Have you come home from work only to find a yellow puddle on your dog’s blanket? If your pooch started to soil its blankets and bed, you’re probably wondering why my dog pee on his bedding?
There are several reasons why dogs pee on their blankets. The most common include urinary tract infections, stress, anxiety, fear, incontinence, and medical conditions like diabetes and kidney disease. Some dogs pee on beds, blankets, and other household items to mark them as their territory.
Tired of getting home from work to be greeted by the smell of ammonia and wet blankets? Keep reading to learn why your dog pee on their blanket and what you can do to make it stop!
Reasons Why Your Dog Pee On His Blanket
Inappropriate urination is a common problem many dog parents face! But, that doesn’t make it any less irksome or easier to deal with.
A few things are as frustrating as washing and drying the same blankets, only to find them soaked in dog pee yet again. And let’s not forget about the repulsing smell of pee!
The good news is that your dog probably has a good reason to pee on your bed and blankets. Certain medical issues and natural instincts may prompt inappropriate urination in dogs (source). Some of the most common are:
Marking Its Territory
Both male and female dogs use urine to mark their territory. Marking the area they consider theirs lets other dogs know their reproductive status and their rank.
Keeping that in mind, it makes more sense that your dog is peeing on its blanket, especially if you have other dogs at home. If besides wet blankets you are also finding small amounts of urine in other areas of your home your pooch is probably marking its territory rather than peeing.
Incontinence
Urinary incontinence can happen to all dogs, but it’s more commonly seen in aging pooches. As dog’s age, they start to lose control of their urethral sphincters and start leaking urine on their blankets and around the home.
A condition called hormone-responsive urinary incontinence is often seen in neutered dogs of both sexes, but more commonly in females. Dogs with this issue urinate normally but tend to leak urine while sleeping, thus soiling pet beds and blankets.
Health Issues
Several health problems can affect your dog’s ability to hold it. In most cases, urinary tract infections are to blame!
Dogs with urinary tract infections feel the need to urinate frequently and will often soil their bedding. Dripping urine, frequent licking of the genitals, and pain while urinating are signs that point to urinary tract infection (source).
While UTIs are the most common, other issues like bladder stones, cystitis, and kidney disease can also cause your dog to pee on their blanket. Furthermore, diseases like diabetes and Cushing’s disease can also affect a dog’s urinary tract and make it more prone to accidents.
Strong Emotions
Like us, dogs are capable of feeling all sorts of emotions. But unlike most adult people, some dogs can wet their blankets when overwhelmed with feelings of sadness, anxiousness, excitement, or nervousness.
Some dogs get overly excited when their owners come back from work, others might get nervous about meeting guests or anxious that you’re leaving to run errands.
If your dog is peeing on its blankets whenever you are away from home, it might be suffering from separation anxiety.
Incomplete Potty Training
After ruling out potential medical problems, you should consider whether your dog has been potty trained fully. If you’ve just got a new puppy, start potty training them right away, but also be prepared for some accidents to happen.
On the other hand, if you’ve recently adopted an adult dog, give them a few days to adjust to their new home. However, if peeing accidents continue it’s safe to assume that you’ll need to start house training your pooch from the beginning.
How Can I Get My Dog to Stop Peeing On His Blanket?
If your dog has been peeing on its blankets for a while now, you’re more than ready to get rid of this nasty habit for good. Here are a few things you need to do to stop your dog from peeing on their blanket:
1. Visit A Veterinarian
Book an appointment with your vet, if your dog has been peeing on their bed. Your veterinarian will likely perform a physical exam and take a urine sample for urinalysis.
Depending on the results, your vet might decide to run additional laboratory tests and even an X-ray. Based on their findings, your vet will go over the best treatment options for your dog.
2. Start House Training Your Dog
If your vet ruled out potential medical conditions, there’s a chance that your dog hasn’t been potty trained properly. Regardless of your pup’s age or any previous training, start house training your dog from the beginning.
Use positive reinforcement, lots of treats, and praise coupled with frequent potty breaks to stop your pooch from peeing on the blankets.
What Not to Do to Stop Your Dog Peeing On His Blanket
Losing your patience and yelling at your dog isn’t going to help at all! Being angry won’t improve the situation in the slightest but can make your pooch anxious and afraid of you.
If another wet blanket is too much to bear, go to another room and take a breather before facing your dog.
Please remember, your dog isn’t soiling its blankets on purpose and is probably frustrated as much as you are. Can you imagine your dog being fond of lying in wet and stinky blankets any more than you are? We didn’t think so!
Conclusion
It’s never fun to find a huge yellow pee stain or a fresh puddle on your dog’s blanket. While dogs do many seemingly unreasonable things, inappropriate peeing always points to a bigger problem.
Medical conditions, fear, anxiety, incontinence, and inadequate potty training are the most common reasons why dogs pee on their blankets. Before you assume that the problem is behavioral in nature, take your dog to the vet for a full checkup.
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