It’s hard to find the time and motivation to keep your house sparkling clean at the best of times – let alone if you have a dog. There’s no getting around the fact that they are experts at making a mess. Somehow, they can even unleash complete disarray if you turn your back for just a second! Whether accidentally knocking something over, or bringing in dirt from outdoors, they often leave you with something to clean up.
Of course, we wouldn’t trade their naturally playful personalities for the world. But wouldn’t it be great if you didn’t have to spend so much precious time and effort cleaning up after your dog? And if their messes didn’t leave a permanent stain on your belongings? Try following our 4 expert house cleaning tips below.
1. Encourage Good Behavior
The best way to keep your house clean is to prevent it from getting dirty in the first place—well, as much as possible! After all, if you don’t have any boundaries in place for your dog, it’s no wonder that things quickly get out of hand in your house. That’s why it’s vital to teach your dog what constitutes acceptable versus unacceptable behavior.
Training your dog to behave while indoors doesn’t need to be complicated. It all comes down to making the difference between so-called “good” and “bad” behavior clear, and giving them a reason for picking the former over the latter! This is where many dog owners slip up. They resort to punishing their dog when they misbehave, rather than using positive reinforcement to encourage good behavior.
Pet experts generally recommend positive reinforcement because it is not only a more healthy and humane method of dog training, it has also been shown to be far more effective in encouraging desirable behavior and minimizing undesirable behavior.
Positive reinforcement requires you to reward your dog every time they behave well. You can praise them with words of encouragement, give them a cuddle, or treat them to an item out of a customized box of themed toys and treats. Gradually, they’ll develop an understanding of how you want them to behave, and you’ll start to see far less messes left behind.
2. Get Shedding Under Control
Even if your dog behaved perfectly, you’d still need to clean up all of the hair they shed. As you’ll well be aware, dog hairs can find their way into every crevice of your house. They are one of the most frustrating things to clean up because they’re often quite hard to see. While shedding is a completely natural process for dogs that you can’t stop, there are a number of things you can do to get it better under control.
For starters, brushing your dog’s hair regularly with a dog comb or brush will help to minimize the amount that they shed. If their shedding is excessive or has increased significantly, it could be a sign of an underlying health problem. Sometimes, it’s simply a matter of changing up their diet to ensure they’re getting the right balance of nutrients. To get to the bottom of why they’re shedding excessively, it’s advisable to consult your vet for guidance and advice.
To get shedding under control, you should also regularly clean up their stray hairs before they add up. But don’t worry, we’re not suggesting that you spend hours a week sweeping, vacuuming, and picking up hairs on your hands and knees.
We instead recommend that you leave all the hard work to a robot vacuum that detects dog hair. Robot vacuums are designed to quietly and efficiently move around your house, picking up any hair, dust, and dirt they detect as they go. They’re the perfect addition to your cleaning routine if you’re looking for a way to keep your house largely hair-free without lifting a finger.
Use an Indoor Dog Fence to Make Cleaning Easier
When you’re trying to clean your house, the last thing you want is your dog coming up and distracting you or making a mess in another room. You just want to get the job over and done with, but it’s almost impossible if your dog keeps demanding your attention. After all, there are only so many times you can try to shoo your dog away before you give up on cleaning altogether!
That’s why Angela Stringfellow from Safe Sound Pet advises dog owners to use a dog fence while they’re cleaning. “You don’t need to make cleaning up your house harder for yourself by trying to juggle cleaning and minding your dog at the same time,” Stringfellow says. “Just put up an indoor dog fence to temporarily zone off an area of the house for your dog to stay in any time you need to give your house a clean.”
They work effectively as they give your dog the freedom to move around without distracting you. What’s more, they’re easy to assemble and come in a range of designs and price points. These attributes make them a must-buy for dog owners looking to keep their houses sparkling clean—while keeping their sanity intact!
