Despite common beliefs, dogs don’t pee on beds to spite their owners. But, inappropriate urination is still a big problem many owners face.
If you’ve come home from work to find a yellow puddle on your sheets you’re probably wondering why did my dog pee on my bed all of a sudden?
When a housetrained dog starts peeing on the bed, a health problem might be to blame. Urinary tract infections, diabetes, bladder stones, and spinal injuries are a few possible causes. Take your dog to the vet to rule out medical conditions before you try to address potential behavioral problems.
Inappropriate urination is a big problem that will likely leave you frustrated! But instead of being angry with your pooch, use your energy to determine the cause for this behavior and the best way to solve it!
Reasons Why Your Dog Pee on Your Bed
There are several potential reasons why your dog is urinating on your bed. Before you begin looking for behavioral problems, take your pooch to the vet to rule out medical conditions.
Health Problems
There are several health problems that can affect a dog’s bladder control and make it urinate on your bed. The most likely possibilities include urinary tract infections, bladder stones, kidney disease, and cystitis (source).
Most urinary issues can be treated with medication, supplements, and a change of diet. However, serious cases of bladder stones and tumors may require surgery.
Keep in mind that certain diseases like diabetes and Cushing’s disease can make your dog thirstier than usual which can result in peeing accidents.
Marking Their Territory
Marking behavior is one of the most common reasons why house-trained dogs pee in the house. While marking is primarily associated with male dogs, female dogs too might feel the need to claim territory.
If your dog is peeing in your bed and in various areas of your house in small amounts, they might be marking territory instead of urinating.
Love Your Smell
Looking at the behavior of wild dogs can give us some clues as to why your dog pees in the house and your bed. When wild dogs come across a predator they have two options – fight or flight.
But sometimes, a wild dog will try to cover its scent to survive. Your dog does the exact same thing by rolling on your furniture, carpets, and your bed!
Some dogs pee on the bed to hide their scent in the smell of their owners, who make them feel safe and protected.
Being Submissive
A touch of submissiveness is a good thing, too much of it can cause your dog to pee when they are scared or excited. Overly submissive dogs may urinate every time they feel a strong emotion.
This type of behavior is often seen in puppies and younger dogs, but they grow out of it in time. However, some adult dogs never kick this habit in which case you may need to consider consulting a behavioral specialist.
Excitement, Fear, Anxiety, or Stress
As mentioned above, excitement urination is common for younger dogs especially when put in a submissive position. Luckily, most stop dribbling urine when they reach adulthood.
Anxiety, fear, or stress can cause your dog to lose control of its bladder temporarily. If your pooch is afraid of something, they might be peeing in your bed because they are too scared to go to their regular spot.
Changes to a dog’s environment, a new baby, or a new pet can explain sudden feelings of stress and anxiety. Having said that, underlying health problems can make your dog feel stressed and anxious.
Make sure to rule out any potential medical problems before trying to ease your dog’s stress.
How to Stop Your Dog from Peeing in Your Bed?
If your dog has suddenly started to pee on your bed, book an appointment with your veterinarian. Your vet will want to do a physical exam and collect urine for urinalysis.
The treatment plan will depend on the results and may be as simple as prescribed antibiotics for a urinary tract infection.
But if your vet rules out all potential medical conditions, you should start working on correcting your dog’s behavior. To stop your dog from peeing on your bed you’ll need to:
1. Prevent Access to Your Bed
The easiest way to stop your dog from peeing in your bed is to not allow them on the bed in the first place. Keep the bedroom door closed when you aren’t home, or place your dog in a crate if you need to run a quick errand.
When you are home, take your dog outside to pee frequently. If you feel bad kicking your dog out of bed completely, only allow them to get on the bed while you’re in it as well.
2. Potty Training
If your adolescent or adult dog starts peeing in your bed and other inappropriate places they probably haven’t been potty trained properly. If this is the case, start house training your dog from the beginning, to ensure that training sticks this time (source).
3. Clean Dog Urine
Cleaning dog urine isn’t how you imagined spending your day, but you must clean the whole area thoroughly. If your dog can still smell their urine on your mattress, they are more likely to pee on your bed again.
To remove the urine smell completely, use pet enzymatic cleaners that are specially formulated to remove stains and nasty odors.
What Not to Do When Your Dog Pees On Your Bed
Finding a puddle of urine in the middle of your bed is bound to make you angry and frustrated, but don’t yell or punish your dog! Anger won’t get you anywhere and can just make your dog afraid of you.
Instead, take a deep breath, remove the soiled bedding and the sheets and schedule an appointment with your vet.
Conclusion
If your dog suddenly starts to pee on your bed, they aren’t doing it to spite you! Despite popular beliefs, peeing on the bed isn’t a form of revenge, but your dog’s way of communicating that something is wrong.
Some of the most common reasons why dogs pee in bed are health-related, so schedule an appointment with your vet, first thing!
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