Peeing on the bed

[dmey]

I just close the door when I am not in the room, but whenever I go with him to somebody else's house he does the same thing. He finds any bed and pees on it!!!
I will check about the urinary infection, I dont think so, but I have been a little concerned with the amount of water he dirnks, he drinks a lot of water and I had read that basenjis dont drink that much water.

[nobarkus]

@dmey:

I just close the door when I am not in the room, but whenever I go with him to somebody else's house he does the same thing. He finds any bed and pees on it!!!
I will check about the urinary infection, I dont think so, but I have been a little concerned with the amount of water he dirnks, he drinks a lot of water and I had read that basenjis dont drink that much water.

Drinking a lot of water is a sign something may be up. How old is he? Was he tested for Fanconi? I would take him to the vet for a check up and get a urinalysis done. Full Blood panel wouldn't hurt either.

[sharronhurlbut]

Yes, this drinking a lot of water isn't IMO normal. Let us know what the vet says please.

[-ClarEmmKai-]

I believe he's trying to express his dominance and is marking "his" territory. I think they mark beds because we spend a lot of time in our beds and our bedding generally carries the most scent of their 'slaves.' Beds and couches are elevated high points and a great place to 'stay on top.' ….lol...no pun intended! :o

Kairoe, did that once, when he was about 6 months during the uplifting times when he started lifting his leg to mark everything vertical - including people's legs! We spoke to our breeder and she suggested to keep him away from all things vertical and to stop him from lifting his leg. We also kept him off the couches and all beds for about three weeks and realized that we had to be very tactful while doing so. We started to notice that he began resource guarding the bed or deemed these areas as play areas when commanded 'off'.

It takes a while...we started by leaving treats on his bed - next to ours, and his crate in the living room. We decided to not say anything to him while doing this as we did not want him to associate anything bad, but more for him to make the decision that his crate was a better alternative. So, when he would get the urge to jump on the couch or bed, we would either pick him up and put him on the floor or we would find ways to make his stay very uncomfortable like - placing our feet in the areas where he wanted to rest or claiming his general resting areas on the couch as ours.

I don't suggest this for people with slow reflexes but I would do really stupid things like suffocate him with a hug and blow in his ear while he was trying to rest, especially during the resource guarding stages, as I noticed he would mouth me or go for my face. We worked on this immensely with lots of praise and now his reaction is a kiss or a lick to my cheek and a jump down from the couch and into his den area underneath our coffee table.

We have to admit that we're happy that we nipped this issue in the butt during the early puppy stages because having to replace our bedding and taking the hour or two to fully eliminate the stain from our mattress was something I did not want to make a habit of.

Hope some of this info helped.

Emm

[dmey]

Thanks a lot for all the info. As far as the excessive drinking About how much water would you say is normal? I think he drinks a lot because I read they dont drink much. His water bowl is small however so I dont know. But sometimes, especially at night he will gulp down the entire thing and still want more. Its also very hot here so that may have something to do with it. Ive noticed that when he is in air conditioned room he doesnt drink that much water. He is 4 months old and his parents were checked, father clear, mother affected, so he cant have it. I will ask the vet for urine analysis and bloodwork.

[NerdyDogOwner]

@sharronhurlbut:

Yes, this drinking a lot of water isn't IMO normal. Let us know what the vet says please.

Depends on what he is eating. If it's kibble/dry food, then yes, they do drink a lot. Gizmo will wolf down tons of water when on kibble. But if I give him a raw diet, he will barely drink. Also they will drink a lot of water if you give them ox-skin bones.

[sharronhurlbut]

Do make sure the water bowl is big enough for him to drink all he wants and still have water left over. B's, well, all dogs should have a much water as they want.
I would still get him checked…just for your peace of mind, if nothing else.

[starrlamia]

definately have him vet checked.

How are you cleaning it up? Are you using an enzyme cleaner? if you dont then you cannot remove the smell completely which may make him do it more.

I would definately limit his space, close the bedroom door and do not let him in without supervision. I would probably also use an aversion technique, such as a can full of rocks to shake should you catch him in the act.

[NerdyDogOwner]

Why so much vet talk? Because of drinking water? Just how much are we talking about? All dmey said was "a lot"…what is a lot? 3-4 bowls of water?

Or does it just seem like he is drinking a lot since he "drinks" for a long time at once? ...it take a long time to drink by just lapping it in with your tongue like a dog does you know.

Gizmo will drink 1 bowl of water a day, maybe 1-2 on very active days. Heck, sometime he gulps it down so fast he pukes up a bit! It's perfectly normal....even I do that if I go to town on some drink!

[starrlamia]

@NerdyDogOwner:

Why so much vet talk? Because of drinking water? Just how much are we talking about? All dmey said was "a lot"…what is a lot? 3-4 bowls of water?

Or does it just seem like he is drinking a lot since he "drinks" for a long time at once? ...it take a long time to drink by just lapping it in with your tongue like a dog does you know.

Gizmo will drink 1 bowl of water a day, maybe 1-2 on very active days. Heck, sometime he gulps it down so fast he pukes up a bit! It's perfectly normal....even I do that if I go to town on some drink!

Anytime a pet displays different peeing behaviour it is always best to get them checked for UTI's as they can cause them to change habits.

[AJs Human]

I agree that getting medical stuff checked first is a good idea.

I haven't had any problems with dogs peeing on my bed, so have not had to find a solution. However, I had a friend whose B bitch would pee on the bed in marking behavior all the time. She found a method that worked, but it will horrify some here. If anyone has qualms about unconventional training methods, stop here. I'm just passing on what worked for my friend, so don't jump down my throat.

Last chance…

here it is.....

Immediately after a bed pee, she put the dog in the bathtub and peed on her, then locked her in her crate for a few hours. When she was let out of her crate, she was given a bath and hasn't peed on the bed or in the house since. This has been several years.

I did not do this, but found the story both informative and hilarious at the same time. The dog involved has a great personality, no aggression and is still confident in the show ring, with people and with other dogs.

[Kipawa]

eyes wide open Well, I have never heard of that. But I suppose in desperation after trying everything else and having the dog medically checked, a person might pull out all stops and try anything. I know I wouldn't do it though. Not much of that rings very correct for ME.

[NerdyDogOwner]

@starrlamia:

Anytime a pet displays different peeing behaviour it is always best to get them checked for UTI's as they can cause them to change habits.

Well, it just seems I am the only one actually reading the post. He never said the pets behavior changed. It was mentioned as a "habit", for all we know this has been going on for some time.

Nore have we been given what "drinking a lot of water" actually means.

Also, I am one of them people that DON'T like to cause panic just because someone coughs.

A lot of the people here seem to be a bit quick in jumping to the worst case scenario. This does NOT help anyone, in fact it causes more tension and worry to the owner, which the dog will pick up on.

If people want to help, then be calm and ask questions to get a clear picture of what exactly is going on, and then take baby steps to eliminate the small and more common stuff before moving towards illnesses and costly tests at the vet.

Basenjis behaviour, or any animal or human for that matter, is not written in stone. Just because one has a bad habit of peeing on beds is not a cause for alarm. Seems to me just a behaviour issue. We even have Basenjis that LOVE water, should we send them to the vet for tests to?? Oh wait, this one is drinking more water! Quick! Call the vet! sheeesh, sorry this just seems like overreacting to a situation with very little information.

If I was to look at this situation I would have to ask: "Why the bed? What makes the bed so special?"
Well, we have to think like a dog. The peeing is usually assosiated to marking territory. And again, why the bed? Well, the bed is without a doubt the strongest source of human smell.
So I would have to think the dog is attempting to take over. Maybe the dog is spoiled? Maybe whatever the dog does, like wanting treats, wanting the door opened, etc etc, and the humans jump to his command? And the dog is starting to think he is in charge over humans, and naturally marks beds even when introduced to other homes, because this is the "human spot".

[sharronhurlbut]

I would hate for someone to have "medical issues" with a pet, shown by a change of behaviors and take posts on this forum , as help for some type of medical advice. IMO, a change of water drinking and peeing issues should be checked out. WHAT if he is sick…and the owner just waits. Not great for the dog. Really, getting a dog vetted is part of ownership.
don't want to start an arguement this is my opinion.

[dmey]

HAhaha , I thinks thats hilarious , i bet he never peed in the house again after being peed on!! Thanks a lot for the input and I agree. I just wanted to know some pointers on how to avpid the peeingon the bed thing, which I know is all about marking territory. But its not like he does it every day either , its happened a few times. I mentioned the water drinking because i had thught about it since I read that B's dont drink much water and, I must admitt, I am a bit of a Hypochondriac, especially fro my pets, so I was a little worried, but he doesn't pee a lo, only when I take him out about three times a day ( except for the aforementioned bed problem!), and he's on Kibble and it is very hot and muggy here in Santo Domingo, I am also constantly drinking water, so I will check him on my next vet visit , but I am not that concerned.
I love this forum because it really helps when I am in doubt about something, so thanks again. I can imagine that b"s face when she was being peed on!!!!

[starrlamia]

A UTI IMO would be the best case scenario, some antibiotics and bam situation resolved. Changing behaviour is a hard thing to do, it takes time and effort.
Having your animal checked for medical issues first is what ANY good behaviourist would suggest when there is a signifigant change in the animal. It makes sense. BTW drinking a lot of water would also make me recommend going to the vet first.