It's an instinctual, physical response called submissive urination, and it's normal in young dogs. Submissive urination typically happens whenever a dog feels excited, shy, anxious, or scared. It also happens when a dog wants to acknowledge another's dominance — like recognizing you as their owner.
Sometimes dogs use urine to mark objects, including your bed. Studies have shown dogs don't mark to claim territory, it's more like graffiti that says, “I was here.” So, they aren't telling you the bed belongs to them but are more likely adding their scent to a communal space.
The first thing to do when a previously house trained dog begins urinating or defecating inside is to rule out any medical problems. Urinary tract infections, cystitis (bladder inflammation), bladder stones, kidney disease, or arthritis or age-related incontinence could all be causes of house soiling in dogs.
Your dog may pee unnecessarily in an attempt to catch your attention if there are any changes in your family's life. At the same time, most experts classify this type of peeing as territory-marking. Also, you can expect some sort of attention-seeking peeing if you bring home a new pet.
Urination accompanied by submissive behavior is known as submissive urination. The underlying cause of submissive urination is fear. A number of triggers such as a person approaching, punishment, scolding, and a deep and loud voice can cause dogs of any age to urinate submissively.
Don't punish your puppy for eliminating in the house. If you find a soiled area, just clean it up. Rubbing your puppy's nose in it, taking them to the spot and scolding them or any other punishment will only make them afraid of you or afraid to eliminate in your presence.
Your dog would pee on the rug if it's suffering from certain diseases, urinary tract infections, bladder dysfunction, or some other health abnormalities. Some dogs experience hormonal changes, while some old female dogs lose estrogen as they age.
Baking soda naturally neutralizes odors. Sprinkle it liberally on the damp area or even an old urine stain, and work the powder gently into the fibers of any fabric, rug or carpet. Let the baking soda sit overnight for maximum odor absorption, then vacuum it up to remove the smell completely.
In a clean spray bottle, mix one cup of distilled white vinegar with one cup of water and 2 teaspoons of baking soda. Shake it up to mix the ingredients, and then spray on the stain. Let it sit for a few minutes, and then blot with towels until clean.
Reward him for urinating outdoors, but do not punish him for urination inappropriately. If you catch your dog in the act of peeing in the bed or somewhere else inappropriate, interrupt him with "uh oh" or "no," then immediately bring him outside to finish.
Dogs in their natural wild state are not used to peeing or defecating where they sleep. Even for a domestic dog, it is quite rare to find a dog that urinates where he sleeps. If he can roam into the yard, he will defecate outside and then go back to his kennel or sleeping mat to sleep.
Your dog could be leaving his scent in your sheets for several reasons. He might have a medical condition, be anxious, excited, or nervous, not be properly house trained, marking, or just like your scent. Medical conditions like diabetes and urinary tract infections increase the need to urinate.
When you clean or treat the spot, it may seem like the urine is gone because the stain and odor disappear. But the urine salts are still there. In their dry state, urine salts have no odor. But when it gets damp or humid, moisture reactivates the crystals and urine odor comes back – with a vengeance.
If your pet's pee is bright or dark yellow, it is most likely due to dehydration or other issues with the kidneys. It could be caused by a lack of adequate drinking water or because of other medical conditions. If you notice that your pet's urine is bright or dark yellow, consult your veterinarian immediately.
Baking soda is a great way to soak up and neutralize dog pee smell. Sprinkle a liberal amount of baking soda over the wet area and let it sit overnight. The baking soda will absorb the moisture and help to neutralize the odor.
Inhalation of large quantities of ammonia causes immediate burning of the throat, respiratory tract and nose. As a person is exposed to larger or constant quantities of ammonia, he or she may start to feel lightheaded and faint. Excessive exposure to ammonia causes eye and skin irritation.
Not only will a vinegar and water solution eliminate urine odor if your dog has already peed on the rug, but it will also deter them from urinating on the same carpet again. The acidic smell of vinegar is known to repel dogs from peeing on area rugs as they do not like the smell of vinegar.
Dogs do not pee out of anger or when they get mad. Anger, or frustration, rather, in dogs can manifest in a whole host of unpleasant ways, but “anger pee” is not one of them. Dogs do, however, often pee from just being overstimulated or excited, which can sometimes be mistaken for “anger” by humans.
Stress and anxiety: Separation anxiety in dogs can also cause them to urinate when they are left alone. Anxiety is a medical issue that will need to be discussed with your vet. Excitement and fear: Some dogs pee indoors when they are approached by humans. Your dog may roll over on their back too.
Most dogs pee at the door out of submission or excitement. A young puppy, for example, may urinate at the door out of excitement because the muscle tone in her urethra (the tube that carries urine from the bladder to the outside) isn't fully developed.
So, while they can associate your reaction with the pee or item being in the room, they don't associate your reaction with the actual act of peeing or destroying said item. In other words, dogs don't feel guilt, they just know you are angry at them and they are feeling scared or anxious about it.
You can train away submissive peeing by doing the following: Ignore the behavior. When your dog submissively pees, pretend that it didn't happen for a few minutes. Scolding or praising at this point will only reinforce your dog's belief that he needs to submit to you by peeing.
The Root of the Behavior
The information they can gather from this single whiff is incredible. They know if it was a male or female dog. They can tell if the previous animal was ill, and can even detect whether or not they were stressed out!
For the best test results, vets prefer the sample to be between two and four hours old. However, if you can't collect the sample so close to your vet appointment, you can refrigerate it for up to 24 hours.