What Are the Causes of Dogs Urinating in the Bed?

If not trained, dogs can wet the bed just as some people can. Many dogs are sent to shelters every year because of improper housebreaking. By taking the responsibility to properly train your dog, you can usually correct bed wetting behavior. First, however, have a veterinarian check the dog to ensure it is not the result of a medical condition.

  1. Health Problems

    • If a dog is wetting its bed, the first thing that should be done is to have the dog examined by a veterinarian to rule out any medical problems as the cause. This is especially true if the dog is an adult dog that has not wet the bed in the past. Having the dog checked out will determine if the problem is medical--such as an infection or incontinence, in older animals--or behavioral. A behavioral cause is actually good news, because this means the dog is healthy and the problem can be fixed with training.

    Unsanitary Living Conditions

    • One of the biggest causes of bed wetting in dogs is unsanitary living conditions. If the dog urinates in its bed, or anywhere in the home, clean it immediately. Otherwise, the next time the dog has to urinate it will smell the area where it went before and think that it is okay to use that spot again. Along with cleaning the area, the dog has to be disciplined so that it knows urinating inside is unacceptable behavior. Dogs have a natural instinct not to urinate or defecate in their living area. If the dog is raised in unsanitary conditions, however, this instinct can be overridden. When considering purchasing a puppy, make sure that it has been raised in clean conditions or it may be harder to housebreak.

    Needs to go out More Often

    • Another reason for a dog wetting the bed is that it is being asked to hold its bladder longer than it is able. All dogs differ in how long they can wait to go to the bathroom, and taking the dog out more often may correct the problem. A rule of thumb is that a puppy will need to be taken out every two hours while training. As the pup grows, the interval can be extended. This will not only prevent accidents, it is an integral part of the puppy's overall housetraining.

    Dog Afraid to Jump off Bed

    • If the dog is a smaller breed, it may be afraid to jump off the bed. The cure for this is to help the dog to the floor or to build the dog a ramp or set of stairs that it can walk down. This is especially true of small dogs that sleep on tall beds that sit higher off the floor than a normal bed.