12 Reasons Why Your Dog Is Suddenly Peeing in the House
Analyzing the situation and working with your vet can help determine the root cause for your dog’s sudden change in potty behavior.
Any dog who is feeling anxious or fearful may have urinary accidents. For some dogs, anxiety may be related to a specific situation, like hearing loud fireworks or dealing with new visitors (whether they are animals or humans). Even for adult dogs, being verbally reprimanded for “bad” behavior can elicit an anxiety/fear response.
For other dogs, there may be no obvious issue that is causing their anxiety, but they may seem restless, have changes in their appetite, or start panting more than usual.
Your dog may have just one urinary accident when feeling anxious or fearful, or they may have several accidents that occur over a few days.
An older dog who is experiencing discomfort or pain from arthritis can also have urinary accidents. Arthritis, or inflammation of the joints, causes degenerative changes in the joints that can cause pain when your dog is trying to stand up and walk around.
Because of this joint pain, it can be difficult for a dog to get up quickly enough to make it outside to go potty. This joint pain can be so severe that when your dog tries to stand up, they know it will cause them pain, so instead they urinate right where they’re sitting or lying down.
In young, healthy dogs, bad weather is a common reason to have a urinary accident in the house. From a simple rain shower to a severe thunderstorm or snowstorm, it may be enough for your dog to be reluctant to go potty outside.
Other major weather changes, like extreme heat or cold, can also make your dog not want to go outside to potty. Even a sunny but very windy day can cause hesitation to want to go out to pee.
Major and minor changes in the house can sometimes be overlooked as a cause of your dog having urinary accidents.
Major, more obvious changes that can cause urinary accidents include getting a new pet (cat, dog, or any animal in between), a new baby or relative being introduced into the house, bringing in new furniture, rearranging existing furniture, making home renovations, or moving to a new house.
Less obvious, minor changes in the house include having visitors over (furry friends or people) or making changes to your daily routine. Changes in your work or school schedule, or even changing the time of your dog’s daily walk, can lead to urinary accidents.
Elderly dogs with cognitive or neurologic disease may have urinary accidents. Canine cognitive disorder, or “dog dementia,” typically causes confusion and restlessness in senior dogs. The confusion from this disorder can also cause your dog to pee inappropriately. Other neurologic disease in dogs can cause problems with the nerves that control the bladder, which can lead to urinary accidents.
Incontinence is a common issue that can cause urinary accidents in both young and senior dogs.
For young dogs with incontinence, it is often first noticed after they have been fixed (neutered or spayed); however, young intact (not fixed) dogs can also have incontinence problems.
For senior dogs, incontinence typically occurs as they get older, and they don’t always have a history of previous urinary issues. Urinary cancer is a more common finding in senior dogs and can lead to incontinence.
In both young and senior dogs, changes in the pressure of the urethra (the tube where pee comes out), problems with nerve control of the bladder, and genetic changes with the normal anatomy of the urinary system can cause incontinence.
Urine marking may occur in both young and older dogs. However, urine marking is more common in young, intact dogs—especially male dogs.
Sometimes changes in the house can cause urine marking. If a new pet, baby, or piece of furniture is introduced to the house, your dog may mark the spot where the new pet, baby, or furniture has been.
This marking behavior can also be noticed with visitors to your house. Other times, there may be a disturbance outside, like a new neighborhood cat or dog, or wildlife wandering around. In these scenarios, your dog is typically just trying to establish that the house is their territory.
Certain drugs (e.g., chronic steroid use or toxin ingestion) along with a wide variety of diseases, such as diabetes, kidney problems, Cushing’s disease (hyperadrenocorticism), liver problems, and prostate problems, can cause urinary accidents in dogs.
With these different diseases, the urinary accidents can happen suddenly or gradually worsen over a period of time. Along with urinary accidents, your dog may also have other symptoms, such as increased thirst, decreased appetite, lethargy, gastrointestinal issues (diarrhea and/or vomiting), or skin problems.
While “happy peeing” is more common in puppies, adult dogs can still exhibit this behavior. “Happy peeing” generally occurs when your dog becomes overstimulated with their surroundings.
Examples that may trigger this behavior include greeting your dog when you come home, when a visitor initially comes to your house, when your dog is around other dogs, or when your dog is about to get a tasty treat or favorite toy.
Many times, this behavior is transitory in nature and is not a chronic issue. For some dogs, however, they may have repeated episodes of “happy peeing,” which may occur unexpectedly.
While most dogs are fully potty-trained well before they are considered an adult, it is not uncommon to see setbacks in housetraining that can lead to urinary accidents.
Adult dogs that have been relocated between multiple families and households, especially those from a rescue situation, can have issues with urinary accidents.
Moving to a new apartment or house can cause setbacks in housetraining, especially in younger adult dogs. Introducing a new puppy to your family may also cause your adult dog to revert back to inappropriate habits, like urinating in the house. Any adult dog who is accustomed to going potty on puppy pads can have urinary accidents if you are attempting to transition them to go potty outside.
Submissive urination is a common issue in adult dogs. There are a variety of causes for this issue, including dogs rescued from an abusive environment, dogs who live in a multiple-dog household, and even dogs simply responding to cues from their pet parent.
Dogs who have lived in an abusive environment can exhibit submissive urination even with gentle interaction with other dogs and humans. Likewise, dogs in multiple-dog households can display inappropriate urination simply because they are not the alpha dog.
Even if they are the only dog in the house, and they are otherwise happy-go-lucky, they may display submissive urination when you pet them or ask them to sit, lie down, etc. An adult dog may urinate after being verbally reprimanded, which can also be a sign of submissive behavior.
A very common reason for an adult dog to have urinary accidents is from a urinary tract infection or urinary tract crystals/stones. In older dogs, urinary tract cancer in the bladder or in the tubes that carry urine is also a possibility.
These urinary issues often occur with no other underlying medical issue present. A urinary tract infection (UTI) occurs when bacteria enters the urinary tract through the urethra and causes inflammation and pain.
Urinary crystals and stones develop when there are significant changes to the urine pH (how acidic or basic the urine is). Sometimes, a UTI and urine crystals and/or stones can occur together. The most common symptoms to look for with these urinary tract issues are:
Why Do Dogs Suddenly Start Peeing in the House?
Often called “inappropriate urination” by vets, peeing in the house is a relatively common problem in dogs, but its usually addressed during puppyhood. If your dog is a puppy, then house training might not be complete yet. House training can take a while, and you might need to review the steps as you go.
If your dog is definitely house trained and the inappropriate peeing started well after house training was complete, then there are other potential reasons for the behavior. Its essential to first rule out health problems before you investigate behavioral causes for inappropriate urination.
If your house-trained dog starts peeing in the house again, there are several potential causes for it.
Urinary Tract Issues
If your dog suddenly starts peeing in the house (or other unacceptable places), it could be caused by a urinary tract infection. This is one of the most common reasons for inappropriate urination and one of the most frequently seen health problems in dogs.
Before you get upset with your dog, go see your vet for an exam and consultation. Your vet will most likely want a urine sample from your dog in order to perform a urinalysis and possibly a urine culture. This test is done to look for bacteria and abnormal cells in the urine. If your vet diagnoses a urinary tract infection, the next step is a course of antibiotics.
Other possible urinary issues your vet might find include cystitis (inflammation of the bladder), crystals in the urine, bladder stones, structural abnormalities, and even tumors. Most urinary issues can be treated with medications, supplements, and/or diet changes. In more extreme cases, issues like bladder stones may require surgery.
If your vet doesnt find a urinary tract problem, the next step is to look for other potential health issues.
Urinary incontinence is often associated with senior dogs, but its possible for a dog to develop incontinence as a young adult. If your dog is leaking or dribbling sporadically or leaving urine puddles in the bed or on the floor during naps, incontinence may be the culprit. If your dog is incontinent, its important to know is that your dog doesnt realize its happening and has no control over it. Fortunately, incontinence can sometimes be treated with medication.
On the other hand, if your dog consciously pees large quantities in inappropriate areas, its probably not incontinence. Talk to your vet to learn more.
Certain health problems may lead to urinary issues, such as kidney disease, diabetes, and Cushings disease. Your dog could be experiencing an injury, joint issues, or arthritis, making it painful for them to get up to go outside for potty breaks. Your vet may recommend additional diagnostic testing to rule out one or more diseases depending on your dogs other symptoms (if any). Treatment will depend on the diagnosis.
Puppies may still have accidents when theyre being house trained, but old age can bring on other causes of urinary accidents. Forms of dementia or senility can occur in aging dogs, leading to house soiling. These dogs may forget their house training or simply forget where they are.
Other health issues, such as kidney failure, tend to crop up in old age as well. This is another reason to get your veterinarian involved early and often. In some cases, dementia can be somewhat managed with medications and supplements. Many people living with senior dogs that have urinary issues also choose to use doggie diapers or line the dogs bedding and other frequented areas with absorbent pads.
Once your vet has ruled out all health issues, it is likely that you and your dog are facing a behavioral problem.
Why Do Dogs Start Peeing and Pooping in the House? Inappropriate Elimination in Dogs by Dr. Eric
While you probably have a lot of choice names your dog’s sudden potty accidents in the house, when you ask your vet “Why is my dog peeing in the hosue?” he’ll likely just call it “inappropriate urination.”
This is when a house-trained dog suddenly decides to start peeing inside the house. And let’s admit it, there are few things more frustrating.
There are a variety of reasons why a dog might suddenly exhibit this change in behavior, and solving the problem generally starts with identifying the cause.
Read on as we go through the main reasons why your pup might start peeing inside and what you can do to help get them back on a happy bathroom schedule and your home free of that constant pet pee smell, which can also be hazardous to your health.