A dog's sense of smell is extreme. That's why it's so important to effectively clean away urine so that no odor remains. The task is a tough one, but it can be solved quite easily.

Of course, the first thing you want to do is clean away the urine with a good soapy disinfectant cleaner. Next, tackle the odor.

The best odor-removing cleaners are enzymatic. Most enzymes are proteins. When used in cleaning, they break down the molecules that are responsible for stains and odors. Because they destroy the cause, enzymatic cleaners are more effective than other cleaners to remove dog urine odor.

These products are relatively easy to find at your local pet supply store.

As an alternative, you can create your own effective cleaner that will remove dog urine and dog urine stains. You will need 3 parts water to one part vinegar, baking soda and dish detergent.

Cleaning up the urine can be difficult when carpets are involved because the liquid (urine and cleaner) will soak through to the floor beneath. While you clean the surface, the urine moves farther out of reach.

You want to get rid of as much urine as possible before you apply the cleaner.

The best way to do that is to place under the carpet a wad of newspaper or other thick paper that absorbs liquid. Put another wad on the top of the carpet and apply heavy pressure to the surface. You can do this by walking or standing on the paper, or by piling on heavy books and let it soak up. This will force the urine out of the carpet and onto the paper. Replace the paper as it becomes wet. Continue this technique until the paper is as dry as possible.

Now you are ready to apply your cleaner.

Saturate the area with your vinegar/water mixture and blot it up as before. Vinegar neutralizes odor and active ingredients in urine. Sprinkle baking soda over the area and follow that with a mixture of ¾ cup of hydrogen peroxide and a dash of dish detergent applied over the baking soda.

As you know, baking soda is another product that absorbs odors. (Many people use them in their fridges to get rid of food odors.)

You might want to test the hydrogen/detergent mixture on a hidden area of your carpet first to be sure it won't cause a stain.

Work the baking soda, hydrogen/detergent mixture into the urine spot and leave it to dry on its own. Once it is dry, you can vacuum up the remains.

The key is to get out as much of the urine as possible before applying any cleaner. The more urine that remains the harder it will be to remove dog urine odor.

Dog urine inside your house is or should be a temporary situation until your dog is house trained. Then, your main concern will be removing odor urine odor from your garden. There are two ways to approach the problem outdoors.

First, rinse the area well with clear water, as soon as possible after your dog urinates.

1) Apply a vinegar/water solution liberally over the area, or use a store-bought urine cleaner

2) Spray the area with one of the products designed to keep dogs and pets off certain areas.

Once you have removed the dog urine odor, found a method to deter your dog from returning to that area, and have your dog house trained, dog urine odor will no longer be a problem.