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Our lovely dogs are some of the best friends we will ever have in the world; they are also loyal to an absolute fault. However, they are also animals that adhere to some basic urges, and male dogs will lift their legs to mark what they see as their territory, even on your beautiful patio.
There are two ways to prevent your dog from peeing on your patio, either moving its water and food onto the patio or training the dog to never pee on the patio. The best way is always to train your dog that peeing on the patio is against the rules, and they will never attempt to do so unless forced to.
Despite what many owners may think, all dogs can be trained to properly avoid peeing on or in locations that you would like to keep pee-free. Even the oldest dogs can be trained or deterred from doing so, which is why we need to take a look at every available option to you.
What smells deter dogs from peeing?
This is often the thing that many turn to before they consider training; we are not sure why, but it can be effective if constantly applied. However, before we list everything out, these smells will do more than stop peeing; the dogs will not want to be anywhere near them.
These smells will usually bother your dog’s nose and cause them to look for someone much more comfortable to do their business. It is important to remember to provide that location, though, as not even the worst smell on earth can stop a bladder from going if there is no other option.
Vinegar and Lemon
A solution that will help you control the smell of older urine and to deter your dog from peeing on your patio. However, it will also cause a strong smell of vinegar and lemon juice throughout your patio, which may be uncomfortable for you to handle as well.
You should preferably use white vinegar and concentrated lemon juice that you may have lying around your house. Allowing you to constantly use the mixture across your patio and keeping the scent strong, ensuring that the dogs and most other wild animals are deterred.
Ammonia and Alcohol
These two do not have to be mixed; using each one on its own will soak your patio with the required strong smell to ensure that your dog does not pee on the patio. We recommend that you also simply use an ammonia-based cleaning liquid if possible.
Further, you should be using rubbing alcohol or sanitizing alcohol on the floor if you want to use that since it will evaporate quickly but leave a strong smell. Both of these options are chemical-based, and if you or someone else in your family are sensitive to them, it may cause discomfort.
Essential Oils
Basically, essential oils are super strong when it comes to smell and when spread across your patio, the furniture on it, and any previous pee spots, they will be fully effective. We always recommend being cautious with how much you are using essential oils.
These are still oils and, if applied too much, can cause a residue to develop over time; further, several oils are flammable. Making them perfect for smaller patios that are used regularly, but not so perfect for large patios that may be used for barbecues or ones that may not be used for long lengths of time.
Coffee
When we say coffee, we mean taking used coffee grounds and drying them out in your oven at lower temperatures. Placing or even spreading the coffee grounds throughout the corners of the patio that will ensure that the dogs are not constantly peeing on the patio.
However, like the other smell-based solutions, it will need to be constantly applied to be effective, with the added problem of attracting other pests. With the coffee grounds losing their effectiveness over time and eventually becoming nothing more than dust that is spread across your patio.
Commercial Products
The range of products that use smell to deter your dogs from not peeing on something or simply not going near a specific location is almost impossible to list. Most of these will work to some degree, but as they are aimed at animals will not be long lasting and require a constant application.
Over time you may even spend more on buying these deterrents than you have paid for anything else for your dog. We recommend that you use these only in the early stages and that you are wary of relying on them too much, as they are never permanent solutions.
How do you stop them from peeing on certain spots?
While smells can help stop your dog from peeing on your patio, they are never full solutions and will always require spending more money. Instead, we recommend using different methods to have your patio saved from the damage that dog pee can cause.
These methods require a lot more effort from you than your dog, and you may even feel like it is not working until it suddenly does. Even the oldest dogs, barring sickness, can eventually be taught not to pee on your patio, even going to specific spots in your garden if you train them properly.
Training
Simply put, your dog can be trained through positive feedback and the right amount of effort to never even think of peeing on your patio. If you start at a young age, it will be easier to prevent them from going close to certain locations when they need to pee.
If you are on the way to saying it is not possible or that it sounds hard, the truth is, it is quite hard to train your dog if it is your first time. However, a properly trained dog will never disobey you and help you keep a patio that is both stain-free and lemony fresh like the day you had it installed.
Conditioning
The best way to train your dog is to condition it to look for a specific surface where it can use the toilet in absolute peace. Many dog breeders will do so with their puppies now, ensuring that they only ever use grass when they go to pee or poo.
If you keep doing this, taking them to the grass whenever they start peeing or pooing, rewarding them when they are there, the dog will naturally seek out grass. Never even thinking of peeing on your patio, in your house, or the corners of your bathroom.
Positive Feedback
There is no greater way to have your dogs start doing the right thing than positively praising them whenever they do the right thing. If you see your dog looking for the grass whenever they need to pee or poo, you should reward them for this behavior, however, only when they are young.
It is important to do the timing right, but whatever you do, please don’t use negative feedback, as it only ever causes your dog to be afraid of you. Being positive, happy, and excited when your dog does the right things is the quickest and most effective way of keeping your patio clean.
Conclusion
Always remember that a few months of training your dog to not pee on certain things will always save you hundreds of thousands trying to find the magic smell. However, a smell deterrent is a good way to ensure that your dog in training is not tempted to try something new when left alone.
Always remember that your dog is perfectly capable of learning almost everything that you need them to learn!