him busy with other toys that he can chew without any trouble at all.

2 Scratch the Decking

Dog’s nails aren’t good friends with wood decking. As your dog runs back and forth scratching your decking as they would do with backdoor when they want to get in, the wood decking will eventually wear and tear. You can choose from two solutions – keep your dog indoors (not practical) or choose hardwood as your decking.

You may check on hardwoods like Ipe if you opt for the latter.

They are super dense and durable to wear and tear. Also, Ipe won’t require any chemical pressure treatment, meaning it is pure natural wood.

Another best way is to teach them how they should behave on the deck. Let your dogs know that while the garden is for them to run and play around, the deck is just for them to lay down and relax.

4 Dig Up Planters

Nowadays, many homeowners have their lovely plants placed on the deck. While this makes the deck more appealing, it will look like a great digging spot for your dog. You can prevent them from doing this by putting the planters where they would be hard to reach.

To secure the planters more, you may purchase woven wire fencing and lay it within the top of the planter to keep the dogs away. You can also sprinkle a small amount of pepper or put some liquid fence (animal repellent) on the dirt for them to avoid the planters naturally. However, while the things mentioned protect your deck from dogs and foxes, here are some things that you could do to prevent your dog from damaging your deck or injuring themselves.

• Scorching Deck  In the summer, the sun’s rays will make your deck hot, which can hurt their paws. To avoid burning your dog’s paws, acquire a sealer with UV inhibitors that will be able to lock out some rays from the sun. Another thing you can consider doing is putting up a rug or two, especially in areas without shade, to avoid scorching hot decks.
• Balustrade When we build the deck’s balustrades, people’s safety is the first thing that we want to consider. If you have dogs and kids in your home and your deck is built off the ground, you might want to think of a more secure build of the balustrade. It’s ideal for the top of the balustrade spacing to be no more than 10cm from the top railing to prevent falls.
• Loose Nails Over time, nails and screws may become loose and protrude from the deck surface, which may harm or wound your dog. This can be avoided with regular inspection and maintenance of your decking particularly moving from cold to warmer weather.