All dog owners understand that their pets will sometimes have accidents. We all steel ourselves for the occasional puddle, but nothing can prepare you for seeing that your dog has decided to have one of his or her accidents on your bed.
Your dog peeing on your bed is a little more than a simple accident. It can actually be a sign of several other things, ranging from real behavior issues to simple medical problems. If you want to cure your dog of this problem, you’re going to have to start by educating yourself about the reasons why your dog might be peeing on your bed.
Article Summary
Why Your Dog Might be Peeing On The Bed
The Medical Issues (e.g. Urinary Tract Infection)
One of the reasons why your dog might be peeing on your bed is because of medical problems. This is likely to be the case if it’s a brand new problem that tends to come on suddenly, so make sure that you get your dog seen by a vet as soon as possible. Your dog might be dealing with something like a urinary tract infection, a problem that tends to lead to frequent urination but that can be solved with medication.
As a rule, you’ll probably want to send your dog to the vet any time you find a new and unusual urination problem. Ruling out the problem could be costly, but it’s also a good idea because it gives you a very real chance to make sure that your dog isn’t suffering or otherwise in pain.
While it can be frustrating to deal with this kind of medical problem, you should try to keep your frustration in check. While you might wish that your dog would simply use the puppy pad, the truth is that he or she is going on your bed because he or she absolutely has to go and your bed smells like a safe place.
Behavioral Issues
If you go to the vet and find out that your dog’s free of any medical problems that would lead to urination troubles, it’s going to be time to start thinking about behavioral problems.
Let’s start with a simple fact – your dog isn’t peeing because he or she is mad at you. Simply put, that’s not something that dogs do, even though it might feel like revenge for leaving your dog at home.
In some cases, you might be dealing with your dog peeing on your bed because he or she just isn’t fully house trained. You might have thought that your dog had progressed as far as necessary, but it might be a good idea to refresh your dog’s memory of exactly where he or she is supposed to go. This is actually one of the most common causes of this problem when you’re dealing with a new dog, so consider this one.
It’s also possible that your dog isn’t getting enough time outside during the day. You might need to look into getting a dog walker, for example, or just spending more time outside with your dog in general.
If your dog is fully trained, though, you might be looking at a marking behavior. These behaviors are very common in male dogs who are not neutered and they are a result of your dog’s need to mark his or her territory. As you might expect, the easiest solution to this problem is getting your dog neutered.
Finally, make sure that your dog actually knows where to go to the bathroom. Get some treats and be willing to dole out plenty of positive reinforcement every time your dog goes outside to the bathroom. Don’t bother with the punishment, either, as your dog isn’t going to understand why he or she is being punished and he or she will just end up seeing you as a threat.
Cleaning Up When Your Dog Pees
Regardless of why your dog is peeing in your bed, you’re going to have to clean it up. It’s not just the smell you’ll be dealing with, but rather the fact that the scent of pee is basically an invitation for your dog to keep peeing in the same place. As such, you’re going to have to start cleaning.
As a rule, you’ll want to get to the dog pee as soon as you can. The faster you clean, the less pee that will seep into the bed, and the easier it will be to get rid of the smell. Throw your sheets into the wash and sop up any remaining moisture with paper towels as soon as you can. Above all else, make sure that you’re not spreading the stain around.
There are plenty of different products that you can use for cleaning, but your goal is to find one that works for you. Some swear by baking soda, for example, which you can spread on top of the stain and then vacuum up after about an hour. You can likewise use a product like vinegar or even a store-bought pee cleaner in order to bring a little more cleanliness to your bed.
Training Your Dog to Stop Peeing on Your Bed
Now that you know how to clean up and why your dog might be peeing, you need to figure out how to stop the behavior. Doing so is simply a matter of learning how to reinforce the right behaviors while redirecting your dog when he or she does something that’s wrong.
Don’t scream at your dog if you catch him or her peeing. Instead, pick him or her up and take him or her outside. If he or she goes to the bathroom there, heap praise upon him or her to reinforce the lesson that this is where your dog should be going to the bathroom.
It’s also a good idea to put barriers between your dog and the bed if he or she insists on peeing there. Close your bedroom door or put up a gate so that he or she can’t get to the bed; as you can imagine, your dog will get the message that he or she has to pee somewhere else.
Finally, think about carting your dog when you aren’t home. This may actually calm your dog down and give you a better chance to stop your dog from peeing on your bed. You may not have to use the crate permanently, but using it is something worth thinking about.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. How can I get my dog to stop peeing on my bed?
If you aren’t looking at a medical problem, you’ll need to retrain your dog to pee outside. Make sure that you block access to your bed and praise your dog any time he or she goes to the bathroom outside.
2. Why is my dog peeing on my bed all of a sudden?
If it’s a new behavior, it might actually be due to a medical issue. Make sure that you get your dog checked out as soon as possible to make sure he or she doesn’t have a UTI.
3. Why do dogs pee on beds and couches?
In many cases, it’s because these are safe places to pee. Your dog might have a medical problem or he or she might not be getting out enough during the day, but he or she is picking these spots because he or she has to go and these places are as good as any other.
4. Do dogs pee out of spite?
No, they do not. Spite really isn’t a dog’s emotional vocabulary.
