Generally, almost every dog pees at night and it should not worry you. However, the frequency can be alarming and call for special attention. Have you noticed your dog peeing a lot at night? Dogs usually pee less at night as they are less active. If the dog pees more frequently at night than during the day, there must be an issue. Usually, it is nothing to be worried about, but it might require medical attention in some cases.
For puppies, it is normal to pee frequently at night. Some breeds, like the toy breed, might even take longer until they can hold it overnight. To help you understand the reasons your dog pees at night, we have prepared a detailed article covering this topic and many others why your dog pees in the house at night and how to stop it. Continue reading to get more insight into this topic.
Why Is My Dog Peeing At Night?
It is a puppy
Do you have a puppy or an adult dog? If your dog is a puppy, it is likely to pee frequently at night. This is because their bladder has not fully developed and is unable to hold the urine for long. It is like having small babies where you have to wake up at night to change diapers. Thus, it is a matter of offering quality training and being patient and incorporating some training.
Usually, it takes about sixteen weeks for puppies to stop urinating at night. However, for some breeds, it might take longer. If your puppy is of the toy breed, it is likely to take more months before they can hold their urine till dawn. Be patient and wake up at night to let them go potty; otherwise, they will mess your house.
Medical problem
Numerous health conditions may lead to increased peeing. If your dog has such a medical problem, it might also be peeing more during the day. One of those medical issues includes urinary infections. This disease causes the dog to urinate frequently but in small amounts. You might even notice blood in the urine.
Other health conditions that might cause this problem include kidney disease, hypercalcemia, and diabetes mellitus. They cause excessive thirst thus, triggering frequent urination. Further, some medications can be a contributing factor. For instance, if your dog is on steroids like prednisone, get thirsty quickly, drink a lot and urinate more.
Old Age
If you have an old dog that urinates in the house at night, it might develop canine cognitive dysfunction. This health problem associated with old age causes confusion and house soiling at night.
Overstimulation during daytime
What does your dog do all day? If your dog spends all day playing outside, it might get excited and forget potty time. Thus, if the only time it gets to relax is at night, it will immediately feel the urge to pee. Besides, spending too much time in public can cause inconveniences for the dog. Dogs are very private animals and will not potty in a distractive environment. Are you spending lots of time at the park during the day? Create some potty break. This will ensure that your dog pees before getting home in the evening.
Why Is My Dog Peeing On The Bed At Night?
Health problem
When your dog starts to wet his bed, the first thing that comes to mind is that he is sick. You might be right, as numerous health problems can cause your dog to pee on the bed. The common health issue is usually tract infection and bladder stones.
Tract urinary infection
The urinary tract infection causes excess thirst, leading to the dog peeing more frequently. If at night, it is unable to wake up, it will wet the bed. In such a situation, the dog is unaware of its action and punishing it will not solve the problem. Instead, please take it to the vet for examination and get the right medication to treat the condition.
Kidney diseases/diabetes
Drinking a lot of water is one of the signs your dog is suffering from kidney disease. The problem makes your dog weak, disoriented and means there are increased chances of small incidents around the house or in bed. Also, dogs suffering from diabetes experience excessive thirst, resulting in frequent urination. Despite your dog having proper house training, it can start having small accidents.
Bladder stone/ prostrate disorder
When your dog is suffering from bladder stones, they may start leaking. This is because the disease prevents the free flow of urine. The issue of prostate disorder can result in incontinences. Dogs that have previously been neutered are likely to develop this health complication as they age. The best part is that it can be treated through medication or castration.
Spinal cord diseases
If your dog is suffering from spinal cord disease, it may lead to small incidences. This health condition affects mobility and lessens the senses resulting in incontinence. Have you noticed your dog having mobility issues and wetting the bed? It might be having spinal cord disease. Take your dog to the vet for a checkup to determine if the problem is a degenerative disease or other health complication and offer the necessary treatment.
Stress, anxiety and fear
This is an emotional-related problem. Emotional distress can result in an accident happening. In this situation, you will realize that your dog wets the bed when fully awake. There are some situations, people, or things that can result in an emotionally distressed dog. For instance, you have many guests in the house, and your dog is not used to new and many faces, it might feel anxious, fearful and overly stressed, resulting in wetting the bed. This may happen mostly during the day.
However, if you have noticed your dog wetting the bed at night, there might be a new pet in the house, making it fearful and anxious. It might also be that you have moved to a new house and it is stressed about the new environment and does not want to go out the potty. All this emotional distress can cause your dog to have some urinary incidences in their bed at night.
Marking
Marking is something that dogs usually do out of instinct. You might find your dog peeing at different locations around the house. This is to inform other dogs that that is its territory, and they are not supposed to intrude.
Also, when you bring a new pet to the house, the dog may feel territorial. It can start by peeing on the bed to ensure that no other pet sleeps in that area. This can be confusing, especially if you sleep with your dog and suddenly it starts wetting the bed.
Dogs don’t mess their sleeping area, they try to keep it clean as much as possible. However, to protect its territory, it is willing to go to the extreme ends, including wetting the bed. In such situations, it is essential to train the other pet not to sleep in the dog’s space and that way, and it will feel confident and stop wetting the bed.
Why Is My Dog Suddenly Peeing In The House At Night?
Lack of potty bread during daytime
What does your dog do all day long? One of the reasons your dog might be peeing in the house at night is that it does not have time for potty during the day. Maybe you should have a full day laid out with activities and no breaks. If your dog does not get time to put it in, it will end up being peen in the house at night.
Also, it might be used for potting at specific locations where it feels safe and confident. If you do not take it to those spots a few times a day, it will hold its urine throughout the day and pee at night in the house. You want your dog to be active during the day with various activities and establish some areas in the park or training space where it can feel free to go potting. Also, in the evening, before getting to the house, take it to its potting space, especially if it you have no time to do so during the day.
No clear routine set
Dogs are habitual animals. Even after intensive training, if you do not make habits, it will keep messing up your house from time to time. It needs to master its walking time, training time, potty time and sleeping time. If there is a clear schedule, it will always wait until daybreak to go out and pee. However, if the routing is messed up as you keep changing it, it will be challenging for the dog to keep up and end up urinating in the house.
Fear and anxiety
What happens before and after the dog pees in the house? Are there environmental changes such as many guests sleeping over, introducing a new pet, or thunder outside? These are some of the factors that could make the dog uncomfortable, resulting in it peeing in the house at night.
When it is raining heavily, your dog might fear going outside and end up messing with your house. Also, guests and another pet can create anxiety, contributing to the dog peeing in the house at night. Before disciplining your dog, it is essential to understand the cause of its sudden change of behavior. In this case, you can eliminate elements contributing to anxiety and fear.
Separation anxiety
Do you leave your dog alone overnight? Your dog can develop separation anxiety when left alone for too long as it feels abandoned. It can also feel trapped if left alone locked in a room. Such a feeling could be a contributing factor to its change of behavior. If you have a night shift or go out for a while to have a dog sitter come over and look after your dog while you are gone. Your dog will have some company and can go out for potting without fear. This can prevent small accidents from happening.
Health problems
If your dog suddenly starts peeing in the house at night, it might have some health issues. The common one is urinary tract infection. The infection prevents the dog from holding urine for too long without urinating. As such, it becomes challenging for your dog to hold the urine till morning. Other health issues include urinary incontinence, diabetes and kidney stones, among others. All these health problems can be addressed by medication or simple surgery. Please take it to the vet immediately you observe the change in behavior for proper diagnosis.
How Do I Get My Dog To Stop Peeing In The House At Night?
The solution depends on the nature of the problem. After understanding the reason why it pees in the house at night, it will be easy to establish the course of action. Avert the sudden change of behavior in your dog by following these tips.
Offer Proper training
Your dog might be peeing in your house because it was not trained to go out at night. Retraining your dog is the answer in this case. Let it understand that at all times, whether during the day or night, there is a specific place for potting.
Establish consistent potty breaks
Dogs love routine, and inconsistencies confuse them. It would help if you created potty breaks, make sure they all follow a particular trend and follow strictly every day irrespective of where they are.
Take it to the vet
If it is a medical problem, it is best if the veterinarian checks it for proper diagnosis and treatment. The doctor will issue some medication, and on rear cases, it may require operations. After that, this behavior of peeing in the house at night will stop.
Clean the spots thoroughly
If the dog pees in the house as a way of marking its territory, you can use strong scented detergents and disinfectant to eliminate the smell. This will discourage your dog from peeing on the same spot all the time.
How Long Can A Dog Hold Its Bladder Overnight?
Generally, a dog can hold urine for a maximum of 8 to 10 hours per day. However, some factors are affecting the length your dog can hold urine till dawn.
Age
Age is one of the primary determinants of how long the dog can hold urine overnight. Puppies can hold between 1 to 3 hours, the young adult holding period is between 8 and 10 hours, while the elderly dogs are between 2 to 4 hours.
Size
A small or toy breed dog has a tiny bladder. Thus, they will pee several times overnight compared to larger ones who can hold their urine for about 8 hours.
Health
If your dog is having health issues like urinary tract infection, it will not hold urine overnight. It might leak or completely urinate in the house.
Diet
The diet food you feed your dog plays a significant role in promoting a healthy urinary tract. For instance, most balanced diet food can increase the frequency of urination. While such a wet diet is encouraged to promote digestion, it is essential to note that it contributes to frequent urination.