Natural Repellents for Dog Urine

Dogs usually get used to relieving themselves outside within a few months. But there are times when accidents happen indoors for different reasons, such as an illness or the arrival of a new pet in the home.

Especially in cases of marking or while puppies are still learning, it's important to know how to clean the stained area thoroughly, both to sanitize it and to try to prevent the dog from urinating indoors again, drawn back by the smell.

Dog urine repellents and deterrents

Below we'll cover products you can use to remove urine and its smell, so that we inhibit the dog's desire to pee in the same spot again. Keep in mind it's natural canine behavior to leave a scent mark wherever they detect traces of urine. That's why it's so important to eliminate the smell completely.

But getting rid of this trace doesn't mean resorting to deterrents that could harm dogs. This is especially important to keep in mind if we want to stop dogs from urinating around our home. Remember that they're not doing it to annoy us.

So there's never a justification for using any product, method, or measure that could cause the animal the slightest harm. Every option we'll cover below is harmless to everyone.

The best way to clean up dog urine

First, before applying any product to the area you're cleaning, you should soak up as much of the urine as possible. Obviously, for this it can't already be dry. This way, if the stained surface is porous, it won't absorb the urine, which would let the smell soak in and make it much harder to remove completely.

The easiest option is to use absorbent paper, like kitchen roll, although you can also use toilet paper or tissues if needed. Cover the whole area well to soak up all the urine. Don't rub — just let it absorb. It's important to do this as soon as possible, and to get rid of the soiled paper right away.

By the way, don't get angry with the dog. On the contrary, clean up the pee without saying anything to them and focus on figuring out what's going on if they've started urinating indoors when they didn't before. Some illnesses can start showing up as loss of bladder control or urinating indoors. See your vet.

Cleaners for dog urine

Once you've removed the bulk of the urine, the next step is to sanitize the area with a cleaning product suited to the affected surface. For example, some rugs can go straight into the washing machine, a sofa will need a specific upholstery cleaner, while flooring will have several options depending on what it's made of.

But keep in mind that you can't use products containing bleach or, especially, ammonia. That's because dog urine gives off a similar smell, so you could end up achieving exactly the effect you're trying to avoid. Instead, it's recommended to go with enzymatic cleaners or a neutral soap.

Dog urine repellent

Products that work as repellents should be applied once you've already cleaned up the urine as described in the sections above. They may work by eliminating the smell entirely, so that the dog loses interest in urinating there, or by giving off an unpleasant scent designed to discourage them from going to that spot.

But before thinking about repelling, you need to figure out why the dog urinated there in the first place. For example, if they're urinating indoors because of kidney failure, no matter how much you clean, they'll keep doing it simply because their illness makes it unavoidable. The same goes for a puppy that doesn't have bladder control yet.

Vinegar as a dog repellent

There are specific products against dog urine that you can buy at specialty stores. But you can also successfully turn to natural ingredients you're sure to have in your pantry. A very popular example is vinegar.

This can be used to clean urine off any surface, although white vinegar is recommended so it doesn't leave dark stains. Also, on delicate surfaces it's best to test a small area first, just in case. You can pour it on directly or diluted in water. Sometimes you'll need to repeat the application to fully get rid of the bad smell.

Homemade natural repellent (lemon)

Another option is to use citrus fruit. The most common is lemon, which you can find in a huge number of disinfectants and cleaning products, though any other citrus would work too. Its effect comes from the fact that its smell is usually too strong for many dogs, so it acts as a repellent.

That's why you can scrub or clean the stained area with lemon juice diluted in water. As a rough guide, use one lemon per cup of water. You can apply it as a spray or scrub it directly if it's on the floor.

These kinds of natural repellents usually need repeated applications. Unless the accident was a one-off, a dog that's gotten used to peeing in a certain spot will require you to clean the area several times before they fully break the habit, on top of figuring out why they're urinating indoors in the first place.

Get rid of the smell of dog urine

Finally, we recommend using baking soda, especially when it comes to removing bad odors from a mattress or fabric. It can be applied as a powder directly on the stain, or you can make a paste by mixing it with a little water. Cover the affected area and let it sit overnight in the first case, or for a few minutes if using the paste.

Afterward, brush or vacuum to remove the residue, then clean with water and neutral soap. Baking soda works against odors, which is why it's recommended in these cases. It can also be used mixed with other substances, such as vinegar.