peeing on his bed

Question
I have a yr old basset that i adopted from abc basset hound rescue. He was rescued with 10 others from Arkansas from a puppy mill. He was housetrained without a problem and is a happy healthy little guy. He has a crate with a sheepskin matt, and a soft cushioned bed, he seems to love his bed and curls up in it and sleeps for hours, he never pees on anything. But for no reason at all, sometimes when we are playing with him or just sitting on the floor petting him he will run over to the bed and just pee on it. I know he does not have to go out because he can hold it for hours and it has never been that long since he has been out. We are stumped, there is no rhyme or reason for him to do this. I would appreciate any help you can give us.

Answer
Hi Linda,

It sounds as though he's marking.  Dogs normally will not eliminate on their beds (or belongings) but you see this behavior in dogs raised in a pet store/mill situation.  When they are young and forced to eliminate where they live (be it a cage, box, whatever) they lose the natural instinct to keep their 'dens' clean.

If he has to 'run' over to the bed to pee on it, you have prime opportunity to stop him.  Clap your hands, give an "eh-eh" loudly and praise him when he minds.

Be sure that you're washing his bed (or whatever he's peeing on) with a biological type washing powder.  Borax for instance.  You can spend money on the pet products if you like but Borax works well.  If you don't do this, the urine smell will still be in the bedding and an attractant for him.  :)