The 9 Reasons Dogs Pee on Their Blankets:
Territory marking is not an uncommon behavior in dogs, although they typically do it on upright surfaces like fences and fire hydrants. Fully housetrained dogs rarely mark their territory via urination within the home, but it is a possible cause of the behavior of peeing on their own blanket or bed. This is more likely to occur if your dog is intact or if a new pet has recently been introduced to the home.
How to Remedy the Behavior
Work with your dog on breaking the behavior of territory marking within the home. Positive reinforcement of appropriate urination spots works well for many dogs. If you feel like your dog is marking their territory because they feel threatened by another pet in the home, make sure to create boundaries for all pets in the home. Your dog may require a safe space of his own where the other pets are not allowed, like a kennel.
Housetraining a puppy can be a long, arduous process. If your dog isn’t fully housetrained, they may pee on their blanket or bed. Sometimes, even dogs that are mostly housetrained may choose to pee on their own bedding because they know they aren’t supposed to go on the floor. Most dogs won’t pee in the places that they sleep, but some will, especially if they are trying to follow the rules. It’s also not uncommon for housetraining dogs to pee on their bedding when they are in a kennel because they can stay out of the mess easier if it’s absorbed in a blanket.
How to Remedy the Behavior
Stick to your housetraining with your dog. Continue offering positive reinforcement when your dog potties in the appropriate spots. It can take up to a year for some dogs to become fully housetrained. If your dog is having accidents and you think incomplete housetraining may be the cause, begin taking your dog out more frequently. In some cases, you may need to hire a dog walker to come by once or twice during the day to let your dog out while you’re at work.
Stress can be a powerful motivator for dogs to act out. Dogs can become stressed by new pets, a baby, a move, or something as severe as abuse or inappropriate training methods. Stress is usually accompanied by other behaviors, like destruction, aggression or anxiety, decreased appetite, and hiding. If something has occurred in the places where your dog feels safe peeing, like in your backyard or on a walk, then they may look for other places to go, like on their bedding.
How to Remedy the Behavior
Begin by working to determine the cause of your dog’s stress. If you know that a recent change in the home has occurred that may be causing the stress, work to help your dog adjust to the change. Some dogs may need extra positive reinforcement and support, while others may simply need time to adjust to the change. If your dog may be feeling stressed because something else has taken over some of your time, make sure to find one-on-one time to spend with your dog.
While there can be medical reasons for incontinence, it can also be a somewhat normal occurrence in old dogs. It is more common in female dogs, and they may dribble small amounts of urine throughout the house, or they may fully or partially empty their bladder in their sleep or when relaxed. When your dog is incontinent, they are not likely to have known that they peed on their bedding. If they realize it, they may act like they are in trouble for breaking the rules.
How to Remedy the Behavior
There are medications that can help reduce or eliminate incontinence in dogs, and your vet will be able to guide you in determining what medication is best suited for your dog. If you believe your dog is experiencing incontinence, your vet will also rule out medical causes like urinary tract infections. Don’t punish your dog for this behavior as they truly have little to no control over it. Punishing them will only create anxiety and stress, potentially leading to more accidents and less trust between your dog and you.
Limited mobility can become a real problem for old dogs, although it also occurs with younger dogs that have experienced an injury or have a medical condition causing limited mobility. Dogs with reduced mobility may pee on their bedding out of an inability or lack of desire to get up due to discomfort. Sometimes, limited mobility and incontinence can go together, but it’s possible that your dog is experiencing limited mobility and is choosing not to get up, as opposed to experiencing true urinary incontinence.
How to Remedy the Behavior
If your dog’s mobility is beginning to show signs of limitation, you need to talk to your vet. While some supplements can help improve mobility or prevent further loss, they are not a cure-all for conditions that cause limited mobility. Your vet will be able to determine what is causing your dog’s mobility reduction and help you develop a treatment plan. Sometimes, anti-inflammatories and pain medications are necessary to keep your dog comfortable and mobile.
Confusion can occur as your dog ages, but it isn’t a normal part of aging. Some dogs experience a dementia-like disorder that leads to confusion and forgetfulness as they age, which may lead to your dog urinating in inappropriate places, like their blanket or bed. This is different from incontinence because they know when they’re going, but they may not be able to recognize that where they’re going isn’t right.
How to Remedy the Behavior
If you think your dog is experiencing age-related changes leading to confusion, you need to reach out to your vet for treatment options. There are foods, supplements, and medications that can all help reduce confusion for your dog. It’s important not to punish your dog for this since it will only increase their anxiety and stress in a situation that is already frightening for them. If your dog is having accidents while you’re away during the day or during the night, make sure to provide an extra potty break right before you leave or go to bed.
Improperly Cleaned Urine Stains
Cleaning up urine can be difficult to do, especially if you don’t have the right tools. If your dog has peed in a specific spot before, they may be confused by the remaining scent and pee there again. This can also happen if another dog has peed in a specific spot and your dog smells the remaining scent of the urine stain.
How to Remedy the Behavior
It’s important to clean up urine stains properly with urine cleaning products. Most commercial cleaning products won’t remove all the scent left behind by the urine. Commercial urine cleaning products like enzyme cleaners work to remove the bacteria and particles left behind by the urine. This ensures the smell is fully removed, and your dog won’t continue to be confused by a smelly urine stain.
If youre looking for an enzyme cleaner that does it all, we highly recommend the Hepper Advanced Bio-Enzyme Pet Stain & Odor Eliminator Spray. Yes, it’s our product, but we love it so much, we have to share! Not only does it permanently remove the very worst smells and stains (yes, everything you can imagine!), but we offer a 100% satisfaction guarantee! Click here to get yourself a bottle.
What can I spray to keep my dog from peeing in the house?
Start by adding your water to the spray bottle. Next, add 2 tablespoons of distilled white vinegar. Finally, add 20 drops of orange essential oil. Spray on any surface that you don’t want your dog to get close to.
Why Dogs Pee In The Bed? How To Stop My Dog From Peeing in Bed?
Imagine walking into your bedroom, looking at the blanket, and realizing your dog has soaked it with urine! This is one of the worst things to deal with and is going to make you gag. Unfortunately, it is a common problem with all breeds of dogs when they are untrained or start to get loose around the house. This is when it becomes important to learn more about the problem and ask, why does my dog pee on his blanket?
A dog may pee on its blanket as a way to mark territory or when it is untrained. For the dog, a blanket is a nice place to urinate if it hasn’t been trained to go to the litter box.
This is a common problem with younger dogs as they become overzealous and start marking new territory including blankets.
If the dog thinks a blanket belongs to it, they are going to mark it with scent. In this case, they will either rub against the blanket and/or urinate on it.
The next thing you begin to wonder is whether or not the problem is going to last forever. If you are asking, “Why does my dog pee on his blanket?” then it makes sense to take a step back and focus on potty training your dog the right way.
They may have forgotten lessons that were taught in the past and/or have become prone to marking things around the house.
A problem such as this is not going to go away on its own. You will have to take action. Learn how to stop a dog from peeing on blankets in this guide while finding the answer to your query, “Why does my dog pee on his blanket?”