You have bought a puppy recently. Everything is fine until all of a sudden, your puppy starts making his bed wet at night. A question may pop up in your mind instantly. Do puppies pee in their sleep? More specifically, is it a problem if puppies urinate in their sleep?
Or is it normal? Well, you have every right to be worried about as a good pet parent and ask this (these) question(s). In this guide, we are going to discuss this particular topic and will give all the answers to questions to quench your thirst.
Sit tight and read on. Okay, let’s head to the question right away. Do puppy pee in their sleep? If you are asking whether peeing in their sleep is okay for puppies, we will hit this specific question. No, it is not. It is not normal for a healthy puppy to pee in his sleep. This answer leads us to the obvious question- why do puppies urinate in their sleep?
There are various reasons for this particular event to happen. But not the answer wandering around your mind. Yes, puppies won’t pee in their sleep in most cases due to a lack of potty training. Don’t worry. We are going to tell you what to do to solve this problem. And trust us, almost all the cases are easily treatable.
Why Do Puppies Pee In Their Sleep?
As we previously mentioned, in most cases, puppies don’t pee in their sleep because they have improper potty training. The following are the most probable reasons for your puppy to pee in his sleep.
1. Decreased Power To Hold
It’s very logical and simple to understand. If your puppy has reduced ability to hold the urine, he will pee in his sleep. Your puppy may have a lower ability to hold because of two reasons-
Firstly, your puppy is young and around four to six months of age. In this period, the sphincter muscle will still be in a developing stage. If the muscle is not fully developed, your puppy will have less power to hold during sleep.
Secondly, your puppy’s sphincter muscle has been weakened. This particular muscle plays the key role for puppies to hold their pee till the bladder is full. Mainly, this problem happens to the spayed female dogs.
But it can also happen to young male dogs, although the rate is very low. During the time of neutering, surgeons remove the ovaries. For this reason, there will be less amount of estrogen. Estrogen is responsible for the sphincter muscle’s urine holding ability. In this way, neutering results in weak sphincters.
2. Infection
Your puppy may also lose its control to hold like a normal puppy due to infection also. If there is a UTI (urinary tract infection) in your puppy, it may lead your puppy to incontinence.
A UTI can make your puppy very thirsty. Thus, it can lead your puppy to frequent urinating. Your puppy may not wake up in the time of peeing, too, if there is an infection.
3. Slipped Disc
If there is a spinal cord issue in your puppy, it can also lead to incontinence. Although older dogs face this problem more often, a young puppy may face the issue due to an accident. It can also happen if you put too much pressure on your puppy’s neck.
A slipped disk that leads to a spinal cord issue is a fatal problem for your dog, whether he is young or old. If this happens to your dog, he will be fragile and may not get out of his bed in time. As a result, he may end up wetting his bed.
4. Kidney Diseases
Yes, you heard it right. Your puppy may pee in his sleep due to a kidney disease also. Because of kidney disease, the puppy will feel very uncomfortable peeing. The puppy may not realize when to leave the bed and occur an accident.
5. Other Physical Health-Related Issues
You may need to look out for other health-related issues like bladder stones or diabetes to go to the root of your puppy’s problem. We all know that diabetes makes a patient go for peeing frequently. Thus, it may not be possible for your puppy to wake up at the right time to pee.
How To Prevent Puppies From Peeing In Their Sleep?
Although this issue is not normal for puppies, this is not a unique one too. And the bright side is, if you take appropriate measures, most of the time, your puppy will be normal again. The following measures should be the most effective in this regard.
1. Take Your Puppy To Your Vet
Taking your puppy to the vet right away is the most appropriate measure to tackle this particular issue. We have mentioned several times that resolving this issue is very much possible for almost all cases. That is why you should not delay even for a single second to take action.
Delaying may complicate the issue more. For example, you should not wait any longer if there are already three or more consecutive accidents happened. Thus, going to your vet right away is the right move if you are aware that your puppy is peeing in his bed.
2. Give Appropriate Medicine To Your Puppy
Most probably, your vet will recommend some tests. You may need to provide urine and blood samples to run those tests. After the tests, your vet will treat the issues accordingly. We suggest you not give medicines to your puppy by hearing some random suggestions. You should always consult with your vet before giving any medicine to your puppy.
If seeing your vet is not possible at that time, wait for one or two days. But if that is not possible, try to get some advice from a local experienced dog owner or web forums. Always cross-check the information if you are going for web forums’ suggestions.
3. Clean Up The Wet Bed
If you can’t go to the vet for several days, you need to keep the bed of your puppy neat and clean. You can regularly clean to discourage your puppy from marking the place too. Dogs have an instinct to mark their peeing place. If they have a concise area to live in, they will start marking their crate or bed.
As dogs have a stronger smell sense than us, you have to use the proper cleaning materials. Otherwise, it won’t help to solve the problem much. Leaving everything behind, who loves to sleep in a wet bed?
4. Take Extra Care Of The Puppy
When you are sick, what does your family do to you? They take extra care of you, right? Your mom may frequently ask what you want to eat and visit after you are cured of the disease. You should do the same to your puppy, too, because you are not any less than a parent to your puppy.
As your puppy is sick and not peeing in his bed due to lack of potty training, you should take extra care of him. You should not punish your puppy by any means. It will make him nervous and make the situation even worse. Least to say, fear is one of the reasons for your puppy’s incontinence.
The Ultimate Puppy Sleeping Guide
It’s no secret that a puppy is a joy to behold, but you may have found yourself at odds with your four-legged friend regarding naptime. Puppies need a lot more sleep than adult dogs due to the increased rate of their metabolism. They also tend to be more active and playful during the day, meaning they burn through their energy twice as fast as an adult pup.
Understanding your puppy’s sleeping habits and adjusting your expectations of him will help you get both the sleep you need and require him to have a more comfortable, relaxed puppyhood.
Prepping Your Puppy for Bed
If you are training your puppy to sleep in his crate or dog bed, he must be adequately prepared to sleep. The easiest way is with a small amount of puppy-safe food. This can be done daily or as part of an overall puppy training plan.
If you are not crate training your puppy, you will want to confine him to a small area of the house where he won’t be able to get into trouble. This should include a dog bed, his toys, food, and water. Avoid this step if you are planning on training him to use a dog crate or puppy pen.
Surround Your Puppy With Familiar Objects
This is one of the most important things you can do to help your puppy sleep. Your puppy’s environment should be as familiar and straightforward as possible. This means confining him to his bed and not letting him out of it until he goes to sleep.
It also means ensuring that the things in his environment are not new or unfamiliar but things that he is used to seeing during the day. If you are crate training, this means keeping the kennel door shut and putting his toys and dog bed inside.
Crate Your Puppy Overnight
Even if you are not crate training, it may be a good idea to do so during the night. This will help your puppy learn to sleep and rest on his own at night. It also is something that can help reduce or eliminate nighttime accidents in the house. If you plan on having your dog sleep in a crate, you may want to invest in a doggie door that allows him access to the potty during the night as well.
Middle of the Night Potty Breaks
This is where it may be a good idea to get a doggie door for the crate. If your puppy isn’t used to using the crate at night and doesn’t know how to relieve himself, he may have an accident in the middle of the night. A doggie door will allow him access to the potty during this time.
Learn to Be a Morning Person
This is one of the hardest things for a puppy to learn. So, you should be a morning person. Unless you are willing to wake up at the crack of dawn, your puppy will need to be trained to wake up for him to sleep through the night.
Depending on his age, it may mean waking him up every few hours throughout the night and getting him used to this. Once he can sleep through the night, you can gradually cut back on these early morning wake-up times.
Puppy Toilet Training
Mastering how to potty train pups at the appropriate time and place is one of the most important first steps to taking for a long, happy life together. Here are the steps to toilet training your puppy-
Crate Training
Crate training is an excellent way to house train your puppy. Your puppy should be capable of getting up, turn around, and rest comfortably inside the crate. It will also need a water bottle and food bowl. You should place some absorbent material in it so that accidents are easier to clean up. Old newspapers or dog pads are also good.
Paper Training
Place a small amount of newspaper in the corner of your puppy’s crate and then place your puppy on top of it. Encourage him to urinate or defecate by using the command ‘go potty and then praising him when he does. A good reward is to play with him after he goes to reinforce the behavior.
Indoor Toilet Training
Once your puppy has developed a good habit of going in the paper, encourage him to do it out of the crate. Once you’ve made the change, you may start using the bathroom inside. Have a container of puppy pee or a little water handy. Place your puppy on the appropriate spot on the newspaper, and then encourage him to go there by saying, go potty. Praise him and wipe up the mess with a paper towel when he does.
How to Keep a New Puppy From Peeing in the House
New puppies will chew on anything and pee anywhere in the house. It can be tough to keep a puppy from peeing inside, but there are some things you can do. Here are the steps to keep a new puppy from peeing in the house-
Set Up A Proper Pee Schedule For Your Puppy
The most significant mistake people make when their puppy pees in the house is that they don’t set up a proper schedule. You need to pick a time each day when your puppy can go outside and then stick to that schedule. This way, you will know when your puppy will start peeing in the house, and you can stop having accidents before they happen.
The Pee Smell Should Be Neutralized
If you want to keep a new puppy from peeing in the house, you need to get rid of any smells that may attract them to pee in the house. You can eliminate smells that attract your dog with spray or powder. Some sprays will stop your puppy from peeing in one spot.
Make A Fixed Spot To Pee Outside
You should choose a fixed spot for them to pee. Many people have their dogs pee on the same patch of grass or dirt outside. Make sure your puppy is used to peeing on the same spot each time.
Reward And Praise
Reward your puppy for going potty outside. Nothing stops a dog from urinating inside the home better than praise. Make sure you praise them every time they go potty outside, even if it’s on their fixed spot, so that they know you are happy about it.
Final Thoughts
The moment you have taken a puppy as a pet, you are bound with responsibilities. You are no less than his mother in this regard. In some cases, you are even more than his mother. Do puppies pee in their sleep? We hope now you know way more than an average puppy owner about this particular question.
And we hope that to prove your sincerity, you won’t wait a single second to take your puppy to a vet if your puppy starts to pee in his sleep frequently. We will be eagerly waiting to see your thoughts about this article in the comment box. Keep your puppy healthy and have a good day.
FAQ:
Is It Normal For Puppies To Pee In Their Sleep?
When housetraining and their bladders are still maturing, it is typical for very young pups to urinate while they sleep. However, it is not typical for your puppy to begin sleep-peeing until they are already house-trained or around the age of six months.
How Long Can Puppies Hold Their Pee At Night?
Puppies can’t hold urine for more than a few hours at a time, and most can only hold it for 3–4 hours. This is why it’s advisable to refrain from feeding water to a puppy just a few hours before going to bed.
What Is The Prognosis For Urethral Incontinence?
The prognosis for urethral incontinence is good. A happy pup may be attained with the assistance of your veterinarian’s medicines and counseling that relies on the underlying reason. The prognosis for bladder cancer ranges from cautious to fatal. However, a veterinarian can help you navigate the situation further.
How To House Train Your Dog Or Puppy?
Your dog has to learn to use the bathroom properly. As soon as you get your puppy home, you may begin basic training. These are essential commands, potty training, crate training, etc.
How Long Can A Puppy Hold Its Pee While Sleeping?
Generally speaking, unless you have a little breed, a puppy can keep its urine for as long times as it is months old. Puppies three and four months old can retain it for roughly three and four hours, respectively.