puppy pee and laminate floors!!

katie1234

hi everyone,

was all set to get a puppy at the end of June but ive just been reading about dog pee and laminate flooring and its got me worried! i have a laminate in my living room and hall but my house is pretty open plan so shutting off these areas would be near impossible. the laminate is only 4 months old and was pretty expensive stuff. it has bevelled edges so im worried about the pee soaking between the cracks and wrecking the floor by possibly warping or staining it.

does anyone have experience of puppies and laminate flooring? after reading up on it im not sure having a puppy would work anymore and id be crushed if it couldnt happen.

Sagz_2

You can get the pup a cage to be in when you are not watching it (same as a childs playpen), you can get puppy pee-pads in case you do miss the signs that the pup needs to pee...... but in reality your lovely laminate is going to get pee'ed on.

I have a 6 month old pup who refuses to be clean. I've tried all the methods I've ever heard of, you name it we've tried it. I've owned dogs for donkeys years but this one is a nightmare (who I adore).

If the pup peeing on the laminate is going to cause you that much worry what are you going to do when it chews or scratches it?

foreign_correspondent

I don't know the specifics about laminate flooring and pee, but overall the bottom line is that any pup will pee and poo on the floor, it will also chew anything it can get hold of, the pup has no concept of the difference between one of your best shoes/remote control/purse and a dog chew..

...even an adult dog may mess or vomit inside if ill - I found my dad scrubbing a patch of his lovely new beige living room carpet the other day, as his little dog had vomited on it... he wasn't a bit bothered, as he said 'the dog couldnt help it' - but to be honest the carpet will never be quite the same again!

My mum (different household, different dog!) has just paid out quote a lot of cash to get two antique pieces of furniture restored after her lurcher decided to nibble the corners off, cos she was bored whilst my mum was on the phone!!

Dogs are animals and they do have some pretty grotty behaviours at times... a colleague was horrified that her new puppy had a penchant for eating cat poo, and I had an interesting experience a while ago when I was out with two dogs who both rolled joyously in a huge wet pile of poo (species unknown, but it looked a bit... human... sorry! hope you arent eating your tea!) then dive-bombed me - it's very hard to dodge two over excited poo-covered mutts who are intent on throwing themselves against your legs!!! - I expect anyone watching thought I was being savaged, as I was shouting, and trying to escape from two manic dogs!! Trying to sluice it off in the shower afterwards wasn't fun either!

Dogs are great, but they are not for everyone, and if your laminate flooring being spoiled would be a deal breaker, it may be better to think about whether you can cope with the potential mess and damage a puppy brings.... it is best to be realistic from the outset.

Mankysteve

http://preview.!!!!!!!.com/2uc3spc

Make sure you can clean it up straight as well also.

shirlgirl2004

Yes dog pee ruins laminate and yes your puppy would have at least the occasional accident. If you clean it up quickly it is OK but if it does it when you nip to the loo and you don't notice then it will ruin your floor. Personally I went for slate it is pretty indestructible (when sealed) so you need to either wait until you have a different flooring or get a house-trained dog.

chris_n_tj

foreign_correspondent wrote: »

I don't know the specifics about laminate flooring and pee, but overall the bottom line is that any pup will pee and poo on the floor, it will also chew anything it can get hold of, the pup has no concept of the difference between one of your best shoes/remote control/purse and a dog chew..

...even an adult dog may mess or vomit inside if ill - I found my dad scrubbing a patch of his lovely new beige living room carpet the other day, as his little dog had vomited on it... he wasn't a bit bothered, as he said 'the dog couldnt help it' - but to be honest the carpet will never be quite the same again!

My mum (different household, different dog!) has just paid out quote a lot of cash to get two antique pieces of furniture restored after her lurcher decided to nibble the corners off, cos she was bored whilst my mum was on the phone!!

Dogs are animals and they do have some pretty grotty behaviours at times... a colleague was horrified that her new puppy had a penchant for eating cat poo, and I had an interesting experience a while ago when I was out with two dogs who both rolled joyously in a huge wet pile of poo (species unknown, but it looked a bit... human... sorry! hope you arent eating your tea!) then dive-bombed me - it's very hard to dodge two over excited poo-covered mutts who are intent on throwing themselves against your legs!!! - I expect anyone watching thought I was being savaged, as I was shouting, and trying to escape from two manic dogs!! Trying to sluice it off in the shower afterwards wasn't fun either!

Dogs are great, but they are not for everyone, and if your laminate flooring being spoiled would be a deal breaker, it may be better to think about whether you can cope with the potential mess and damage a puppy brings.... it is best to be realistic from the outset.

Lol FC I couldnt add any more, and thanks for putting into words the life of a dog slave.
I am sat here laughing at yuor brilliant post, you never fail to make me smile .
Chris n TJ xx

manda1205

Have to agree with FC, when we were first looking for a pup I was adamant it was not coming in the living room, or on the settee and definitely not on the bed mainly because I didnt want dog hairs eveywhere. Although the second we got our pup home that all went out the window. Now she sits with us on the settee and is even allowed to frequent the bed (mostly on a sunday morning). The house wouldnt be the same without a dog hair somewhere now, lol.
As for your laminate, yes its going to get ruined, although Id be more worried about how well the pup will manage walking on it. Our lab looks so funny trying to walk round my mums on it, she really struggles and Id be more worried about the damage they can do themselves than wether or not they'll pee on it.

katie1234

thanks for all your replies!

i suppose i am pretty house proud but as far as furniture and that goes i dont really mind. ive had dogs before and they were basically allowed to be anywere i was (including a bath incident!) but ive always had a carpet so just didnt no how easily cleaned laminate would be. i no obviously there would be accidents but i was just interested as how bad the accident would be. chewing and scratches on the floor would be alrite but i was just wondering if that sort of thing would lift the floor. i do think though im probably overthinking the whole thing as ive never had a dog in a house that was actually mine before!

chris_n_tj

I have laminate and cant say its a problem, we have had a usual doggy vomit but if cleaned up ASAP its ok. We havnt had a problem with scratches or chipping. Lol puppy or laminate I say both, go for it.
As FC and manda have said its the skidding thats the main problem. I use paw wax on TJ it works well.
Chris n TJ
PS let us know when the new arrival is here wont you, and of course pictures are alway welcome.

Edited to add, Ikea sell cheap and cheerful towel like mats, these are great for chucking down on the floor in wet weather or for a wet dog. Easy to wash and cheap to buy, they have been a godsend for us.

katie1234

thanks chris!

if you dont mind me asking whats paw wax and were do u get it?

sarabe

You absolutely do not have to have pees and poos on your carpet or laminate floor when you have a puppy but you do have to be very dedicated to the house training process.

If you remember that puppy needs to go to the toilet on waking and after eating and every ten minutes at 8 weeks old unless they are asleep then your puppy should always be in the right place when they need to go.

If however you intend to leave the puppy unattended indoors for longer than ten minutes when they are not asleep in the crate then the chances are that the pup will need the toilet and you won't be aware. Same goes for if you expect to be able to watch a whole episode of Eastenders or Corrie without taking pup outside.

I would however worry about a pup slipping on laminate flooring.

I would love laminate floor instead of carpet but it will never happen while I have dogs because of the risk of injury.