Bleaching Kennels

[Dodger]

I keep my puppies (a 15 week old Rednose American Pitbull Terrier named Maddie and an 8 week old German Shorthaired Pointer named Decoy) in the same room with my birds.


Despite how Decoy and Maddie look... Decoy is 8 wks old and is 9.5lbs. Maddie is 15 wks. and is 11lbs. Decoy is bigger both by weight and height than Maddie. Maddie actually looks like she is a 6 wk. old puppy when she is walking around the house because she is so small...

Kennels = Crates. I noticed some people have different "lingo" than what I do. I know that my family in Virginia calls a "kennel" a "crate". While people here in Alaska call "crates" a "kennel". So just thought I'd clear that up incase it confused someone.

My German Shorthaired Pointer; Decoy is still learning that he has to go potty outside and not indoors or in his kennel. Sometimes at night he wont wake up and whine to tell me he has to go potty. And no matter how many times I wake up in the middle of the night (as mentioned in another post, I am handfeeding a baby Tiel) and let him out to go potty, he sometimes ends up going potty in his kennel.

I bleach out my kennels for the GSP pup every time he goes potty.
I will bleach out the kennel, then put him in another kennel while this one dries out and "dilutes" more while it sits. I rotate him within 3 kennels. I will clean one, then put him in another clean one and if he goes potty, then I clean out that one and put him in another clean one, etc.

He doesnt go potty in them very often, just every once in awhile.

ANYWAY... My question is...
Is it okay to clean out the kennels with bleach in the same room that the birds are in? Or even have a kennel with bleach in the same room that the birds are in?
I never do this -- I clean the kennels out in the bathroom and they sit there for at-least 3 hrs. before bringing them back into my room (my birds and dogs all sleep in my room). I am very careful of what I spray around my birds, especially the "pet safe" febreeze (it really isnt safe for birds), and things like that.

But again, it's just a question and couldnt hurt. As I believe my routine Im doing now (cleaning the kennels in the bathroom) is a good method to go about this.

Just some food for thought I guess

[entrancedbymyGCC]

I would definitely not clean them in the same room as the birds and I'd wait several hours until the odor had significantly dissipated before bringing them back in. Not only is the smell from the bleach itself potentially irritating, but if it combines with residual ammonia from urine in the kennel, it may create chlorine gas which is highly toxic.

[Dodger]

Yeah, I've never put my dogs back in for a few hours afterward for fear that it could be harmful for them. Let alone birds who's imunesystems are not that great compared to a dog.

Thanks

[TheNzJessie]

i dot think i can help you on this but i want to say you're pitbull is soo cute pitbulls are so misunderstood, my uncle had a black male pitbull who is a big teddy bear, wouldn't hurt a fly

[Dodger]

My family has been breeding American Pitbull Terriers for 13 years. We grew up with the breed. My mom has never liked them though. So when I moved out, I purchased Maddie from Triple D's Kennels in Kodiak, Alaska. She is a very great little pup. Very smart too!

[sidech]

Why do you clean with bleach ? Bleach contains ammonia and will make the dogs want to urinate where you use it, and it will make the smell worse. Dogs have very sensitive nose, and bleaching their kennels is certainly not doing them any good.

Vinegar and water are the best deterrents to keep your dogs from urinating in the spot you're cleaning. Plus, they are safe for you, your bird, and your dog.

That would solve your problem.

I've had dogs all my life, never used bleach, used water and vinegar, and always had very good results, in case you worry it doesn't work. And the smell is a lot better. Plus, if you have any kind of respiratory problems, bleach is really bad, and water and vinegar will pose no problem.

[entrancedbymyGCC]

Why do you clean with bleach ? Bleach contains ammonia and will make the dogs want to urinate where you use it.

Chlorine bleach definitely does NOT contain ammonia. Bleach + ammonia is a very dangerous mixture and will release chlorine gas. You can kill yourself that way, not to mention your birds.

I don't believe bleach use encourages urination at all -- many other common cleaners like Windex or Fantastic etc. DO contain ammonia and would encourage repeat urination. "Nature's Miracle" and similar enzymatics are quite good at taking residual odor out of porous surfaces, FWIW.

Vinegar and water[...] are safe for you, your bird, and your dog.

Actually, concentrated acetic acid fumes from vinegar can also be very irritating, and can cause respiratory problems in susceptible people. I wouldn't use that in the same room with birds, either. And while the acidity of vinegar will kill many bacteria, chlorine bleach is a much more broad spectrum and effective disinfectant, if that's what you are looking for.

You pays your money and you takes your chances, IMO.

[sidech]

Wow, I must be really out dated, because everything I've read always said not to use bleach to clean dog urine ! I guess I'm getting old...

As for vinegar, I believe what you say, but I'll keep using it, because I have respiratory problems and I cannot tolerate bleach, but vinegar is okay by me.

I'll definitely look into that bleach stuff more, all my old knowledge requestioned, that's something !

[sidech]

It's too late now to check some more, but there are plenty of sites where they tell you to clean your bird cage with water and vinegar, saying that it is very safe.

Even a show budgie breeder of many years recommends it ! If budgie's very small lungs can tolerate it, I would say it' safe.

[Dodger]

I dont use bleach to clean my bird cages. I use water and specifically bird-made products to clean my bird cages.

As for the "bleach making the dogs want to urinate more", I run a rescue. I have trained and potty trained more dogs than I could possibly count. I have always used this same "pet enzyme/bleach" product and have never had problems with dogs continuing to urinate.
I have had my German Shorthaired Pup for 3 days now. That's it. Prior to coming to me, he was never in a kennel.
My American Pitbull Terrier pup was completely potty trained within 2 weeks of her coming to me and I used the same product to clean out their kennels.

I have used this same method (taking the dog out every 20 mins. and cleaning the kennel out with the product) for the last 10 years. I have yet to have a dog continue to go potty in the kennel after a reasonable amount of time for potty training. Most of my dogs are completely potty trained within 2-4 weeks.


I have had NO success with the vinegar and water. The vinegar makes the dogs want to continue urinating. If you put it on some carpet, the dog will go and potty in that spot. There are several products where they have a mix of vinegar in them to entice the dog to go potty in a certain spot where this is sprayed. If I take vinegar to anything, Im pretty sure it would cause my dogs to go potty and not detour them from doing so.