One of the most problematic behaviors of dogs is peeing where they shouldn't. This situation is usually quite stressful for many owners, so much so that unfortunately this is one of the main reasons for abandonment.
It is possible that some dogs pee only at night, which may surprise those people who have trained their dog to relieve themselves correctly during the day. If this is your case, you are probably wondering why your dog pees at home at night and, on our site, we want to explain the possible causes and solutions to this problem.
Why does my dog pee in the house at night?
If every day you wake up with a pee from your dog somewhere in the house, surely you have been desperate thinking that you cannot correct this behavior, since obviously you cannot stay awake waiting to see what's going on. However, this problem is most likely caused by one of the following reasons:
Not walking enough
One of the main reasons why dogs urinate indoors at night is because they don't have the option to do it outside It's In other words, you may take your dog out twice a day, morning and noon for example, and therefore, he spends too many hours locked up at home and has to put up with his urge to urinate throughout the afternoon and night.
You don't have a clear routine
Dogs are creatures of habit and, for this reason, they know when they are out for a walk and wait until they can pee outside the house right now. On the contrary, inconsistency in the walking schedule can create confusion, so that you cannot anticipate when and where to relieve yourself.
You have learned wrong where to relieve yourself
In addition to the above causes, it is possible that your dog has learned to pee in a specific place in the house, such as a flower pot. For this reason, he does not see any inconvenience in doing it in this place, since in a certain way it is his "bathroom". So, if you notice that your dog pees in the same place every night, here's the answer.
Something bothers him at night
This cause could be more difficult to detect, since we cannot know what happens during the night while we sleep. But it is possible that during these hours, something happens that generates a state of nerves in the animal and, as a consequence, makes it lose control of its urinary sphincters. As an example, it could happen that there are cat fights at night, wild boars or other animals walking next to the house (if you live in the countryside) and even that the garbage truck passes first thing in the morning, and this upset your furry, which remains alert to these elements. In these cases, it is possible that, in addition to observing that your dog urinates at home at night, you notice other unwanted behaviors, such as barking or destruction of household objects.
You don't have a comfortable space
It could be the case that this state of nerves is a consequence of locking him up at night in a room in which he is not used toand, therefore, he is not comfortable, which causes him a lot of stress. Also, the fact that you leave your dog in a separate room from yours, and he is very attached to you, results in separation anxiety that will also lead to other problem behaviors, as in the previous case.
In these cases, in which you have suddenly decided to keep your dog in another room to sleep, it is normal to observe that the dog urinates in the house at night when it did not do so before.
He alth problems and old age
The reason your dog only pees at night could be organic. That is to say, that he suffers from some pathology or urinary incontinence due to old age, which makes it difficult for him to spend many hours without urinating. So, if your dog is older and pees in the house at night, go to the vet to have him examined.
My puppy pees and poops at home at night
In case your dog is still a puppy, it is natural that he has not yet learned to relieve himself correctly. Each puppy has its own learning pace, so you should avoid getting desperate and be understanding with him.
It is even likely that, even if you try to take him out for a walk often during the day and you have left him within his reach a pad or newspaper in which he has learned to pee and poop, he will continue to do so in an inappropriate place. This is due to the fact that as a puppy he still does not control his sphincters at all, especially in situations in which he is afraid, nervous or happy. For this reason, if for example he has not yet been taught or prepared to spend a lot of time alone and at night you lock him in a separate room, it is possible that being alone he feels insecure and urinates and poop everywhere. He thinks that being small he is used to sleeping in the company of his brothers and his mother, which makes him feel protected. In this sense, an early separation can also be harmful. Keep in mind that puppies begin the period of socialization with their mother and siblings and it is his mother who gives him his first life lessons. For this reason, puppies separated prematurely tend to develop certain behavior problems.
What to do if my dog urinates in the house at night?
Despite the difficulty that it often represents to solve this problem, the truth is that you can take different actions to prevent your dog from peeing in the house at night.
Establish a walking routine
As we have mentioned, the lack of a walking routine can be the reason why your dog pees in the house at night, as well as the poor distribution of the hours of walking throughout the day. We advise, then, that you take your dog out for a walk frequently and always at the same times; ideally about 3 times a day and at least half an hour per walk.
In addition, the walks should be distributed throughout the day, that is, morning, noon and, above all, at night, to give him the opportunity to pee before going to sleep. If it is impossible for you to frequent the walk so much, we recommend asking a third person for help or doing 2 long walks (one hour each) and overcome the laziness of taking it out a few minutes before going to sleepso you can urinate away from home and therefore don't have to wait until the next morning.
Discover how to walk your dog correctly in this article.
Give him adequate exercise
It is common to see dogs that have behavior problems due to excess energy. They do not get enough daily exercise that their bodies and minds need and this triggers a general state of discomfort and nerves, which leads to problems such as urinating at night, since they have not been tired during the day. For this reason, you need to know what your dog's specific needs are. If he is from an active breed, for example, he will need more activity.
Establish, as we have mentioned, a walk routine consistent with their needs, as well as games and activities that are cognitively demanding (games of smell, obedience exercises…), in order to have a he althy and balanced dog.
Use a urine product
If your dog has some favorite objects or places to pee inside the house, you will most likely need to remove the smell of urineusing a specific enzyme product, easily available in pet stores. Eliminating the odor will prevent your dog from urinating again, since that space will not be associated with peeing.
Enzymatic products are those free of bleach and ammonia. Both bleach and ammonia are products that encourage the animal to urinate again in the disinfected area because dog urine contains ammonia. So, no matter how much you clean that piece of furniture or that object, you will always leave that trail that will encourage your dog to mark again.
If you can't find these products, check out this article: "How to get rid of dog urine smell?"
Offer him a space where he feels protected
If your dog urinates inside the house at night due to separation anxiety or because he is upset because something is keeping him on alert, you will need to prepare a space for him to sit comfortable and protected. To do this, you must:
- Find an area of the home that is away from any source of noise or other elements that may stress your animal.
- Leave him in this space everything he needs to that his needs are covered: food and water, a bed, toys to entertain himself with (especially interactive and that may contain prizes), etc.
- We also recommend placing a pheromone diffuser on it, as it will be of great help to calm it down. Pheromones are substances that these animals secrete naturally to emit certain messages. Synthetic pheromones mimic natural ones, so when they are detected, they transmit calm, security and well-being to the animal.
- You can also leave him something of yours that contains your scent to make him feel more secure.
- You shouldn't leave him in this place alone at night, but during the day you will have to gradually get him used to this place. Leave it for a short time and progressively the time increases, always accompanied this process with prizes, food and toys. In this way, he will learn that this space is his refuge and not a place in which he is confined.
If your dog has separation anxiety, it is best to solve this problem at the root by going to a veterinarian specialized in ethology.
Go to the vet
Finally, if your dog has started this behavior suddenly or is already old, you should take him to the vet as soon as possible. It is likely that urinary incontinence is a consequence of age or some pathology, which may or may not have a solution.
If this is your case, that is, your dog for organic reasons cannot last the whole night without peeing, it will be necessary to educate him to to relieve himself in a pad or a tray for pee, showing him where he is and taking him to this area every time you see that he wants to pee, and then reward him effusively every time he does it well (through food, praise or caresses). In this way, despite not being the ideal solution, you will minimize the problem.
