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Author Topic: Carpet and sofa scratching  (Read 1961 times)

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Offline Digger

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Carpet and sofa scratching
« on: January 24, 2019, 08:13:12 AM »
Hi I wondered if anyone had any tips.
My 18 month old female wcs has a really annoying habit ('a'- lol). She'll frantically scratch at rugs and sofas. It is mainly when we have just got back from a walk-I have always wondered if it's a damp feet thing so I do try to dry her feet, but I have noticed she's doing it a bit more randomly now and has got into a bit of a habit of doing it when she's on the sofa in the evening. It's often accompanied by the (STILL!!!!!) bored looking trying it on gnawing at my hand. Although this is quite gentle I have now started screaming like it's agony as its well overdue time that mouthing stopped!
Anyone else have any of this and if so, what have you done about it?
It's difficult to do a great deal about the rug scratching other than shout no across the room and sometimes I hear her do it when I'm upstairs. With the sofa scratching she gets kicked off the sofa every time she does it.
It's a good job they are not nice new ones! Any ideas would be gratefully received. :D
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Offline Mari

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Re: Carpet and sofa scratching
« Reply #1 on: January 24, 2019, 11:40:55 AM »
My cocker does the same. She will be 13 this year...Sorry I don't have any advise, I expect it is about being consistant and stopping them every time and offering alternative behaviour. But I haven't succeeded so... :005:
What I do notice is that it happens more frequently when she is either bored or over-excited. So after walks or baths of meals I don't let her be in the living room unsupervised.
I have also noticed that if I yell at her from across the room, she will stop for a minute and then continue. But if I go over and quietly stop her and distract her by asking for a different behaviour (like going to her bed or fetching a toy) she will actually stop for that time. Unfortunately she does it again next time she gets in that mood. Very annoying habit, but luckily I don't have any rugs so I just have the sofa to protect  :005:
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Offline bizzylizzy

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Re: Carpet and sofa scratching
« Reply #2 on: January 24, 2019, 02:04:36 PM »
Humphrey does this at night sometimes and I wake up hearing him digging for gold through the hall carpet!  >:(
I‘ve never figured it out either, I used to think it might be stress but he‘s quite used and happy to sleep downstairs so its either some sort of ingrained instinctive behaviour or else he‘s just decided its time I got up!!  :lol2:
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Offline ejp

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Re: Carpet and sofa scratching
« Reply #3 on: January 24, 2019, 06:27:29 PM »
Yup, one of those here too...  Actually, all of ours have done it.  Think it is just a dog thing, murder on the sofa though!
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Offline Patp

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Re: Carpet and sofa scratching
« Reply #4 on: January 24, 2019, 06:55:57 PM »
Well as I was reading this I could hear Jinley scratching the carpet against the patio doors before finally lying down for a rest.   >:(


She has a large blanket in the spot where she likes to lie so she tends to scrape that first.  Thankfully she doesnt bother with the sofa, probably because it is leather and the only way she likes lying on that is if she is on a fabric cushion and half across my lap!
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Offline Digger

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Re: Carpet and sofa scratching
« Reply #5 on: January 24, 2019, 07:59:28 PM »
Well thanks for all your miracle cures guys!! :lol:
(I love the way the col community is so unphazed! :005:)
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Offline Mari

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Re: Carpet and sofa scratching
« Reply #6 on: January 24, 2019, 08:16:34 PM »
 :lol2: Happy to "help"!

(If obedience was high on my list of priorities I would have gotten a border collie or a poodle, not a cocker  :005: )
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Offline ejp

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Re: Carpet and sofa scratching
« Reply #7 on: January 24, 2019, 08:44:53 PM »
Quote from: Digger on January 24, 2019, 07:59:28 PM
Well thanks for all your miracle cures guys!! :lol:
(I love the way the col community is so unphazed! :005:)
:lol2: :lol2: :lol2: You are welcome!  You will need to do better than that if you are looking to cause the mildest ripple on here :005:
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Offline bizzylizzy

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Re: Carpet and sofa scratching
« Reply #8 on: January 24, 2019, 08:52:19 PM »
Quote from: ejp on January 24, 2019, 08:44:53 PM
Quote from: Digger on January 24, 2019, 07:59:28 PM
Well thanks for all your miracle cures guys!! :lol:
(I love the way the col community is so unphazed! :005:)
:lol2: :lol2: :lol2: You are welcome!  You will need to do better than that if you are looking to cause the mildest ripple on here :005:

 :clapping: :005::
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Offline Leo0106

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Re: Carpet and sofa scratching
« Reply #9 on: January 24, 2019, 09:15:58 PM »
Ahhhh digger. Yes. Digging is a daily occurance in our house.. I have a few theories. But these are only based on Leo's habits..
A) cold after a walk- this is particularly managed by us as Leo still struggles with a hip injury after falling down a dyke. If he is cold he cannot get comfy and appears to dig when he's trying to find a comfy spot. Leo has a drying coat and this dramatically reduces his chances of getting worked up after a walk.
B) zoomies. Leo still has daily zoomies... These always contain a certain amount of digging in the carpet.. we've managed to stop him digging in the sofa by placing a loose stair gate over the spot he is digging whenever he does it.. if I was that concerned about him digging the carpet I would use the Stargate to deter him from that too but he's never caused damaged to the carpet so I tend to just ignore it.
C) tiredness!!! Still to this day our leo suffers with tiredness. Before he settled to snooze msot evenings I can guarantee he will atleast have a little scratch in the carpet.

I read somewhere once that dogs dig to find a comfy spot such as wolves would have done in soil many moons ago so part of me believes its an inherited instinct. However leo definatley has a habit of it now too. Like I said, best thing we've ever done is give no attention to it, but move something in Leo's way of his chosen digging area... So may be not much help but I feel your pain  :005:
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