I have a (I think) 10yo, 8lb Pomeranian. I adopted him almost 11 years ago from a shelter and they told me he was six months old. He’s been with me 90% of the time, except when I’ve traveled longer distances and he stayed with other friends or family. He started peeing (and sometimes pooping) on my bed from the very beginning. No matter how much I took him out or how long I was gone, he’d pee on my bed if he could get into my room. He usually does it in the middle through several layers of bedding. It’s embarrassing and a nightmare to clean up. I lived on a boat when I first adopted him, and now I don’t have traditional doors to keep him out. He’s torn apart anything I’ve tried to keep him out. It’s impossible to keep him out of my bedroom. He almost never does it in front of me, and will sneak away when I’m not looking or do it when I’m not home. It feels personal, TBH. I’m at my wits end. It ruins my whole day when I come home to a pee-soaked bed AGAIN. I’ve spent so much money on this. I’ve had his blood and urine tested multiple times, and they’ve always come back negative. Nothing wrong physically, it’s behavioral. I’ve tried discipline and rewards. I’ve tried crating him or tying him up while I’m gone, but he gets so upset and stressed that it stresses me out too, so I don’t like doing it. Doggie diapers didn’t work either; he’d rip them off or pee through them. I get so upset when this happens that I don’t even want to look at him. Other than wrapping my bed in plastic, please tell me what my other options are. He’s a great dog 90% of the time, but I feel like a failure every time this happens, and I just cannot take any more.
Our giant greyhound does this from time to time so thank your lucky stars your dog isn’t larger. Ours does this when he’s nervous or has excess energy to burn off. He builds a nest and digs the bed, and outside, he pees in holes he digs, so we figure it’s similar behavior.
Yeah, it sounds like he may be dealing with anxiety or excess energy while you’re out. With no way to redirect it, he falls back on this behavior. Crate training might be an option while you’re away. Any enrichment you can provide is a good way to help burn off that energy too. Lick mats, puzzle feeders, fetch machines, stuff like that. I really think you would benefit from having a behaviorist come into your home to see the situation for themselves. There could be any number of factors contributing to this possible anxiety, and advice from the internet only goes so far.
@Lyle
I’ve tried crating him, but it seems to stress him out too much. I just don’t want to put him through that.
My dog does something similar to this, and I do have a background in dog behavior. My dog does it when I leave him alone on my bed. He’s a blind 7-pound Chihuahua who will be 13 on Friday. He does it because he hates being left alone. Other than that, you haven’t given much info about your dog’s personality or daily routine.
@Kiran
I guess I haven’t shared much about his personality. He’s usually pretty chill when I’m home but gets anxious when I leave.
You are not wrong to protect your bed with a waterproof tarp or something. If this is persistent behavior, you should definitely do that. Have you checked with a vet or a dog trainer?
At this point, he does it because he’s been doing it for 11 years. In the beginning, it was probably separation anxiety. Your bed smells like you, and he’s anxious so he goes there and pees. I see you’ve tried ways to keep him out of the bedroom. They have metal pet gates. I don’t think he can destroy those.
@Stevie
I haven’t tried metal gates yet. Maybe that could work. I’ll look into it.