I know my bed is not a piddle pad. Does she?
March 13, 2011 12:35 PM Subscribe
My dog pees in my bed. Help me make sure she enjoys a long, happy life.
About a month ago I adopted a 9 month old English Setter. She was potty trained when she came to live with me, but that was about the only training she had. It's been rough for the both of us. On any given day I simultaneously adore her, want to kill her, wish I had adopted a Yorkie instead, and am giddy with pride when she catches on to her training.
So here's the main 'please help me not kill my dog' question. She pees on my bed, she pees on my housemates (thank god it's leather) couch.
The first time she peed on my bed was while we were playing. Okay, I figure she's only been with me a few days, was excited to play etc. She got a pretty big response from me by way of a stern No and dash to get her outside.
The next round of couch and bed peeing came with her Halti. She hates it passionately. One minute she's writhing on the floor pulling at it, the next minute she's taking a leak on my bed or the couch. Mom catches on, makes sure Halti is off after a walk.
Then came a traumatic attempt to groom her. She hated it, I hated it. I forgot to end on a good note with play/walk/treats and the moment I turned my back she pees, again, on my bed.
So I'm thinking that this peeing business is some sort of response to distress.
But then she goes and does it again after a fun day at the park, games with a Kong that she loved and long, happy chew session with her favorite bone. I leave the room, come back and there it is, more pee, more laundry, more head scratching about what is going on and what to do about it.
We've been dealing with some moderate separation anxiety and I wonder if this is somehow related.
I take her out often and these instances are the only times she's peed
in the house.
I absolutely do not buy the revenge theory of vexing dog behavior or the alpha dog jockeying for dominance theory but am at a loss for how to interpret and handle this problem.
Any ideas?
About a month ago I adopted a 9 month old English Setter. She was potty trained when she came to live with me, but that was about the only training she had. It's been rough for the both of us. On any given day I simultaneously adore her, want to kill her, wish I had adopted a Yorkie instead, and am giddy with pride when she catches on to her training.
So here's the main 'please help me not kill my dog' question. She pees on my bed, she pees on my housemates (thank god it's leather) couch.
The first time she peed on my bed was while we were playing. Okay, I figure she's only been with me a few days, was excited to play etc. She got a pretty big response from me by way of a stern No and dash to get her outside.
The next round of couch and bed peeing came with her Halti. She hates it passionately. One minute she's writhing on the floor pulling at it, the next minute she's taking a leak on my bed or the couch. Mom catches on, makes sure Halti is off after a walk.
Then came a traumatic attempt to groom her. She hated it, I hated it. I forgot to end on a good note with play/walk/treats and the moment I turned my back she pees, again, on my bed.
So I'm thinking that this peeing business is some sort of response to distress.
But then she goes and does it again after a fun day at the park, games with a Kong that she loved and long, happy chew session with her favorite bone. I leave the room, come back and there it is, more pee, more laundry, more head scratching about what is going on and what to do about it.
We've been dealing with some moderate separation anxiety and I wonder if this is somehow related.
I take her out often and these instances are the only times she's peed
in the house.
I absolutely do not buy the revenge theory of vexing dog behavior or the alpha dog jockeying for dominance theory but am at a loss for how to interpret and handle this problem.
Any ideas?
You may have already tried this, but I would suggest making a big deal of it when she pees outside. Lots of praise and a treat or two
posted by torisaur at 12:40 PM on March 13, 2011 [2 favorites]
posted by torisaur at 12:40 PM on March 13, 2011 [2 favorites]
First thing: close the door to your room. She is not allowed in there, no matter what, even at bedtime. She has learned to pee in your bed, so closing the door will prevent this from happening.
This could be the last thing you need to do--maybe she'll grow out of it?
posted by bluedaisy at 12:40 PM on March 13, 2011 [3 favorites]
This could be the last thing you need to do--maybe she'll grow out of it?
posted by bluedaisy at 12:40 PM on March 13, 2011 [3 favorites]
Some spayed dogs have incontinence issues their whole lives. My parents' Brittany is one. They give her a pill every morning, which helps greatly; I believe it's estrogen.
posted by supercres at 12:48 PM on March 13, 2011 [3 favorites]
posted by supercres at 12:48 PM on March 13, 2011 [3 favorites]
Your dog isn't ready to be loose in the house. She's not housebroken, and the bed is a place she pees. Don't allow her on the bed, in the room.
My dog was on a leash whenever she was awake until she was housebroken, she was in a crate when she wasn't on the leash. The instant she looked like she wanted to pee/poop she was taken to the same spot outside, every.single.time. And she was lavishly rewarded with attention and squeeky voice praise whenever she did her business in the right spot.
it's not magic, just hard work
posted by tomswift at 12:51 PM on March 13, 2011 [8 favorites]
My dog was on a leash whenever she was awake until she was housebroken, she was in a crate when she wasn't on the leash. The instant she looked like she wanted to pee/poop she was taken to the same spot outside, every.single.time. And she was lavishly rewarded with attention and squeeky voice praise whenever she did her business in the right spot.
it's not magic, just hard work
posted by tomswift at 12:51 PM on March 13, 2011 [8 favorites]
Just a point: Dogs have no concept of revenge, but they are social pack animals and they DO have a pack order that includes, normally, a pack leader-type figure. I think that's a well-regarded and accepted theory about dogs.
When you adopted your dog, did you continue the house-training process? Dogs go through an adjustment period when they move to a new home, which means they sometimes need to be reminded or sometime retaught house-training. For now, don't let your dog on the bed or couch, take her out as much as you can, and work in her house training in walks (i.e. teach her "potty" and praise her when she goes). Good luck!
posted by two lights above the sea at 12:52 PM on March 13, 2011 [1 favorite]
When you adopted your dog, did you continue the house-training process? Dogs go through an adjustment period when they move to a new home, which means they sometimes need to be reminded or sometime retaught house-training. For now, don't let your dog on the bed or couch, take her out as much as you can, and work in her house training in walks (i.e. teach her "potty" and praise her when she goes). Good luck!
posted by two lights above the sea at 12:52 PM on March 13, 2011 [1 favorite]
No access to bedroom + effusive praise when peeing outside.
posted by desjardins at 1:03 PM on March 13, 2011
posted by desjardins at 1:03 PM on March 13, 2011
Seconding the spayed-dog comment from supercres. My parents' dog had continence issues, and the vet said that spaying can make them less able to realize that they have to go and so they don't realize they should be preventing themselves from going. My parents' dog took a pill every day (and was able to eventually wean down to less and less frequent pills), and the issue was cured entirely. The pills were dirt-cheap too. Definitely worth talking to your vet!
posted by Blue Jello Elf at 1:11 PM on March 13, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by Blue Jello Elf at 1:11 PM on March 13, 2011 [1 favorite]
My (11-year-old) spayed Lab had incontinence issues last fall. I got something from the vet (a liquid) that I gave her twice a day on her food. It was a super small amount, and it worked instantly to control the peeing. I gradually tapered the dose down and actually haven't given her any since it ran out about three months ago -- no incontinence issues since then.
Another thing to consider is bladder infection (though from the sounds of it, this isn't likely to be the root of your problem).
Finally, I had another pup (male, Lab) who used to piddle on the furniture -- there was one chair in particular that got it the worst. The vet told me some pups just have a harder time learning to regulate when they go, and that he was likely smelling former "accidents" that were triggering him to go when he was on the chair in question (also, one spot on my mattress where he'd had a couple accidents). I got rid of the chair, gave the mattress a good vinegar and water treatment and flipped it over, and the accidents stopped. If there are "triggering" pieces of furniture for your dog, maybe consider moving them away (if you can) or keeping her off/away from them.
posted by Felicity Rilke at 1:30 PM on March 13, 2011
Another thing to consider is bladder infection (though from the sounds of it, this isn't likely to be the root of your problem).
Finally, I had another pup (male, Lab) who used to piddle on the furniture -- there was one chair in particular that got it the worst. The vet told me some pups just have a harder time learning to regulate when they go, and that he was likely smelling former "accidents" that were triggering him to go when he was on the chair in question (also, one spot on my mattress where he'd had a couple accidents). I got rid of the chair, gave the mattress a good vinegar and water treatment and flipped it over, and the accidents stopped. If there are "triggering" pieces of furniture for your dog, maybe consider moving them away (if you can) or keeping her off/away from them.
posted by Felicity Rilke at 1:30 PM on March 13, 2011
I had a dog who peed on my bed out of separation anxiety; short answer there was "no access to bed when I'm not right there watching."
I have a friend whose cat started peeing in inappropriate places (couch, bed) when she had a UTI. Unfortunately, this behavior continued after the UTI was treated. If it is indeed a UTI and not behavioral, it'd help to get it diagnosed quickly.
As long as it's not a UTI or incontinence (doesn't sound like UTI, but could be anyway) I agree with the other comments that she's not shown herself to be reliably housetrained, so you need to go through housetraining with her over again. She needs to be on a leash or in a crate at all times. It also sounds like you need to make sure she pees in the appropriate place any time she's been significantly stressed.
During this time, no access at all to the couch or the bedroom. She's not only been known to pee there, now it smells (to a dog) of her pee, so it smells like a place to pee: the wrong kind of reinforcement. It may help to get one of the various products that claims to completely destroy all traces of pet urine, but even so, she needs to not be allowed on either the bed or couch at all.
posted by galadriel at 1:39 PM on March 13, 2011
I have a friend whose cat started peeing in inappropriate places (couch, bed) when she had a UTI. Unfortunately, this behavior continued after the UTI was treated. If it is indeed a UTI and not behavioral, it'd help to get it diagnosed quickly.
As long as it's not a UTI or incontinence (doesn't sound like UTI, but could be anyway) I agree with the other comments that she's not shown herself to be reliably housetrained, so you need to go through housetraining with her over again. She needs to be on a leash or in a crate at all times. It also sounds like you need to make sure she pees in the appropriate place any time she's been significantly stressed.
During this time, no access at all to the couch or the bedroom. She's not only been known to pee there, now it smells (to a dog) of her pee, so it smells like a place to pee: the wrong kind of reinforcement. It may help to get one of the various products that claims to completely destroy all traces of pet urine, but even so, she needs to not be allowed on either the bed or couch at all.
posted by galadriel at 1:39 PM on March 13, 2011
You have a puppy that's not fully housebroken. It's not incontinent. An English Setter, at that size, can hold pee until it's time to go out if it's learned to do so. Yours hasn't learned yet.
You need to combine some serious housetraining with the removal of potential failures around the house. Make it impossible for her to pee on your bed, and she will stop peeing on your bed.
First, take the dog out more often for now. Puppies can go out and pee 4x/day. Every time she pees, treat. When she is at home, you need to have your eyes on her at all times, no more wandering out of your field of vision. If you have to leash her to you, do that. If you can't keep her in your sight, she needs to go in a crate. There should be no time in her little puppy day where she is not within your field of vision or inside her crate. You mention "... as soon as I turn my back," and that is the human behavior you are going to have to stop.
It took my (adopted as a young adult) dog about 4 months to really get housetraining down.
posted by juniperesque at 1:46 PM on March 13, 2011
You need to combine some serious housetraining with the removal of potential failures around the house. Make it impossible for her to pee on your bed, and she will stop peeing on your bed.
First, take the dog out more often for now. Puppies can go out and pee 4x/day. Every time she pees, treat. When she is at home, you need to have your eyes on her at all times, no more wandering out of your field of vision. If you have to leash her to you, do that. If you can't keep her in your sight, she needs to go in a crate. There should be no time in her little puppy day where she is not within your field of vision or inside her crate. You mention "... as soon as I turn my back," and that is the human behavior you are going to have to stop.
It took my (adopted as a young adult) dog about 4 months to really get housetraining down.
posted by juniperesque at 1:46 PM on March 13, 2011
Invest in a waterproof mattress pad or zip up vinyl cover.
If this is something related to marking your bed this will stop the scent pleasure for the dog. [and protect your mattress].
posted by AuntieRuth at 1:51 PM on March 13, 2011
If this is something related to marking your bed this will stop the scent pleasure for the dog. [and protect your mattress].
posted by AuntieRuth at 1:51 PM on March 13, 2011
Have you had tests done to make sure she doesn't have a UTI? Also, might want to have some bloodwork done. Could be any number of medical issues.
posted by TheBones at 1:56 PM on March 13, 2011
posted by TheBones at 1:56 PM on March 13, 2011
There are no bad dogs, only bad trainers.
0. Take the dog to the vet immediately, explain the situation, and rule out a physical problem like diabetes or a bladder infection.
1. If the dog is not ill, then her peeing (in what she knows are public, high traffic places belonging to you humans) means that she's challenging your dominance.
In a nutshell, she thinks you're a lousy alpha, and she's telling you that you suck as a pack leader. Repeatedly.
Solution: Quit being wishy-washy and get very, very serious about training. Watch some shows on wolves and get wolf-like: brook zero disobedience. Ever. Dominate the animal immediately every time she disobeys you.
Be absolutely consistent, absolutely tough, and absolutely affectionate and playful. Be a good pack leader. Let her relax into your leadership, instead of watching you all the time to see if you're going to vacillate or be consistent.
posted by goblinbox at 2:33 PM on March 13, 2011 [1 favorite]
0. Take the dog to the vet immediately, explain the situation, and rule out a physical problem like diabetes or a bladder infection.
1. If the dog is not ill, then her peeing (in what she knows are public, high traffic places belonging to you humans) means that she's challenging your dominance.
In a nutshell, she thinks you're a lousy alpha, and she's telling you that you suck as a pack leader. Repeatedly.
Solution: Quit being wishy-washy and get very, very serious about training. Watch some shows on wolves and get wolf-like: brook zero disobedience. Ever. Dominate the animal immediately every time she disobeys you.
Be absolutely consistent, absolutely tough, and absolutely affectionate and playful. Be a good pack leader. Let her relax into your leadership, instead of watching you all the time to see if you're going to vacillate or be consistent.
posted by goblinbox at 2:33 PM on March 13, 2011 [1 favorite]
1. If the dog is not ill, then her peeing (in what she knows are public, high traffic places belonging to you humans) means that she's challenging your dominance.
This doesn't sound true at all based on what OP is saying.
Sounds like she pees when she's excited or upset, so it could be a submissive response. Do not yell at the dog when she pees. This will only make it worse. Act coolly, stop whatever activity you're engaged in, clean it up calmly, and give her lots of positive reinforcement when she pees outside--and take her out more often.
posted by PhoBWanKenobi at 2:36 PM on March 13, 2011 [4 favorites]
This doesn't sound true at all based on what OP is saying.
Sounds like she pees when she's excited or upset, so it could be a submissive response. Do not yell at the dog when she pees. This will only make it worse. Act coolly, stop whatever activity you're engaged in, clean it up calmly, and give her lots of positive reinforcement when she pees outside--and take her out more often.
posted by PhoBWanKenobi at 2:36 PM on March 13, 2011 [4 favorites]
Nthing not yelling, but punishment at the right time and in the right way does have its place.
We had a puppy when I was a teenager, and he kept peeing on the kitchen rug. Myself, my brother and my mum tried a bunch of ways to get him to stop - saying 'No!' loudly, taking him for extended walks until he peed, praising him whenever he did it outside, etc. and yet every time we took our eyes off him there'd be another wet patch. This continued until one day he decided to pee in front of my dad - who reached down, yelled "NO!" and smacked him once, hard enough to knock him sideways.
We never had a wet patch again, and our pup grew up to like my dad more than any of us.
It's important that punishment is only delivered if they're caught in the act - if you only find a wet patch half an hour after it's made and they're now lying peacefully by the fire, smacking them is only going to make them think that it's wrong to lie peacefully by the fire. Extended yelling only terrifies them and dogs WILL pee when scared as a submissive response, as noted above.
Basically, any punishment you give should be quick and forceful and gotten over with - a wheedling "Puppy, you shouldn't do thaat!" will get you nothing, but a forceful "NO! BAD DOG!" will inform them in no uncertain terms that what they're doing is wrong. The only 'extended' punishment we've ever used when our dogs did anything really bad was to ignore them - no eye contact, no praise or any talking whatsoever for about fifteen minutes or so, then go back to normal, playful behaviour.
Also, as many have already said, punishment is one of the last resorts. Also I have taken all this knowledge from just watching my parents train dogs and have never actually trained one myself, so whether I'm interpreting everything right is not entirely certain.
posted by Fen at 3:12 PM on March 13, 2011
We had a puppy when I was a teenager, and he kept peeing on the kitchen rug. Myself, my brother and my mum tried a bunch of ways to get him to stop - saying 'No!' loudly, taking him for extended walks until he peed, praising him whenever he did it outside, etc. and yet every time we took our eyes off him there'd be another wet patch. This continued until one day he decided to pee in front of my dad - who reached down, yelled "NO!" and smacked him once, hard enough to knock him sideways.
We never had a wet patch again, and our pup grew up to like my dad more than any of us.
It's important that punishment is only delivered if they're caught in the act - if you only find a wet patch half an hour after it's made and they're now lying peacefully by the fire, smacking them is only going to make them think that it's wrong to lie peacefully by the fire. Extended yelling only terrifies them and dogs WILL pee when scared as a submissive response, as noted above.
Basically, any punishment you give should be quick and forceful and gotten over with - a wheedling "Puppy, you shouldn't do thaat!" will get you nothing, but a forceful "NO! BAD DOG!" will inform them in no uncertain terms that what they're doing is wrong. The only 'extended' punishment we've ever used when our dogs did anything really bad was to ignore them - no eye contact, no praise or any talking whatsoever for about fifteen minutes or so, then go back to normal, playful behaviour.
Also, as many have already said, punishment is one of the last resorts. Also I have taken all this knowledge from just watching my parents train dogs and have never actually trained one myself, so whether I'm interpreting everything right is not entirely certain.
posted by Fen at 3:12 PM on March 13, 2011
Dogs have no concept of revenge
I dunno, my dog is pretty vengeful and will destroy something of mine and leave it out in the open if I do something that really annoys her, like put on all my "going for a walk" clothes and then not take her with me. She picks stuff that is obviously mine, like my pillow or a hat and shreds it in a rage. Leaves everything else alone. She'll do the same thing to my roommate and it's very specific who's stuff she chews up. It's the person she hatesses.
Having said that, peeing on your bed isn't something a dog would do because she's angry at you. That is a bit complicated for their little doggy minds I think. I'd agree that it's more of an overall house training issue, combined with anxiety. If she knows she's not supposed to be on the furniture she might be submissively peeing when you catch her there out of fear of being in trouble. Setters are pretty sensitive dogs. And not famous for their critical thinking skills.
posted by fshgrl at 3:23 PM on March 13, 2011 [1 favorite]
I dunno, my dog is pretty vengeful and will destroy something of mine and leave it out in the open if I do something that really annoys her, like put on all my "going for a walk" clothes and then not take her with me. She picks stuff that is obviously mine, like my pillow or a hat and shreds it in a rage. Leaves everything else alone. She'll do the same thing to my roommate and it's very specific who's stuff she chews up. It's the person she hatesses.
Having said that, peeing on your bed isn't something a dog would do because she's angry at you. That is a bit complicated for their little doggy minds I think. I'd agree that it's more of an overall house training issue, combined with anxiety. If she knows she's not supposed to be on the furniture she might be submissively peeing when you catch her there out of fear of being in trouble. Setters are pretty sensitive dogs. And not famous for their critical thinking skills.
posted by fshgrl at 3:23 PM on March 13, 2011 [1 favorite]
Honestly, most behaviour problems are a failure of training rather than a failure of the dog. As previous posters have noted, it really doesn't sound like you're on top of it. FWIW, dog training in the first months is more of a regime than anything else. It's a long time until the dog can have the run of the house.
posted by DarlingBri at 3:45 PM on March 13, 2011 [2 favorites]
posted by DarlingBri at 3:45 PM on March 13, 2011 [2 favorites]
Have you considered crate training? That being said, it sounds like your puppy might just be young. The breeder said that we shouldn't give our puppy the run of the house (at night) until she is two years old.
posted by oceano at 3:55 PM on March 13, 2011
posted by oceano at 3:55 PM on March 13, 2011
This sounds like it's probably a training issue as others have mentioned. But I recently learned that as many as 1 in 5 female dogs develop incontinence after spaying. The rate is higher in some breeds than in others. The medication to treat it is safe and affordable.
You don't mention the spay situation. If getting spayed coincided with the beginning of this potty training problem, then I'd definitely have a vet take a look.
posted by ErikaB at 4:07 PM on March 13, 2011
You don't mention the spay situation. If getting spayed coincided with the beginning of this potty training problem, then I'd definitely have a vet take a look.
posted by ErikaB at 4:07 PM on March 13, 2011
In addition to what the others have said, I think crate training is an obvious choice here. It will give her a space where she feels comfortable and help calm the anxiety for both of you.
posted by zug at 4:57 PM on March 13, 2011
posted by zug at 4:57 PM on March 13, 2011
Oh for god's sake! THIS IS NOT DOMINANCE (oh how I wish people had never heard that term associated with dogs, my dog training life would be SO much easier)! The dog is stressed! The dog is not ready to have free range of the house, the dog needs more POSITIVE training (not "dominance" nonsense, which is the exact opposite of what you should do with any dog, especially a fearful, stressed dog), to help you build your relationship appropriately and help her understand what to do (and help YOU). You need to crate train this dog, restrict her access to furniture, and if you are not in a positive training class, you need to get into one. And yes, rule out a medical issue, but it seems very likely that this is stress-based.
posted by biscotti at 5:12 PM on March 13, 2011 [6 favorites]
posted by biscotti at 5:12 PM on March 13, 2011 [6 favorites]
Here's what I'd do.
1) no punishment or big negative reaction if she pees where she shouldn't. This can reinforce the behavior.
2) enzymatic cleanup of pee areas while the dog is elsewhere and cannot see the cleanup
3) positive reinforcement of correct peeing behavior (special treats for just this occasion, verbal praise)
4) dog is in eyesight when you're in the house until no more peeing for a while. This isn't punishment, it's prevention. You may need to leash dog and tie the leash to a belt loop or something. The more you can prevent the behavior while working on the positive aspects, the quicker the dog will learn.
posted by zippy at 5:17 PM on March 13, 2011
1) no punishment or big negative reaction if she pees where she shouldn't. This can reinforce the behavior.
2) enzymatic cleanup of pee areas while the dog is elsewhere and cannot see the cleanup
3) positive reinforcement of correct peeing behavior (special treats for just this occasion, verbal praise)
4) dog is in eyesight when you're in the house until no more peeing for a while. This isn't punishment, it's prevention. You may need to leash dog and tie the leash to a belt loop or something. The more you can prevent the behavior while working on the positive aspects, the quicker the dog will learn.
posted by zippy at 5:17 PM on March 13, 2011
If the dog is not ill, then her peeing (in what she knows are public, high traffic places belonging to you humans) means that she's challenging your dominance.
What? No. It's incontinence or submissive urination or poor training.
posted by zippy at 5:18 PM on March 13, 2011
What? No. It's incontinence or submissive urination or poor training.
posted by zippy at 5:18 PM on March 13, 2011
My dog used to do this whenever he got stressed. In particular, rearranging furniture, doing anything that makes him think he's going out and then leaving without him, or coming home and leaving immediately, were all triggers.
My internet searching at the time suggested that while the peeing is a stress thing, dogs choose the bed when they're especially insecure. Basically they're marking their territory. Supposedly a secure dog will mark all over the yard, a less secure dog by the back door, less than that in the house, and the most scaredy-dogs will mark on the bed -- Basically, this is about much space as he feels certain he can protect and he's choosing the most important place that size that he can knows -- the place where you sleep.
So that's all very sweet, but still not so fun doing laundry in the middle of the night, sleeping on the air mattress for 3 days while the mattress dries right?, right?
Here's what made my life easier and then what solved my problem: My live easier: Waterproof mattress cover and duvet-cover. You can get the kind that aren't plasticy, they feel just like real cotton.
Solved my problem: I ended up getting new furniture. The new bed is too high for the dog to jump onto. So no more dog on the bed. No more dog peeing on the bed.
posted by If only I had a penguin... at 5:58 PM on March 13, 2011 [1 favorite]
My internet searching at the time suggested that while the peeing is a stress thing, dogs choose the bed when they're especially insecure. Basically they're marking their territory. Supposedly a secure dog will mark all over the yard, a less secure dog by the back door, less than that in the house, and the most scaredy-dogs will mark on the bed -- Basically, this is about much space as he feels certain he can protect and he's choosing the most important place that size that he can knows -- the place where you sleep.
So that's all very sweet, but still not so fun doing laundry in the middle of the night, sleeping on the air mattress for 3 days while the mattress dries right?, right?
Here's what made my life easier and then what solved my problem: My live easier: Waterproof mattress cover and duvet-cover. You can get the kind that aren't plasticy, they feel just like real cotton.
Solved my problem: I ended up getting new furniture. The new bed is too high for the dog to jump onto. So no more dog on the bed. No more dog peeing on the bed.
posted by If only I had a penguin... at 5:58 PM on March 13, 2011 [1 favorite]
The other posters are right that you should start over with housetraining for your dog. The stress of a move to a new house can cause a relapse in a previously housetrained dog.
In the meantime, do you know about enzyme cleaners like nature's miracle? That will help remove the urine smell, which can head off marking behavior.
posted by medusa at 6:24 PM on March 13, 2011
In the meantime, do you know about enzyme cleaners like nature's miracle? That will help remove the urine smell, which can head off marking behavior.
posted by medusa at 6:24 PM on March 13, 2011
There is some tension here that I don't want to dive into (not surprisingly) around how to train your dog not to pee anywhere in the house. Some of the suggestions related to keeping the dog in sight, limiting access to parts of the house, and possibly crate training all make sense to me.
One thing I wanted to say is that the behavior you're describing doesn't seem to have anything to do with incontinence. Many spayed dogs do wind up with some incontinence and it can happen at any age. The symptom, however, is not the dog peeing on something - it's much more like leaking and not at all like squatting to go pee. My dog, Hope, started leaking when she was tired (like after a run at the beach) about a month after being spayed. She would leave a little wet spot when she was laying down / resting, and would then be uncomfortable because she was a little wet. She knew she'd pee'd a little bit, and she clearly didn't way to lay in / near it. She's on Proin (not estrogen) tablets with her food now, which completely stopped her incontinence. We've been able to reduce the dose by about 40% in the past few months after her first birthday with no problems.
Long story short, your dog may be incontinent and you may want to get her checked, but I'm basically certain that this isn't want you're experiencing. With incontinence you'd notice spots of pee and an uncomfortable dog, not squatting to pee on your bed / couch.
posted by pkingdesign at 6:32 PM on March 13, 2011 [3 favorites]
One thing I wanted to say is that the behavior you're describing doesn't seem to have anything to do with incontinence. Many spayed dogs do wind up with some incontinence and it can happen at any age. The symptom, however, is not the dog peeing on something - it's much more like leaking and not at all like squatting to go pee. My dog, Hope, started leaking when she was tired (like after a run at the beach) about a month after being spayed. She would leave a little wet spot when she was laying down / resting, and would then be uncomfortable because she was a little wet. She knew she'd pee'd a little bit, and she clearly didn't way to lay in / near it. She's on Proin (not estrogen) tablets with her food now, which completely stopped her incontinence. We've been able to reduce the dose by about 40% in the past few months after her first birthday with no problems.
Long story short, your dog may be incontinent and you may want to get her checked, but I'm basically certain that this isn't want you're experiencing. With incontinence you'd notice spots of pee and an uncomfortable dog, not squatting to pee on your bed / couch.
posted by pkingdesign at 6:32 PM on March 13, 2011 [3 favorites]
I apologize for my rather over-the-top wording in my earlier post, but the whole "dominance" thing is so incredibly mis- and overused and misunderstood (not to mention mostly based on incorrect information): dogs are not looking to take over the world, especially young, untrained and clearly very stressed dogs. That said, I agree with pkingdesign that it is very likely that this is not incontinence, although ruling out a urinary tract infection should be one of your first steps. One of my dogs urinated on the bed during an extremely stressful situation, and this type of behavior is not at all uncommon when a dog is stressed. So yes, go back to housetraining basics, keep the dog leashed to you, crate train and crate when she is unsupervised, but seriously do get started with a positive training class, it will help you and your dog learn to communicate, and properly-trained dogs tend to be less stressed overall.
posted by biscotti at 8:49 PM on March 13, 2011
posted by biscotti at 8:49 PM on March 13, 2011
IMHO, there's no need to invoke 'dominance', 'revenge', 'submission', 'anxiety', etc. Your dog has decided that she likes to pee on soft surfaces. When outside, grass rather than concrete. When inside, she has correctly identified your bed as the softest surface in the house. Seconding what others have said; restrict access to the bedroom (I ended up putting an automatic door-closer on my bedroom door as I am absent-minded and often forgot to close it) and continue with all the good housetraining habits.
posted by primer_dimer at 4:18 AM on March 14, 2011
posted by primer_dimer at 4:18 AM on March 14, 2011
A newly adopted dog peed on my mother's bed -- ONCE. She got the dog, put her on the bed, and wrapped her up in the wet sheets so that the dog could not get out, and let her struggle in there for a few minutes.
She never peed on the bed again.
posted by eas98 at 7:35 AM on March 14, 2011
She never peed on the bed again.
posted by eas98 at 7:35 AM on March 14, 2011
Chiming in as another happy Proin family - however, my shepherd husky mix was 12 when we started her on it. Miracle drug, as far as I'm concerned.
posted by sarajane at 3:12 PM on March 14, 2011
posted by sarajane at 3:12 PM on March 14, 2011
How come everyone is so sure it's not a dominance thing? Dogs are different, and for some, it may be.
My dog occasionally peed on my bed when I first got her- so now, my bedroom door is always closed unless I'm in there with her. Problem solved. But here's the weird part. Sometimes she pees on the couch, but only under specific circumstances. I never, ever let her lick my face. But my mom LOVES the dog, and when she comes to visit me, she (despite my protests) lets the dog jump all over her on the couch, licking her face, etc. Guess what often happens within an hour of this display? Peeing on the couch. Ok, sure, maybe it's excitement, but I swear it's connected with being allowed to lick someone's face. Which is a dominant thing. I always give my dog love and attention when I come home, but I'm the dominant one- I kiss the top of her head, etc. No pee. I always tell people not to let her lick them, and with the exception of my mom, they all listen and she never pees on stuff.
I don't know. Whether dominance or just excitement, over time I've learned what the triggers are and when she may be likely to do this. Every dog is different, so when she does this, make a mental note of what was going on shortly beforehand and maybe you'll spot a pattern. It doesn't necessarily matter what the reason behind the trigger is, so long as you know what it is and prevent it ("Hey mom, PLEASE don't let the dog lick your face!!")
Also, just make sure you walk her plenty. If she doesn't have pee in her bladder, she can't pee on stuff.
posted by GastrocNemesis at 9:02 AM on March 15, 2011
My dog occasionally peed on my bed when I first got her- so now, my bedroom door is always closed unless I'm in there with her. Problem solved. But here's the weird part. Sometimes she pees on the couch, but only under specific circumstances. I never, ever let her lick my face. But my mom LOVES the dog, and when she comes to visit me, she (despite my protests) lets the dog jump all over her on the couch, licking her face, etc. Guess what often happens within an hour of this display? Peeing on the couch. Ok, sure, maybe it's excitement, but I swear it's connected with being allowed to lick someone's face. Which is a dominant thing. I always give my dog love and attention when I come home, but I'm the dominant one- I kiss the top of her head, etc. No pee. I always tell people not to let her lick them, and with the exception of my mom, they all listen and she never pees on stuff.
I don't know. Whether dominance or just excitement, over time I've learned what the triggers are and when she may be likely to do this. Every dog is different, so when she does this, make a mental note of what was going on shortly beforehand and maybe you'll spot a pattern. It doesn't necessarily matter what the reason behind the trigger is, so long as you know what it is and prevent it ("Hey mom, PLEASE don't let the dog lick your face!!")
Also, just make sure you walk her plenty. If she doesn't have pee in her bladder, she can't pee on stuff.
posted by GastrocNemesis at 9:02 AM on March 15, 2011
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by decathecting at 12:39 PM on March 13, 2011