what kind of flooring?

My sister has a 7 year old springer spaniel - lab mix that has peed in the house from the day brought him home. They got him from the Humane Soc when he was 6 mos old. They found him tied to a beam in a basement. She has tolerated it way more then I could have. Her carpet is ruined. There is a spot she has shampooed so much that it is gummy from the shampoo. She has taken him to the vet b/c I wondered if his bladder was tipped or something but the vet thinks its just a small bladder. He can go for awhile without peeing then if he gets excited he pees (like when he sees me - the favorite auntie). If he gets scared he pees(he has been terrifed of my dad for no reason ever since he came home- we think he was abused by someone that looks or sounds like my dad). He even poops on occasion for no reason.
My brother in law wants to rip out the carpet and put in Pergo but my mom doesn't think this is a good idea. They live in a subdivision so he can't be outside - but he does spend as much time as possible outside. They were letting him have free range of the house - but when he started pooping again - he is confined to the laundry room or his crate.

Any thoughts of what kind of flooring they could put down?

linoleum - easy to keep clean and not too expensive

Yeah, I'd second linoleum. I have pergo now and after months of Kimi peeing on it after Kirin harrasses her all day, it has started to raise up in the seams. Other than that, it's a good floor - doesn't get any dings from Samantha's paws in it and is easy to care for. But if it's going to be wet a lot, it is not the best choice.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Brody's Mum

linoleum - easy to keep clean and not too expensive

---

well I thought of that - but this would be all thru their house. They do have linoleum in the kitchen.
I wouldn't want Linoleum all thru the house.
but I don't think diapers are an option for Scooby Doo either. ;)

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by shais_mom

well I thought of that - but this would be all thru their house. They do have linoleum in the kitchen.
I wouldn't want Linoleum all thru the house.
but I don't think diapers are an option for Scooby Doo either. ;)

---

but it comes in such a variety these days - could get wooden looking or flagstones or pebbles or anything...

I haven't had trouble with my Pergo buckling when water is on it (the dogs are such slobs when they drink water), but I don't like laminate flooring. It is too slippery for the dogs. And Lilly has a horrible time getting up and down on it, with her bad hips.

If I had my choice, I would go with oak hardwood planks. It probably wouldn't be that much more expensive, if at all, than Pergo.

I HATE carpet!!! We're far too messy and have far too many pets for carpet to be a good thing for us.

Logan

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by shais_mom

They live in a subdivision so he can't be outside - he spends a lot of time outside.

---

Staci, I really don't understand this.Did you mean he can't stay outside
in a doghouse full time?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by lizbud

Staci, I really don't understand this.Did you mean he can't stay outside
in a doghouse full time?

---

I edited my post above - I guess that doesn't make sense now that I read it. hopefully its more clear now.
1) the subdivision they live in doesn't allow outside dogs 100% (good for them) they don't even allow clotheslines.
2) they have a tie out and a HUGE deck - they tie him out there for potty and sunshine time.
3) my sister doesn't want him to be outside full time anyway or out in a dog house. They tried to put a house out there for him to go in when he is outside but it didn't work... we like to think Scooby is "special" my sister thinks that when God was passing out brains he was off playing and missed his! :p

Staci, I just recently had new floors put in my bathrooms and kitchen area. I finally decided to go with Durastone. It looks similar to vinyl but is much tougher and comes in squares. They have many nice colors and patterns to choose from and you don't need to use any grout in between each piece. Another good product is Duraceramic and this will look more like tile and you can have grout or no grout in between the squares. Good luck.:)

My cat Starr will also still poop on my carpets if he feels stressed or nervous. I wish I could have all hard surfaces but can't where I live.

This thread is very timely since I've recently stripped out large areas of carpet and underlay because I haven't been able to get Ashley, my CH kitten, to go into the litter room every time. I'm down to the plywood, covered here and there will cheap throw rugs. The isolation room is totally stripped of carpet to reduce ringworm spore "storage" and has a tarp on the floor - horrible, but necessary.

I would love to have hardwood floors, and always planned on this, but read recently that you can't get the smell of urine out of wood no matter what you soak it with. You eventually have to sand it out.

I assumed I'd have to go with laminate "wood" flooring, I know it's worked well for K&L, but if the seams buckle than that's out also. I can't cope with glue/adhesive so would use the kind that lock together.

I need something that won't break bones because Ashley doesn't land softly on four paws but often on her side or even her back. Has anyone tried rubber flooring? The kind they put in commercial kitchens.

Hopefully soon I will be getting new flooring throughout my house. I too HATE carpet and want it all gone. I had Pergo at my old house and loved it, I plan on putting that in all the bedrooms and in my husband's office. I don't like Linoleum, it's too soft and can get messed up easily, but because it's cheap I'll probably get that for my bird room. I plan on getting tile flooring throughout the rest of the house (living room, family room, kitchen, laundry room, bathrooms, and hallway).

I just read through this thread, and a thought occurred to me. We are multi-pet households so . . . wouldn't it make sense to check with the vets and / breeders to see what they use? Not to say we will use it, but to get some ideas? every puppy I ever saw coming out of a vet after being neutered / spayed peed with excitement seeing owners again! So they must have some thoughts on this!

As the wife of a hardwood installer , Logan is right real wood with a finish is just about the same price as Pergo. It just needs to be installed and finished by a pro. We have had to fix so many home owner jobs it is better just to start with the extra to have it done.
Ummm where does sister live close to you maybe a pet talk meeting if hubby wants to travel ... evil thoughts :)

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Corinna

As the wife of a hardwood installer , Logan is right real wood with a finish is just about the same price as Pergo. It just needs to be installed and finished by a pro. We have had to fix so many home owner jobs it is better just to start with the extra to have it done.
Ummm where does sister live close to you maybe a pet talk meeting if hubby wants to travel ... evil thoughts :)

---

yes she lives about an hour from me -
;)
that's a long way to go for floor but Pettalkers will do anything right? :p
according to Gini I went to California for a piece of chicken.
(but got soooo much more! ;))
Thanks everyone. I have been letting her know what everyone is saying. I'll keep you posted!

Staci I have Pergo and love it. There are other laminates out there that are not real Pergo so there may be some differences from brand to brand. I have only had mine a couple of months now, and the only problem in the beginning was getting the dogs to learn that they would have no *traction* for their little chases and such. :p I don't know much about hardwood except that it is beautiful. There is, however, a thread somewhere on here, that I read last night, which deals with a pet owner having her hardwood turn black from cat urine. They were asking how to fix this problem.

Regarding do-it-yourself with Pergo or any laminate, I would opt to go with an installer. That is just my opinion, though, because our installer was excellent. My co-worker's hubby did theirs and it apparently went well, but of course there was some colorful language along the way! LOL!

Whatever your sister decides will no doubt be better than carpet. Bless your sister for keeping little Scooby Doo. There are so many people who would return a dog under such circumstances. Frankly, it boggles my mind how one can return someone they love, but they do. :confused:

Considering the situation you described, I would be tempted to find a good looking vinyl pattern. Wood, laminate, or grout and urine (over time) are just not a good mix.

thanks again everyone!
I think what my sister is concerned about is that Scooby is 7 years old and starting to show some signs of arthritis in his hips. And he is extremely clumsy anyway. He is one of the most awkward dogs I've ever seen. Colorful language? lol - One day we were down at my sister's house and sitting on the floor watching one of my nephews open birthday presents and Scooby - as I mentioned is scared of my dad. Well, my sister was in the kitchen calling Scooby and he wanted to go but my dad was sitting on the floor in front of the doorway and Scooby didn't know where to go. So he just went for it - full speed ahead - house full of people and ran right over my dad....... And stepped on - ummmm- the family jewels. There was all kinds of colorful descriptions around the word awkward! :p:D:)I thought my mom was going to pee her pants laughing - she said she was off the hook for awhile! :eek:

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by shais_mom

I thought my mom was going to pee her pants laughing - she said she was off the hook for awhile! :eek:

---

LOL! at your Mom! :D :D Your poor dad. :o

I installed 4 rooms of Pergo this summer over a couple of weekends. Alone. If I had not been alone, it would have been easier.

I use area rugs in two rooms for noise control and comfort, and door mats to catch dirt and rain drips. The area rugs are fairly cheap ones that can be tossed if they get to be unbearable. So far, so good. As an added bonus, Samson no longer can get a grip to jump on my bed. For a change I have a clean quilt.

I would not be happy if water stood on it for any length of time and the seams warped. I am opting for continous vinyl in the kitchen since that's where the dogs drink. I have had urine on it, but I wiped it up pretty quickly so no warping or smell.

I would have preferred refinishing the hardwood I have underneath, but it would mean moving everyone out for a few days and that was not a viable option. The Pergo has a 30 year warranty, and hardwood needs to be redone every 3-5 years.

Wouldn't it be easier to train Scooby--or confine him when they can't watch him? Or how about a belly band?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by mruffruff

Wouldn't it be easier to train Scooby--or confine him when they can't watch him? Or how about a belly band?

---

I think Scooby's hooman's are the one's that need training! :p
I don't know she talked to the vet a couple years ago b/c I suggested maybe a prostate problem (he is neutered) or a tipped bladder even a UTI but she said the vet just said that he has a small bladder.

If Scooby is scared of your dad, and came out of an abusive situation, the peeing and pooping could be behavioural.

Did your vet ever suggest using Rescue Remedy? Ask about it.

Might just calm the wee one enough so the pee thing settles down.

HUGS and good luck with the floor!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Catty1

If Scooby is scared of your dad, and came out of an abusive situation, the peeing and pooping could be behavioural.

---

yea - we have pretty much after all these years figured that its at least a psychological problem and not a phsyical one

Quote:

---

Did your vet ever suggest using Rescue Remedy? Ask about it.

Might just calm the wee one enough so the pee thing settles down.

HUGS and good luck with the floor!

---

THEIR vet probably hasn't prescribed anything like that I'm sure. He isn't my dog - He's my doggie nephew.
he pees at the site of my dad out of fright or nervousness and he pees out of sheer excitment when he sees ME. I say he's my favorite nephew b/c he's always happy to see me. :)

Staci, I had laminate in my kitchen and carpet in my dining room and hated both, so I put in pergo and absolutely love it. My dogs don't pee indoors, although we've had 1 or 2 accidents and their slobs when it comes to their water. We also throw ice on it for them to chase and catch so the floor always gets wet. It's much easier to clean than carpet and in my opinion can get cleaner than both laminant, carpeting or even tile (grout drives me nuts, I am way to lazy to clean grout out... :rolleyes: ). I agree that pergo can be slippery, my dogs have eaten it more than once when their not thinking about it, and Bear has some problems when he try's to get up from it, but we tossed a towel down and that seems to help, a couple of cheap throw rugs probably would also.