If you have dogs, rubber backed throw rugs are a MUST have. They are extremely portable, easily washable and quite simply, versatile.
Consider the following uses.
- For dogs with mobility issues, these rugs can be used to provide traction on hardwood or tile floors, or areas where slipping is likely to occur. Providing traction for an injured or aging dog with mobility issues, can help give your dog confidence and make navigating the home easier.
- We use the “Place” command in our home. When we eat dinner, the dogs are supposed (Oh, Delilah!) to lay in one place while we eat dinner. To make this easier for the dogs, we use mats. But rugs work just as well. Plus, as I mentioned previously, there rugs are portable, and can easily be packed for use in traveling. So when you’re trying to eat dinner at your sister’s house, your dog will not be begging at the table.
Lay here she says. I’ll give you a treat she says. I’m waiting Mama.
- Speaking of traveling, having a special rug in the car for traveling can make a trip more comfortable for an anxious pet. Having something that is familiar to them and smells like home can help ease that anxiety.
- Because these rugs are so easy to wash, you can use them on areas where you don’t want pet hair. Do you have a dog that likes to climb on the couch? Use a rug on the favored spot, and help save on your vacuuming.
- Urinary incontinence can affect older dogs, especially spayed females (watch for our upcoming post on our struggles with it.) A rubber backed rug in the spot your dog likes to lay can be used to protect bedding, furniture and dog bedding. A throw rug is far easier to wash than say…a couch, or…a mattress.
- Speaking of easy clean up, I use throw rugs for when the dogs are snacking. Every night my guys get a frozen Kong stuffed with pineapple and applesauce. And let me tell you, devouring this Kong can get very messy, which is why I use the throw rug. Besides it being easily washable, the rubber backing keeps the rug in place and helps keep the dogs in a spot where they make the least amount of mess.
- For drying or grooming purposes. My dogs will walk in the rain, but it comes with a price. They expect me to dry them off when we get back inside. Training your dogs to stand on a throw rug after a rainy (or muddy) walk, while you dry them off will save your carpet or floor from muddy paw prints.
These are some of the ways we use throw rugs in our home, where/how do you use them?
Mom tried throw rugs when Katie started slipping on the wood floors. For us it was a danger to the family because rubber back or not, the kitties could make them slide, Mom would trip on them, didn’t work for us, so we got the toegrips instead. Otherwise, we have our beds (numerous ones around the house) we go to if we are dirty, or need a place to wait, etc. Glad the rugs work for you, but ours all went to a garage sale after about a week.
My dogs don’t like to put their warm butts on cold hardwood or tile so they back up to rugs when they sit down,
Every time mom puts a rug down I’m right in it
Lily & Edward
We have wtw carpeting in our house – except bath and kitchen – so don’t use throw rugs (other than bath mats). But I do occasionally put down large, washable pee-pads for Shadow when she doesn’t feel well. (I have them from when she and Callie were youngsters; and used them constantly after Callie’s two chemo treatments.)
We don’t have many rugs and you have made me think we need more!
Lots of good ideas! Especially like the idea of having a messy treat on the rug! Rita usually just uses our dining room area rug… But now I have Carson to clean that mess up for me. 🙂
Can I just say…rubber backed rugs help with MY mobility too! Nothing like skidding across a tile or hardwood floor. Ugh. Gawd bless the person who created them from all us klutzes and our pups. 😇
What an excellent, and yet simple idea that solves a bunch of issues for our beloved pet and us as well. Kudos!
I really don’t think you can have too many throws or blankets. I don’t think anyone besides me even knows what color my couch is since it’s always covered (and yeah I use Halloween themed ones in May, so what? Who doesn’t love ghosts & spiders year round?). Don’t have to worry about all the pet hair getting embedded in there, nor do you have to worry about scratches.
We have throw rugs everywhere, and I credit them some for helping Cricket’s arthritis to get better. You mentioned some uses I hadn’t even thought of though. Anything that saves on vacuuming is a plus in my book! 🙂
Great post! You’re absolutely right, and we have these types of mats all over our house too (particularly at all the entrances for our Lab’s muddy paws)! Fortunately, our dog doesn’t get anxious in the car, but we had never thought of keeping some extra mats for use in the car or at our destinations. Thanks!