Fustrated, my dog peed in my daughters bed

[Kami Allen]

We have had Meggie for a few years now, and got her when she was a year old.  The first year we struggled with her peeing in the house, and caught her peeing in my daughters room on a rug she had.  For over a year now we haven't had any issues (or so we thought).  Last night my daughter said "Mom, smells like Meggie peed in my bed".  Pulled back her sheet and sure enough a big yellow stain and smelled like pee.  Was not wet and I'm not sure when she did it - my daughter is a teeeager and has spent the night recently at a friends and also fell asleep in the living room. 

Just not sure WHY she peed in her room, or scarier - where else has she peed?  She crys at the door and we let her out.  I also take her out several times a day.  Wondering if this happens when I'm gone, or what.  Just fustrated and venting!

 

Kami

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

This can be a dominance issue. Is Meggie spayed? If not, that could be part of the problem. I have known of a couple of dogs who did this, and all were intact.

Beds have the strongest, most intense smells of the humans in the household, and when a dog urinates over them, it can be a form of dominance marking, similar to the "pee mail" marking dogs do when they urinate on every fire hydrant and tree where they smell another dog has been. It's more common in males, but dominant females do it too. Spaying and neutering helps.

I would keep the bedroom door closed. That won't solve the problem if she's doing it in other parts of the house, but at least she won't be ruining the mattresses.

[Kami Allen]

Thanks Karen, we our a Guardian family for her so she is not spayed.  I think it's anxiety and have a feeling she did this when I was out of town last week for work.  She has anxiety and my husband just told me that she wouldn't go outside for him much.  I'm closing the kids bedroom doors and need to figure out what to do when I'm out of town!

Thanks!

Kami

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

We had a cat who did this - peed on my dh's pillow and in our foster daughter's room. He never peed randomly in the house. We learned to keep the bedroom doors shut. I am positive it was a dominance thing. He NEVER peed on my pillow or my side of the bed.

[Lori, Daphne, Lucy & Pippa]

I had a Golden Retriever who did this when she was scared! She was terrified of thunderstorms and occasionally if we were not home when the storm happened, she would get in our bed and pee. I think that our bed was comforting to her. I invested in a waterproof mattress pad since I couldn't predict the weather when we were away. It only happened a handful of times.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Some good articles and resources about this: http://www.paw-rescue.org/PAW/PETTIPS/DogTip_Marking.php

From the article:

Dogs gather essential social information using their sense of smell, whether smelling other dogs directly or sniffing their urine and feces. That's why dogs urinate much more than required to simply empty their bladder.

Marking serves as a way to claim territory, advertise mating availability and to support the social order. Dogs like hierarchy; it's what they understand. They communicate age, gender and status within their packs via the pheromones in urine. Both male and female animals can engage in marking behavior.

A dog uses urine marking to help make a new environment smell like home, masking the unfamiliar odors with his own scent. Humans also engage in marking behavior, though it usually takes such forms as moving in a favorite chair and hanging pictures on the wall.

In addition, marking functions as an efficient way to protect a dog's perceived space than physically challenging each interloper who approaches that space.

Animals also mark to advertise their sexual availability, which is one reason why it helps to neuter and spay dogs. The earlier, the better, since early neutering can keep young dogs from ever developing the impulse to mark.

 

[Nicky, Riley & Boris]

I had a dog who did this only on our bed and occasionally.  He had dominance and anxiety issues and was not just 'being naughty' he was neutered. We worked with him for his whole life but if I had it happen again I would seek the best professional help available as soon as possible as this is something that is very difficult to deal with.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I had a very dominant spayed female who never had "accidents" or marked in the house except when I had a foster. Every time another dog came into "her" home, she would immediately urinate on the carpet to make sure he knew who was the boss of the house.   

[Barbara B., Sasha & Oliver]

My sister had a Chow Chow who would go into my niece's room every so often and pee.  Sheba would only pee on the flooor never on the bed. 

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Doing it on the bed is the worst! Many, many years ago, a date brought his intact male Irish Setter to my apartment.

At one point during the evening, I walked into my bedroom to see this large dog standing on my bed and urinating! Talk about sending a message, lol!