Mary Allen
My dog is peeing on the carpet – how can I stop this?
Your dog is actually housebroken, but pees precisely on the carpet?
Does your puppy regularly walk on the flokati and let it run unabashed?
We explain why your dog chooses the carpet as a toilet, how to break it and what you should use to clean your carpet.
In a nutshell: Why is my dog peeing on the carpet?
Dogs like to pee on the carpet because it feels as soft as grass and their paws don’t get splashed.
If your dog isn’t housebroken yet, make sure he can go outside often enough to relieve himself. Puppies need to pee after every meal, play, and sleep.
Watch your dog in the apartment. Is he sniffing in circles on the carpet? This is a sign of a tight dog bladder.
Take him outside and praise him profusely as he does his business.
If your dog is already housebroken and still pees on the carpet, an illness, fear, stress, or territorial marking can be behind it.
If your dog has peed on the carpet, clean it with vinegar to prevent your dog from peeing on the same spot again.
A spray of equal parts vinegar and water is also great for prevention, as the vinegar smell will deter dogs.
Check out our dog training bible for more tips on housebreaking your dog.
Why do dogs always make the carpet?
Dogs remember the surfaces they pee on. For example, if you come across a puppy that peed on towels at the breeder’s, it will prefer soft surfaces.
Even a dog that has learned to pee on the grass likes to look for the carpet in the apartment for business. When he needs it urgently, this surface is the closest thing to soft ground.
Some dogs don’t like it when their paws get wet. The carpet absorbs everything and the paw stays dry – one’s joy, the other’s sorrow.
Good to know:
A dog does not instinctively know that it should only do its business outside. Dogs have a natural instinct to keep their sleeping space clean. However, this instinct does not extend to the whole apartment.
This is how your dog becomes housebroken
First things first: be patient. Some dogs take a little longer, but with consistent training and a watchful eye, any dog will be housebroken.
Watch your dog as he moves around the home. If he starts circling around a spot or sniffing the floor, he’ll soon need to go to the potty.
When your dog goes about his business outside, give him lots of praise and reward him with a treat. Your dog will notice that you think it’s great when he’s outside.
Good to know:
Puppies have small bladders and need to pee more often. It’s best to take them outside after sleeping, playing, or eating.
Causes: My dog pees on the carpet even though he’s housebroken
Is your dog housebroken and still wets the carpet?
Then the first thing you should do is see your vet.
There are illnesses such as cystitis, kidney disease, diarrhea or age-related incontinence that simply make it impossible for your dog to keep up.
Fear or territorial behavior
If your dog is healthy, anxiety or stress can trigger sudden bladder weakness. Find the cause and fix your dog’s discomfort.
Some dogs pee on the carpet to mark their territory. This can also happen when the carpet is new and smells unusual.
Or puberty tempts your dog to over-mark. In this case, you can interrupt your dog with a loud noise and lead him outside.
When the mishap happened
If your dog does the flokati again in an inattentive moment, don’t punish him.
Even if you catch your dog red-handed peeing on the carpet, there’s no point in scolding.
On the contrary – scolding can make your dog scared of you.
Then he no longer dares to pee outside when you are around. And makes secret corners inside that are hard for you to find.
Clean up the accident without comment and resolve to be more careful.
Danger!
Even the old tale of pushing the dog’s nose into its puddle only teaches the dog that you’re being cruel.
How do I clean the carpet after the dog has peed on it?
A 50:50 mixture of vinegar and water works best to clean and deodorize your carpet.
If you have a flokati, be a little more thorough:
- Dab the urine with towels, kitchen paper or similar.
- Sprinkle salt or rice on the carpet to draw out the remaining liquid.
- Spray on the vinegar mixture with a spray bottle.
- You can also sprinkle baking soda or baking soda on the affected area.
- Let the vinegar soak in for about 10 minutes, baking soda and baking soda for 24 hours.
- Dab the vinegar out with plain water or soak up baking soda and baking soda.
Conclusion
Your dog likes to pee on the carpet because he likes the soft surface.
You have to train him to be housebroken first. The best way to do this is by praising him when he’s doing it outside.
If your dog is peeing on the carpet even though he’s housetrained, have him checked by the vet for medical conditions. If he is healthy, increased stress or territorial behavior can be the reason for a wet carpet.
To clean the carpet from the dog pee, it is best to use vinegar water.
If you need help figuring out what’s causing your dog to pee or are looking for a housebreaking training plan, check out our Dog Training Bible for more hints and details.