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Hi,

Me again.. I have a rescue doggy who refuses to be house broken, and who has left umteen piddle stains all over the living room carpet in my MH. Now I'm at the point that I need to either steam clean the carpet (I have particle board under the carpet).

Can I steam clean the carpets or will the steam (and the dog pee) ruin the particle board beneath the carpet? Should I look for mushy spots in the particle board under the pee stains on the carpet?

Anndd.. should I just forgo all of this and just rip up the stinky old carpet and lay down vinyl or linoleum for now? To protect the particle board (since the urine can't soak through those materials).

What would you guys suggest? And getting rid of doggy won't work, she had a puppy mill life and this is her home now too. She's just sorta goofy and goes potty where she wants. #2 and #1

So, a cheap floor solution with an easy to clean up surface that I can sterlize and that will keep the particle board floor safe. Ideas?

- Teresa

P.S. Will it make my Michigan home REALLY colder if I just have vinyl flooring with throw rugs on it ?

Hi,

Yes you can steam clean without causing great damage to the floor. The key here is to use as little water as possible and make sure you take great care and time in removing as much water as possible. Open windows for cross ventilation and run fans as well to aid in the drying process.

BUT, since keeping the dogs is your goal, I would remove the carpet and install something easier to clean up. I personally do not feel that any type of carpet cleaning penetrates well enough or removes anything that has gotten to the subfloor. Also keep in mind that the "puddle" may seem small on the surface, in reality the urine has spread a considerable distance underneath.

Removal of carpet and then use a product called Natures Miracle to absorb the smell. It also breaks down the enzyme composition of urine.

Yes, removing carpet can/does make the floors feel cooler. There are ways to help this. Once you remove the carpet, lay a good bead of caulking at the seam where the wall and floor meets. Make sure your skirting and underbelly are in good repair. Make sure you close the vents in your skirting once cold weather arrives. Also you can use an area rug during the winter.

JMO,
Yanita

In the long term you would probably be much happier having your puppy if you sought the assistance of a vet or professional dog trainer in house breaking your pup. That way you could replace the carpet when ready with the flooring of your choice not his choice.

I was thinking the same thing as far as a trainer goes. there is no reason that healthy dog can't be house broken. Greg

In the mean time you should get your dog a crate large enough for him to turn around in. Any larger and he will soil that too. You can lock dog in crate at night and while you are not at home. Do not feel bad about crate. Dogs like to have their own den. My dog crate is in the master bedroom where she wants to be. After age one she became trustworthy and I stopped having to latch the door at night. You dog CAN become housebroken. You can often get used crates from www.Freecycle.ORG or contact a rescue group.

Hi,

Can we bring this back to topic? Any tips on puppy/dog training can be addressed in the Off Topic Forums.

Thanks, Yanita