Did you know that dogs tend to return to places that have a urine odor?!

Meaning they will build a habit of going in certain areas of your home if not remedied. Therefore, make sure the first thing you do is efficiently clean all areas that may have any urine on them before applying any solutions. I use an organic biodegradable cleaner that’s safe for furniture, floors, and clothes called NuVet Labs Stain and Odor Remover.  You’ll need an order code if you’re a new NuVet customer to get started so you can use mine and create your own account: 91207.

Dog urine has an unpleasant smell because of its enzyme, hormone, and ammonia composition. Over time, the odor of the urine gets worse and is difficult to remove, especially from carpets. To prevent your dog from urinating on carpets while you train it to urinate outdoors, you may use certain commercial repellents or home remedies.

I didn’t want to use ammonia or other commercial products because I also have a baby crawling around.  I wanted to find something that would repel our puppies-in-training and kindergarten students but would be safe for my little guy.  Here is what I came up with!

Please keep in mind this is not a substitution to potty training–your dog will just find another place to go potty inside the house.  This solution is to help break a dogs habits of going in a certain area, to help you keep any nicer rugs or carpet areas clean. You can read how we potty train puppies here.

WHITE VINEGAR:

White vinegar is not only an effective carpet cleaner and urine odor remover, but it also acts as a repellant. Canines don’t like the smell of the acetic acid, which makes up vinegar and are likely to avoid the areas that are sprayed with this solution.

You can find it in the baking isle in your local grocery store or order it from Amazon here!

LEMON JUICE:

This smell is pleasant for people, but will keep your dog at bay. The citric acid is also effective if you want to clean and remove urine odor from carpets.

If you are using a fresh lemon, roll it between your palm and the counter before cutting.

Ingredients:

1. 2 cups water

2. 2 cups white vinegar

3. 2 Tablespoons lemon juice

Combine everything together and spray generously on areas where don’t want your fur baby to pee. This may need to be applied a couple times a week as it will fade.

Yes! It’s that easy!

But before you spray it, be sure to clean up any messes with an enzyme killer!  Most household sprays/cleaners won’t work.  I like to use NuVet Labs Stain and Odor Remover.

If you don’t have an extra spray bottle lying around, just pour it over a paper towel and then ring it out over the carpet area.

Where do you need to spray?

I would spray all carpet areas the dog will have access to.  In addition, you may find your fur baby checking out some other spots in the home. If so, check out this amazing UV flashlight that reveals dog stains! You can use the preventative spray also on these hidden areas, after they have been thoroughly cleaned.

Happy potty training! May your carpets be clean!