Dogs Wet Their Bed

I have a friend who has recently adopted a female and male (brother and sister) Siberian Husky/Rhodesian ridge-back mix from a shelter. They both sleep on her bed and they both wet the bed almost every night. They are both 11 months and 1 week old. How do you stop this problem?

Sabrina

Answers:

Dogs Wet Their Bed

Have them sleep in a crate. (09/03/2005)

By lindal

Dogs Wet Their Bed

Well, sleeping in a crate would certainly eliminate the bed wetting! I would think that these pups will grow up to be rather large, so she needs to decide if her bed is the proper place for them when they are full grown, and eventually protective of her and reluctant to let anyone else in bed w/her, if that's ever an issue.

I would never let anyone take my chi out of my bed, but there's a huge physical difference. She is protective of me when my husband crawls in bed, although curled up behind his legs is her favorite nesting place. However, if we didn't already have children, we might not have ever had them! Haha! Letting a dog in your bed also turns over some authority to the dogs, and she needs to make sure they know she is the alpha in the house.

As for the immediate problem, she needs to limit the amount of water she's giving them after say, 7 pm, and then give them lots of opportunities to go outside and take care of business between then and bedtime. Dogs also like to wet where they've gone before, and they have an unbelievable sense of smell. Anything she can do to eliminate the odor from previous accidents will help. They also won't use the bathroom where they eat, so if nothing else works, put their food bowls on the accident spots and feed them there once in a while. It's worth a try if she gets desperate! (09/03/2005)

Dogs Wet Their Bed

I have a 5 yr German Shepard and I've noticed a couple of times that she wets my bed. She sleeps next to me every night. I found a wet spot tonight so I turned the light on and I checked her and she was still dropping while she was laying on the bed, totally conscious. After that I took her out, she went potty. Later on I kept watching her and she kept licking herself down there. I am very concerned, what should I do? (09/18/2007)

By Andi

What should you do?

I'm no dog expert, but I grew up helping to raise from pups 3 dogs in the past, only one at a time. (German Shepard- my uncle, full Labrador retriever- my aunt, and pedigree Boston terrier- my own.) In my late teenage years I worked for a vet hospital for almost two years and have seen and given many helpful training tips.

From personal experience I know, that when a dog starts peeing on your bed, that's when you have lost ownership of the bed. Unless it's an old dog and this is new behavior, I would take it to the vet whenever possible for it could mean something serious.

Other than that, have your dog sleep in a crate at night. Put it close to your bed, and slowly move it night to night out of your room. This will help for multiple reasons. As a dog gets more comfortable with a crate, they'll see this is a safe place and not a punishment. They'll come to use it for comfort if they feel threatened, they'll feel more comfortable if you travel with them, and dogs will usually refrain from wetting where they continue to sleep.

If they find that they have to sleep in a crate all night long, it will teach them to hold it all night; provided you take them out first thing in the morning when they get out of their crate. Make sure that when they go out to urinate or defecate you say some command so that in time, they know when you refer to it. "Go potty!" is usually a good one.

If by the time they are trained you still want them to sleep on your bed, try it for a night or two. Take them out before bed and if you wake up and find they urinated again, you tell them "no, potty!" Take them outside to potty, and put them in their crates.

A well trained dog will make a happy family and a happy pet. That I know from plenty of experience. (12/17/2007)

By manda

Dogs Wet Their Bed

Sorry, but putting them in a crate definitely does not eliminate bed wetting. My 5 month old puppy sleeps in a crate and has me up in the night whining because he can't get out himself and if I don't let him out in time he wets his bed. He's had a urine test and that was completely clear, and he doesn't drink excessively. I asked the vet about taking away water before bed time as many suggest and he said to strictly not do this as he will only drink when he needs to!

Last night (as I know he secretly wants to be on my bed), I left the crate door open and put his basket (usually in the living room) by the side of my bed. He's obviously much happier there but he STILL wet his bed this morning. The vet suggested I'm just not getting up early enough but going to bed at midnight and getting up at 6am is still not early enough. As a small pup he slept right through. Apart from this he is completely toilet trained - it's a mystery and I am considering getting extra behavioral advice/help. (10/16/2008)

Dogs Wet Their Bed

Sleeping in a crate isn't working for my 10 wk old Yorkie. She pees while she is asleep and can do it only 30 min. apart. I have noticed that she begins to cry as though she was having a bad dream and then will urinate without ever waking up. I am worried this will not get any better. (11/02/2008)