Top 5 Reasons Why Do Dogs Scratch the Carpet?

If you’ve been a dog owner for a while now, you must’ve found yourself asking, why is my dog scratching the carpet? There are several explanations to entertain the question, why do dogs scratch the carpet? And the implementation of these explanations depends on the situation you’re dealing with.

Having a dog as a pet certainly has many advantages, like finding a loyal best friend and play buddy. But there are some moments when you can not help but wonder, why would you do that? The fact that you can not understand what your pet dog is trying to tell you harms your relationship with your dog. 

It is important to remember along the way that dogs do not ruin your carpets on purpose; they are not evil. Simply that they have a different way of communicating than you do, and sometimes they can not resist the temptation. You should always treat your dog with patience and love because yelling or hitting it won’t help.

Why Do Dogs Scratch The Carpet?

Dogs are very playful and full of life. Even though your pet dog can be your best friend, there are some times that you fail to understand what it is trying to tell you. Some different signs or actions can help you understand your dog’s actions. One of these actions that can help you understand your dog’s behavior is scratching or digging the carpet.

There are many reasons as to why do dogs scratch the carpet, a few of them are mentioned below to help you get a clearer idea of what your dog wants from you; 

1. Seeking Attention

If you don’t already know, dogs are very friendly and loyal, they love to play with their owners and seek attention from them all the time. Needless to say, dogs love attention. And when you don’t pay enough attention to your dogs, they get upset, or sometimes even cranky. In fact, in some cases, dogs even get depressed when they aren’t showered with attention. 

If you neglect your dog, even if it’s unintentional, your dog will get frustrated. And your dog will start to look for ways to release all that frustration. How would he do that? Often by doing something that is considered “naughty”. In simpler words, your dog will get back at you for not showering him with the attention he deserves by doing something that you don’t like. 

So the next time you find yourself asking the question, why does my dog scratch the carpet? You might consider paying a little more attention to your little pet.

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2. Unusual Smells

Besides being playful, dogs are known to be quite curious. Especially when you have a pet dog, it will get curious about every little thing, from any unusual smells to any major change, your dog will investigate any new/unusual thing in sight. Dogs often scratch carpets when they smell something unusual from that area. 

For example, let’s say you spilled some orange juice on the carpet, when your dog passes through that area, your dog will smell the residue of the orange juice on the carpet, and it will start digging in hopes of finding out what the smell is all about. It’s due to a dog’s instinct since dogs are gifted with an amazing sense of smell. So if you ever see your dog just digging in a carpet, make sure to check if the carpet has an unusual smell. 

3. Anxiety

If you’ve been a dog owner for a while, you know that dogs have the emotional capacity of a two or three-year-old toddler. They get anxious over the small stuff. It is common for a dog to experience anxiety but too much of it can adversely impact your dog. You may ponder, why does my dogs scratch the carpet in stressful situations like thunderstorms, renovations, loud noises like fireworks, etc. That is because dogs take time to adjust to sudden change and in the meantime, they get anxious.

If you find your dog scratching the carpet, you must observe the situation and make sure that your dog feels safe, determine the factors that are making the little fella anxious and get rid of them, or in some cases, help your dog adjust.

4. Excitement

Just because your dog is scratching the carpet doesn’t mean it’s bad news. When people ask veterinarians, why does my dog scratch the carpet; they usually reply, “due to excitement”.

Dogs have different ways of expressing their emotions and there is no way of understanding all of them. Some observations have shown that dogs dig carpets when they are excited. 

In other words, dogs also scratch the carpet to release any build-up excitement and energy.

5. OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder)

You read that right. Just like human beings, some dogs have OCD. OCD is more common in dogs who are locked up and can not find a way to release their energy. Most of the dogs you see are active creatures. Thus, allowing your dog to release the energy they naturally accumulate is crucial. Because it makes your dog aggressive and cranky, your dog will start barking more and get less friendly every day.

So if you ever see a dog and ask yourself, why do dogs scratch the carpet? Make sure to look out for other symptoms of OCD in that dog, i.e., scratching, chewing, licking, etc.

Ending Note

In conclusion, dogs are lovely and lively creatures. They are like little angels who do not create any nuisance on purpose; there are reasons behind most of their actions. If you have a pet dog, you should also try to understand what your dog is trying to indicate from its actions and try helping them. This will help you get closer with your pet and make their life a tad easier than before.

So instead of searching things like, why do dogs scratch the carpet? You should take a closer look at your dog’s environment. There are a couple of things that you can do to prevent your dog from scratching the carpet, like; distract them with healthier activities, chew toys, training techniques, etc.

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