Dog Peeing on Your Bed? 3 Pro Tips To Solve Your Problems!
It can be frustrating or disappointing to see a pool of urine on your bed; more so, when you’re getting ready to sleep. Reprimanding your pet is a natural knee-jerk reaction, but before you do so, consider that there may be serious reasons behind your dog peeing on the bed.
Whichever the cause may be, we’re confident that your dog’s bedwetting tendencies are no act of rebellion or dominance. There could be more heartwarming reasons like they miss you and simply want to feel closer to you while you’re out of the house.
We understand that there are more hygienic ways to bond with you, though! With that in mind, we share common causes behind why your dog is peeing on your bed and how you can put an end to this stinky cycle.
Puppyhood
From the day your pup was born, she had no concept of toilets. You could be a bit more forgiving when she pees everywhere, especially when you haven’t gotten around to potty training her yet.
It’s understandable how puppies have no control of their bladder yet. Unfortunately, their lack of training could affect your personal space, a.k.a. your bed, thus arising in your dog peeing on bed incidents!
“Excitement urination” is common in puppies, but not behavior that warrants your worries. It’s not something serious and it can definitely be fixed with some in-house rules and routines. Per American Kennel Club’s advice: refrain from yelling at or punishing your pup for this inappropriate behavior. In simple words, they just don’t know better yet!
💡 Pro Tip: Potty Training
Potty training will solve the majority of your leaky problems indoors. This will also promote better habits for your dog outdoors, whether you’re near or far from your home’s vicinity. We’ll talk about potty training later on in this blog post, so keep reading!
Another long-term solution for your pup’s peeing problems is giving them socialization training and letting them mingle with other dogs. Exposure to other people and objects can also give them a clearer idea of how the world works, which could hopefully lead to improved behavior in your home.
Emotional Fido
Let’s be real – dogs can be as dramatic and emotional as humans. This doesn’t stop your dog from peeing on the bed, especially when they have recurring issues like separation anxiety or nervous personality. Some cases are mild and fun, while some cases should be handled with more care.
In the case of separation anxiety among dogs, they exhibit common behaviors such as being overly dependent or attached to their humans. When suppressed, this could lead to destructive behavior including soiling on inappropriate spots, vocalization, barking fits, and, of course, wetting your bed.
Anxious dogs typically follow their human around from room to room. They are always on standby on where the owner is going next, and they easily panic when their human is out of their sight. Separation anxiety can happen both in prolonged separation and casual departures.
Dogs that are easily startled, nervous, or jumpy in general are also prone to peeing on their owner’s bed. On the happier end of the spectrum, there are also extra jolly dogs that can’t contain their excitement upon seeing their owner to the point of wetting the bed!
💡 Pro Tip: Provide Distractions Before Leaving
As a home remedy, you can leave distractions to Fido before leaving for work or errands. These distractions may include their favorite toys, treats, and even food, positioned distantly from the door, so you can leave quietly without your dog noticing your departure.
In cases of playfulness, it’s normal for dogs to express themselves in high energy, but it’s better to refrain from adding to their excitement. Doing so only exacerbates their playfulness and tolerates their bed-wetting behavior.
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Even when your Fido is not a chewer, he’ll definitely fall for this Benebone Real Bacon Wishbone Chew Toy! It’s made with extra durable material for your canine’s chewing pleasure. Every bite gives 100% real flavors of bacon, chicken, or peanut. The sizes come in Extra Small, Small, Medium, Large, and Giant, so there’s one for every breed in your household.
Each wishbone is easy to grip on the paw, thanks to its structure. Your dog would surely be busy for hours before they realize you’re gone. This is a good way to reduce their separation anxiety while pampering them with treats with the Benebone Wishbone Dog Chew Toy!
Health and Diet
If Fido has officially graduated from puppyhood and doesn’t exhibit emotional behaviors as mentioned above, then it may be high time to look into your dog’s health to determine the cause of their bedwetting behavior.
Medical issues like urinary tract infection, bladder stones, and incontinence are some of the more common causes of dogs peeing on bed. Let’s discuss them further.
The signs of UTI in dogs include bloody urine, frequent urination and/or licking of the genitals, pungent pee smell, and straining or whining while peeing. This is more prevalent in female dogs due to their shorter and wider urethra where bacteria can easily get in. It is also more common as dogs get older.
So what’s the connection with the dog peeing on the bed? UTI involves painful urination. Your dog may look for an item of soft clothing or a surface to pee on to reduce feelings of discomfort. This surface could be your carpet, soft grass, or, in this case, your bed.
Bladder stones show common symptoms as UTI, including hematuria (blood in urine) and dysuria (straining to urinate). Other urinary issues may include cystitis, structural abnormalities, tumor, and kidney disease. These medical issues can be overcome with antibiotics, supplements, and changes in diet, with the right prescription from a certified veterinarian. In more severe cases, surgery may be required.
Dogs develop more ailments as they age, which contributes to dogs peeing on the bed. In particular, it’s common for senior dogs to develop canine urinary incontinence (loss of bladder control) whether Fido is asleep or awake. Dogs suffering from incontinence also have a tendency to dribble urine in their waking hours. At this point, medications should be a part of their health maintenance, as prescribed by their veterinarian.
Aside from these, diabetes (symptoms: vomiting, lethargy, weight loss, increase in thirst) and a high-sodium diet are high on the list of causes for bed-wetting tendencies among canines. Salty food increases thirst and high-water consumption means peeing more.
Stress
Dogs are creatures of habit. A change in environment or routine affects them more than you think. This may involve moving houses, having a baby, getting a new dog, having an additional house member, or witnessing personal stress from the owner – you!
Due to this uncontained stress, they may comfort themselves through inappropriate means like destroying your furniture or peeing on the bed. None of this is good behavior, but punishing them won’t stop the acts, too.
Reprimanding, yelling, or hitting can heighten the stress they’re feeling and may only lead to repeated behavior. Read: more frequent peeing on your bed!
💡 Pro Tip: Break-in, Socialization, and Comforts
When settling in a new home, make sure to undergo break-in training with Fido. Let them roam around your house to gain self-confidence, and potty train from scratch as necessary. If your dog has been well-trained from puppyhood, they’ll find it easy to get accustomed to your new home. Make sure to also help them in socializing with neighboring dogs to make them feel welcomed.
Stressed dogs may also perform territorial marking, one of those spots they mark being your bunk. Combat this dominant behavior by establishing your own dominance as the owner or the alpha in the house.
Potty Training 101: Do’s and Don’ts
This blog post may not be about potty training, but it covers a significant part of the topic. Let us briefly discuss the things you should and shouldn’t do while potty training Fido.
✅ Create a Routine
Dogs are creatures of habit even starting from a young age. They can typically hold in pee for hours corresponding to their month. A 2-month-old can hold in pee for 2 hours, a 3-month-old for 3 hours, and so on.
Nevertheless, allow them to have frequent breaks. Reward them with a treat every time they poop or pee in the right spot. Also, establish their eating schedule to align it with their potty break. Remove their drinking bowl 2 hours before bedtime to avoid them peeing in the middle of the night.
✅ Set Boundaries
A major rule you should establish is letting your dog on the bed only when you’re around. Leaving them unsupervised can lead them to wreak havoc and leave your mattress and pillows drenched in urine. Trust us, you don’t want that!
Once they have established their potty breaks outdoors, it will be easy for them to acknowledge not peeing or soiling indoors.
✅ Plan Ahead
Even when you’ve started with your dog’s potty training, don’t be too confident just yet to leave them in the house with no guardian. You may keep Fido in a dog crate under a reasonable period when you’re away to prevent the risk of them marking corners and furniture in your house. You may also “crate train” them to make the routine smoother for you and Fido.
If you prefer to leave them in a bigger area, consider getting a playpen for their use while you’re away from home. That way, you can even leave a pee pad inside the playpen. Keeping your furbaby in a restricted area will prevent them from wandering around the house and creating incidents of dog peeing on bed!
Another option is hiring a pet sitter to look after your dog. Make sure to enlist everything the sitter needs to know regarding your dog’s potty break routine and other habits. Paper training or pad training is another method to let your canine pee or poop while you’re away.
❌ Inconsistencies and Punishments
The two major no-nos with potty training a dog are punishment for unwanted behavior and inconsistency with the training. Ending the training too soon and “letting them do their own thing as they please” can leave you starting from scratch.
On the other hand, punishing them in form of yelling, hitting, kicking, and verbal abuse will only stress them out or make them hostile towards you. In fact, that’s also a form of animal abuse so don’t do it!
In the end, a combination of patience, knowledge, and gentle love is key to training your puppy well to avoid any dog peeing on your bed incident happening.
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It boasts of a quick-dry system without compromising the main objective of potty training. You can trust the plastic borders to prevent overflow of urine and keep all liquids within the pads. Choose from sets of 50, 80, 100, and 150 pieces with the sizes panning from Regular to Giant.
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We Recommend: MidWest Homes for Pets Dog Crate
Dog crates should be used as humanely as possible, which is why we recommend a dog crate with a simple, straightforward, and safe design for your Fido. The MidWest Homes for Pets Dog Crate comes with a free divider panel and roller feet for your mobility, convenience, and of course your pet’s safety.
The tray serves a great purpose for urgent peeing especially for pups that haven’t been house trained yet. The door selections come in Double Door and Single Door, and you can pick from a variety of sizes to fit your dog’s mobility needs.
While you’re out and about, you can rest assured that your dog stays indoors unharmed while your precious belongings are safe from pee stains and chew bites. The entire dog crate is easy to assemble and even has a portable design for traveling purposes.
Final Thoughts
It’s easy to judge dogs or pups for being stubborn or dominant when they pee on the bed, but the truth may be far from our assumptions. The reasons for dogs peeing on the bed could range from medical to psychological to genetic causes.
Checking the common reasons we laid above could help you narrow down the problem and finally figure out what’s causing Fido’s bed-wetting tendencies. From there, you can devise a game plan and put an end to this messy cycle. You can finally have a stress-free life journey with your loving furbaby!
