The dog gets excited at the door, does he?

Yes, you can use a Q-tip with some stain, then apply a top coat, but I don't know how good it will look. My gut says if you are not sure if you can do this, then you probably don't have the finishing skills to do it well.

I would suggest practicing on a scrap piece of wood. Stain it, finish it, then scratch it similarly. If you can repair these scratches to your satisfaction, then go ahead. But rather than a Q-tip, use an artist's brush. You might also consider the wax sticks they sell for repairs. Blend the wax to get a color match.

John

I can't see scratches but I'll take your word for it.
Often the problem with factory applied finishes is that they are colored and the color of the wood is in the finish and when the finish gets scratched you can really see it.
I would try to find a stain the color of the door and using an artists' brush ( Q-tips are hard to control) try to color just the scratches.
At some time you probably will have to refinish the whole door...
Linda C

There are myriad solutions, depending upon the damage extent, your skill level, how "good" the result has to be, and the finish that's on the door now.

Here is a link that might be useful: Fixing color damage

I think you might want to work on dissuading the dog from doing this before you bother fixing it. I'm sympathetic to how difficult that can be (I have a beagle that hates the mailman with the fire of a thousand suns) but there's no point in fixing it if it'll be undone next week. You might be able to fix it reasonably well once or twice, but it's not feasible to do it over and over again.

sawdust maker, I am actually pretty handy. My family used to call me "Kelly Vila, this old townhouse" because I was a big DIYer in my last house. My question was more of "will this work? versus can I do it?" Thanks for the reply on the artist brushes. I know I have some of them around. The wax sticks sound like a great idea, too.

linda, the good news is that it is not a factory finish. It was stained by a painter a month ago and he left me some stain for the door and the staircase. (The scratches are on the right on the lower half. I seem them very clearly in person. lol.)

kmealy, thanks for the link. That is a great website.

jon, sorry that you can relate. Hopefully, this will not happen very often. I usually keep the dogs in the lower level but I did not secure the doggie gate very well. We had a scratching incident on the old door but that was about four years ago.

Thanks for all the replies and advice. Here is a pic of the devil. He looks like he feels bad doesn't he?

It's OK....scratched doors are a sign that a doggie who loves and wants to protect you from the evil mail man lives there.

As long as you have a careful touch, those scratches are not terrible. I was sure they were the work of a dog. Before you do the repair, can you find a way to dissuade the devil from repeating his work? Dog training on these things is sometimes difficult. Our own little devil has her days too.

I'd definitely recommend a test piece. This will tell you what works best, and give you some practice to get it right. I'm a bit worried that even if you stain them to the right color and refinish, there will still be an obvious scratch. Filling them with a wax stick will help, but it can take some play to get the right color, and a scratch that crosses a grain line might be tougher to obscure.

John

linda c, LOL!

sawdust maker, He has been to 28 obedience classes. He is a work in progress. I got him from the MN Wisc Collie rescue. He was found living in the woods living with another dog (apparently dumped.) When I got him he was a wreck. I couldn't even take him for a walk beacuse he had such bad panic attacks. Took a month before we could get around the block. If someone comes over, he will hide in his kennel until they leave. BUT first, he tries to scare them away by barking. He is a good dog in his own way.

I think I am going to try the wax stick. At some point, I will have it totally refinished.

Thanks for your help!