To remove a pet stain, first make sure that you’re actually finding all of the stains. Animals tend to return to the same spot over and over. Even though you may not see a stain, that doesn’t mean it’s not there. If they can smell it, they’ll probably return again. The best thing to do is get a black light from your local home improvement store, make the room dark, and look for soiled areas. You may even want to get on your hands and knees to sniff around. Yes, that’s strange, but it’s important that you get all of the stains cleaned.

Next, clean all of the soiled areas thoroughly. For urine stains that have already set in, start with a wet vac with clean water (no chemicals yet). Believe it or not, clean water is very effective on stains.

After the area is clean, use a pet odor neutralizer. You can get this at your local pet store.

If, after you’ve cleaned and de-odorized the area, the carpet still looks or smells stained then get a good carpet stain remover such as “Resolve For Pet Stains”. I’ve even used laundry stain remover such as “Spray and Wash.” Just make sure you test the product on a safe area first.

Do not use a steam cleaner to remove the stain. The heat can cause the stain to permanently adhere to the fabric in the carpet. Carpet shampooers are fine, just don’t use hot water. One thing to keep in mind… when you apply a odor neatrulizer, it’s most effective if the cleaning solution is completely rinsed out. Most odor neutralizers and cleaning solutions don’t mix, and this combination renders the neatrulaizer useless.

If the pet stain has soaked all the way into the padding under the carpet, you might have to remove and replace that section of the carpet and/or padding.

There are enzymatic cleaners available from carpet cleaning professionals. They can be expensive, but can also be very effective.

As a last resort, you may need to all in a professional to have your carpets cleaned.

Treating fresh pet stains is much easier. If you happen to notice urine on the carpet when it is still wet, quickly get several paper towels, fold them up, and soak up the urine. Repeat this 2 or 3 times until you can’t get any more urine from the carpet. Apply as much pressure as possible when soaking up the urine. You can even press the paper towels into the carpet with your shoe to get as deep as possible. Next, rinse the are with clean water (not hot water) and use a wet vac to remove the water. The quicker you catch it, the easier it will come out.

Best wishes!

My 2-year old yorkie, Hank, is definitely king of the castle (all 4 1/2 lbs. of him). He like to assert his authority to any new visitor. It’s just his personality. He’s had plenty of dog obedience training, but dogs will be dogs and he gets anxious when someone invades his castle.

When my wife first brought our “friend’s” pug home, it didn’t go very well because we didn’t follow the right techniques. Hank was taken by surprise by the new visitor, and didn’t want anything to do with him. He wanted to show the pug who the boss is. Because it went so poorly, we took the pug back home and he spent the night alone.

I wrote another post about how to introduce a new cat into the home. Introducing a dog is basically the same. Here’s what we did (on the second try) with the pug.

First, we put up a barrier to keep my 2 yorkies]/tag] isolated. They stayed in the family room (their favorite room). We used a metal fold-up dog pen as a fence.

Next, we brought the pug into the home and let him sniff around a bit. The yorkies didn’t see him yet, so it’ didn’t cause any unwanted excitement for the pug.

Then, with the pug on the leash, and my daughter on the side of the pen with the yorkies, we brought the pug into the room where all 3 dogs could see each other through the fence. Of course, my yorkies went crazy when the saw the new stranger. My daughter would pet our dogs, saying their names and trying to keep them calm. The pug was actually pretty calm. The dogs sniffed each other at the fence. The barking continued for a while, and within a couple minutes, they were calm.

Next, we put all 3 dogs on leashes to maintain control. We removed the barrier, and let them approach each other. They sniffed each other, barked here and there, and that was it. After a couple minutes, they were all trotting around the house like they’d known each other for years.

We made sure we followed them around for a while, just to be safe, but we never had any problems.

Finally, we made sure that the pug had his own eating area. Since we weren’t familiar with the pugs “sharing” habits, we thought it was best to give his own private dining room. We don’t let the food dish stay down all day. We feed the dogs 3 times each day, and when feeding time is over, the dog food goes away.

We did know that the pug had a problem with scratching up doors, so when he slept, he was kept in an area where that wouldn’t be a problem.

By the way, one of the best things we did was take the dogs for walks together. Dogs love going for walks, and it was almost like a bonding experience for the 3 of them. After each walk, they became better friends. It was interesting to watch.

We kept the pug for almost a week, and all three dogs had a great time.

I hope that gives you some ideas about how to bring home a new dog to your home. Please make sure you check out my recommended dog obedience training course. It’s been great for my dogs.

Before we get started with the techniques of introducing cats and dogs, keep this in mind. Dogs are pack animals by nature. Cats are not. Sure, cats can be social animals and may love having other felines nearby. But typically they do fine without another companion. That’s just how it works.

First, when introducing a new cat into your home, you must keep them separated. That doesn’t mean have one person hold the dog and another person hold the cat. It means you should have some type of physical barrier between the two. A large pen is the preferred, but a crate will do.

Since the dog is the current king or queen of the house, don’t pen up your dog. Pen the cat. Let the cat get comfortable in the pen before bringing the dog into the room. Pet her… let her relax. Occasionally, go to the dog (who’s in a separate room) and let him smell the cat’s scent on your hand. Pet the dog and let the cat smell that scent. Don’t rush into it. Let both animals relax.

Then, when everyone is calm, bring the dog into the room on a leash. He might want to run full-speed at the pen, but the leash will control that. Speak calmly to both animals and pet them to ensure that everything is fine..

Slowly bring the dog to the pen and let them begin to sniff each other. The dog will probably be barking and the cat will probably be hissing, but that’s alright. Continue to keep them separated, let them continue to sniff and check each other out, and eventually things will begin to settle down. It will take time, so be patient.

If the dog is overly excited, take him outside for a walk to let him release some energy. The point here is to let the dog and cat get to a point where they realize the other animal is not a threat. Again, give it time.

Eventually, you’ll realize the cat and dog are losing interest and that the other is not as threatening as they thought. When you feel comfortable, calmly let the cat out of the cage or pen. Make sure the cat is in a safe, comfortable position. Praise the dog for remaining calm. Have some dog treats handy because dogs almost always have more interest in the treats than cats. Keep the leash on the dog. Most likely the cat will want to check out the house. If the cat wants to check out the dog, that’s great! Just keep the leash in control. Continue to praise the dog for calm interactions with the cat.

The cat will probably want to wander around to investigate her new home. Let the dog follow along on the leash at a comfortable distance. If things seem alright, let them get closer. They’ll continue to sniff each other. The cat will probably hiss here and there, but that’ s alright. If the cat runs off and hides, give her time to relax and eventually she’ll come back out.

Do this until both the cat and dog are comfortable with each other. You may need to keep them separated (either in pens or separate rooms) until the tension is gone, but usually not.

You should be able to put the cat in the pen and let the dog roam freely while you go about your daily routine. Experiment with letting the cat out throughout the day. When you do, keep the dog on the leash until you are comfortable that the safety of both animals is not in question.

At night time, keep the cat separated for a few evenings until she is totally comfortable with her surroundings. Continue to reward the dog for calm behavior around the cat.

When it comes time to let the dog and cat roam free, make sure it’s in an area where the cat can escape if necessary. On a high ledge, under furniture, or wherever. Just make sure the escape route is available. Most likely, if you follow these steps, things will work out just fine.

One more point, most dogs love cat food. And a large number of dogs enjoy finding “treats” in the cat’s litter pan (yes, it’s gross). You need to have those items in a controlled environment and teach the dog what is acceptable and what is not.

Best wishes to you and your pets!

Let’s see, I’ve owned a Peekapoo, Poodle, Dalmation, Boxer, Labrador Retriever, and several mutts. Now, I own 2 Yorkies (Hank & Rex). They are the best dogs I’ve ever owned. Why are they the best? Because they fit my family and lifestyle better than any of the others.

Of course, I had these other dogs before I knew how to train and properly care for a dog. But the bottom line is, the yorkies just seem to “fit.”

I had the Peekapoo and Poodle when my 2 children were very young, and they didn’t seem to like the children handling them and “loving” them so much.

The Dalmation and Boxer were a little more than my children could handle comfortably.

The Labrador Retriever was desperate to play fetch with the neighbors and he would jump our fence every day. He ended up moving to a farm.

So finally, we settled down with our awesome little yorkies. I wish someone would have taught me years ago how to pick the best dog for my family, children, and lifestyle.

I’ve stumbled across a simple guide which will help you not make the same mistakes I did before I found the right dog. It originally sold for $24.95, but I believe you can get it for $9.95 for a limited time. If you’re considering adding a new dog to your family, you should definitely read this book first. In one evening of reading, you’ll be comfortable with going out to get the perfect dog for you.

Click here to learn How to Choose the Best Dog for Your Children and Family