Why Does A Dog Start To Pee In Its Owner’s Bed?

If your housebroken pup suddenly starts to pee in your bed, you are sure to get very annoyed with it. But at the same time you’ll be dawned with a curiosity to finding out the reasons behind such behavior. You surely don’t want your canine to attach itself permanently to this irritating habit. No owner wants his/her deep sleep being interrupted by a soaked bed and sheet soiled by their pooch’s urine.

The only route to cure is to understand the reasons behind this problem behaviour.

1) The dog wants to hide its scent: Young and old canines in the wild world seek protection from predators by hiding their scent. They opt to roll in decomposed bodies of dead animals and smelly stuff like poop. A domesticated pooch on the other hand may try to mask the scent of its urine by peeing in its owner’s bed. It is an attempt to hide the scent of its pee in its human’s/guardian’s scent. The bed smells of its human parent and a dog relieves itself there, to shield itself from any threat/foe.

2) Anxiety and Fear: If your dog is afraid of something he/she might want to run to your bed and lay there. In such a scenario the pooch looks at the bed as something that offers solace to it. Sometimes a very nervous dog might end up peeing in the bed. Fear could be a result of you scolding the pooch for some reason. The vulnerable fellow might head straight for your bed after being reprimanded. It is not trying to get back at you by peeing in your bed but only attempting to feel safe and comfortable. Some canines feel anxious when left alone at home. Instances where dogs were phobic about thunderstorms and peed on their owner’s bed on hearing the sound of loud thunder have also been reported.

3) Your dog could be a submissive eliminator: If your pet is the submissive type, it could randomly and unexpectedly pee on certain occasions simply to show respect/submissiveness. If something elicits excitement or fear in the furry chap, it might pee when confronted with such events. Submissive dogs may even pee when their owners enter the room.

4) Marking its territory: The pooch peed in your bed to mark it and thereby defend it from trespassers. An aggressive dog is often seen marking the boundary of the house it resides in. Dogs that aren’t that confident opt for their owner’s bed when it comes to marking their territory and defending loved ones. It may even mark your bedroom door in an attempt to protect you. The dog feels that the smell of its urine will scare away anyone who tries to intrude into its space. Such dogs don’t want to fight the encroacher but only hope their urine will scare the invader.

5) Medical conditions: A urinary tract infection, diabetes or a kidney disease could cause your canine companion to suddenly pee on your bed. If you own a senior dog then it could be suffering from incontinence making it difficult to hold its piss. It’s important to make an appointment with your pet’s vet to identify the health issue and follow a proper course of treatment.

What can an owner do to solve this issue?

A natural impulse would be to stop the pup from accessing your bed. You can keep your bedroom door shut at all times or use a baby gate to prevent the pet from entering your crib. Offer the canine with his/her own personal bed and place it in its favorite corner of the house.

Also make sure your furry baby is properly toilet trained. Sometimes it takes time for a dog to figure out as to where he’s supposed to go for relieving itself and which spots are off-limits.

If your dog is peeing out of anxiety issues, you must spend enough time with it. Follow a fixed schedule for feeding and exercising the pet. Make time to walk and play with it.

In case your pet dog is marking its territory in a bid to offer you protection, don the role of the alpha in this pack. Let the dog know that you are in-charge of things around and capable to defend yourself.

Clean the soiled sheets with an enzyme based stain and odor remover. It’s important to clean the sheets in a way that the dog cannot smell its urine from earlier accidents. A dog is more likely to pee on the same spot if it is able to get a whiff of its urine smell.

Your dog doesn’t need a scolding rather your support to come out of this behaviour. Focus on improving your relationship with your pet by observing it closely for things it likes or dislikes and events that frighten or comfort it. This will help you solve the problem at hand so that you and your beloved pooch can continue to share a wonderful bond and also the same bed!