Dogs urinating in the house, specifically on carpets, can be troublesome to clean up and harder to prevent in the future. While many puppies often have accidents in the house, training your dog to go potty in the appropriate area will keep the carpets fresh and without incident. It is important to clean up any urine on the carpets immediately in the event of an accident, to prevent the dog from doing it again in the same area.
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Marking a Territory
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Dogs do not urinate on the carpets because they are doing it to make you upset, but rather they feel they are marking their territory. To prevent them from marking your carpet, start potty training at an early age to encourage your pet to use potty training pads indoors, or going to a designated spot outside.
For dogs that urinate on the carpet because they have anxiety, housetraining will not prevent them from having accidents. Take your pet to the vet to see what might be causing the anxiety or nervousness, and how to prevent urination in undesignated areas.
Prevention
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Whether you are housetraining a dog or not, checking for signs they may urinate on the carpet will help you catch them in the act so you can direct them to the appropriate spot. Dogs that begin sniffing an area for longer than necessary, circling around or lifting a leg are all signs they may urinate on the carpet or furniture. If you catch them in the act, gently prod them in the direction they need to go potty, instead of yelling at them.
If you notice there is urine on the carpet and did not catch the pet in the act, do not yell at your dog because chances are they will no longer remember what they did that they are being yelled at for. Simply clean up the spot and be watchful for another occasion in order to give training.
Clean-Up
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It is important to clean up urine spots quickly and thoroughly to prevent a second incident later on. Since urine stains may permeate the carpet and padding underneath, it is important to find an effective cleaner to get rid of the odor so it no longer attracts the pet. Mix a 50/50 percent solution of water and white vinegar and spray on the area. Soak up water with a cloth and allow to dry.
Avoid using any cleaning products on urine that contain ammonia, since that will attract the pet and make a second accident more likely. You can find pet cleaning products at most pet and retail stores if you choose not to make your own.
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