scratching the carpet

hi,

My golden, Sierra, is 3 years old and has started scratching up the carpet (which is new). I hear her doing it in the middle of the night and I will go out to the living room and tell her no, and send her back to bed. She gets the message but she still does it. We have tried the "no stay" spray stuff, with no success. Does anyone know of an idea to discourage her from doing it? I have checked her nails and they don't need to be trimmed. This is her only bad habit.

Thanks for any help I can get.

Sally and Sierra

Hi.:) Sierra sounds like a dream dog.(only one bad habit) LOL.

New carpeting gives off odors that can be irritating or just
interesting to her. If it's just one spot, I'd throw a small rug
over the area & just correct her when she forgets to leave it
alone. The new smell will gradually fade.

Thanks for the reply. I will try putting a small rug over where she is scratching and hopefully she won't go somewhere else in the room to do it.

She is a great dog, and so sweet.

thanks again.

Sally

Is she scratching in a spot where she used to lay down a lot? Maybe she is trying to make this new carpet more comfortable where she wants to lay. I agree that a rug should do the trick and she will get used to the carpet.

:) this could also be prevented by crate training

My papillon scratches everywhere before she lays down. Carpet, bed, dog bed, crate, even the hardwood floor....?!?!?!

I always assume it is just her way of making the place comfy...She has always done it though, so I'm sure once the new carpet wears in, you goldie will stop :D

Thanks everybody for the suggestions.

I tried putting objects on the spots she scratches this weekend and she left them alone. She doesn't lie in any of these spots so I don't think she is nesting. She is crate trained but since she has been 2 she doesn't use her crate anymore, she sleeps on a dog bed in our son's room. She has recently had a bad bout of hotspots and I think part of the problem is that she is itchy too.

She is so sweet and I think she may be getting the message with us putting things on the carpet. I hope so. Once or twice on a spot wasn't a big deal, but it was starting to unravel a bit.

Sally and Sierra

Oh, Sierra is gorgeous.:) Such a sweet face. Would love to see more of your girl. There are a lot of Golden lovers on PT. :D