From snuggling with your new puppy to seeing them interact with toys for the first time, there’s plenty of great puppy moments for a pet owner to enjoy. But there are some puppy moments that are far less adorable, such as potty training.
No matter the breed of puppy you get, there will be some bumps in the road during potty training. Even after you have pup trained to go outdoors, the occasional accident will occur within your home. Which means, puppy owners need to know how to clean up accidents (both stains and puppy urine smell) properly.
When an inevitable accident occurs and you find yourself cleaning up after your puppy, there are some dos and don’ts to keep in mind, especially when it comes to trying to eliminate that unpleasant puppy urine smell.
How to Eliminate Puppy Urine Smell
Before we address cleaning up the mess your puppy has made, it’s important to try and remain patient and calm with your puppy. Accidents are going to take place. While you’ll want to reward good behavior and discourage bad behavior while training your puppy, you want to be careful with how you discipline them at the same time.
Finding a balance between forging a strong, positive bond with your dog and giving them proper instructing can be tough for some pet owners.
When your puppy has an accident, the way you clean it will depend on where it occurs (for example, hardwood or carpet). If your puppy pees on carpet, you’ll have to take a few more steps to absorb the urine than you would on a linoleum floor.
Additionally, your puppy’s ability to detect scents is far superior to yours. It’s important to rid your home of urine odors, so that your puppy does not detect previous dog urine scent and believe that the indoor spot is a place they should return to for using the bathroom.
Step 1: Absorb Dog Urine
The first step to cleaning up after your puppy’s accident is try and absorb all of the urine. The best materials for absorbing dog urine are paper and cloth towels.
The faster you can absorb the urine, the better, as with each passing minute the urine is soaking deeper into your carpet or floor, which makes the scent stronger. Try and press down on your towel with enough pressure that the moisture is being collected.
Step 2: Suck Up Remaining Urine
If you own a shop-vac, use it to suck up as much of the urine as possible, especially on carpet. A standard carpet-cleaning vacuum isn’t recommended for sucking up liquids. Don’t have a shop-vac? Move along to step 3.
Step 3: Apply an Enzyme-Based Cleaner
Once you’ve sucked up as much of the urine as possible, it’s time to start applying a cleaning product.
When selecting a cleaning product, make sure you get an enzyme-based product. Enzyme-based cleaning products are engineered to attack the uric acid crystals in urine that stain your floors and smell up your home. They are designed to both clean the spot of the accident and to eliminate the bacteria and odors deposited there.
Spray the cleaner on the spot liberally and let the cleaner soak into the spot. Then, gently dab the spot where the accident occurred with a dry paper towel.
Product Spotlight: Rocco & Roxie Enzyme Stain & Odor Eliminator
When it comes to puppy accidents, simply masking odors isn't enough. Rocco & Roxie Enzyme Stain & Odor Eliminator uses bio-enzymatic technology to break down urine, helping eliminate stubborn odors and stains from carpets, bedding, crates, upholstery, and more. Because lingering urine odors can encourage puppies to return to the same spot, a quality enzyme cleaner can be an important tool during house training.
Step 4: Sprinkle Baking Soda or a Light Fragrance
Once you’ve finished cleaning the spot of your puppy's accident, sprinkle a bit of baking soda near the spot or spray an odor-killing fragrance in the area. Plug-in scented oils are also helpful, as they’ll continue to perfume the area over time.
Product Spotlight: Arm & Hammer Pet Fresh Carpet Odor Eliminator Plus Oxi Clean
Even after cleaning up a puppy accident, lingering odors can remain in carpet fibers. Arm & Hammer Pet Fresh Carpet Odor Eliminator Plus Oxi Clean combines baking soda with odor-fighting ingredients to help neutralize pet odors while leaving carpets smelling fresher. It's a simple way to refresh the area after the stain and urine have been thoroughly cleaned.
Step 5: Reward Your Puppy’s Next Outdoor Potty Trip
After you’ve finished cleaning up the accident, try and help your puppy get outside before the next time they use the restroom. Sometimes, that means taking them out yourself and waiting for them to go. Bring a treat with you and if, they go outside, reward them with it and give them plenty of verbal and physical affection. You want to condition your puppy to go outside, especially after they’ve made mistakes.
Puppy Urine Smell and Stains: What Not to Use
There are a few solutions that people use to clean up puppy accidents that should be avoided. They include:
Bleach
While bleach is great for fighting stains, avoid using it for puppy accidents. Bleach will not kill the odor of dog urine. It simply disinfects the area.
More importantly, bleach is harmful to breathe and is very toxic for your puppy. Dogs use their noses to dictate where they’re going to use the bathroom.
After you’ve cleaned the spot, they’ll return to that area and smell around for their previous bathroom spot. By using bleach, you’ll not only fail to eliminate the odor, you’ll get your puppy sick from the fumes.
Ammonia
Another common mistake puppy owners make when cleaning up a accident is to apply ammonia as a cleaning solution. Dog and cat urine have an ammonia odor naturally, so applying ammonia will make the spot smell worse and will give your puppy the idea that they should return to that spot to do their business in the future.
And whatever you do, don’t ever combine bleach with ammonia, or you could become very sick from inhaling the fumes. Mixing bleach and ammonia is extremely dangerous and can be lethal.
