[travelrider]

I need some advice and hope you all can help.

We have two adorable 3 year old dachshunds and either one or both of them need remediation with their potty training.

We really thought we had them trained but it's gotten really bad -- worse than I originally thought. I really started to notice the smell of pee in our house and couldn't locate it, so I ordered a UV light to inspect my home.

I was shocked at how much pee was in the living room carpet! There are spots everywhere, and the dogs aren't doing it in front of us. They are clearly doing it when we're not looking.

If they were potty trained properly, there would be no reason for any accidents because they have a doggie door that they can use any time they want.

I will add that they really don't like to go out in the rain, and I suspect that them having accidents in bad weather is where this started, but I really don't know.

At this point, I'm not sure what I need to do to fix this problem.

First question: Do I need to get rid of this carpet before I can be successful at training? I am contemplating three options. 1) use vinegar, baking soda, and a lot of elbow grease and patience to clean the carpet the best I can (because the pros have clearly failed me). 2) change the carpet and just start over or 3) the expensive option -- take out the carpet altogether and tile the whole main section of the house.

The real question above is -- will thoroughly cleaning the carpet with vinegar and baking soda be enough for training purposes? I know I can get the smell out from the perspective of human noses, but their noses are so much better. I don't know if I can get it clean enough that they no longer smell their own urine.

After the carpet is handled, I guess I just need to follow basic potty training processes... I am open to suggestions on the best route to take.

Thanks so much!

 

[Dawnben]

You need to get something like this to handle the problem.
Deep Cleaning Pet Stain Odor in Carpet Shampoo Remover - Nature's Miracle
At this point I would not replace the carpet because they will likely do the same thing again. I would wait until they are trained to replace it. Start from the beginning like your dogs have never been trained. Start taking them out side and stay with them and praise and treat if they go out side. Maybe this would help train them where to go. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QvPiFcG7ROI

 

[travelrider]

Thanks for the reply. I guess I was concerned that leaving the carpet in place would continue to smell like their bathroom to them no matter what I did. I'll try cleaning it. We're considering new floor anyway, so we might go that route.

You need to get something like this to handle the problem.
Deep Cleaning Pet Stain Odor in Carpet Shampoo Remover - Nature's Miracle
At this point I would not replace the carpet because they will likely do the same thing again. I would wait until they are trained to replace it. Start from the beginning like your dogs have never been trained. Start taking them out side and stay with them and praise and treat if they go out side. Maybe this would help train them where to go. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QvPiFcG7ROI

 

[Rain]

Vinegar, and baking soda, will not get the smell out. You need to get an enzyme cleaner like the one Dawnben linked to, that type of cleaner is the only thing that may work to completely get rid of the scent. You are going to have to use a lot of the product so get at least a couple of bottles of it, that's because you need to get down to the carpet pad. If you think of the urine spot like an iceberg you'll be able to understand why, the top of the spot is just the tip, the urine spreads out as it soaks into the pad. It'll also be extremely helpful to rent or purchase a carpet cleaning machine to help you get the urine and cleaner out of the carpet since you'll be needing to use a lot of the cleaner. What I'd do is apply the enzyme cleaner and let it set according to the directions, then use the carpet cleaning machine to remove the cleaner, I'd use it like a wet vac. After that I'd let the carpet dry out, then use the machine to clean the carpet like normal.

You may have to keep the dogs out of the carpeted rooms till you reestablish housetraining, of if you let them in those rooms keep them on leash with you at all times so that they do not have a chance to go off and potty on the carpet.