I have a Bed Wetter

[Shantelle82]

Hello!
This is my first posting on here, and this topic may have been covered before, but there are millions of postings!
So, here goes...I have a 4 year old (very BIG) Shepherd/Lab X named Sandy. The day we got her, at 8 weeks old, she piddled in my bed twice in one night...I assumed from anxiety and nerves, but alas, in her adult years, she has taken to urinating on my bed at least once every month or two, and last nite she did it while I was in the bed!! She seemed to be dreaming quite deeply and then all of a sudden raced off the bed. That's when I rolled over, got a nasty surprise, and thus realized why she was cowering under the desk on the other side of my room. She knows to go outside, but seems to try her luck and has occasionally urinated in the house minutes after being outside for hours!! I'm wondering what I can do to work this out,(keeping her out of the room is almost out of the question since she's attempted to go throught the bedroom door numerous times, nearly succeeding at the cost of the poor door.) we've been to obedience school and spend a lot of time together, I know that she clearly feels sad and guilty, knowing she's done something wrong, even without scolding from me...so why does she still do it?

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

 

[Renee750il]

Serena's given the best advice possible to start off. From your description of her behaviour when it happens, it really sounds like it's something she's not able to help.

After you have the vet check her out, restricting her fluids after a certain time of night may help. No dog naturally wants to soil it's bed, and my experience with my GSDs and GSD mixes is that they even try to go away from the house.

 

[Baileys]

I dunno, we have a 4 year old male daschund, and occasionally, usually about once a month or so, he will wet the bed. It's usually when he and I are in there alone, and if I get up to go brush my teeth before bed, or something, leaving him in the bed alone, I will come back, and he has peed all over my side of the bed, (most of the time right below my pillow where most of my body lays). He also does it if we allow him to go outside of a morning to potty then come back in and go back to bed alone. He will lay there on top of the covers and wet them. (which if anybody would happen to know of a good cleaner to get dog urine out of a quilt, I would be forever greatful!)

I assumed this was because he and my boyfriend were alone for a year before I moved in and started sleeping in "his" bed every night...that he was marking his territory. However, since I have been here for 6 months now, and a year before that on the weekends, I would think that he would have gotten used to that by now. We have had other little tests of will, and overcome those with flying colors. This is the only thing left that we can't solve. Any ideas on this one?

 

[Renee750il]

It sounds like the little devil is reminding you that you've stolen his bed. He's definitely doing it on purpose, just as you suspect.

This is tricky. If YOU punish him, he's only going to get worse. Your boyfriend has to be the one to do it, but that's going to be difficult since the dog does it when it's just the two of you.

The two of you may have to banish him from the bedroom when no one is in there with him, and sleeping on the bed may just have to be a thing of the past - at least until he decides to stop wetting your bed - which he may never do; they can be surpassingly stubborn and spiteful sometimes. Get him a comfortable bed and set it in a comfy spot in the room, maybe next to the heat vent (he'll love that in the winter), and make him sleep in it instead of the bed.

Barring that, you can always get some of those incontinence pants for dogs. He'll probably hate them, and I'd only use that as a last resort.

It's probably going to help if you find some kind of treat that he's just bonkers over and make sure you're the only one who gives it to him - ever. Maybe even save it for when the you and Bailey are alone. And whatever his favorite activity is, make it a point (when it's possible) to do it with him whenever it's just the two of you. Make the times when you and Bailey are alone times that he looks forward to.

I share my last bite of food with my dogs. It's a tremendous bonding tool. They have to wait for the last bite, so they don't beg and aggravate me while I'm eating (most of the time, that is ).

One of the new oxygen cleaners (I've found the Clorox brand to work best) with a good laundry detergent and a half cup or so of baking soda will do wonders on the urine stains. If it's really bad, make a paste of the oxygen cleaner and water first and rub it - gently - into the dampened stain. Let it set for an hour or so, then put it in the wash with a couple more scoops of the cleaner, your detergent and the baking soda. Check the stain before you put it in the dryer, not just for the color, check the smell. If the stain is old and set in, it may take more than one treatment. Just be careful not to over treat it if it's on a dark colored fabric, although the urine will probably have already changed the color.

 

[Baileys]

Thanks a bunch Renee! I figured as much lol. His favorite activity is walking, and when "Daddy" is gone at work and I am off that day, we walk at the park, which he expects daily anyhow lol. He does love the "Greenies" from Petco, and I give them to him every day. I will have to set my mind to coming up with something that will be just our special thing. I'll try that with the cleaners and hope for the best. Thanks again!

 

[shazyswimmer]

why do you let sleep in your bed first of all thats why dog beds are invented. and second its unhygenic. and you made the bad choice of letting your go on a soft cosy bed instead of a lovely fluff bed. IT'S YOUR OWN FAULT! when my dog strated peeing on the side of my bed i held is boy thing and told him no and now he doesn't.

 

[Baileys]

I didn't get to make the decision of where he sleeps. My boyfriend has had him for nearly 5 years (we've been together for 1 and a half years). My boyfriend treats him like he's a child, and therefor he sleeps in the bed. Trust me, if it weren't for it causing world war 3 at our house, he would sleep in the floor.

I tried the oxygen cleaner and a paste that my neighbor lady gave me that she said takes stains out of anything without bleaching. The quilt is currently hanging on the line drying, and I'll let ya know how it worked.

 

[Baileys]

It worked!

Okay Renee, I tried the Oxygen Cleaner and the other pastes. What I found that worked best, and it isn't an obvious source for stains on fabrics, is the new Dawn stuff (like dish washing liquid) it's for baked on stains on oven pans and pyrex. It comes in a squeeze bottle, doesn't bleach, and it's like a gel. Worked wonders with the Oxy-Clean and a little bit of laundry detergent. My quilt is now puppy pee stain free Thanks again for all of your help