Is carpet or hard wood better for a dog? Stairs

[Anonymous]

Depends on what kind of dog you have. If you get a larger dog, you should be prepared to have nail marks in the hardwood.

We have hardwood floors and rugs. We've got a lean 85 pound Lab and a 10 lb Toy Poodle. Neither has any problems walking around on the hardwood but it's difficult for them to run/stop (like when tossing a toy around). Stairs are no issue for them. But, we also foster dogs and some of the dogs, particularly adult dogs that have never experienced hardwood or have mobility issues, struggle. We have runners for those dogs. Our hardwood floors look beat up because of the nails of our big Lab (even though they're well trimmed). But, I'm glad we don't have carpet with pads because it's SO much easier to clean up when there's an accident. It's not our Lab so much (he's ocassionally thrown up) but our Toy Poodle who's prone to peeing outside the 'schedule'.