What No One Tells You About Construction and Contractors

Patio stones can be porous, and as a result, if your pup pees on the patio, it's likely to sink in and leave an unpleasant odour. In addition, their urine can even stain some patio stones. Do you have a dog who treats your patio like their personal toilet? Then check out these tips:

1. Clean the patio diligently.

If your dog has been using your patio for a while, it likely has a lot of odours in it. Even if you cannot smell them all, your dog likely can. Before you can entice your dog away from the patio, you need to clean it thoroughly.

Use a pressure washer, and try to find a cleaner specifically formulated to break down old dog urine and its odours. Repeat this process any time your dog has a new accident on your patio.

2. Spray deterrents on the patio.

Once the patio is clean, apply some dog deterrent to it. There are commercial sprays you can buy, or you can just sprinkle a bit of white pepper onto the patio. The pepper will make your dog sneeze and help move him off the patio.

Keep in mind that if you put too much deterrent on the patio, your dog may not even want to walk over it to reach your grass. In that case, make sure you have an optional way to reach your yard (for example, through the garage).

3. Make the grass more attractive.

If your dog is reluctant to urinate on grass, try making it more attractive. You can buy products infused with pheromones that are designed to attract dogs. Alternatively, let a friend or neighbor's dog urinate in your grass, and the scent should entice your dog.

4. Plan supervised potty breaks.

If your dog still isn't interested in using the grass, consider doing supervised potty breaks for a while. Instead of letting your dog into the yard on his or her own, put the lead on. Then, guide your dog to where you want him to urinate. Praise him a lot when he's done.

Do this for a few days or weeks until it seems clear that your dog understands the importance of using that particular spot.

5. Make a mini patio in a discrete spot for your dog.

In some cases, dogs simply don't like to urinate on grass. This rare preference happens because they aren't used to it. For example, a stray dog who spent most of his or her time near gravel parking lots may not feel comfortable on grass. For these resistant pups, build a mini patio or graveled area out of the way, and let him or her use that as the dog toilet.