Potty training help: old carpet with old pee smells

[claysmithr]

So I have a four month old collie pup, and for the most part he's been doing really well with potty training. He's even been catching on to how to "tell" me when he's got to go. I've been keeping him in the kitchen for ease of accident clean up, but there have only been a few early on. Few enough that I've been confident enough to start opening up the rest of the house (under supervision).

All bets are off when we're on carpet, however. I'm renting a room in a house that has had four cats living in it for the last six years (and I've only been here since September). The cats have not always been the best at going in the litter box, especially if the box is too clean (or too dirty, which depending on the cat could mean a single clump of pee), they're upset or slightly annoyed (i.e. you wouldn't let them pee on the counter), you were three seconds too late to let them our, etc......they're strange cats. What this means for puppy is that the house is C O V E R E D in old urine spots that I fear have stained the padding underneath.

So basically, when puppy reaches the carpet, it smells like a toilet to him and he thinks he's fine to pee wherever. I have gone through numerous bottles of enzymatic cleaners just soaking the carpet, and even tried sprinkling baking soda over the carpet and leaving it over night, but nothing seems to help.

Is there anything I can do to either mask the smell enough so puppy doesn't think he's in prime pee real estate or get it cleaned up, short of ripping up the carpet and replacing it (which isn't an option for me)? Barring either of those - what can I do to work around this?

 

[thedao]

@claysmithr When he has an accident on the carpet do you use a pet carpet cleaner or some kind of enzyme based cleaner. If you use a regular carpet cleaner that isn’t enzyme based the smell won’t go away and it’ll still smell like pee. Maybe spray the entire thing with an enzyme based cleaner to get rid of the smells so that they don’t think they can use the bathroom there.

 

[claysmithr]

@thedao I use an enzyme cleaner. Unfortunately, I think the padding beneath the carpet has been stained, and the enzyme cleaner can't reach it.

 

[thedao]

@claysmithr Maybe try baby the carpet area so that until they are potty trained and then allow them to go on the carpet when they are trained.

 

[evilc]

@claysmithr Could you rent one of those carpet cleaners from Lowe’s or Home Depot? I think you buy the cleaner separately so you could specifically get something for urine stains and it should actually lift it out of the carpet.

 

[godismyredeemermyrock]

@evilc We just shampooed our carpet today using 25:75 enzyme cleaner to water.

Worked wonders. Pup still sniffs but no more accidents!

 

[claysmithr]

@evilc I could possibly rent a carpet cleaner....I live in Ireland, so I'm a bit far from any Lowe's or Home Depot, haha. I'm sure I can find a place that rents them.

 

[davidi]

@claysmithr Get the Bissell Little Green Cleaner! It cleans carpets and other upholstery. You could pour some of the enzyme cleaner into the solution compartment of the cleaning machine (and dilute it with water) and it’ll do a deep clean/scrub of your carpet. That’s the only way I’ve been able to get puppy pee out of mine

 

[claysmithr]

@davidi I'll look into that, thanks!!!

 

[evilc]

@claysmithr Lol woops! A home improvement store or carpet store maybe! I plan on renting one once my pup is house trained to clean up her messes. If she continues to pee on the carpet though I’ll have to do it sooner so it doesn’t smell like the potty to her.