How to stop my dog from peeing on my bed?
You obviously share a bond with your dog and are willing to put up with some of his bad habits because of your love for him.
Though you understandably want to train your dog out of bad habits, you may tolerate the occasional chewing on furniture, the digging in the yard, or the begging for food.
But peeing on your bed is hard to tolerate no matter how much you love your pet. Dog pee leaves your bed wet, smelly, and needless to say, it involves a lot of cleaning before you can sleep in it again.
One accident in bed is enough for most pet owners to ask themselves, “how to stop my dog from peeing on my bed?”
It’s not revenge
It’s important to know that your dog is not trying to take revenge or trying to show his dominance by peeing on your bed. Dogs get into our beds because they like our smell.
Don’t get angry
It’s when you get into bed after a long day’s work that you realize your dog has peed on your bed. Usually, you are tired at this point, and the typical reaction is to get angry.
Don’t get mad because your dog will not learn anything from it. Instead, it will leave your dog frightened and anxious.
Instead of getting angry, move your dog out of the room until you can calm down.
Afterward, your focus should be to clean the bed, try to get a good night’s sleep, and in the morning assess your plan of action.
It is essential to find out the source of the problem.
Why does your dog pee on the bed?
Your dog may be peeing on your bed for one or more reasons, including:
1. House training issues
If you have a young dog, he may not be fully housetrained. The pee on your bed is probably the result of an accident similar to other accidents your dog may be having in other parts of your home.
2. Fear and anxiety
Sometimes peeing and pooping in the wrong places are the result of emotional issues.
Simple changes such as a thunderstorm, a visitor in the house, or even new furniture can cause stress in dogs.
A stressed dog tends to lose control of his bladder temporarily. For example, if they are afraid of something, they might just pee on your bed instead of risking the trip to their usual place.
3. Separation anxiety
Separation anxiety is also known to be a reason for dogs to pee in the house.
If they are left alone for long and feel lonely, they tend to feel the need to pee. So when feeling lonely, your dog will look for anything that smells of the owner, and unfortunately, it’s often your bed that has your strong smell.
If these accidents happen often, you need to observe your dog and understand the cause of this behavior: a new guest in the house, a loud noise, or your absence in the place.
4. Senior issues
Suppose you have a senior dog peeing on the bed. In that case, it is probably because of incontinence, a condition in which the dog loses control of the bladder. The leak likely happened while the dog was in your bed.
5. Teenage issues
Dogs in their teens are also known to pee on the bed, just like human teenagers who sometimes do certain things for no specific reason.
6. Territorial
Housetrained dogs who continue to pee in different areas of the house might be actually marking territory. Such dogs are not peeing because they have to go.
Though this behavior is more commonly seen among male dogs, female dogs are also known to mark territory.
Dogs tend to mark territory by peeing in small amounts around the house when anxious or stressed.
Changes in the home, such as the addition of a new baby or another pet, are known to trigger this behavior.
Its also seen among dogs that are not spayed or neutered.
7. Medical issues
Consult your vet to rule out medical issues if your dog has made a habit of peeing on your bed.
Urinary tract infection can lead to incontinence or reduced bladder control. In addition, it is a painful bacterial infection that needs to be treated with antibiotics.
Frequent peeing can also be symptoms of diabetes, bladder stones, arthritis, kidney disease, etc.
8. Your smell
Your dog loves you, and your smell reminds him of you.
Dogs love anything that has your smell: your bed or even your dirty laundry.
Dogs roll on your mattress to get your smell on themselves; it is the scent of being part of the family or pack.
Your smell also gives the dog a sense of safety.
Your dog urinates on your bed to cover his scent with yours to protect himself from predators. You are, after all, the one he looks up to for protection and companionship.
9. Submissiveness
Dogs that are too submissive tend to pee if they are frightened or excited for some reason or the other.
It is often seen in puppies, and thankfully they almost always grow out of this behavior.
However, this behavior can continue into adulthood for some dogs. If this is the case with your dog, you should consult your vet.
10. Too much excitement
Does your dog get very excited when you return from work? He may be accidentally peeing on your bed due to the excitement.
11. Other dogs
Adding a new dog in your home can make the resident dog jealous, and he may start showing behavioral issues such as peeing on your bed or couch.
The stress of having a new member in the family can also cause the dog to backslide in his house training.
12. Confidence issues
Lack of self-confidence can also be a reason for a dog to pee in the wrong places, including your bed.
If a dog is new to a home, he will look for a place where he feels comfortable and secure.
Your bed, which has your scent, is often the ideal place of safety for a dog with self-confidence issues.
You should focus on steps to build up your dog’s confidence and teach him to go out of the house to pee.
How to stop my dog from peeing on my bed?
1. Consult your vet
You should consult your vet if your dog continues to pee on your bed or in other parts of your house. A vet will be able to rule out if any medical issues are causing the problem.
If anxiety is the reason, your vet will also prescribe medicines to help calm your dog down.
2. Focus on training
If your dog is young and yet to master house training skills, focus on house training to ensure that your dog learns to do business outside the house. You can consult a professional trainer if you are struggling in this area. If you are trying to house train your puppy, check out our article: How to Potty Train a Puppy? 15 Actionable Tips.
Incorrect house training can also be an issue if your dog is a rescue. You should start house training to ensure that your dog learns to pee outside the house.
If fear and anxiety are causing the accidents, a trainer can assist in building up the confidence of your dog.
3. Don’t allow him back on the bed
If you know that your dog is likely to pee on your bed, you must make sure that he doesn’t access your bed when you are not around.
Remember to keep your bedroom door closed while you are at work or busy in another part of the house.
You can still allow him to get into the bed with you but not on his own.
4. Senior dog problems
If incontinence is the issue, you must consult your veterinarian.
Incontinence or loss of bladder control can be caused by old age, medical issues, or even medications.
If old age is the reason, you can consider using dog diapers to protect your bed while your dog is on it.
5. Teenage hyperactivity
If excitement and uncontrolled energy are causing your teenage dog to pee on your bed, you must focus on training.
Teach him obedience skills and provide activities that engage him physically and mentally.
6. More bathroom breaks
Ensure to provide enough bathroom breaks to your dog.
Puppies usually need to pee once every two hours, and older dogs should also be allowed out of the house at least five times to go out and pee.
If you are out of the house for long, your dog may be having accidents in the home simply because there is no option to go out.
Some dogs have smaller bladders, and your dog may be peeing on your bed or other parts of the house because he is not getting enough bathroom breaks.
If you have a covered backyard, you can provide a dog door so that your dog can head out to the backyard whenever he wants to pee.
You can also consider using dog training pads if you don’t have a backyard and need to be out of the house for long durations.
7. Thorough cleaning
Make sure you clean the area where your dog peed thoroughly. If there is a smell of urine in your bedroom, your dog will most likely do it again in the same place.
Use a pet odor-eliminating spray to remove the leftover smell that can entice him to do it again.
8. Give equal attention
If you bring a new dog home, the established dog may feel threatened and resort to marking his territory by urinating around the house. The dog may also pee in the house due to stress.
You should make sure to give both dogs equal attention, so the resident dog doesn’t feel threatened.
How can I remove dog urine from my mattress?
You don’t want to hit the bed after a long day only to get up again to clean your mattress that is wet with dog pee.
Getting dog urine out of your mattress is not easy and cleaning it when you are sleepy and tired is probably the last thing you want to do. Yes, it can be frustrating.
As urine can get deep into the mattress, it becomes difficult to remove the stain and the smell.
Follow the below tips to remove dog urine from your mattress:
1. Immediately remove and wash the flat sheet and fitted sheet; remove it as fast you can after the dog has peed on your bed.
2. Use paper towels and apply pressure to the areas of the mattress that are wet with dog urine; this helps to soak up the moisture from the bed. Keep repeating this until you can soak up the maximum amount of moisture.
3. You may also want to contact the company that manufactured your mattress to see if they can share tips on how best to clean their product.
4. Use an enzymatic cleaner – The bacteria and enzymes in enzymatic cleaners will target the urea and proteins in the dog urine, breaking them down. These cleaners are available in liquid form. You should apply it generously on the mattress so that it soaks through and gets to the urine that has seeped deep into the mattress. It may require a few days for the cleaner to dry and be effective. You will not be able to use the mattress until the enzymatic cleaner has done its job. Remember to follow all the instructions on the product.
After the enzymatic cleaner has dried, apply baking soda to the mattress and leave it for a few hours. This will help to remove urine odor.
5. If you don’t want to do the cleaning yourself, you can approach a professional mattress cleaning service for help.
6. After successfully removing urine stain and its odor from your mattress, make sure to buy and fit a waterproof mattress cover to safeguard against any future accidents.
Conclusion
Nobody wants to go through the hassle of cleaning dog pee from the bed, especially at night when all you want to do is get some sleep. However, accidents do happen but remember not to shout at your dog. The key is to stay calm and identify the root of the problem. Once you know what is causing your dog to pee on your bed, then the solution becomes easier.