If there’s one thing that you need to know before you get a dog, it’s that these cute pets can be a lot like kids. Just like tiny humans, they need love and attention. What’s more? They require potty training.
Without it, dogs can pee after a bath or even on your couch. But is the fact that your dog peed on you while you were sleeping also a sign that they need potty training? Well, that’s what we’re going to talk about in this post.
We’re going to talk about not only the reasons for this phenomenon but also whether you should punish your dog for it. Beyond that, we’re going to talk about what you can do to ensure that this doesn’t happen again. When it comes down to it, this post is meant to be a comprehensive guide on the issue of your dog peeing on you while you sleep.
Why Would My Dog Pee on Me While I Was Sleeping?
Some of the reasons that your dog would pee on you while you were sleeping are:
Submissive urination
This is an instinctual response that is particularly common among young dogs. It happens when your dog wants to acknowledge you as their owner. It also happens when your dog is shy, scared, or anxious.
Fortunately, most dogs usually outgrow this behavior as they grow up. However, factors like separation anxiety and fear from past punishments can make things worse and make it harder for dogs to grow out of this behavior. Improper or incomplete training also slows down the process.
Scent marking
When your dog wants to mark its territory, it can pee on you. This is meant to signal to other dogs that they should stay away. Interestingly, urine marking is more common in male dogs than in female ones. Beyond that, the amount of pee that dogs release during scent marking is less than what they would usually release.
If you find your dog doing this during the day, you may even notice that it has to raise its leg to do this. Keep in mind, though – this behavior is never unprompted. It is usually a sign that your dog feels threatened. Other territorial behaviors in dogs include scent marking the entire home and fighting with other dogs.
Urinary incontinence
Sometimes, your dog may pee on you while sleeping simply because they can’t effectively hold their urine in. This condition is known as urinary incontinence and is commonly caused by aging. After all, the older your dog gets, the more muscle mass it can lose around its bladder, making holding pee harder.
Urinary incontinence can also be caused by nerve/spinal injuries and neurological disorders. Other symptoms that can come with this condition and its causes include excessive water consumption, blood in urine, and pain during urination.
Disease
When your dog gets sick, it can start peeing on you, whether you’re asleep or awake. This is because some diseases can make your dog clingier and have less control of its bladder. Some of them can even affect your dog’s mobility, making it harder for them to get to their peeing spots on time.
Common diseases that can lead to such peeing accidents include kidney disease, kidney stones, urinary tract infections, and prostate disorders. Other health issues like hormonal imbalance can also make your dog more likely to pee on you.
Poor house training
Sometimes, your dog’s propensity to pee on you while you’re asleep is caused by the lack of house training. They may just not know where to pee and how to signal to you that they want to pee. This is particularly common among newly adopted dogs, even older ones.
Apart from peeing on you, dogs that aren’t house-trained will also pee in other parts of your home. You may even find them running around the backyard in a panic, trying to find a spot for them to pee.
Emotional overload
Another common reason that your dog would pee on you is that they are emotionally overloaded. This means they could be scared, anxious, nervous, or excited. Generally, such powerful emotions can hinder your dog’s ability to control its bladder. This is common in young dogs, particularly when they are excited.
Other signs of excitement in dogs are jumping, tail wagging, and licking. On the other hand, shaking, whimpering, and cowering are usually signs of fear or anxiety in dogs. However, properly trained dogs are less likely to be overwhelmed with their emotions than untrained ones.
Should I punish my dog?
No, you shouldn’t punish your dog for peeing on you while you sleep. Believe it or not, punishing your dog for this behavior can actually reinforce it. In fact, some dogs even start participating in submissive urination as a way to avoid punishment. They think that by peeing on you, they are recognizing you as their leader and therefore appeasing your anger.
Another reason not to punish your dog for peeing on you is the fact that it can increase their anxiety and fear. This makes it hard for them to stop peeing on you, even if they want to. And if they do manage to stop, they may still end up peeing in other parts of the house that you don’t want them to.
To make matters worse, heightened anxiety and fear can make your dog hide from you. This will make it difficult for you to find out whether its bladder control issues are caused by a disease or any other medical condition. It’s also difficult to train a dog that’s constantly hiding from you.
What should I do to make sure this doesn’t happen again?
There are several things you can do to ensure that your dog never pees on you as you sleep or even when you’re awake. For one, you need to ensure that your home is calm and safe. This will protect your dog from emotional overload. You can do this by reducing the occurrence of sudden loud noises and not scolding them, even when they do something wrong.
If your dog is hyperactive or struggles with anxiety, you can take things a step further and get them some calming supplements. Another thing you can do to keep your dog from peeing on you is house training them. Keep in mind, though – you may have to use puppy pads for your dog to use while you’re still training them. This is particularly important if your dog spends a lot of time indoors.
If you notice that a confident and successfully-trained dog still pees on you, though, you need to take them to the vet. This ensures that any disease they may have is diagnosed and treated early. If the vet finds out that your dog has a urinary tract infection or a kidney disease, they may prescribe some supplements or a change in diet. Either way, you will have a big role to play in the recovery of your dog.
Conclusion
When it comes down to it, the fact that your dog peed on you while you were sleeping isn’t shocking or unique. This is something that happens to many people who have dogs, especially when they are young, untrained, and constantly overwhelmed. So unless your dog presents other symptoms that indicate that they are sick, you can easily train them out of the behavior. If you’re worried about your dog, though, don’t hesitate to take them to the vet – they can easily identify what you can’t.
