How to Keep House Clean When Dog Is in Heat: 11 Vet-Approved Tips
Updated on
If you breed dogs or are planning on starting, knowing how to handle your female dog’s heat is one of the first things that you should learn. This includes cleaning up after her when she leaves blood, vaginal discharge, and even urine throughout the house.
Since all this mess can start to smell unpleasant — and leave your dog feeling incredibly uncomfortable — this step-by-step guide will help you keep the house clean while your dog is in heat.
How Often Do Female Dogs Go Into Heat?
The frequency of your dog’s heat depends on a few things. Their breed, age, and the dog themselves can all make them go into heat more or less often. Your small breed might go into heat two or three times a year, while your Great Dane might only experience it once a year. That said, dogs less than 2 years old are prone to irregular cycles until their bodies settle more.
Since heat is so varied between dogs, it’s best for you to determine how often your dog goes into heat by observing and making a note of their cycles.
The 11 Tips for Keeping the House Clean When Your Dog Is in Heat
- Old blankets
- Old towels
- Doggy playpen
- Enzymatic cleaners
- Washable doggy diapers
- A bucket of clean water
1. Restrict Access to Carpeted Rooms
One of the easiest ways to keep your house as clean as possible — or at least help make your job easier — is to limit your dog’s access to areas that are difficult to clean. Carpets in particular are easily stained and can be a pain to wash.
If your dog bleeds frequently, it’ll be easier for you to clean up if you keep your dog in areas with hardwood flooring or linoleum. This is especially true if you’re out of the house for a while and won’t be able to clean up the mess immediately to prevent staining.
2. Cover Furniture
Whether it’s your couch, your dog’s bed, or another piece of furniture that your dog loves to nap on, you can prevent them from staining by covering them during your dog’s heat. You can use old towels, but large, thick blankets or other washable covers might be easier to use and more secure.
Covering your furniture will allow your dog to sit in her favorite spots while keeping the place as clean as possible. All you’ll have to do is wash the cover when it gets messy instead of tackling stubborn stains on your couch. If you keep several covers in rotation, your dog will still be able to use their bed even with one cover in the wash.
3. Use a Playpen or Crate
It’s not recommended to leave your dog in a playpen or crate for the full duration of her heat, but you can use these items to keep them in one place. If you spend most of the day at work, containing your dog in one area will help you focus your cleanup efforts on one place rather than all over the house.
Once you’re back home and can spend time with your dog again, you’ll be able to clean up the mess as she makes it.
4. Create a Comfortable Space
If you do decide to keep your dog in one place while you’re at work, it’s important to make it as comfortable for her as possible. Shutting her away all day is a great way to keep the mess contained, but it can also be incredibly boring for your dog.
You need to ensure that your dog has plenty of access to clean water and toys. Puzzle toys are ideal for keeping her mind active while you’re at work. She should also have plenty of clean bedding.
5. Introduce Doggy Diapers
One of the most common ways to help keep the house clean is by using doggy diapers. You can use disposable ones, but many people prefer washable options, even though they require cleaning. Doggy diapers work to keep all your dog’s mess contained, whether it’s blood, vaginal discharge, or urine when she marks her territory.
The downside of this option is some dogs dislike the feel of diapers. Introduce them before your dog’s heat so she’s more familiar with how they feel when she’s wearing them. Don’t force her to wear them if she downright refuses, though. Her comfort is important too.
6. Old, Clean Towels
While your dog is in heat, old but clean towels are lifesavers when it comes to keeping your house tidy. Not only can you use them to cover your dog’s bedding if you’re short on clean blankets, but you can also use them to help mop up urine or blood off hardwood floors.
They can clean your dog and help her feel more comfortable too, provided that they’re soft enough. Cleaning your dog with a damp cloth regularly, especially when she can’t do it herself, will help you reduce the mess in your house.
7. Enzyme Cleaners
A great way to tackle pet messes without using chemical cleaners that can harm your pooch is by using enzyme cleaners. The enzymes eat away at organic compounds, such as blood and urine, and help you clean up stains. They’re good at removing unpleasant odors too.
Unlike chemical cleaners, enzyme cleaners are non-toxic and biodegradable. They don’t leave a chemical residue that can harm your pet if they get it on their paws and lick it off.
Our favorite enzyme cleaner is the Hepper Advanced Bio-Enzyme Pet Stain & Odor Eliminator Spray. It's our product, and we love it so much, we just have to share. It permanently removes the very worst smells and stains (yes, everything you can imagine!), and we offer a 100% satisfaction guarantee!
8. Stain Remover
While blankets and towels will keep your couch and your dog’s bed from getting dirty, they’ll also need to be cleaned regularly. This is where stain removers can help. You can spray the stained areas of the blankets and towels with the stain remover before you wash them. This will help lift the stain out of the material, especially once it’s dried into the fabric.
Stain remover can also help spot-treat rugs, carpets, and your fabric couch if they get stained. Remember to look for a stain remover that is non-toxic to animals, or make your own with baking soda, water, and vinegar.
9. Keep a Bucket of Clean Water Handy
Enzyme cleaners and stain removers are handy, but in a pinch, a simple bucket of water is more than ample. Keeping a bucket of clean water close by throughout your dog’s heat will enable you clean up messes as soon as they happen.
If you make a habit of mopping up after your dog as soon as possible, you’ll be more likely to avoid staining and unpleasant, lingering odors. Your dog will also be happier if they don’t have to sit somewhere dirty.
10. Let Your Dog Clean Herself
Dogs might not clean themselves as often or as well as cats do, but they do clean themselves regularly. When your female dog is in heat, one of the easiest ways to fight the mess is to let her clean up after herself. Giving her a chance to tend to her own hygiene will help prevent bacterial infections.
Even if you do let your dog clean herself, though, you’ll still have to clean up a few blankets and towels. Some dog’s may find it more difficult to clean themselves, which is where you should come in with a damp cloth.
11. Establish a Cleaning Routine
Depending on how much mess your dog makes while she’s in heat, the task of keeping the house clean can be daunting. Staying on top of the mess is the best way to save yourself time and hassle later.
Combine these steps into a steady routine, and follow them regularly. It might be repetitive work, but cleaning up messes as they happen will help you prevent hard-to-tackle stains from forming on your favorite couch.
Conclusion
Owning a dog can get messy, especially when your intact female pooch goes into heat. If you’re blindsided by her first heat or are a new dog breeder, keeping your house clean can be a little daunting.
By following a careful cleaning routine and mopping up your dog’s messes as and when they happen, you can reduce odors and keep the mess to a minimum throughout her heat.
Featured Image Credit: Rabizo Anatolii, Shutterstock
