Okami is perfectly potty trained. She does not have a uti, there is nothing medically wrong with her in anyway. I take her outside very often, and before we chill out in the bed, I take her outside.

I enzyme clean my bed everytime she does this. I am about to tear my damn hair out! She loves laying in bed with me, I love her laying in bed with me.

Everytime I notice, her ears go back and she anticipates dicipline, which is me sternly saiying bad dog, don't pee on my bed! Which I then take her outside and then she has to sit in her crate the rest of the night.

What else can I do? This is driving me nuts!

So, in reality, she is not perfectly potty trained.   Or , if you are catching her doing it then your aversive is not strong enough to deter her from doing it.

It's either one or the other, or both simultaneously.

How often does it happen?

Often. If I let her every on my bed every night for a week, she on average would do it 3-4 times that week. She does not pee anywhere else in the house, or her crates. Just my bed. In fact, she normally lets me know when she has to go. When it is from my bed, she does it while laying down.

It is probably my repremanding isn't strong enough, though she knows full well why I am upset.

So wait, she isn't standing and squatting and peeing, it just comes out of her while she is laying down sleeping?

Laying down, yes. No standing up, not sleeping, just does it while laying down, head up or down, but never sleeping. Then I feel wetness. The second she realizes that I notice, her ears go back and she gets this look of guilt or shame, and I sternly say ,"Bad dog, no potty on the bed!" Then as I said, I take her out so she can finish and she has to stay in her room the rest of the night. This thread I made is post this situation happening shortly before I typed it. She continuously looks guilty in her crate, all the way up until she falls asleep.

Dogs don't know guilt. Guilt requires self reflection and connecting events is a logical manner. That's fear she's showing, fear of your reactions. It's based in emotions.

Well, perhaps part of the reason your discipline isn't working because she is "peeing" while laying down, which is extremely odd and unusual. I can't help but think that's something medically related or physiologically wrong.

Corrections only work for behavior. Perhaps, this is not a behavior, in the normal sense.

Does your vet have any input about this?

I do know that dogs don't feel guilt, I read a study that shows it is them "awaiting discipline or reprmand" which is what I stated in the first post. I only said she looks guilty, to explain what it looks like, but I know that isn't what it is.

This is the first I am reaching out about it for insight, I will be discussing it with my vet. I did think it is highly unusual that she is doing it while laying down, but even more odd that my bed is the only place it happens. I have been thinking back, and I wondered if it has to do with any changes, but everything has been the same since it has started. Okami and I are pretty bonded, I don't think there is any reason she would be afraid to sit on the bed with me, in fact she asks me to sit on the bed. And she always makes a point to sit right next to me or at least rest her head on me. I really hope it isn't something psychological... she has never shown any signs in any way that would suggest it for anything else. I have a set routine with her, and as I said there hasn't been any changes in it for a long while.

Wake up at 7:00am go outside and then I help get the kiddo ready for school. Put kiddo on the bus, then I take Okami for a walk. Then I go take a nap (not a morning person)

At about 11am I get up and let her out to go outside, then we horse around in the living room with toys and what not...

About 3:30 outside again, then we horse around some more.

6:30 has been me sledding her then a walk, but now that the ice is melting I started biking again then a walk.

9:30 outside again, then once more at about midnight...

The 9:30 is the one that I'd let her up on the bed after we come back in, and hardly 15 minutes later in tonights case she peed on the bed.
I've trie giving the situation the benefit of the doubt when it first started happening. Maybe she didn't pee all the way, maybe it is a uti... She had a recent visit and negative for uti. And all around healthy, other than her ear infection, which has been taken care of. I am out of my depth with this and I was just hoping posting here might bring up similar experiences or thoughts... but rest assured, I will talk to the vet.

I'm not savvy enough on medical stuff to wonder about anything specific beyond a UTI, but I'm willing to bet there are other possible reasons for unintended urination.

Based on all that you've said it sounds like she isn't peeing, just uncontrollably urinating.

Has she been on a steroid for her ear infection? Or does this go back well before any medications for that? Steroids can cause excessive urination, which is why I ask.

Urinary incontinence is another possibility but I think that would show itself in other places other than on the bed.

I would discuss with the vet and see what they say since it's just in one area and she's laying down. It seems like a very odd thing for her to be doing.

Aside from the vet trip, you might try making the bed off limits temporarily and see if it surfaces elsewhere in the house. That way, you could tell if its something related to the bed specifically, or if its an incontinence issue. I'd also start keeping track (a log maybe) of when it happens, if you can find a pattern, that will not only help your vet, but it might help you uncover something you're not thinking of.

I was gonna suggest off limits for the bed too, but sometimes I don't like being mean, believe it or not.

Called the vet and asked if her ear meds had a steroid, and no. I set up an appointment to talk about this. Thanks for your thoughts and help everyone.

Oh and this has been happening since before the meds.

well you can definitely test to see if it's something context related or physiological by keeping her off the bed for a while

Female marking?

Submissive/Excitement Urination

Your dog might have a submissive or excitement urination problem if he only urinates during greetings, play, physical contact, scolding or punishment. If this is the case, you might notice him displaying submissive postures during interactions. He might cringe or cower, roll over on his belly, duck his head, avert his eyes, flatten his ears or all of the above. For more information about submissive or excitement urination, please see our article, Submissive Urinati

from http://www.aspca.org/pet-care/virtual-pet-behaviorist/dog-behavior/urine-marking-dogs

Don't know about the laying down part - perhaps a structural abnormality that is only triggered while in a soft surface like the bed?  Maybe an excitement piddle in response to cuddle time with Mom?

Another quote: 3. A particular human scent can trigger urination on the bed. It could be a guest to the home, some sort of bodily discharge, a woman’s pregnancy, a baby in diapers, a new family member, or other human change the dog has detected. People tend to think of a dog marking a scent as being “jealous,” “spiteful” or in some way “mad.” It’s much more likely that the dog is extending his (or her) protection over a new situation. The vinegar treatment tends to discourage the dog from doing it again. A break from bed privileges may also be indicated, especially if it happens more than once or twice.

From: http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?A=2456

If it were me, however, it would be a cold day in hell before she came back in the bed - maybe another place for you two to cuddle?

Thanks Amy. That is some good insight and some things to think over. I will give it a break from the bed. She likes to cuddle with me in my blue recliner and the couch... she never pees on those.

from the quick reading I did, 2 distinct possibilities occur

the first of which, I alluded to already - that she may have some structural abnormality that, when laying in a human bed, particularly if it is soft or old and saggy (or like mine, a memory foam mattress, which is gonna' have to go, I think - for us old folks, it is like trying to move in a bowl of jello!) may cause a temporary incontinence

or, more to what I am thinking, odors only a dog can smell - sex, diapers (how old are your kids?  probably not, I think they (or she) is older?), menstrual mishap (sooooo..o o o glad those days are lonnnng gone )

or even, maybe even though she enjoys the cuddling, something about it makes her anxious?  Ami is really funny that way - sometimes I swear he is standing, waiting for me to come pet/cuddle with him on the sunroom chair.  Yet, once I am in there, unless I am standing up and stroking his ears, he is the picture of consternation if I sit on the ottoman with him...yet he sighs in contentment, too while I pet him.  Persnickety dog.

Edit: ok, that was 3 possibilities.

Okami does show the typical husky behaviors to getting attention. Cringes, bows her head down, looses eye contact. But the second I stop, she reaches in and punches me to pet her more... weird dog. She likes attention on her terms, she will be perfectly fine if I leave her be though, which is normally what I do, and she just cuddles up to me or husky curls very near by, or rolls up on her back sunny sibe up. But the cringing and bowing of her head etcetera, could be a sign of why she is doing it? However she shows these signs no matter what setting we are in, and as I said we have no problems elsewhere.

It could be scents. My daughter is too old for diapers and she was out of them even before we got Okami. So that isn't the case. It might be sex.. but that generally doesn't always happen on the bed. Menstrual mishap doesn't really happen to me very often.. I don't sleep long enough for it to ever happen.

If I am not petting her or giving her attention and just let her be, she shows no signs of her ears going back, or cringing or anything like that... she just looks like a normal happy husky and then... bloop pee on the bed. So it happens regardless if I am petting her or not.

Our mattress is fairly new, so I don't think age of it has much to do with it... I really have enzyme cleaned and with vinegar every time it has happened... maybe more seeped down to where I can't clean and she still smells her pee?

I'm "idea'd" out - do I remember correctly, Okami had an incomplete spay?

No, her spay was complete. Nothing went wrong, and everything is just fine in that department.

lillith87 wrote:

No, her spay was complete. Nothing went wrong, and everything is just fine in that department.

Oops, wrong dog, sorry.

You're fine. lol.

I just hope that the vet can think of something when I go in. It really has to stop and I don't want anything to be wrong with the fuzz butt anyways.

amymeme wrote:

I'm "idea'd" out - do I remember correctly, Okami had an incomplete spay?

That's Renee's dog, Miya.

Hey it's me with the other messed up husky, lol........Lucy, like the others said consult your regular vet. I'm leaning with what Amy has said, awkward position on a not so firm spot; maybe in the way she is laying on a soft bed, pushes on her bladder. Because the bed is larger than a couch she lays differently. Just my theory, but I would speak to the vet. You have my sympathies. Keep us posted. I agree also don't let her back up on the bed, until you figure out what is going on. I also think you may want to check both sides of the mattress, and maybe invest in a waterproof padding to protect your mattress, just in case she decides she has to be on the bed.

ETA: Lucy, are you paying 100% attention to her? I ask because, Miya will lick a spot on the couch until it is so wet, it appears like she peed there, I know she is licking, I've seen her do it. Plus the first time I discovered it, I smelt it to see if it was pee and no smell. So could it be possible that she is licking and not peeing?

I was going to say same as Renee. Two of my dogs drool some when they lay down and I learned I had to watch them closely to be able to tell the difference.

Like others mentioned, the laying down part is more what makes it a vet conversation. Usually they go to the bathroom normally if it is potty training issue (i.e. standing up) and I think that is the case with marking. One of my male dogs was dribbling some and it ended up being UTI, but vet said sometimes the muscles don't hold the urine in. Though I believe it was more common with males and definitely more common in old age.