13 Reasons Why Your Dog Suddenly Pees On Your Bed + 5 Tips

Why Is My Dog Peeing On My Bed All Of A Sudden

Your bed is your comfort zone…

But your dog has tampered with it by peeing.

“Whyyyy?”

Some dog parents think that dogs do this out of spite…

Hmmm….

This article says otherwise…

Read on to discover:

7 medical issues that could cause this behavior.
13 reasons why your dog suddenly pees on your bed.
5 ways to stop your dog from going number 1 in your bed (#5 is a life hack!).
And much, much more…

Why is my dog peeing on my bed all of a sudden?

Your dog is peeing on your bed all of a sudden due to incontinence. It could be UTI, diabetes, spinal issues, urinary stones, Cushing’s disease, or dementia. Sometimes, it’s due to fear/anxiety, excitement, marking, or medications. Other times, it’s house training trouble or puppyhood.

13 reasons why your dog suddenly pees on your bed

#1: Urinary Tract Infection (UTI)

This is a common and painful condition in dogs.

UTI occurs when bacteria travels in your dog’s urethra from their genitals.

According to research, the leading bacteria that causes UTI are:

Staphylococcus.
Escherichia coli or E. coli.

Then, from the urethra, these pathogens cruise into your dog’s bladder.

There, the bacteria begin to reproduce. That turns it into an infection.

“How does this make my dog pee in bed?”

Dogs with UTIs struggle to pee.

Your pup might be trying to pee anywhere possible. It’s because pissing might be the most important thing for them right now.

That’s why you’d see them straining their piss while they walk. They often stop on their tracks and begin weeing…

Maybe it just happened that they froze on your bed…

You would also notice that sometimes, these pee strains have blood in them, too.

Here are other signs of UTI according to VCA Hospital:

Fever.
Lethargy.
Weight loss.
Strong urine odor.
Frequent need to pee.
Whining while urinating.
Drinking water excessively.
Constant licking of their genitals.
Smelling like fish or something metallic.

#2: Diabetes

Thirst and urination come after the other…

And a dog with diabetes experiences its cycle.

Your diabetic dog would drink so much water (polydipsia). Then, the habit causes your dog to urinate more frequently (polyuria).

Your pup might be experiencing pain and discomfort when peeing or when they’re trying to. With that, they might have hoped to relieve themself once and for all…

And they chose your bed as a site to do it…

Let’s understand diabetes in dogs better

The MSDVM says that 1 in 300 dogs can experience diabetes mellitus. Moreover, female dogs are often twice as susceptible as male dogs.

Now, according to PetMD, these are the 2 types of diabetes in dogs:

Type	Origin and development
Type 1 Insulin-deficiency diabetes	In this type, the cells that create insulin in the pancreas are destroyed.
Type 2 Insulin-resistance diabetes	Excess body fats create hormones that disrupt regular insulin performance.

Moreover, the symptoms of diabetes are:

Lethargy.
Cataracts.
Weakness.
Rapid weight loss.
Enlargement of the liver.
Excessive hunger (polyphagia).

Did you know? Some dog breeds are predisposed to diabetes. Those are:

Pugs.
Beagles.
Samoyeds.
Fox Terriers.
Toy poodles.
Dachshunds.
Cairn Terriers.
Siberian Huskies.
Yorkshire Terriers.

Note: Any dog could still be affected.

#3: Fear and anxiety

Fear can influence your dog to react inappropriately. And one of those reactions could be suddenly peeing on your bed.

Are there any loud noises outside?

If there are, then that might be the cause of your canine’s fear.

Your pup would also start being jumpy and exhibit other fearful behaviors.

According to the MSD Vet Manual, loud and unfamiliar noises are stimuli for fear in dogs.

Are there any clothes that are visually hanging? Or did you just bring home a new full-body mirror?

Visual stimuli could cause fear in your dog, too.

Then, the combination of loud noise and visual stimuli could create the same effect.

Signs that your dog feels fear:

Panting.
Yawning.
Tucked tail.
Vocalization.
Gazing away.
Lowered ears.
Scrunched body posture.
Repetitive licking of their lips.
Sudden increase in salivation.

The difference between fear and anxiety

Fear is the natural reaction to a threat. Then, anxiety is a response to this fear.

Chronic exposure to the threat that causes fear may lead to anxiety.

The stimuli become something that makes your dog anxious.

Reading tip: 15 Reasons Why Dogs Are Suddenly Scared Of Everything

#4: They’re excited

I’ve talked about fear and anxiety…

Now, let’s talk about another emotion that causes your dog to pee on your bed…

And that feeling is excitement.

So, when your dog is excited, they won’t just wag their tail…

They might pee everywhere, too!

“Why do they do that?”

When your dog becomes enthusiastic, they lose control of their bladders. The pressure in the organ increases due to being highly aroused.

Think of it as squeezing a lemon. When you excite your dog (squeeze), they will pee (the lemon juice).

Now, let’s imagine a scenario that brought this behavior:

You just came home from a long day at work…

Your excited pup greets you at the door. Given that you miss them so much as well, you initiated play immediately…

You did so by making them chase you in the bedroom.

There, your jumpy Fido leaps on your bed.

And, uh-oh…

Here comes the literal burst of excitement…and it’s pee!

Other situations outside that could cause excitement urination:

Anticipation of food.
The arrival of a usual visitor.
A stranger approaches them for petting.
During active play with you or other dogs.
Arriving at home and seeing other family members.

#5: Medication side-effects

Dog Suddenly Pees On Your Bed Due To Medication Side Effects

If your dog has recently been prescribed corticosteroids…

Then, that must be the reason…

This medication causes your dog to be more thirsty.

And like I said in reason #2, after thirst, urination proceeds. Then, the cycle repeats, of course.

Another side effect is a low energy level.

That might be the reason why your pooch chose to pee on your bed. They can no longer exert any more effort and just went number 1 in your lovely sheets…

According to vets, other short-term side effects of corticosteroids are:

Nausea.
Panting.
Vomiting.
Increased appetite.
Development of infections (particularly bacterial skin infections).

On the other hand, long-term side effects could be:

UTI.
Muscle weakness.
Thinning of the skin.
Predisposition to diabetes.
Poor wound healing ability.
Increased susceptibility to infections.
The increase in hunger causes obesity.

#6: Urine marking

Have you ever tried putting a sticky note on your leftovers in the fridge?

You put the note so that the people you live with could leave your meal alone…

Regardless if you experienced this or not, the thought is to ‘mark’ what’s yours. And it’s done using sticky notes.

Dogs can’t do it the same way…

That’s why they have another method…

And that technique is urine marking.

It’s a communicative behavior where your dog leaves off their scent. Then, that odor becomes their sticky note that says, “This is mine!”

Usually, only small pockets of pee are expelled for this intention.

Moreover, both male and female dogs do this.

It’s also done by both castrated and spayed dogs. However, intact dogs tend to show this behavior more.

You’d notice this behavior during:

Walks.
Visits to new locations.
At home, and in this case, your bed.

Note: You’re not safe from behavior, too. Your pooch would ‘mark’ you by peeing at you.

Moreover, dogs do it due to:

Anxiety.
Encountering other dogs.
Female dogs in heat also tend to mark using their urine. They do this in order to ‘invite’ male dogs into their territory.

So some more example scenarios could be:

Example 1: A guest is staying over in your house. Then, your dog decides to mark on your bed. It’s done as an attempt to tell your guest it’s their dominion.

Example 2: Your female pooch that’s in her season urinates all over your house. They do this to increase their chances of finding a male canine to mate with.

Example 3: You’re dog-sitting another dog on behalf of your friend. And so, your pooch sees the need to mark your bed as their territory. They also do so to announce their presence.

Did you know? Neutering can reduce male marking behavior by at least 80%. That’s what vets say.

#7: They’re still a puppy

If the culprit for the pee in your bed is a puppy, then the behavior’s natural.

“How is that natural?”

It’s because puppies haven’t learned how to control their bladder yet.

That absence of control makes them urinate whenever and wherever they feel like it.

Don’t worry. The behavior will soon stop…

As they grow old, your canine will learn to handle their bladders.

It will also help if you potty train them along the way.

Note: Don’t rush the process of potty training your new puppy. It’s a step-by-step process that requires your patience.

Factors that could cause house-training trouble in puppies:

Giving them a lot of freedom too soon.
Letting them hold their pee for too long.
Ignoring them when they show signs that they need to pee.
Not keeping an eye on them and letting them roam around.

#8: They’re developing dementia

Old age causes changes in your dog’s boy and mind. Sadly, these transformations are as irreversible as aging.

In these changes, canine cognitive dysfunction syndrome (CCDS) is included. It’s equal to a human’s dementia.

When your dog has this condition, they become confused. They’re disoriented and their activities change.

The MSDVM talks about the acronym DISHA in recognizing CCDS. It stands for:

Disorientation, interaction changes, sleep-wake cycles interruptions, house-soiling, and activity level changes.

Following that acronym as a guide works. In this study, it’s found that 60% of the subject dogs showed clinical signs consistent with CCDS.

With that, your senior dog shows the ‘house-soiling’ sign of dementia. And so, they pee and poop inside the house. Therefore unintentionally disregarding years of training.

And your bed may not be the end of it. Your senior canine might even arrive at the point where they pee on you.

Other signs of CCDS:

Pacing.
Isolation.
Lack of focus.
Restlessness.
Sniffing the air.
Random aggression.
Suddenly being paranoid.
Staring blankly at nothing.
Barking at you all of sudden.
Not tolerating any form of physical touch.
Lack of interest in activities and other beings.

#9: Spinal problems

In dogs, spinal problems are often the culprit for incontinence.

If your dog has any of these conditions, it might explain the behavior:

Chronic degenerative radiculomyelopathy (CDRM)

It’s also called degenerative myelopathy (DM). It’s a disease in your dog’s spinal cord.

In this condition, your dog’s spinal cord decreases its ability to send impulses.

It usually starts in the middle, then spreads upward and downward the spine.

Moreover, vets tell us that it’s most common in dogs 4 to 14 years of age.

Warning: It progresses slowly but could cause weakness and paralysis.

Sadly, the cause for this condition is still unknown.

During the start of this disease, it might look like arthritis. This anomaly makes diagnosis challenging for vets.

Further in the disease, it progresses, and some signs show.

The symptoms include bowel and bladder problems. It will get worse and worse until your dog loses total control of urination and defecation.

Experts give us a shortlist of other signs to observe:

Loss of leg coordination.
Random stumbling and falling.

Spinal trauma

Research warns us about one thing:

Traumatic spinal cord injury has severe effects on your dog’s body. This includes paralysis, along with urinary and fecal incontinence.

The acquired injury could be due to:

Car accidents.
Direct injury in their back.
Bites from fighting other animals.

The difference between CDRM and spinal trauma:

CDRM is not a painful condition for dogs. Spinal trauma, on the other hand, could cause extreme agony in your canine.

Also, the symptoms of spinal trauma could show immediately after the event.

With that, here are the signs of spinal trauma in dogs:

Limping.
Loss of coordination.
Neck, back, and limb pain.
Loss of control in their legs or their half body.

Also read: Why Is My Dog Suddenly Peeing A Lot (In The House)? 27 Tips

#10: Cushing’s disease

This disease’s medical term is hyperadrenocorticism.

Let’s break that term down:

Hyper- meaning vigorous or uncontrollable.

adreno stands for the adrenal gland.

-corticism refers to the cortex (outer part) of the adrenal gland.

When it’s put together:

It stands for the overproduction of hormones in the adrenal gland of your dog.

Specifically, that hormone is cortisol. Too much or little could cause detrimental health effects in your canine.

It’s because that hormone is responsible for:

Controlling their weight.
Maintaining blood sugar levels.
Immune responses against infections.

Causes of this disease are:

Adrenal gland tumor.
Prolonged use of steroids.
Tumor in the pituitary gland. This is the most common cause, vets say. Almost 90% of all cases are due to this.

A symptom of this disease is frequent urination. It happens too much that your pup will start house-soiling.

Other symptoms of Cushing’s disease are:

Panting.
Hair loss.
Inactivity.
Tiredness.
Skin infections.
Excessive thirst.
Thinning of the skin.

#11: Urinary stones

It’s natural for minerals to occur in urine. Those minerals could clump together and form tiny crystals in the urinary tract.

The crystal formations are also called stones or calculi.

It doesn’t only occur in the bladder. It could also be present in the kidneys, ureters, or urethra.

The MSDVM says that if the stones are small, no signs will show. When the stones are large enough, they will start interfering in your dog’s urinary tract.

Urinary stones could cause:

Peeing slowly.
Urine straining.
Blood in the urine.
Pain while urinating.
Frequent urination in small amounts or straining. This exact effect may be the reason for your dog peeing on your bed.

#12: Housetraining trouble

In reason #7, I mentioned that it’s natural for puppies to pee or poop inside the house…

And that as they grow, you should house-train them…

But what if you weren’t able to do it totally or properly?

Then episodes like your dog peeing on your bed could happen.

Taking a break from house training could cause this problem, too.

Remember: Dogs thrive if they have a routine. That’s why taking breaks from essential training could cause a relapse. Your dog might go back to doing unwanted behaviors.

Moreover, adopting adult dogs from the shelter could cause this problem, too.

It’s because your adopted dog is new in the place. They might not know the exact rules yet.

Also, the new scent and environment might stimulate your pup. And as I said in reason #4, excitement could cause your pup to suddenly pee.

#13: Urinary incontinence

In this section, I’ll talk about urinary incontinence in general.

Urinary incontinence happens when your dog loses control of their bladder. As a result, they strain their pee or involuntarily take a piss.

I’ve talked about the 5 common causes for this condition. To remind you, those are:

UTI (reason #1).
Diabetes (reason #2).
Spinal problems (reason #9).
Cushing’s disease (reason #10).
Urinary stones (from reason #11).

However, that’s not all. VCA Hospital tells us that it could also be caused by:

Tumors in the bladder.
Frequent contraction of the bladder (dysfunction).
Anatomical abnormalities. It could be due to an injury or surgery. Sometimes, your pooch might be born with it.

The MSDVM estimates that at least 20% of spayed female dogs are affected by this condition. Moreover, large dog breeds are more prone to this as well.

How do I stop my dog from peeing on my bed? 5 tips

#1: Calm your over-excited dog

You should calm your dog down when they feel excited.

Here are 5 methods to calm your over-excited pooch:

Method #1: You should stay calm as well. Excitement could be contagious.

In the scenario given in reason #4, the enthusiasm is returned to the dog. Then, it only escalated from there and made the dog pee.

Method #2: Ignore them when they’re excited.

Your inattentiveness is a discouragement to your dog’s unwanted behavior.

Remain consistent with this method. Don’t stroke, pet, or call your dog when they’re showing over-excited behaviors.

Method #3: Exercise them regularly.

Since high-energy levels could be the cause for such enthusiasm…

It’s best to wear your dog out using exercise. Doing so will burn off their energy and keep them healthy as well.

Method #4: Obedience training is the way!

Teach your dog to sit, behave, or stay if any of their stimuli is present.

This also encourages a calm behavior and approach to the impulse.

Method #5: Provide outlets in the form of toys.

Mental stimulation can burn off excess energy in your dog, too.

You could try leaving them with interactive toys that they’ll play with for a long time.

Thinking of buying one for your dog? Check out this puzzle toy for beginner dogs. It’s simple yet engaging.

#2: Time for a vet visit

Most of the reasons are related to medical issues. With that, it might be time to skip the remedies and seek a professional’s help.

Here are the process or treatments to expect for each condition:

UTI

You must send a urine sample of your dog to the vet.

If it’s a complicated case, the vet would also send the sample for laboratory culture. In there, the goal is to identify the exact bacteria that caused the infection.

By doing so, the doctor would be able to provide the right antibiotic and its dosage.

Diabetes

Unfortunately, diabetes could be permanent for dogs.

With that, management could be the only way. This includes administering insulin injections.

And if it does get cured, recurrence is still possible.

Cushing’s disease

Since 3 factors cause these conditions, treatments will vary as well.

For the pituitary tumor, oral medications would be prescribed by the vet.

As for the adrenal tumor, your dog might need surgery to remove it.

Lastly, if it’s due to prolonged usage of steroids, your dog must discontinue it.

But since your dog might need the steroid medications, too, it becomes complicated. With that, replacing the hormones in the adrenal glands could be the way to go.

Urinary stones

The vet will examine your dog’s body and feel for any stones. To make sure, the vet would also advise an x-ray.

However, the treatment will vary. It depends on the type and location of the stones.

The possible treatments are:

Special diet.
Medications.
Surgically removing it.
Lithotripsy, which is a procedure that uses soundwaves to break the stones apart.

Urinary incontinence

Your dog would have to undergo an x-ray first.

Then, the vet would prescribe medications.

About 70% of urinary incontinence have successful results after medications alone.

#3: Finish their house-training

Your dog would need to complete their house training. By doing so, your bed won’t be the only piece of furniture that’s saved from unwanted behavior…

Here are the exact things that you could do to continue and improve house-training:

Remain patient with your learning dog.
Be vigilant when your canine has to go pee or poop.
Provide them with plenty of time outside regularly. The more they’re outside, the more opportunities are there for them to go potty or wee.

Continue reading: 9 Easy Tips On How To Get Your Dog To Pee In A New Place

#4: Soothe your anxious dog

These are 3 methods that could soothe your anxious canine:

Method #1: Use pressure in the right way…

Since not all dogs are okay with hugs, the best way to go is using calming clothes.

The constant pressure from the clothing will act like a swaddle.

Check this Thundershirt classic dog anxiety jacket. It applies gentle pressure on your dog’s body and soothes them.

You could also opt for a weighted blanket. It might also make your canine sleep with such tranquility.

Note: Weighted blankets that are designed for adults could suffocate your dog. Try blankets that are specifically made for dogs.

Since such is not widely made, you could also go for those that are made for kids.

Like this 5 lbs (2.26 kg) weighted blanket for kids.

Method #2: Try a calming diffuser for dogs.

The Adaptil dog calming diffuser is a vet-recommended and dog-parent staple.

It aims to relax your pup using a safe formula of pheromones that are made specifically for dogs.

Method #3: Move them to a quiet room.

Your pooch would surely appreciate a little quiet and a short period of isolation.

It’s because the initial response to their anxiety should be removing the stimulus. As the saying goes:

Out of sight, out of mind.

Read further: 19 Proven Ways To Calm Your Anxious Dog (How-To Guide)

#5:Use the proper cleaning material

Changing the bedsheets again and again?

But your dog only pees on it repeatedly…

The cycle could go on…

That’s why you should use the proper cleaning material.

The best suggestion is to switch to enzyme cleaners.

You could try this highly-rated enzyme cleaner for dog urine by Rocco & Roxie.

What does it do?

Enzyme cleaners have a bacterial component and bats down enzyme molecules.

First, it breaks down the enzymes from the fecal or urine matter. Then, the bacteria munch on those pieces, and…

Voila!

It’s like your dog never peed on your bed.

Remember: Apply the cleaner to your mattress, too. Your dog’s nose might still detect their mark there.