At some stage or other, most dogs will urinate in an inappropriate place. This often happens inside the house. The reason for this can be varied, but the result is always an unpleasant odour. Removing the smell from your curtains, furniture, carpet or clothing can become quite a trial. You pet might also enjoy urinating on a favourite plant or garden feature, thereby making it wilt or look unsightly. And unfortunately, once a dog has urinated on something, it encourages other dogs to do the same. So quite quickly your e.g. lounge can become offensive to the humans living there.
When cleaning up mistakes in the house, avoid any product that contains ammonia. Using an ammonia-based detergent will encourage your dog to use that spot for elimination again, because the odour of ammonia is similar to the smell of urine. (the acid/alkaline story).
There are several ways of dealing with the problem:
- Wash the area with soda water or with soapy water. Rinse well.
- Spray the area with vinegar, moth repellent or mouthwash.
- Because dogs are generally clean animals and do not like to eliminate where they eat or sleep, it may also help if you place small food bowls over the affected area.