[Enikuo]

I’ve was dog-sitting my boyfriend’s parent’s yorkie all week. He’s 12 years old and his name is Sam. I also picked up my yorkie puppy this week from the breeder – his name is Scooter and he is 10 weeks old. (I didn’t plan it this way, I was enlisted).

The 12-year-old, Sam, peed on my living room carpet five times in six days. The puppy, Scooter, had three accidents early in the week – each time when we let him get out of reach during a play session in the living room. We’re more vigilant with Scooter now.

Sam, the 12-year-old, has finally gone home. I’m worried that his indiscretions and Scooter’s accidents may have lingering effects that will derail Scooter’s house-training later on. Scooter is using his potty pad and even going potty outside – the living room is the only problem so far and I want to get it under control before it’s too far gone.

We soaked up each accident immediately after it happened and then sponged it with a mixture of equal parts water and white vinegar to get out the odor (for the dog). However, I think I may need a fresh start and some fresh advice on cleaning up dog urine. I’m a little overwhelmed.

I’m thinking about renting a steam cleaner this weekend and using some of the cleaning solution they sell for pet odor, but I wonder if it works. Does it get the odor out for just me or for the puppy too? Is there some other product I should use to steam the carpet? Is water and vinegar good enough to eliminate the odor after an accident, or is there something else I should be using? What should I do?