Dachshund urinating on my bed

Question
I have a miniature dachshund who is 4 years old.  I also have a 4 year old Husky.  They are always together during the day, but at night the dachshund sleeps in my bed.  Recently she has started urinating on the bed during the night.  My son and daughter have recently moved and my boyfriend sleeps over occasionally. Why is she doing this?  She doesn't have accidents during the day so I know it isn't a health issue.  Please HELP!!!  

Answer
Hi Nancy,

Thank you for writing to me about your dog's recent nocturnal urinating behavior. Please forgive the delay in responding.  Due to the holidays, I am back logged with questions.

In my opinion, the recent changes in your household have upset the pecking order of the pack.  There is a new element that has changed things dramatically, including your boyfriend who is sleeping in the bed.   I do believe that this has given your dog a certain degree of anxiety and upset the apple cart in her mind.

The best course of action is prevention...which of course means not allowing her on the bed anymore.  I would also suggest that you do some basic alpha work with her which means taking control so that there is no question in her mind that you are the pack leader.

Make her sit and wait before being fed.  Make her sit and wait while you enter and exit through doorways.  No more going up on furniture.   Have her wait until you have finished eating and only then can she eat.

Basically, you are telling her that you, not she, are the pack leader.  Her urination is a form of "owning" the bed and you must let her know that you own the bed.

When your boyfriend visits, he can also feed her, walk her etc and do exactly what I have suggested that you do.  This will tell your munchkin that she is at the bottom of the pecking order, even when it comes to visitors.

If you are allowing her to sleep with you except when your boyfriend visits, this would of course worsen the situation because she would then feel displaced and unwanted, so be consistant.

Good luck.

Regards,
Shelley Davis