Puppy Hack #2

Hey y’all!

Last week I promised to tell you guys a trick for helping to house train puppies. This is a trick that has saved our tail (*snort*) more than once and I cannot suggest it enough.

First, though, I have to go into a bit of science. Not much–you can stop flashing back to middle school–just enough to explain why this trick works.

As I’m sure many of you know, dogs’ noses are… how shall we say… sensitive. One of the reasons Cor is training to be a seizure alert dog, Yaha is training to be a hunting dog, and Ozzy didn’t pass the entry test–the power of their noses. They can smell things we, as humans, can’t.

More specifically, according to this vet center, we have about six million (6,000,000) olfactory receptors, while they have around three hundred million (300,000,000). Not only that, but the part of their brain that sorts and organizes and analyzes the scents they take in is about forty (40) times larger than ours. You know how much bigger things get when you increase them fortyfold? 

If you continue reading that article, you’ll find that:

“[their noses are] Powerful enough to detect substances at concentrations of one part per trillion—a single drop of liquid in 20 Olympic-size swimming pools.”

(Cite: that link above)

That’s some help in a game of hide-and-seek, or guess-when-I’m-about-to-have-a-seizure.

Let me ask you a question.

When your puppy has an accident or throws up, can you smell it?

Ah, cha.

(I also have a trick for that coming up–stay tuned. 😉 )

If you can smell it, how strong a scent do you think it is for them?

That is why they use their urine to mark their territory; because the scent is strong and distinctive–just like a fence is to those of us who read the world with our eyes.

Those of you who have seen dogs sniffing around for somewhere to go won’t be surprised to hear that the smell of previous… defecation is what they use to mark their “potty spot”s. This is why, a lot of the time, they pee and poop in one general area of the yard. It may be a big area, but there’s still a rough perimeter. They don’t like to live in their own waste any more than we would.

When your puppy/dog goes to the bathroom inside, that smell may go away for us, but for them, it continues to mark a “potty spot”. This is why, if a dog has had an accident in your house before, the chance that they will again rises considerably.

My trick, then, is Skout’s Honor Urine Destroyer (not sponsored (yet?)). 

This is a spray that kills the enzymes that make the scent of your dog’s business. It kills those enzymes–not merely masks them–so that they won’t smell them next time they have to go.

You can find several of these kinds of sprays at various pet supply stores, but I cannot recommend this one enough. You see, I have a strong sensitivity to smells. If there’s a scented candle burning–or an air freshener on–in a building, I will get a headache within ten (sometimes five) minutes of walking into that building. If it is especially strong, or I walk into Goodwill or other thrift stores that don’t wash or air out their donations before putting them out, it’s like walking into a brick wall.

Scented lotions, detergents, tissues, etc. are all out.

Skout’s Honor Urine Destroyer doesn’t have the artificial scents that most others do that would drive me out of the house. It is made from natural ingredients, so it has a bit of a scent, but it’s negligible (and when you can smell it (with your nose right in it) it’s nice and fresh-air-y). It doesn’t stain or discolor the carpet, either–another big thing.

Seriously, you guys, the speed and efficiency with which one bottle of this stuff works is amazing. I bought it in March when we brought Cor home and were having trouble stopping the accidents. I take it with me dogsitting, and I use it on doggy throw up (I used it on that a lot in those first few months–he got carsick easily) and I still haven’t used half the bottle. Well worth the price! And, as an added bonus, the pet supply store not five minutes from our house–Pet Supplies Plus–has it.

This has got to be the best kept secret of house training, you guys. If you have a dog or a puppy, I suggest you buy a bottle of this, even just in case. At this rate, one bottle may last me Cor’s entire service dog career.

I forgot to bring it up with us, and Cor had a few accidents as he was relearning house training and where “out” was. I bought it on our second or third day up here, used it, and haven’t had a problem since.

Miracle worker? Not exactly.

Science flexing? Completely. And I am SO thankful.

💜 You weren’t born to fail 💜

Lauryn