Mary Allen
Not only we humans appreciate a comfortable, warm and clean bed. Their basket is also important to dogs – after all, they usually spend more than half their day in it!
So it’s all the more concerning when a dog suddenly pees in its basket – especially if it’s already housebroken.
In this article, I not only want to explain the possible causes of this behavior to you, but also give you practical tips on what you can do about it immediately or in the long term.
In a nutshell: What you can do if your dog pees in the basket
There can be many triggers for a dog to pee on its roost. Not every dog has been trained to be housebroken and bladder control sometimes decreases with age.
Bladder infections or other illnesses, but also stress, fear and jealousy, can cause even housetrained dogs to become incontinent.
It is therefore very important that you take such an unusual change in behavior seriously and act as quickly as possible to find the cause.
In the Dog Training Bible, dog professionals tell you how you can react to sudden changes in behavior and how you can learn to understand your dog better.
Why your dog pees in the basket
First of all: It is quite possible that your dog just has a bad day and then never again shows problems staying housebroken. Nevertheless, it is advisable to take a closer look at the triggers and solve any problems that may arise.
Remain calm and don’t listen to the unfortunately still widespread opinion that your dog wants to annoy you. Take his needs seriously and try to help him.
Important:
If, out of the blue, your dog is no longer housebroken, you should definitely make an appointment with the vet and have a physical cause ruled out.
If the dog’s urine is bloody or your dog is noticeably apathetic or restless, the appointment should also be within the next 12-24 hours.
Puppies & seniors
Just like human children, young dogs must first be housebroken. With a good breeder, training is a given. However, a dog from a different background may not have learned to be housebroken or, as in the case of street or farm dogs, may never have needed it.
On the other hand, the ability to be housebroken can also decrease with age.
Illness
Kidney disease, UTIs, bladder stones, or poisoning can lead to loss of bladder control and are very serious. However, they are usually easily treatable and not chronic.
Medication
Some medications, such as preparations containing cortisone, are known to temporarily lead to uncontrolled urination.
If your dog only needs to take the medication for a short time, the symptoms will go away fairly quickly. If it is a permanent medication, it is advisable to look for another preparation with a veterinarian.
Stress & anxiety
The famous “wet your pants with fright” can also affect dogs, as can the phenomenon of the “nervous bladder”.
A more fearful dog will sometimes show its discomfort or fear by urinating spontaneously. Even a dog for whom the world is upside down due to a change that is serious for him may express his helplessness in the face of this change.
In this article you will learn how to calm your dog down so that it does not pee in its basket out of fear. Here: Calm down a stressed dog.
Dog pees in my bed
It becomes extremely uncomfortable when your dog pees in your bed instead of in it.
Because while dog beds are washable or, in the worst case, can be replaced quickly, your mattress is ruined. And who wants to keep buying new mattresses?
As an immediate measure, your bed should become a no-go area for your dog until you know where the problem is coming from so suddenly. Depending on the cause, you can then come back to sharing the bed.
Solutions
No one wants to sleep in a pool of urine or in a bed that smells of urine, not even the most hardened street dog. It is therefore advisable to take action at the first mishap and, in any case, to clean immediately.
Because what smells like a dog toilet is quickly misunderstood as a dog toilet and becomes a problem in its own right, especially if there are other pets living in your apartment. In protest against the smell, which they perceive far more strongly than the human nose, they could also urinate there.
Unfortunately, not every reason a dog starts peeing in its basket can be eliminated. Nevertheless, there are some measures that can mitigate the effects. Because neither you nor your dog want to live with an unclean sleeping place.
Clarify physical condition
A visit to the vet should definitely take place, whatever your four-legged friend thinks of it. Even if you have an idea why your dog is peeing on his bedding, it’s important to get his health status checked.
Housetrained through training
If your dog is very young or has never lived in your home before living with you, you can train him to be housebroken. You have to be patient at the beginning, but success usually comes quickly.
Check out our article on non-housetrained dogs for training instructions.
Use absorbent pads
For puppies there are special, absorbent pads for the whelping box, which are ideal for older dogs with incontinence. You lay them out in the basket and change them every time your dog has peed in the basket again.
Just make sure that your dog’s sleeping movements don’t throw them out of the basket.
Avoid stressors
If your dog is in the crate out of fear, make a focus of training with him on overcoming his fear. You can also plan to avoid some fearful situations, such as fireworks.
Tip:
Unfortunately, removing the smell and visible stains of dog urine from a fabric is very difficult. Even special cleaning agents do not always help.
If you have a dog bed with a washable cover, you should soak or soak it in a mixture of water and vinegar, lemon juice, or baking soda before washing.
Conclusion
A dog that pees in its basket is uncomfortable for everyone involved. Not only is the smell annoying, it often indicates a deeper problem and can have very serious reasons.
In order to properly help your dog, you must be able to understand him. So take a look at the dog training bible to understand how your four-legged friend sees the world and how you can communicate understandably and successfully with one another.