I recently came home to find that one of my dogs had badly scratched my leather couch. As a dog parent, this is one of the most disappointing things that your pooch can do. However, fixing the dog scratches on your leather couch can be a simple task.
You can fix light dog scratches on your leather couch by either gently rubbing over the scratch with a damp soft cloth, or applying a few drops of leather oil paint over the scratch, or by using a leather recoloring balm for deeper scratches.
In this article, we’ll go over everything you need to know about fixing dog scratches on your leather couch.
We’ll also look at how to prevent your dog from chewing on leather furniture, how to clean dog urine off the leather couch in the unfortunate event of a potty accident, as well as the best material for a couch when you have dogs.
Using Leather Oil Paint To Fix Dog Scratches On Leather Couch
Using leather oil paint is an easy 3 step process to repair those unsightly scratches.
Firstly, clean the affected area with a damp cloth to remove any dirt and contaminants. Fill the gap up with a backing fabric/material, which should be provided in the leather oil paint repair kit.
Next, mix and match the different colors provided. Most leather repair kits will come with 5 different colors of leather oil paint (in white, black, tan, brown, and walnut color). The idea is to find a suitable color that matches your leather sofa. Once you have found a suitable color, apply the mixture to the affected area with the brush provided.
Lastly, let it dry completely for at least 60 minutes. It is recommended to keep your dog away from your leather sofa, so as to avoid interrupting the drying process.
Once the oil has completely dried, apply some leather conditioner over the area. Doing this helps your leather couch to maintain a good level of oil and wax.
We can’t stress the importance of mixing the matching color of the leather oil paint for your leather couch color. If not, you will have a distinct spot with a different color tone, which can be an eyesore.
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Try On A Hidden Area First
It’s good to note that different oils will have a different effect on your leather couch.
The effect will also depend on the kind of leather your couch is made of. To avoid using the leather paint oil that could negatively affect your leather couch, try using the repair kit on a hidden area to first see how the oil will affect the leather.
If it doesn’t have any bad effect on the leather, you can then proceed to apply the oil on the scratched area or the rest of your couch.
How Do I Protect My Leather Couch From My Dog’s Nails?
You can protect your leather couch from your dog’s nails by ensuring your couch is made of high-quality leather, regularly trimming your dog’s nails, treating your leather couch with leather conditioners, or giving your pooch something else to chew at.
Get A High-Quality Leather Couch
As a dog owner who also loves leather couches, you should make sure that all couches in your home are made of high-quality leather. High-quality leather is tough and durable and is very unlikely to get accidentally damaged by your dog’s nails.
Avoid couches made out of low-quality leather and faux leather. These are usually very thin and will scratch easily. Note, however, that premium quality leather couches will cost you more.
Regularly Groom Your Dog
The longer your pooch’s nails are, the more likely they are to leave scratches on your leather couch. To prevent this, you should regularly trim your dog’s nails. You can either do this by yourself or take your pooch to a pet groomer.
Having your dog’s nails clipped by a pet groomer every now and then can be expensive, so I recommend doing it yourself. To do this, you need to invest in a good dog nail clipper. Here’s a comprehensive guide on the best dog nail clippers.
Grooming your dog through regular brushing will also keep dog hairs and dander from your beloved leather couch.
Use Leather Conditioners
Using leather conditioners to treat your leather couch can also keep your couch safe from your doggie’s nails. Leather conditioners keep leather healthy, springy, and supple, which will make the leather more durable and harder to scratch.
We personally recommend conditioning your leather couch using Leather Honey Leather Conditioner. This conditioner is gentle on leather and does not contain silicone or solvents that could be toxic to your leather couch.
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Provide Alternatives For Your Dog
Another easy way to keep your dog from scratching your leather couch is to provide the pooch with something else to scratch and bite.
Get some chew toys and treats for your four-legged canine buddy and keep them near your leather couch. This way, whenever the dog has an urge to bite or scratch at something, they will turn to the toys, rather than your couch.
You should also teach your dog that scratching at your leather couch is a no-no. Whenever your dog starts scratching at your couch, pull them away from the couch, and give them the chew toys or treats. When they comply, reward them with treats.
How Do You Clean Urine Off A Leather Couch?
The best way to clean dog urine off your leather couch is to immediately blot it out with a clean rag or paper towel, and then clean the couch with a clean, damp cloth to prevent staining or bad odors.
Even if your canine buddy is potty trained, they could have an accident and pee on your leather couch one day. If this happens, here’s what you need to do.
Blot Out The Urine
The first thing you should do when you notice that your dear fido has peed on your leather couch is to get a clean rag or paper towel and blot out the urine. This prevents the urine from soaking into the leather, which results in lasting stains and hard-to-remove odors.
Blotting will also prevent you from spreading the urine around when cleaning the couch.
Clean With A Damp Cloth
Once you’ve blotted the urine from the couch, get a clean cloth, dip it in distilled water and wring it totally dry, and then use it to clean the area where the dog had peed.
Clean from the edges of the affected area towards the center. This will prevent the spreading of pee to other areas of the couch.
Use Vinegar Solution
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If you can smell an odor even after cleaning your couch with a damp cloth, you’ll need to use a vinegar solution.
Start by mixing one part vinegar with four parts water.
Get a clean cloth, dip it into the solution, wring it dry, and then use it to wipe the affected area, starting from the outer edges towards the center.
Reapply Conditioner
Once you’re done cleaning your couch, give it some time to dry, and then apply some leather conditioner to the affected area.
Vinegar strips moisture from leather and can shorten the life of your leather couch.
Reapplying the leather conditioner on your couch after cleaning it with vinegar helps prevent this.
How Do You Stop A Dog From Chewing On Leather Furniture?
The best way to stop a dog from chewing on leather furniture is to use a dog repellent spray on the leather furniture.
Other things you can do to prevent your pooch from chewing on leather include providing your dog with alternative chews, giving the dog adequate exercise, and crate training.
Using Dog Repellent Spray
Dog repellent sprays are made using ingredients that contain scents that dogs hate. The dog will avoid anything that has been sprayed with the deterrent. This makes the dog repellent spray one of the best widely available tools to prevent your dogs from destroying your leather furniture.
Most dog repellent spray contains a citronella scent that will keep your fido away from your leather couch or anything else that contains that you’ve sprayed on.
Provide Your Dog With Alternatives
Chewing comes naturally to dogs, and if your dog is chewing on your leather couch, this could be due to the fact that they don’t have anything else to chew on.
To prevent this, you should provide your furry buddy with something else to chew on, such as chew toys and chew treats.
Give Your Dog Adequate Exercise And Playtime
If your dog is chewing on your leather couch and anything else they come across, this can be a sign that the dog is not getting enough mental stimulation. To stop the behavior, you’ll need to find ways to mentally stimulate your dog.
This can be done by ensuring that your dog gets plenty of exercise and playtime every day. This way, they will burn off excess energy, get rid of boredom, and feel a sense of bonding and companionship with you. Such a dog will not find the need to chew on furniture and other items.
Crate Training
You can also keep your dog from chewing on furniture by training them to spend time in their crate. This way, you can comfortably leave your pooch in their crate whenever you’re not around to keep your eyes on them.
Keeping them in the dog crate means they don’t have access to your couch when you’re not around and will therefore not be able to chew on it.
Can You Cover A Leather Couch?
Covering your leather couch is another great way of protecting your couch from my dog. Not only do covers protect your couch from scratches, but they also keep your dog’s dander and odor off your leather couch.
On top of that, covering your leather couch with waterproof materials can prevent the material from getting moist unnecessarily and decompose. This can increase the longevity of the leather couch.
Dog Proof Couch Covers
If you’ve tried other solutions and they don’t seem to be working, you can simply get a dog-proof cover for your leather couch. With a cover on, you don’t have to worry about anything getting through and damaging the leather on your couch.
Related: Best Dog Proof Couch Covers
Dog Proof Throws And Blankets
The problem with couch covers is that you won’t be able to show off the elegant design of your leather couch.
If you don’t want to go with a full cover, you can still protect your leather couch by getting dog-proof throws and blankets. These will keep your couch free from scratches without hiding the stylish couch design.
What Is The Best Material For A Couch When You Have Dogs?
Leather is the best material for a couch if you have a dog at home and are worried about getting scratches and stains on your couch.
When buying a new couch, one of the questions most dog owners often ask themselves is whether a leather or cloth couch is better for dogs. If you have a dog or even other pets like cats, the best couch material is leather.
Leather Is Tough And Durable
First, leather is tougher and more durable than cloth.
If you choose a couch made with high-quality leather, it will be harder for your dog’s claws to tear through the leather than it is for them to tear through the cloth.
However, this only applies to high-quality leather.
If you choose a couch made from low-quality leather or worse, faux leather, it won’t be long before you find scratches on your new couch.
Leather Is Easy To Clean
The second reason why a leather couch is better than a cloth couch is due to maintenance reasons.
Leather is very easy to clean.
You can clean pet hairs, spills, and even dog pee from a leather couch by simply wiping the couch with a cloth.
With a cloth couch, spills and pee will quickly seep into the couch, making it a lot harder to clean. In addition, pet hairs tend to cling on cloth, which means you’ll need to vacuum the couch to get rid of the pet hairs.
Microfiber Couches
If you want a pet-friendly couch but cannot afford leather, you should go for a microfiber couch.
After leather, microfiber is the most durable fabric.
In addition, microfiber is not susceptible to scratches. It is also very easy to clean and comes in multiple colors, which means you’ll easily find a color that matches your taste.
