Dog bed wetting - think of the causes!
Narrated from: Dog TrainingA common problem with dogs is wetting the bed during sleep. Quite often, this is attributed to a lapse in training. Many dogs are returned to animal shelters since they “can’t get housebroken”.
However, do not be rash in judging the dog. A lapse in the dog’s training is the most common reason for bed wetting – however, a more serious problem may be to blame. Dogs that are perfectly housebroken can develop this condition.
Puppy issues
If you are training a puppy that keeps soiling its bed, before you get angry stop and consider the reasons behind this failure. A puppy that has been raised in unsanitary conditions just wouldn’t develop intolerance towards filth: in short, the puppy is not at fault here. The puppy probably had a hard time growing up in miserable conditions – so, you have to be patient and should try to teach the puppy not to tolerate lying in his/her own dirt!
A housebroken puppy might also start to wet the bed – and the reason won’t be a lapse of discipline. Puppies shouldn’t “hold it” for too long! A three month old puppy, for instance, should go to the toilet every four hours. So, if you have trained the puppy to hold it, but don’t take the puppy to the toilet often enough, then physical necessity will lead to nighttime bed wetting.
Health issues
If a housebroken dog develops this problem, then perhaps the dog has a health problem.
The best thing to do is to go to the vet. Usually bed wetting occurs when your dog grows older or after the dog has suffered physical trauma. Bed wetting is quite likely to occur in an older, spayed bitch – the dog just can’t control its bladder!
Risks and treatment
Bed wetting has its drawbacks, though it might seem a minor problem. The least of your worries is that you have to clean up after the dog every day. A more serious problem is that the dog sleeps in its own urine. As result, the dog could develop different kinds of skin infections. Furthermore – a dog doesn’t enjoy sleeping in its own urine any more than you would!
If bed wetting is just a behavior problem, you should just look for an appropriate training therapy. The faster you apply it, the more trouble and discomfort you will save to both you and your dog.
However, the problem might be due to a health problem that can’t be resolved. Fret not – there is a simple solution. It will be sort of humiliating for a grown dog, but you have no choice - you will have to use a diaper. There are different kinds of diaper suitable for your dog – you could even use regular baby diapers, but they tend to fall off the dog very quickly.
If you are not keen on the diaper idea and all other alternatives are exhausted, then you are faced with two choices. First, you could take care for the dog with patience and good will, cleaning after it every single day – you will have to, otherwise your dog will develop additional health problems.
The other alternative is to kick your loyal companion into the street.
Not much of a choice here…
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