Dogs: Man’s best friend and carpet’s worst enemy! We tend to get a lot of questions concerning the training of pets, since we are called out to clean up their mistakes so often. We typically advise people to crate their pets when they leave so they can limit exposure to the rest of the house and help the animal learn to relax when their owner is not home. In all my twenty plus years of carpet cleaning and carpet repair I have never heard of a dog digging through the kennel and into the flooring underneath– until now. A client of ours in Longmont, Colorado, called us out to repair a carpet that their Husky had created by digging through the kennel. The dog tore a three foot by two foot section of carpet and pad after digging through the kennel floor. This was one of the most challenging repairs that we have ever had, but I’m happy to share how we did it and give some insight on curbing this type of behavior in our pets.
Whenever we have a huge rip in carpet we must find a piece of carpet to replace the torn section. Clients often ask if they should go try and match the carpet before we get there so that we have carpet to work with. No matter how close the new carpet is to the old carpet, it won’t match. Even if it is the same exact carpet made by the same mill. The dye lots will most likely be different and if we were to put it in the middle of the old carpet, it would look like a completely different carpet and be very obvious. The best solution is to take a piece of carpet from a closet and use it for the replacement piece and then take the brand new carpet and place it in the closet. This will ensure that the carpet matches as closely as possible.
Now that we know where the replacement piece is coming from we can cut out the torn piece of carpet and use it as a guide. We do this by flipping over the section of carpet that is being used for the repair and tracing an outline with the torn section. We now have a perfect replacement piece to use for the torn section. The next step involves a seaming iron or a hot glue gun and seaming tape. The secret to a good looking carpet repair is pinching the new seems together without letting the carpet fibers get tangled. If the replacement piece is tight and the carpet fibers are not tangled or trapped in the seam, then the repair will look pretty good. Oh, now comes the part about keeping your dog from destroying your house.
Your dog lives to make you happy. He will hinge on every word you say and even the tone of your voice. Crating your dog when you are not home is usually a good idea but you may need to train your dog into accepting the crate as not a form of punishment but as a place to relax. Keep the crate open while you are home, so the dog can explore it. Some pet owners kennel their dogs at night, allowing them to sleep in their “safe place” while the owner is home. (This can kill two birds with one stone by eliminating night time potty accidents!) When you begin crate training, it can be hard– but will be worth it, so don’t give up. After placing the dog in the crate it may whine or go a little crazy. Once the dog stops the inappropriate behavior, praise them with a happy voice and give them a treat. Repeat this procedure until your pet can relax for extended periods of time. A kenneled pup makes a happy one, and can save your carpet!
