What Can I Spray to Keep My Dog from Peeing in the House? 8 Options
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Isn’t it the worst when your dog would rather pee on your floor than go outside to do it? One of the main instigators in this situation (other than your dog) is the smell of the urine they have previously deposited on your carpet or floor. The best way to combat this is to essentially erase the smell, so please read on for a variety of sprays you can use to stop this annoying behavior.
Why Is My Dog Peeing in the House?
Housebreaking
First, we need to have a brief look at why your dog might be urinating in your house. It’s a very common occurrence while housebreaking your puppy. Therefore, provided you are retraining your dog or training your puppy for the first time, please keep in mind that it’s a process that could take as long as 6 months.
Health Concerns
If your dog is already housebroken and has started urinating inside the house, you need first to rule out any medical or emotional issues. Talk to your vet if you’re concerned about your dog’s wellbeing. Your vet will check for kidney disease, bladder stones, and diabetes in your dog since these conditions cause frequent urination.
Bladder Control Issues
Another possibility to consider is if your dog is home alone throughout the day, he might lack bladder control. It would help if you had a friend, a neighbor, or someone in your family let your dog out halfway through the day. You could also look into hiring a dog walker, which would be very beneficial for your dog if you are away for long hours.
Whether you’re training your puppy or dog for the first time or need to retrain, we’ve listed some ideas for sprays that should help you throughout this process.
The Top 3 Purchasable Anti-Pee Dog Spray
We are not actually starting with a spray as promised. This Arf Pets Flashlight Urine Detector could be very helpful before you actually spray anything. If you’ve ever watched crime shows like CSI (or any version of CSI), you know they use UV light to find bloodstains. Well, UV can also highlight everything from vomit to feces to urine. Finding the exact spots to clean up will ensure you’re actually cleaning it up properly.
Now, on to the sprays. There is a large variety of sprays that use enzymes to break down the odor and stains of urine available on the market, such as:
1. Hepper Advanced Bio-Enzyme Pet Stain & Odor Eliminator Spray
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! Click here to get yourself a bottle today.
2. Nature’s Miracle
This anti pee spray for dogs claims to work on old, stubborn odors and stains and has a light, orange scent (most dogs dislike the smell of citrus). It is advertised as safe for furniture, fabric, hardwood floors, and carpets (although you do need to read the label as there are several fabrics that you shouldn’t use it on).
You can find Nature’s Miracle Spray here
3. Rocco & Roxie Pet Stain & Odor Eliminator
This spray doesn’t use a scent as a deterrent to dogs but eliminates the odor entirely. If your dog can’t smell the area where he has urinated, he is less likely to return to the same spot.
These kinds of commercial sprays are proven and have many positive reviews online. They are also touted as environmentally friendly, all-natural and safe. However, if you make the spray yourself, you can save some money, and you’ll know exactly what is in your spray. It also allows you to experiment if one or more of the sprays don’t work.
You can find Rocco & Roxie Pet Stain spray here
The Top 5 DIY Anti Dog Pee Sprays
Making your own spray means you need to start with a clean spray bottle. You can purchase one like this, or if you have an empty bottle at home, be sure to clean it thoroughly before adding your ingredients.
1. Vinegar Spray
Fill your spray bottle with 1.5 cups of water, 2 tablespoons of white vinegar, and some orange or lemon peels. Shake well before each use. Because of the peels, this spray won’t last long, so make multiple small batches as needed. Store the spray in the dark.
Or you can make a mixture of freshly squeezed lemon juice and water to spray around your house as this is a great smelling and inexpensive dog pee repellent for your dog.
However, some dogs don’t mind the smell of citrus, so here are a few other options for you to try:
2. Baking soda mixed with water
Adding ¼ cup of baking soda to about 30 ounces of water will create a spray that will erase the odor.
3. Hydrogen peroxide
Applied directly to the area will also eliminate the odor, but it could cause discoloration of your carpet. Also, please make sure your dog does not have access to this product while it is still fresh.
4. Mouthwash
When you consider that mouthwash is designed to remove bad breath, it can do the same to any bad odor in the house. You can dilute with a little water and spray the offending odor. For safety, do not let your dog near it until it is completely dry.
5. Rubbing alcohol
Mixed with water and sprayed on the area will reduce and eliminate the smell. Dogs won’t want to go near the area with the strong odor from the alcohol. Again, watch out for any discoloration that might occur on your carpets, and please make sure your dog does not have access to it until the product has evaporated.
Some of these scents aren’t necessarily sweet-smelling to us humans either. Having your house smell like vinegar isn’t necessarily pleasant (unless you love salt and vinegar chips, but then you might just crave chips all of the time). Still, it might be a necessary evil until you solve the problem of your dog peeing inside your house.
Other Products to Stop Your Dog From Peeing in the House
If your dog continues to pee in the same spot, whether or not you’ve tried a spray, there are other options in the housebreaking process. Many people will use the training pads already mentioned, but others opt for this indoor grass mat, which is designed to look and feel like real grass. It’s easy to clean and would be an excellent intermediate step while getting them used to going outdoors in real grass.
Some people like to use these bells as another method to housebreak your dog. They can let you know when they need to go outside, and the bells come with instructions on how to train your dog to use them.
If you read books like this one, you might discover additional ideas on how to housetrain your dog correctly. It gets into any issues that might be impacting on your dog. Everything from your dog’s diet to potential medical issues, to working on enhancing the bond with your dog.
Lastly and unbelievably, if you’re desperate and just can’t bring yourself to clean yet another mess, you can outfit your dog in this adorable diaper (although they call this one a “wrap”). However, it is recommended that you continue housebreaking your dog as you probably don’t want to have your dog in diapers for the rest of his life.
Conclusion
There could be several reasons why your dog is peeing inside. You need to find the root of the problem (is it medical or something else) and retrain if this behavior has started after successful housebreaking.
You can purchase a spray that drives your dog away from the area or eliminates the smell, or you can make your spray that can have the same outcome. Your dog will keep going back to the same spot when he can smell that he has urinated there before.
If, for budgetary reasons, you can’t let your dog out during the day while you’re at work, you can try out the grass mat as a reasonable alternative. Hopefully, this is just a temporary problem that you can fix using a variety of methods to housebreak your dog. All of this will lead to a positive outcome if you persevere and show your dog a lot of patience and love.
Related Reads:
- 6 Reasons Your Dog Licks Pee & What to Do About It
- How to Stop Your Dog From Peeing in Their Crate (8 Simple Steps)
Featured Image Credit: New Africa, Shutterstock
