Female dominance??

Question
My 2 year old female dog has recently been urinating on my bed as soon as she gets on it.  I have had her checked and she does not have a medical issue.  We have recently added a male puppy to our household, could this be related, and if so, how do I correct it?

Answer
Hi Lindsey,

It's good that you've ruled out a possible medical problem.

Since your dog only seems to be relieving herself in one area in your home, the easiest way to correct this problem would be to restrict the dog from having access to your bedroom. A child gate works great for this purpose, or simply closing the door works very well too.

It is extremely important to get rid of the odor the dog has left with previous markings. Use a specially formulated urine odor eliminator in all areas that have been marked. Do not use ammonia or other standard household cleaners, since some will leave odors that many pets will feel compelled to mark upon. Two bacterial enzyme odor eliminator products that work well are Simple Solution and Nature's Miracle. They will help discourage your dog from re-soiling in the bed.

Dogs typically mark a space they feel comfortable protecting. Your dog feels that your bed is her bed. Perhaps she sleeps there with you.
Dogs who eliminate on the bed in no way communicate that they are spiteful, mean, or stupid. They communicate that they have a medical, behavioral, and bond problem that requires an immediate, knowledgeable, and caring response. (Again it's good you've ruled out the medical.) Yelling at the dog or punishing her will simply make the problem worse.

In your dog's case, it may well be stemming from the addition of your new puppy. She may feel displaced, and is trying to re-establish her place in "the pack".

Give your older dog the some special time alone with you. Trips to a park, rides in the car (if she enjoys that), extra playtime, more exercise, etc. Let her know she's still the apple of your eye.  Make a fuss over your older dog and downplay the presence of the puppy.
Start using the puppy as a cue for doing nice things with your older dog; when you pet the puppy, pat your older dog. When you take the puppy for a walk, take the older dog. When you give the puppy a toy, give one to the the older dog. This trains your older dog to have positive feelings about the puppy, since when she sees the puppy being patted or walked, she knows she will also enjoy these pleasures. If the quality of life for your older dog improves as a result of the arrival of the newcomer, if now there are more pats, more walks, more toys, the older dog should come to feel "Hey, maybe this isn't so bad!"

Give your older dog time to adjust. It can take two months before your older dog really starts to feel good about having the puppy in "her" house.

I hope I've been a help.
Best of luck,

Patti