My Dog Peed On My Bed. What Does That Mean?: The most satisfying thing at the end of a long tiring day is taking a relaxing hot shower and jumping onto your bed. You dream about your pillow and blanket all day long at school or at work and now it’s finally the time to make that dream come true. You sit on your bed and suddenly feel that there is something wrong. Turns out, there’s a grey wet stain on your bed, you look around to see if something has leaked through the ceiling or is there a bottle of water on the bed but you can not find anything to suspect at. But wait a minute…
That’s when you get ready for a sniff test only to find out that the culprit is your dog!
It is unhygienic and causes a lot of discomfort for a dog when it pees on its own bed.And when it pees on our bed, it can get extremely frustrating sometimes as the cleaning process is not so easy.
Also, the sheets, blankets and mattress gets ruined as well. This situation can obviously lead to a build up of a lot of confusion in your head with a constantly recurring “WHY?” question.
I am sure you will be very curious to know the answer to this question and ways in which you can stop another occurrence of this behavior.
Moreover,if you get complete knowledge of the reasons behind this behavior, it will lessen the trouble.
In some cases peeing in a bed is totally normal whereas in others it can be a sign of a physical or behavioral problem that needs to be taken care of. Reasons can range from urinary infections to fear to your dog’s age to over submission.
Reasons Why A Dog Pees In Your Bed?
Most owners think that if their dog pees in an unusual place, it’s because of their behavior of marking territory.Truth is that it can be a possibility but we have to consider all other factors which might be contributing to this behavior.
1)AGE: An important factor to be considered while looking for the reasons for this commonly asked question is a dog’s age and physical well-being. If a dog is very young,it is possible that he has not yet learned where and when it is appropriate to pee which means that toilet training can easily solve the problem in this case.
Toilet training should be practiced from the very first day you bring your dog home.On the other hand, aged dogs may suddenly pee on your bed because of weak urinary bladder control.Sometimes an aged dog is going through a certain medical problem if he pees randomly on your bed.
2)Marking territory: You might have noticed that when you take your dog out for a stroll, they pee in small amounts at different places.
This is a behavior dogs inherited from their wolf heritage and it means that a dog is marking his territory,it’s a signal for potential mates and potential rivals.
An amazing fact about dogs is that they mark the area near the house gate to warn potential intruders from coming in.Mostly dogs tend to keep their resting place clean but in the case of an insecure dog,you might see him peeing on his bed and yours too just to keep others away from his belongings.This inculcates a feeling of safety in dogs and makes them feel better and secure.
3)Medical Problems: Regardless of the age factor, certain medical conditions also cause discomfort and make your dog pee at inappropriate places.
Moreover, when the dog is asleep,several things can disturb its control of the bladder such as bladder stones, spinal cord injuries and cognitive disorders as well.
This problem can progressively develop over time.It is possible that your dog might release urine in less amount for several nights while he is fast asleep and gradually, he will empty his entire bladder without him knowing.
4) Fear,Stress And Anxiety: These three emotions can cause the usual behavior of a dog to change drastically.Another reason of your dog peeing on your bed.
Just like humans,dogs may experience higher levels of fear,anxiety and stress after a series of traumatic events.Usually when an aged dog is adopted he might fear his new owner or miss his previous caretaker and find it difficult to adjust at his new place.
In addition, this behavior can be changed with constant reassurance and patience.If the dog has had troubling experience at its previous residence, you need to make sure that you treat it nicely and make him comfortable.You may think that you are fulfilling all the needs of your dog but there are many other factors that contribute towards a dog being stressed.
5) Your Smell Attracts Them: Dogs are animals that can identify you or your presence by your smell.They are very fond of their owner so they love anything that smells like their owner.For instance, you might have seen wild dogs rolling in the carcass of another dead animal.
This is because wild dogs confront predators throughout their lifetime so they try to cover their scent.Pet dogs replicate this behavior by rolling in your dirty laundry and your bed too!They pee in your bed because they want to hide their smell in the smell of one of your possessions.They consider you their protector and companion so make them feel like one.
6) A Sign Of Over Submission: Although a little submission can be a reason for a dog being calm and relaxed ,excessive submission can be a cause of bad behavior.
It is noticed that overly submissive dogs tend to pee when they are super excited or scared which means that if there is an excess of any emotion,your dog will pee right there and then without caring of the location.In most cases,this behavior is seen among puppies and they grow out of it, but if this behavior continues you need to take your dog to a vet ASAP.
7) Infection In The Urinary Tract: Urinary tract infections are common in dogs just like humans.Bacteria invades the urinary tract and causes a burning sensation with a little pain,blood in urine and highly decreased bladder control.
It does not make a dog forget its toilet training,its just that it gets difficult for them to control it.This is another potential reason for your dog peeing in your bed.You can take your dog to a vet as some antibiotics will definitely assist in solving this problem.
What To Do When Your Dog Pees On Your Bed?
The first thing that you should do if your dog has peed on your bed is to limit their access at that part of the house immediately.This will help you when you are not at home to take care of your dog.Make sure the door of your room is locked at all such times!
Furthermore, if you are busy and have to go in and out of the room time and again, all you need to do is put your dog on a leash or tie him up.This is not supposed to be a punishment ,it will just remind your dog to abide by your commands every time you ask him to do something.
However, if your dog is habitual of sleeping with you, continue doing that but only when you are there to watch him.
Along with limiting your dog’s access to your bedroom,train it to housebreaking. If the training process is difficult for you then take out some time and sit with a professional dog trainer for some tips and tricks.I am sure you will get a lot of help!
Try taking your dog to a vet every month or once in every two months,whatever suits you.This is extremely important as dogs and animals also need regular checkups like humans.Also, it may help you get out of this trouble as in most cases this problem is a result of infections, aging, hormonal imbalances, and various diseases.
Unfortunately,if your dog is too stubborn to sleep without you,you can not really do anything about it.In such a case,you might need to use dog diapers and potty pads.They are easily available at pet stores.
Obviously when you are tired and desperately want to sleep and you see your dog’s urine on your bed,you will be extremely frustrated and your anger will know no bounds.Try not to take it out on your dog and deal with it patiently.Believe me,that is the only way you can get yourself out of it as anger and frustration will only scare your dog;eventually worsening his habits.We prefer moving your dog to another room until you have completely calmed down.
How To Clean Dog Urine?
The real trouble is when you have to clean the pee as the smell lingers not just for you, but your dog too!
Try to clean it as soon as possible so it does not go in deep.
You can wash the bedsheets in the washing machine just like other laundry.
If the pee has reached the mattress, use towels or a cleaning cloth to blot the area and soak in as much moisture as it can.
Don’t wipe it cause it will only spread the stain and nothing else.After blotting the target area, sprinkle baking soda on top of it and vacuum it after an hour or two.The smell can be reduced by rubbing vinegar water on the area.
However,if the smell is too stubborn to go away,you can check to see if your nearest pet store has something specifically designed to reduce the pungent smell of dog pee.
Is It Necessary To Punish Your Dog For Peeing On Your Bed?
Every time your dog does something stupid, it’s easy to lose temper and become angry with him, and that specific point in time may seem the right thing to do so.Its human nature,lets accept the fact that we have all been there.
But trust me when I say that,scolding them would be of no benefit to either of you!
As humans, we have become habitual of yelling and scolding and according to us,it is the best possible way to make someone obey your command.We don’t feel good when someone scolds us,right?
Then how can we expect an animal to feel good or to obey our command after taking out all our accumulated anger on them. This simply won’t work.
Dog’s can not understand things the way humans do.Hence, scolding will not change their habits,it will only scare them and make them afraid of repeating the same act in front of you again.However,in your absence they will repeat the act they were scolded at previously,as they know no one is around to punish or scold them.
Conclusion
Identifying why your dog pees on your bed is the first step towards solving this problem and preventing it from happening.
It’s extremely important to note that no matter how many times your dog continues to do this, scolding him is not an option.
This is because this behavior can be a result of medical conditions,marking of territory, infections and other animal diseases and punishment will only make you and your dog confused about what really is happening.
You need to take guidance from a vet and help your dog get out of stress or anxiety if that’s what is causing him to pee anywhere.