If your dog pees on your bed, chances are you’re beyond frustrated. Dog pee can ruin your bed. Once the smell of urine is present, your dog can be enticed to pee back into the area.
Your bed is appealing, soft, absorbent, and smells like you. Of course, your dog will want to spend a lot of time there. Many people think that dogs pee on their owners’ beds as an act of dominance or rebellion. However, the real reason is more complicated.
Why is your dog peeing on your bed? What can you do about it? The first step in resolving this problematic behavior is to determine the cause. You may need to see your veterinarian for help with inappropriate urination, but you have some at-home options as well.
Why Dog Pee On The Bed
There are several possible reasons why your dog may be peeing on your bed. It’s important to first rule out medical causes before attempting to address potential behavioral issues.
Urinary Tract Or Kidney Problems
Urinary tract infections often lead to urinary accidents in dogs. Your vet may need a urine sample to perform a urinalysis. If your dog has a urinary tract infection, antibiotics will be needed to clear it. Other urinary tract problems can make it difficult for dogs to control bladder activity.
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Other possible urinary problems in dogs include cystitis (cystitis), crystals in the urine, bladder stones, structural abnormalities, kidney disease, and even tumors. Most urinary problems can be treated with medication, supplements, or dietary changes. In more extreme cases, problems like bladder stones can require surgery. Certain diseases, such as diabetes and Cushing’s disease, can also affect the urinary tract.
Incontinence
Dogs with urinary incontinence involuntarily lick urine. This can only occur while the dog is sleeping, but some dogs with incontinence will also dribble urine while awake. Incontinence is relatively common in older dogs, but certain conditions can also cause incontinence in young dogs. Hormone-reactive urinary incontinence is not uncommon in young female dogs and can even affect young males. Fortunately, medication is available to help.
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Is your dog fully trained? Some dogs appear to be mostly housetrained but then find a favorite spot to relax indoors. This can be your bed! If you think housetraining is the problem, it’s time to work more with your dog on training.
Excitement, Fear, Stress, Or Anxiety
Excited urination is common in younger dogs. They tend to dribble some urine when overly aroused or in a submissive position. Many dogs outgrow this behavior, but some will need training if it continues into adulthood.
Anxiety, stress, and anxiety can all cause a dog to pee inappropriately. Changes in your dog’s environment can explain sudden stress. However, underlying diseases also cause stress for your dog. Rule out any health issues first, and then try to reduce your dog’s stress as much as possible.
Territorial Marking
Some dogs are more territorial than others. Many like to mark their territory with urine. However, when they do this to your bed, it becomes a big problem for you. Territorial marking can be minimized through training and behavior modification.
How To Prevent Your Dog Pee On The Bed
If your dog peed on your bed, the first thing you should do is contact your veterinarian. Your vet will likely want to perform a physical exam and collect a urine sample for a urinalysis. In some cases, additional laboratory tests and even X-rays may be needed. Your vet will discuss a treatment plan with you based on the results.
Once your vet has ruled out all possible medical reasons for your dog’s inappropriate urination, it’s time to work on correcting the behavior.
First, assess your dog’s environment. Were there any changes that might cause stress? Events such as moving, having a baby, adding or removing a pet or family member, and even your own life stresses can cause your dog to become stressed, anxious, or anxious. An anxious or anxious dog will not be able to learn new things, so you need to de-stress before working on the training. Your veterinarian may be able to help you with medications or supplements for anxiety.
When training your dog to stop peeing on your bed, the first thing to do is limit access to your bed when you’re not around. Keep the bedroom door closed while you’re away. If necessary, keep your dog in a crate. When you are at home, you should take your dog outside frequently for pee breaks. Only allow your dog to get on the bed when you are on the bed.
If your dog starts urinating in another inappropriate place, the best place for him to be is in the crate when you’re away. Take your dog to pee as soon as you get home. Then take him out every time he eats, drinks, or wakes up. Reward him for urinating outdoors, but don’t punish him for inappropriate urination. If you catch your dog peeing in bed or some other inappropriate place, interrupt him with “Oh oh” or “No” and immediately take him outside to finish.
Training to correct inappropriate urination can take time and become frustrating. Ask a dog trainer or animal behaviorist for help if you are not seeing good results.
