Is my puppy using her bed as a toilet?

K
Kinsey Icon representing the flag French
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Evening all,

I've had a little female puppy for about 2 weeks now; she's 3 and a half months old. She is lovely, VERY sociable and obedient.

I got her from a rescue centre where she was kept with two litters of puppies, and they had been trained to pee on a towel on the floor (not the best idea in the world, but there we go...).

As a result, she started using fabrics, rags or rugs to do her business indoors. Once we removed those, she started urinating in her bed. We're having to wash it every single day! She barely gets the chance to sleep in it because she soils it so quickly. When we take it away, we leave blankets on the floor for her and she pees on those too (we wash everything with water and white vinegar). Yet, she has clearly grasped that it is "her spot", the place she is supposed to go when she's been told off!

She sleeps there often, although she alternates with the sofa. Normally, dogs don't go to the toilet where they sleep, do they?

It’s not a case of not going out enough, as she goes out 6 to 8 times a day, does her business every time and always gets a reward. She has very few accidents elsewhere in the house. I've noticed that these are intentional pees; she goes to her bed or her things on purpose to urinate when she's not using them for sleep.

Just now, while her bed was drying, I moved it to a different spot and she went over to urinate in it, even though we had just come back from a walk 2 minutes earlier.

She's eating well and isn't stressed in the slightest...

I'm not really sure what to do, I have the impression she's associating the "bed" with a litter tray. I'm giving her the benefit of the doubt regarding the blankets for now, perhaps she really couldn't hold it in.

Do you think I should move the bed to where her food bowls are (or even put the bowls in the bed) so she understands the object isn't for going to the toilet?

Does anyone have any other suggestions?

Have a good evening.

Translated from French
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22 answers
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    • ProvetoJuniorConseil
    Provetojuniorconseil Icon representing the flag French
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    Hi there,

    The situation you’re describing is actually quite common with puppies who have become accustomed to doing their business on towels or fabric surfaces while at a rescue centre or a breeder's. They inadvertently learn that any kind of textile is an acceptable place to pee. The bed, blankets, rugs… anything can be seen as a "toilet area". It isn't a case of the pup being deliberately naughty, nor a lack of walks; it's simply a case of early habits causing confusion.

    In theory, a dog will naturally avoid toileting where they sleep, but for puppies who have had this type of early training, this instinct can be disrupted.

    Here are a few tips that usually yield very good results:

    1. Remove all accessible textiles for a while

    To break the "soft material = toilet" association, it’s a good idea to use a hard plastic bed without any cushions for a short period.
    It might not look the best, but it helps hit the reset button.
    You can gradually reintroduce blankets once the habit has been broken.

    2. Use an enzymatic cleaner

    Vinegar masks the smell, but it doesn’t completely destroy the scent markers.
    An enzymatic product (available at a pet shop or from the vet) is much more effective at stopping them from going back to the same spot.

    3. Supervise and redirect

    If you see her heading towards her bed or a rug to pee, intervene calmly, take her outside straight away, and reward her immediately.
    Avoid scolding her when she's in her bed; that might just lead to her hiding the next time she needs to go.

    4. Try moving the bed

    Placing the bed near her food and water bowls can, in some cases, help the puppy understand that this isn’t a toilet area.
    It’s not strictly necessary, but it can help reinforce a positive sense of her own space.

    5. Go back to basic house-training

    She is still very young, so a short phase of retraining is perfectly normal:
    – regular toilet breaks (which you’re already doing),
    – consistent rewards outdoors,
    – keeping a close eye on her indoors,
    – consistency and patience.

    Best regards,

    Paul

    Translated from French
    P
    Picco85 Icon representing the flag French
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    Hi there

    My Cavaliers were exactly the same at the start.

    What I do is take them out every two hours until they’re five months old. No water overnight.

    It’s all going really well.

    First trip out around 4:30 am.

    Last trip out around 11 pm.

    Translated from French
    M
    Matmor Icon representing the flag French
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    Hi everyone, I’m posting because I’ve got a bit of an issue. We got a puppy three weeks ago (a little girl, now 3 months old) and she’s settled into our daily routine brilliantly. Everything is going so well. She’s very well house-trained and has been right from the start, with only a few accidents that were all easily explained. A little while ago, I noticed her bed was smelling a bit off, so I gave it a wash. Today, she’s just gone and weed in it right in front of me! So now I’ve realised she must be doing it quite often. It’s the first time I’ve caught her in the act, and since she spends all her days and nights by my side, I reckon it’s happening in the evening when we’re heading to bed, just after she has her "zoomies". Today she was particularly hyper, went a bit wild with her bed, and that’s when I saw her. She goes through the same ritual every night, but as the lights are usually off, we’d never actually seen her do it before. Does anyone have any idea what’s going on? I really don't understand this behaviour. I’d be very grateful for any advice or solutions you might have. Many thanks!
    Translated from French
    C
    Cendra Icon representing the flag French
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    Thank you so much for sharing your experience. I’ve taken the cushions away and put down a fleece blanket instead; it’s much easier to wash, even if it’s not quite as comfy. I really hope they grow out of it soon...
    Translated from French
    Lewina
    Lewina Icon representing the flag French
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    Evening! Mine did exactly the same thing at first – there was no way of keeping his lovely soft bed clean for more than an hour... So the cat won that round 🤭 We ended up taking the bed away and giving him a plastic one instead. We’d noticed he only weed on things that felt really soft, so instead of a blanket, we just put a plain cotton sheet in the plastic bed. It wasn't the comfiest, but it did the trick if he wanted to lie down. To be honest, he barely used the bed after that and mostly slept on the sofa, but he never weed in his bed again, or on the sofa – except for one little accident while he was playing. The sofa had a cover on it that felt a bit slippery because it was waterproof, so it wasn't exactly soft either. I’d say he only decided to start using his bed again about 3 or 4 months ago. Otherwise, he preferred the rug (which we were able to put back out when he turned 6 months old), the sofa, or even just the floor tiles.
    Translated from French
    C
    Cendra Icon representing the flag French
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    Hi there,

    Did you manage to find a solution to this problem?

    I’m going through exactly the same thing...

    Translated from French
    C
    Cendra Icon representing the flag French
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    Hi.

    Did you find a solution and if so, could you let me know what it was? I’m having exactly the same problem with my 3-and-a-half-month-old puppy.

    Translated from French
    W
    Wolfy64 Icon representing the flag French
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    She’s still very young, under three months old. She’s only 9 weeks and we’ve had her with us since Sunday. When I’m not there with her (basically at night, or just the time it takes to nip out to the shops), she usually goes to the far end of the lounge to relieve herself. When I am with her, I don’t notice any specific warning signs other than her getting into the ‘wee’ position, and by then it’s already too late.
    Translated from French
    Emla
    Emla Icon representing the flag French
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    She’s definitely looking for an absorbent spot.

    How old is she?

    I’m not really a fan of the idea, but if you’ve got no other choice, why not leave the towel near the door for a few days and a cushion in her bed. Logically, she should head for the towel.

    I’m not in favour of using puppy pads or anything like that because it really doesn’t help with house training.

    If she’s only doing this when you’re there, the best thing would be to keep an eye on her so you can spot the signs and take her outside at exactly the right moment.

    Translated from French
    W
    Wolfy64 Icon representing the flag French
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    Hi everyone, I’m having the same issue with my little one. She had a puppy pad for the first three days, but then we took it away to stop her getting into a bad habit. For the past two days, she’s been going in her bed several times a day. To be more specific, she’s also going on the rugs, doormats and towels. And I should mention that she’s definitely going to her bed on purpose to relieve herself. Her bed is originally a fabric one in two parts, with a padded section. We’d added a soft towel and an old t-shirt to it. But she’s had so many accidents on it in such a short space of time that everything is currently drying and only the base of the bed is left... which can’t be the best for comfort. To answer any questions beforehand, she gets taken out several times a day and she doesn't do this when she's on her own. What do you think I can do to make sure she has a comfy bed to sleep in without her peeing on it? I don’t really "care" if she goes next to it or elsewhere in the house – that’s "normal" at her age if I haven’t managed to get her out in time – but it breaks my heart to see her sleeping on just the base of her bed...
    Translated from French

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