Dogs are amazing pets. Who doesn’t love dogs? According to a survey of US households that owned pets in 2018, about 38.4 percent owned dogs whereas the second was cats at 25.4 percent. This means nearly 50 percent of all households with pets have dogs. This is a gigantic number showing how much Americans love dogs. So many dog owners who may want to get an air mattress will definitely have this question in their mind: will dog nails pop an air mattress?
Dogs have study and sharp nails, if not trimmed regularly. They can certainly pop an air mattress if poked into the mattress, even accidentally. Air mattresses usually come with a warning label to keep sharp objects away from them, especially when it is inflated. Dog nails are certainly sharp and strong enough to penetrate an air mattress.
How An Air Mattress Can Be Popped With Dog Nails?
Dogs have hard nails, as mentioned above. They are also pointy. Depending on the breed of the dog, the nails can be sharper and sturdy. They can even penetrate human skin and muscles. So, it is not wise to assume that they cannot penetrate an air mattress.
Air mattresses are made mostly from PVC, urethane plastic, or rubber. PVC and urethane plastic are both materials that can easily be penetrated by sharp objects. Rubber is a more durable material, but it is also more expensive. Air mattresses made with any of these materials are susceptible to being punctured, which can cause the air to escape and the mattress to deflate.
While the air mattresses are built to sustain heavy humans up to several hundred pounds, they are not specifically engineered to withstand sharp objects.
People who have pets are more likely to experience an air mattress popping. This can be a scary experience for both people and pets. A popped air mattress is a common occurrence, and one that can leave you feeling deflated (pun intended).
How Dogs Can Ruin An Air Mattress?
In addition to the risk of the air mattress popping, there are other ways too that a dog can ruin your air mattress if you are not careful.
Dirty Paws And Nails
Many dogs whose owners do not take care of them have dirty paws and nails. Pet hygiene is extremely important. Both for the health of the dog and for your health as well. If your dog has dirty paws and nails, and he or she gets on the air mattress, it is likely that they will dirty the air mattress as well.
Scratches
In addition to dirtying the mattress, they can scratch the mattress with their paws and nails, whether intentionally or unintentionally. This will further increase the chances of the mattress popping at a later time as it will get damaged. It is also risky to sleep on a damaged mattress as with the human weight on it, there is a greater chance that any deep scratches may cause an actual tear.
Dog’s Hair
Dog’s hair can get caught in the valves and prevent the mattress from inflating. In some cases, the dog’s fur can even clog the valve, rendering it inoperable. If you’re a dog owner, it’s important to be aware of these dangers and take steps to avoid them. One way to do this is by brushing your dog’s coat regularly and removing any loose hair.
Dog’s Playing On The Mattress
Dogs are playful animals by nature. However, this puts an air mattress at risk if a dog is playing while being on or near the air mattress. Dogs can damage an air mattress by chewing on it, digging under it, or rolling on it. This can cause the mattress to become punctured, twisted, or torn.
How To Keep A Dog From Popping An Air Mattress?
There can be many ways to keep a dog from popping an air mattress but let’s discuss some of the top ways.
Keep It Away From Your Dog’s Access
This is the first step you should take to keep your air mattress safe – for example, raising it off the floor and instructing the dog not to climb up. If this is done without fail then you will probably not need the other steps. But this can certainly not be so easy to do when you absolutely adore your dog. Still, a reasonable effort can be made to keep the dog away from the air mattress most of the time.
Train The Dog To Stay Away From It
Dog training is absolutely important. Anyone who owns a dog already knows this. It may be possible to train your dog to stay away from the mattress and most dogs do comply.
Get A Separate Mattress For Your Dog
If you want your dog to sleep near you, you can also get them a separate mattress and keep it near to your air mattress. This will enable them to sleep near you and not on your air mattress.
Trim The Nails
As already discussed above, trimming their nails and keeping their paws clean is a good way of reducing the chances of your air mattress getting damaged.
Get A Mattress Topper
Mattress toppers are a great way of getting extra comfort out of your air mattress and also putting a layer of protection on top of them. It will still leave the sides exposed but at least the top will be covered.
Clean Immediately After Your Dog Dirties It
To prolong the life of your air mattress, it is important to clean it right away if your dog dirties it with their claws or feces.
Have Your Dog Wear Socks And Booties
Dog socks and booties are a good way to cover their paws and nails. This will reduce the chances of their nails causing any damage to your air mattress.
Check For Damage Regularly
To keep the chances of your mattress popping out of the blue, it’s important to regularly check for any damages that might cause it to pop.
Conclusion
As we learned in this article, dog nails popping an air mattress is absolutely possible but there are ways to reduce the chances of that happening. Anyone who owns both a dog and an air mattress doesn’t really have to make a choice between the two. With proper care and vigilance, both can be kept.