Ewww found a wet patch on your bed? Has your pup snuck into your bedroom and had a quick wee on your bed? or did you get the thrill of watching them do it right in front of you? For many pet parents, it can be pretty challenging as well as frustrating when their puppy pees on their bed, and they’re not sure why their pup is doing it.
In this article, we’ll help you figure out the reasons why your puppy peed on your bed, whether you should be worried if your puppy is peeing on your bed, and probably most importantly, how to stop your puppy from peeing on your bed!
Potty training can be a tricky issue, many more of us own dogs when we’re living in flats these days, so having an app that helps with potty training is a great way of coping with this. We also have a full training program that covers other life skills like socialization and habituation, home alone, coming back when called and leash walking. There’s also a team of professional dog trainers on hand 24/7 via our in-app chat. Download the Zigzag app today, and see how much fun you can have training your puppy.
Why does my puppy pee on my bed?
Puppies often like to pee on soft surfaces, can have problems knowing where they should (and shouldn’t pee), because they can’t find their way to the bathroom, or because they’re starting to mature and might be yikes, marking! Dogs also pee when they’re feeling stressed.
Let’s learn more about why your puppy has peed on your bed:
Not potty trained
If you have a young puppy who hasn’t been in your home long, then they likely don’t understand where they should and shouldn’t pee, and have little bladder control so go where and when they need to.
Confused about where to pee
We often use puppy pads indoors when potty training, or if we’re living in an apartment, and we have to potty train using an indoor bathroom. The problem with using these is they often teach puppies to get used to peeing on soft surfaces, so yep, they can think your bed is just another puppy pad!
Can’t find the bathroom
Very often puppies who don’t know the layout of the house can struggle to find where they need to go to access their potty area, and when they gotta go, they gotta go, so they pee on beds, or wherever they need to.
Marking behavior
Male dogs who are starting to mature can begin to feel like they need to mark their territory and leave their scent on soft furnishings. They might also cock their leg on your sofas too!
Stress
Puppies and dogs will frequently urinate in places they wouldn’t normally when they’re feeling stressed or anxious. Peeing gives a huge feeling of relief, which makes the dog feel good and lessens their stress or anxiety for that short time.
Puppy only peeing on your bed when you’re not there? Check out our guide to puppy separation anxiety and see if they’re feeling worried about being home alone.
Illness
If your puppy is not well or has bladder infection or UTI then they can have accidents or feel the need to pee frequently. Sadly, these accidents can be on your bed, because they need to go or feel they need to go so often.
Should I be concerned about my puppy peeing on the bed?
If your puppy has suddenly started having a lot of accidents, and they were previously potty trained, then it’s a good idea to speak to your Vet. If it’s just that your potty training needs some refining, then do check out our full guide to potty training a puppy.
How to stop my puppy peeing on my bed?
The easiest way is to go back to basics with potty training and some good management. Let’s explore our tips to stop your puppy peeing on your bed.
Prevent bed peeing with good management
Management is one of the easiest ways to stop your puppy peeing on your bed – don’t allow them up there! If your puppy sleeps in your bed, and is also peeing there, then you might want to rethink that and have them in a nice bed of their own beside yours, or even a cosy crate. When they’ve got a better track record of NOT peeing, you can have them back in, we don’t mind!
Learn more by reading about the best puppy beds, blankets, or how to crate train your puppy.
Wash everything thoroughly
To remove the smell of puppy pee, you need to use a biological cleaner. Enzyme cleaners made specifically for cleaning up puppy pee work best for this. Even when we can’t smell the pee any more, the scent remains for dogs a lot longer, and they can keep returning to pee where they went before.
Remove puppy pads
If you use a puppy pad and your puppy is peeing your bed, then it’s wise to remove them and get them used to peeing outside on a more appropriate substrate like concrete or grass. This will get them out of the idea that the place they pee is somewhere soft and fluffy. If you do need an indoor potty, then we recommend using one made of turf or artificial grass, so that it feels less like your bedding to your puppy.
Watch them closely when they’re on your bed
If you can’t bear to not have your puppy in your bed, then anytime they’re awake, you will need to watch them closely. If you spot any wandering off, sniffing or circling, then quickly take them outside to pee!
Potty train throughout the day
Go back to basics with potty training, so that they understand that peeing in the right place (i.e not on your bed) brings about fabulous rewards. The more you reward them for going to the right place, the more they will want to go there.
Take them out regularly
Who doesn’t want to chill out in bed watching Netflix with their puppy? It’s totally fine by the way, but if you are, remember to set an alarm so that you remember to take them out to the bathroom often, no you can’t just ‘watch one more episode’ your puppy probably needs to pee!
No need to tell them off
We know, it can be hard, but telling your puppy off for peeing your bed will not help the issue. In fact, it’s more likely that they’ll just pee somewhere else that you can’t see as they don’t understand that peeing on your bed is the wrong thing, they can feel that pee IN FRONT OF YOU is wrong. Ay caramba, this presents all kinds of problems and will set your potty training back. Always use positive reinforcement when training your puppy, for potty training, or anything else, it’s really the best way for them to learn.
We hope that’s helped you figure out why your puppy is peeing on your bed, and given you some strategies to stop these accidents from happening in the future.
Good management is key, as well as changing your puppy’s habits so that they learn to pee outside. If the peeing has come on suddenly or is out of character, then you should consult your vet as they could have a medical problem which is making them pee more.
While you’re here why not have a read up about some other odd things dogs do like why do dogs dig at their beds or why do dogs bite their paws. Of course if you want to learn more about training your puppy then read all about how to train with a clicker, or how to teach a puppy tricks.
Download the Zigzag app today, not only will you get a fully comprehensive training program for your pup, you’ll also be able to talk to a professional dog trainer, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, at times when you need them the most.
