Why would a dog pee where they sleep? The Ultimate Guide

What is Peeing in His Sleep?

As a puppy, your dog will need to be taken out to use the bathroom every few hours. But that is completely normal. What isn’t normal is if your dog doesn’t wake up to urinate, and ends up soaking his bed while asleep. This problem tends to happen when the sphincter muscles in the bladder are too weak to allow the dog control over urination. Such an issue can be brought on by:

  • Urinary tract infection
  • Neutering Incontinence in older dogs who were neutered when young
  • Spinal cord injury or degeneration
  • Conditions that cause excessive urination such as diabetes and kidney disease
  • Prostate disorders
  • Urinary stones and masses
  • If you notice that your dog is peeing in their sleep it is extremely important to get them to a vet as soon as possible in order to determine the underlying issue. While a weak bladder by itself is not deadly, when paired with something like diabetes or kidney disease, it can result in death if left unaddressed.

    What to do if your Dog is Peeing in His Sleep

    Once you realise that your dog is having issues controlling his bladder while asleep, you will want to begin monitoring any other unusual habits your dog may be displaying. If, for example, the amount of water drunk within a day increases or there are signs of leakage, there may be a more serious underlying issue.

    After monitoring your dog, you will then want to take him to a vet in order to determine what the problem is and how to begin treatment. While a weak bladder will not immediately harm your pet, if it is paired with any other more serious issue, the situation will need to be addressed immediately. Your vet may require a urine sample to best determine what the problem may be before prescribing any specific treatment. Once the test results come in, discussion of treatment will then take place.

    How Do You Help With a Dog Peeing in their Sleep?

    First thing is to get your dog to a vet as soon as you can so the vet can determine what the underlying problem could be. A weak bladder is certainly not a deadly disease type of problem, but when it is associated with other problems like kidney disease or diabetes, then sure, it can result in death if it not quickly addressed.

    Incontinence is the reason dog peeing in sleep – and often dogs that have been neutered or spayed can have this problem too. And believe it or not, dogs’ age like humans do and sometimes, like humans, they just no longer have proper control over their bladders. It is not always the case though, because you get younger dogs who can also suffer from incontinence. Whatever the circumstance, you need to get your dog to a vet for a proper diagnosis.

    My Dog Pee’s On MY Bed! What Can I Do To Fix This?

    For kids, wetting the bed at night is a normal part of growing up. Most kids grow out of it before their age hits the double digits, but that’s not the case for your dog. If you find your dog’s bed wet with urine after he wakes up, his young age likely has nothing do with it. Your first thought shouldn’t be about better potty training, it should be concern for his health.

    Hormone responsive urinary incontinence is a condition most often affecting middle-aged, spayed female dogs and occasionally seen in younger females and males. According to Dogster, the issue has to do with a dog’s estrogen levels. When a female dog is spayed, her ovaries are removed. This leads to an automatic decrease in estrogen production. Reports indicate estrogen contributes to the control of a dog’s urethral sphincter (the muscle that allows a dog to “hold it”).

    With less estrogen, the sphincter becomes more relaxed. Dogs experiencing hormone responsive urinary incontinence leak urine when they’re not consciously thinking about holding their bladder. As the dog ages and her sphincter naturally becomes weaker, the problem becomes more prominent. The condition is treatable, but it’ll require a visit to your vet.

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    As with humans, urinary tract infections are common in dogs. It happens when bacteria invades the urinary tract and causes symptoms like painful urination, blood in the urine, and decreased bladder control. A UTI is often the reason a dog pees the bed.

    A dog suffering with a UTI doesn’t “forget” their house training like their owner thinks. The infection in their urinary tract makes it difficult to stop the flow of urine when they really need to go. It can also make them feel like their bladder is full to bursting when it actually isn’t. This means they’ll need more frequent bathroom breaks, and they might not get out of bed fast enough. A round of antibiotics should clear up the infection and fix the problem.

    If your dog frequently suffers from UTIs or bladder control, we’d recommend a good supplement that can help prevent the issue before it occurs. There are dozens of highly rated bladder control supplements on Chewy or Amazon.

    There are several medical conditions that can affect a dog’s bladder control while they’re asleep. Possibilities include bladder stones, spinal cord injury, diabetes, and cognitive disorders. General incontinence, or the natural weakening of the urethral sphincter, also becomes more common as dogs age.

    For many urinary-related medical issues, the problems are progressive. A dog might slowly leak small amounts of urine for several nights before you realize what’s happening. After a few weeks, there’s potential for that small leak to get worse. Eventually, the dog might empty his entire bladder without waking up. Finding your dog’s bed wet with urine after they wake up is always a reason to visit a vet.

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    Peeing on the bed when they’re awake poses different problems than when a dog pees the bed when they’re sound asleep. The medical issues listed above could still be to blame, but dogs generally do everything they can to avoid soiling their sleeping areas. It stems from a wild dog’s instinct to keep their den clean and sanitary. If something is overriding that instinct, it could be either medical, emotional, or behavioral.

    When your dog is frightened by thunder, worried about an unknown house guest, or feeling anxious for any reason at all, their bed is a place of comfort and safety. That type of emotional distress can cause a dog to temporarily lose control of their bladder or behave in ways they normally wouldn’t. If they’re afraid of a person or another animal in the house, there’s also the chance they’ll pee on their bed because they’re too scared to leave and go to their normal potty spot.

    The only way to stop the bed wetting is to address the underlying emotional issue. Observe what happens before your dog pees on their bed, and consider that context to determine if its affecting your dog’s urination.

    Urine marking is something both male and female dogs do out of instinct. They mark trees and fire hydrants along their daily walks to tell other dogs they’re claiming that territory. Some dogs also mark around the house to warn off potential intruders.

    If your dog’s confidence recently took a hit or he’s feeling threatened, he might start marking inside. You’ll know he’s marking and not breaking his housebreaking rules when he only lets out small amounts of urine in strategic places. Most dogs prefer to keep their beds clean, but an insecure pet trying to protect their belongings might go to extreme measures to keep others away from what’s theirs. This is most common when a new family member (human, canine, or feline) is introduced to the house. Helping your dog feel more confident and using positive reinforcement to show them where it’s appropriate to pee and where it isn’t will help.

    Figuring out why your dog pees the bed is the first step in preventing it from happening. It’s important to remember that no matter how frustrating it is to wash your dog’s bed on a regular basis, punishment isn’t the answer. Whether their bedtime troubles are caused by a medical issue, stress, or the natural instinct to mark their territory, being angry will only add to their confusion. It’s always a good idea to talk to your vet for insight into your pet’s urinary health and tips for relieving stress and anxiety.

    If your dog frequently suffers from UTIs or bladder control, consider researching a quality supplement that can help prevent the issue before it occurs. There are dozens of highly rated bladder control supplements on Chewy or Amazon.

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