Why a dog

Why does my dog shit on my bed? This may be due to fear, displays of dominance, poor parenting, health problems or lack of access to the outdoors. Whatever the reason, you should correct the behavior so that you don't suffer from dirty sheets and a smelly bed.

As a dog owner, I know very well how easy it is for these dogs to develop negative behaviors. It's also easy to get angry, but over the years I've learned that getting to the root of the problem is a much better move.

How to stop a dog from shitting on a bed or sofa

If we are talking about a puppy, then you just need to start raising and training the baby. If you approach the issue correctly, then there will be no big problems with this. To do this, use the commands “Ugh!”, “No!”, “Place!” and so on.

Should I be strict?

Of course, you need to be firm. However, in education it is necessary to maintain a balance; accordingly, the dog should be scolded for misconduct, and the dog should be rewarded for good behavior. This type of behavior applies not only to puppies, but also to adult dogs. There should be no concessions; with adult animals this is generally fraught with consequences. If a pet senses weakness in a person’s behavior, he will associate himself with the leader of the pack, and therefore his behavior will change.

The use of physical violence is prohibited. Proper upbringing is not built on this. Most experts recommend using a different method of superiority during the training process. To determine who is in charge, all a person needs to do is grab the dog by the withers and firmly press its muzzle to the floor for a few seconds.

Insufficient education

Many owners overestimate their pets, believing that the dog understands everything, but for some reason does not want to obey. There are such situations, but more often the dog owner was simply not consistent enough and the pet did not fully learn the “lesson”. The fact that a dog looks guilty after making a puddle does not mean that he is aware of exactly where he should relieve himself. The dog may understand that a puddle on the floor leads to punishment. But the main thing is different - you need to explain to the pet that only and only in this place you need to “get things done.” Give up shouting and physical punishment, pay more attention to encouragement and praise. If the reason is insufficient education, then the answer to the question: “How to stop a dog from shitting anywhere?” is given in the article “Training an adult dog to use the toilet.”

Categorical refusal

How to stop a dog from peeing on the bed if it categorically does not want to relieve itself outdoors? In this case, experienced breeders advise purposefully performing the following actions:

Find a friend with whom the pet will actively frolic, which will cause the urge to go to the toilet. In addition, another dog can become an excellent example, and the pet will gradually begin to imitate.
It is necessary to water the animal before and during the walk. After active games, you should go to a more secluded place and leave the dog alone. You cannot go home if the dog has not had a bowel movement.
When going for a walk, you should not walk peacefully around the yard. In order for a dog to have a desire to go to the toilet, it must run around a lot. If after this all the “wet” things are done, then you need to praise the dog, give him a treat and go home.
Animals cannot endure too long. Therefore, it is worth increasing the walking time until the pet gives up.

Many breeders are faced with the problem and do not know how to stop a dog from peeing on the bed. The tips above almost always help.

The owner of the house is a man

Often dogs, due to errors in their upbringing, strive to behave like the main ones in the house. If, in addition, the breeder allows the pet to sleep in the same bed with him, then urination should be perceived as an attempt to dominate. After all, dogs have been pack animals since ancient times and always follow the leader. When there is no clear leader in the house, the pet will probably try to take his place. It is important to avoid such a situation. To do this, dog experts advise:

When walking on a leash, the dog should be taught to walk at par with the owner or even slightly behind.
You should not immediately respond to the animal’s whining and demands.
It must be strictly clear that all beds, sofas and armchairs are for human use only and that animals are not allowed on them.
Even just on an elevated surface, the dog must jump at the command of the owner (chair, bench).

Security measures

It is important to remember that home cleaning products must be chosen based on the upholstery material.

To prevent deformation of the sofa structure and to avoid irreparably damaging the fabric of the furniture, observe the following rules:

There is no need to scrub the stain vigorously with a sponge, rag or brush, this will make the situation worse and the urine will penetrate deep into the fabric. It is important to get wet to absorb as much moisture as possible;
Do not overfill the stain. The affected area will be difficult to dry, leading to mold and a musty odor;
The effects of household chemicals are checked in advance on the internal areas of the sofa before use;
When using any chemical, you must strictly follow the instructions;
You should not try to clean delicate fabrics and lint yourself. It is better to immediately contact the dry cleaner;
After treatment, it is necessary to ventilate the room as much as possible.

How to deal with a puppy

If a decent dog pees on the bed as an adult, then most often the problem lies in pathology. With puppies, everything is different. Due to their age, they are just learning to restrain their urges, so you need to be patient and start training.

To toilet train you will need:

Isolate access to rooms with sofas and beds, and remove all carpets from the floor.
Learn the ban commands and the “Place” command.
Choose a separate corner for diapers or a tray.
Go for walks before each feeding, immediately after waking up and shortly before bed.
Follow a routine so that the puppy learns to withstand certain intervals without incident.

You can remove the diapers after the baby begins to relieve himself on every walk. Left without backup options, he will quickly realize that the only right place is outside the house.

Should I be strict?

If the dog starts peeing on the bed, then a reasonable question arises: will excessive severity be beneficial? Of course, raising your pet and not allowing it to do certain things is necessary from a very early age. But the problem is that troubles sometimes happen, and dog handlers do not advise punishing them too much. At the same time, it is especially useful to reward the dog for its obedience and neatness. If the puppy never hears praise, but only screams and threats, then he will be afraid of the owner, and urinating in the bed will become a kind of revenge. It often happens that out of fear the dog cannot restrain the urge and does “wet” things in the wrong place. Due to the fact that puddles on the floor are especially noticeable, a more comfortable place is chosen - the bed.

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Dog trainers give multiple recommendations for raising puppies. It is especially important to understand how to stop a dog from peeing on its owner’s bed:

It is necessary to carefully monitor the behavior of your pet in the house.
As soon as he tries to jump on the bed or sit down in the wrong place, he must be immediately taken outside or placed on a special diaper.
If your puppy empties his bladder, it is important to verbally praise your baby and offer him a treat.

When the problem concerns an adult animal, it is necessary to walk it more often. Often dogs prefer a bed because it is always accessible, there are no puddles left on it and it is convenient to bury the “trouble”.

What not to do

Many people react completely inappropriately and incorrectly to the misdeeds of their pets. Even if the pet has been very guilty, it is prohibited:

scream or beat the animal;
punish the pet if he was not caught at the scene of a crime (otherwise he simply will not understand why);
do not feed or deprive of walks (any violation of the regime has a negative impact);
deny the pet games or attention, ignore the animal;
refuse to think about a possible disease, do not take your pet to the veterinarian;
abandon training and education.

Methods of punishment

If the dog does piss on the bed, adequate punishment should be applied.

It is useless to punish a dog if more than an hour has passed since the incident. It is advisable to catch the scoundrel at the crime scene.

The following sanctions can be applied:

Take the puppy by the scruff of the neck (as a mother would do), shake it lightly but firmly and strictly say “no,” “no,” or “ugh.”
Lightly slap a thin twig on the withers to express your dissatisfaction.
Deprive the puppy of his favorite toy or stop the game if he is naughty.
Point to his place (do not allow him to leave the mat) or briefly lock him in a room where no one is present.

Expert opinion

Anna Abramenko

An avid dog lover. Experience in veterinary medicine since 2009.

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Under no circumstances should you hit the dog, shout at it, or deprive it of food or water. Such measures can only aggravate the situation and also harm the health of the pet.

Corrected behavior in a timely manner will help raise an obedient and intelligent companion.

Causes

Living beings don't do anything for nothing. A dog urinates on the bed in the following cases:

She got sick. Problems with the liver, kidneys and gastrointestinal tract prompt the animal to look for new places for the toilet: it wants to relieve itself, where it is softer, or to get rid of obsessive pain. If a dog urinates without waiting for the usual walk time, whines, looks lethargic, hides in secluded places and loses appetite, this means illness.
She doesn't know when her next outing is and doesn't see the need to hold back. If the owner takes her for walks little by little, at different times, and sometimes forgets to walk at all, the dog begins to urinate wherever he has to, including in the bed.
She's offended. Contrary to popular belief, dogs also have feelings. If the dog was yelled at for no reason, if his paw was stepped on or punished, he can take revenge by making a puddle of the offender in his bed.
She's nervous. Dogs are frightened and made nervous by various things - moving, a loud quarrel between owners, fireworks under the window, a loud washing machine, aggression from other dogs. And under stress, controlling urination is difficult for a dog, especially if it belongs to one of the mini breeds.
She's going through a transition period. As puppies grow into young teenage dogs, they begin to test their boundaries, just like human teenagers. It is significant to make a bed - even in front of the owner - this is one way to check.
She has no idea where to relieve herself. If a dog has lived for a long time on the street, in a shelter or on a chain, it does not know that people do not go to the toilet in the house, and it will do as it is used to: it will pee wherever it wants.

The last option is for the dog to mark its territory. This is natural behavior for pack predators, but it is unacceptable for a pet living in an apartment.

Why does a dog mark an apartment?

For a bitch, the mark is a sign that she is in heat and that she will happily meet any male who smells her. Instinct tells the dog to mark everything around and wait for a worthy candidate for mating to be found.

For males, everything is a little more complicated. Most often they mark to show other males their presence in a particular territory. By leaving a mark, the male declares: “mine.” However, this behavior does not appear in everyone, and even if it appears, it disappears over time when the dog realizes that no one is encroaching on the property.

It also happens, however, that a male dog begins to mark in order to attract the attention of a female dog. She doesn’t even have to be nearby - the dog just needs to smell the smell on a walk or from a window.

In females, the desire to mark goes away with the heat. For males, everything is individual.

Should we punish?

Most people are accustomed to a system where an offense is followed by a shout or a blow, but this is ineffective:

if a dog marks, punishment will not help it overcome its instinct;
if she is sick, she does not control the body's urges;
if she doesn’t know when her next walk is and therefore goes to the toilet wherever she has to, it’s not her fault in the situation and the owner should rather punish himself;
if she is offended or frightened, punishment will make her even more angry or frightened;
If she is not accustomed to go to the toilet on the street, she simply will not understand why she is being scolded.

Even a dog who pees in the bed to test the boundaries of what is permitted is not punished by all methods.

Physical violence is ineffective: a beaten dog will only become frightened or angry.

Shouting is ineffective: the dog still does not understand the words, and a dissatisfied tone can be conveyed in another way.

You should not poke your dog’s nose into a wet sofa or a pile on the bed: there is nothing disgusting for him, and many dogs even eat excrement and may misunderstand the owner.

It is acceptable to show disapproval: do not play with the dog, talk to it in a dissatisfied tone and short phrases, send it to its place after it has wet its bed, and do not allow it to leave for some time.

If she craps solely out of a desire to annoy her, you can keep her out of the room with the bed or use sprays with unpleasant odors.

Punishment should not be scary or painful. It effectively communicates that the dog is doing something wrong.

Psychological abnormalities

Particularly sensitive dogs may poop and pee in response to some kind of intra-family conflict. Any uncomfortable situation can cause stress for them, including:

lack of master's attention (left alone locked up);
change of scenery (we moved the dog to relatives, to a dog hotel, went to an exhibition);
the master's anger, which caused the animal's fear;
severe fear provoked by various external factors.

It is very difficult to understand the psyche of adult dogs taken from another owner (from a shelter) or from the street. They may have a bunch of phobias, the roots of which you will never know. You will have to act at random, armed with compassion, patience and affection.

Reward sometimes works better

Despite the effectiveness of punishment, positive motivation always works better than negative motivation. For this reason, do not forget to praise your pet after relieving itself outside. In addition to affection and kind words, treats work well.

You can consolidate the desired skill using a certain sequence: command - action - encouragement. As soon as the dog starts to sit down, tell him to “write” or any other code word. Having achieved success, give out a tasty treat as a reward and be sure to express your admiration.

Why does a dog mark an apartment?

If a dog marks everything in the apartment, this may be a sign of illness. For example, cystitis, inflammation of the bladder, pyometra, metabolic and hormonal disorders, injuries to the brain and spinal cord.

Perhaps you are trying to toilet train your animal incorrectly, and it does not understand why it is taken for a walk every time.

If you have a bitch, and she begins to behave aggressively and also mark the apartment, then this means that she has reached puberty. She tries to attract males both outdoors and indoors to increase her chances of mating. To know for sure, pay attention to the following signs: aggressive behavior in the eighth to tenth month of the pet, molting, attempts to run away from a walk in a direction unknown to you.

If you live on the ground floor and a female dog in heat passes by your house, the male may start marking his territory in order to attract her attention.

A dog may mark territory due to stress.

Observe what in the apartment makes your pet nervous and worried. For example, small animals are often frightened by the operation of a vacuum cleaner and washing machine.

Various reasons for inappropriate behavior require an individual approach to each case.