How do I clean my dog after peeing? A Complete Guide

Uh-Oh – Even the most conscientious and careful pet owner will have a puppy or house trained dog that will have an accident and pee in the house.

When an accident does happen, it is important that you quickly and properly clean up the accident to avoid any lingering smells and eliminate the temptation to revisit the same spot as a bathroom.

Removing the odor of urine can be tricky as it is a combination of ammonia, bacteria, hormones and uric acid – and it is important to remove the scent entirely as your dog’s sense of smell is hundreds, if not thousands of times more powerful than yours. If you don’t get the smell out of your carpet, chances are very good your dog will keep returning to that spot any time he/she can’t get outside or feels the pressure to go.

Tips for Cleaning Up Dog Urine

As soon as you see a puddle or wet spot on your hardwood, tile or linoleum flooring mop it up using paper towels, rags or old bath towels. Throw away used paper towels and set rags aside for washing later.

For a Carpet AccidentBlot or sop. Don’t scrub or wipe. Wiping rubs the urine deeper into the carpet and doesn’t help clean up the mess any better. Continue to mop up the area until the paper towels no longer turn yellow. Keep in mind carpets have a padding underneath and that can also soak in urine, be sure to press down and soak the paper towel to be certain you are reaching the padding as well.

Once you stop seeing the yellow stain on your paper towels, bring out some plain room temperature water. Pour it over the spot and keep blotting as you were before. The water will dilute what urine was remaining after your initial effort. Repeat the water and mop process at least three times or until you can’t see any more yellow on the towels.

Apply an enzyme-based ‘digester’ preparation likeNature’s MiracleorUrine Offto the spot. Don’t try a non-pet specific formula first. Products made specifically for pet urine and messes contain bacteria and enzyme digesters that other products do not. They are made to eliminate staining and odor in both the carpet and carpet padding without damaging the carpet or padding. If you try a regular stain remover first, you won’t get the same good results you’ll get using the pet product only. Enzyme-based carpet cleaners use chemicals filled with bio-enzymes that destroy odor-causing bacteria. As the digesters in the chemical eat the “food source” (bacteria, vomit, pet urine, etc.) the bacteria is converted into carbon dioxide and water. Use them instead of other cleaners because enzyme-based preparations actually remove the source of bad smells rather than masking them.

Follow the product directions and let the product sit for the prescribed amount of time.

Break out the paper towels again. Using more clean paper towels, blot up as much moisture as you can and allow the spot to air dry.

If the spot is fresh – meaning you caught your dog in the act – you’ll less likely to need to repeat these steps. However, if the urine spot has been there for a day or more you will need to repeat the enzyme-based product at least 3-4 times to remove all the odor and yellow staining.

Tips for Removing Urine Odor From Puppy Fur

The only sure way of removing urine odor from puppy fur is to remove the residual urine. The following are helpful tips to remove the stain and odor.

The very best method of removing urine odor from puppy fur is by giving your pet a complete bath with a mild dog shampoo. The warm, soapy water will open the hair shafts and allow urine remnants to dissolve, leaving your pup as fresh as a daisy once again.

If you are trying to avoid soap, vinegar and water offer a natural solution to getting rid of urine odor in your puppys fur. You will want to blot up as much of the urine as possible with a towel or paper towels if the urine in the fur is still wet. Then, mix one part vinegar with two parts water in a spray bottle and spray it over the area.

Allow this solution to sit on the area for 10 minutes before washing off with warm water and soap, then rinse well. If theres still some lingering odor after this process, try using an enzymatic cleaner made specifically for pets.

Sometimes, its just not convenient to give your puppy a full bath. At these times, you may choose just to spot-bathe them in the areas you are sure were soiled. Soak just their feet or from the rear quarter down if thats where the urine odor happens to be coming from. Then you have less than half a dog to dry.

Pet wipes are the next best solution when a full bath isnt possible. Theyre also a good alternative if your puppy has frequent accidents and their skin is drying out from excessive bathing. Simply wipe down the soiled areas with a fresh wipe. You can even run a clean wipe over the puppys entire coat to freshen them up.

Self-rinsing shampoo can be found in many pet supply stores. The formula is quite thin compared to traditional shampoos and requires no rinsing after use. Simply work it into the urine-soaked fur until a light lather forms, then blot the area with a paper towel and brush. This is usually sufficient in warm weather, but if its cold, give your puppy a quick blow dry so they wont be chilled. This type of shampoo is extremely convenient, and once you try it, youll want to keep it on hand.

Dry shampoo powders can also help in a pinch, but they dont work quite as well as the previous methods mentioned. The product should be sprinkled into the soiled coat and worked through it, giving it a few minutes to absorb the urine. Then you brush it back out.

Dry shampoos are actually quite messy, and while they can be a temporary alternative to other ways of bathing, they usually wind up leaving a sticky residue in the coat. At best, they can temporarily mask smells, but they arent the best solution for removing urine odor from puppy fur. Theyre like putting a band-aid on a long-term problem. Eventually, the band-aid is going to come off and the smell is going to return.

Much like dry shampoos, both talcum and cornstarch can be used to temporarily soak up urine from your pets coat. Follow the same method as described for using a dry shampoo, but dont allow your puppy to shake before youve had a chance to brush the powder out or youll find yourself surrounded by a fine, white fog.

My DOG PEES and POOPS Indoors (Behavior and Cleaning Tips)

One of the toughest smells to get out of fabric is pet urine. And, as a studio that exclusively photographs dog portraits, we’ve been forced to learn a thing or two about cleaning up pet urine, eliminating pet odors and discouraging future markings.

As accidents are bound to happen with most pets, we thought it might be handy to share some of our pet urine do’s and don’ts, as well as a brief and easy to understand technical explanation of the science backing these helpful pet lifehacks.

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