Why Does My Dog Pee on My Bed

A dog may not necessarily be our whole lives, but they certainly make our lives feel whole.

That is an excellent quote to hang onto when you have discovered that your dog has peed on your bed.

Why would a dog urinate on your bed? Well, it is not necessarily out of spite.

Does your dog have a bad habit of peeing on the bed? Unless you know your dog well, the reason may not be apparent.

A dog may urinate on your bed because it is not housebroken. Your dog may be highly anxious and nervous. Believe it or not, some dog breeds are notoriously difficult to housebreak and are known for just seeing the world as their bathroom.

Your dog could be marking its territory by peeing on your bed. Or your dog could have undiagnosed medical issues.

The point is that there could be various reasons why your dog could be peeing on your bed. And it is an issue you should rectify as soon as possible.

Dog Urine is Caustic and Smelly

Dog urine is composed of a pungent and nasty mix of uric acid, ammonia, hormones, and bacteria. Have you ever seen dried, discolored patches in the grass where dogs have urinated? Dog urine also contains nitrogen compounds that burn and discolored grass.

The urine concentrates upon itself after a dog frequently urinates in the same spot, like your bed. In other words, the smell of dog urine on your mattress could intensify and get worse over time.

If you allow your dog to urinate on your bed unchecked when left alone, then the mattress will eventually be ruined. And if you don't correct the dog's behavior, you could find yourself going through a lot of dog-ruined mattresses.

So, here are some reasons why your dog pees on your bed and some solutions. 

But first, do you know what it means actually to housebreak a pet?

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Related: How to Get Dog Pee Smell Out of Carpet

Housebreaking a Pet

Housebreaking is the practice of training a pet to go to the bathroom only in authorized areas in the home, outside, or during walks.

Housebreaking can take weeks or months, depending on the pet's age and the breed's stubbornness. But every pet owner should invest in housebreaking their pet or consulting an obedience trainer. 

Housebreak your pet when they are young and update the training often with treat incentives to reinforce the training.

But before we offer some do-it-yourself housebreaking tips, let's examine some reasons why your dog pees in your bed.

And remember, if your dog is free to sleep or lounge on your bed, it is because you have allowed it to. It feels this level of comfort and entitlement because you have allowed it.

While you must be strict in corrective response, don't be overly harsh in reprimanding or punishing your pet.

Medical Issues

Your dog could be peeing on your bed because of undiagnosed medical problems.

For example, if your dog has a urinary tract infection, bladder control can become progressively difficult to impossible to maintain.

Medical issues causing your dog to pee on your bed could include, but not be limited to:

• Kidney disease
• Bladder stone
• Cystitis (crystalline particulate buildup in the kidneys)
• Diabetes
• Cushing's Disease
• Obesity

If you own an older dog, they may be having some incontinence issues. Younger and female dogs may experience incontinence from responding to the hormones in the urine of other nearby dogs.

Get your pet checked out to determine if your dog's urinary problems are medical-related.

Marking Territory

Certain dog breeds are incredibly territorial. And all dogs have an extremely heightened sense of smell relative to humans.

Dogs lift their legs and mark territory with urine stains. Dog urine smells pungent and awful to urine. And while they may not be pleasant to a dog's olfactory sense, dog urine acts as hormonal messages and territorial markers. 

Dog urine-stains in various locations is a message to other dogs saying, "this is my property."

Unfortunately, if your dog is doing this, then they have claimed your bed as their own.

Make sure that your dog is neutered. Unneutered dogs are challenging to retrain if they are used to marking their territory.

Otherwise, schedule an appointment with a professional dog trainer to help end the territorial markings.

Anxiety, Stress, and Fear

Have you brought a new puppy home? Have you moved to a new home with new surroundings that are unfamiliar to your pet?

Do you have multiple pets who bully or intimidate one pet?

Dogs experience fear, stress, and anxiety just as much as human beings. And when they do, they urinate.

Your dog may view your bed as an oasis of security. And it may be so relieved and exciting to feel secure that it relieves itself. Or it may feel like its oasis, and your bed could be taken away at any moment and pees in fear.

Age, Experience, and Breed

You may have only a 67% chance of housebreaking your pet, depending on the age, training experience, and breed.

Only 67% of small and medium-sized dogs are fully housetrained. 95% of large dogs, which can make much bigger messes to clean up afterward, are fully house trained by their owners.

Because small dogs and puppies are adorably cute, many dog owners slack off on enforcing housetraining.

The terrier breed can be the most challenging breed of dog to housebreak as well. Some dogs have stubbornness and independence ingrained in their DNA and can be almost impossible to train without frequent refreshing.

Housebreaking Tips

The most optimal way to get your dog to stop peeing on your bed is to keep it off-limits. Keep your bedroom door closed when not at home or when not in use. Build dog-sized barriers around the house to train your dog about boundaries.

Buy doggie pads or a crate or build an enclosed area for your dog to urinate in.

You need to spend time watching your dog. Catch him in the act of peeing, shame it with loud disapproving claps, and take it outside to do its business. And reinforce your dog's training with a treat when it learns to go in authorized areas.

If the dog is urinating on your bed habitually, accept that you are partly to blame for the problem. Don't be too harsh in punishment. And enroll your dog for obedience training if needed.

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Related: Why Does my Dog Hide Treats