my dog is urinating in my bed

[Karen]

Hi! We really need to know more to be able to help. When does this happen? Is there any pattern? Is she awake or asleep? Does is seem deliberate or accidental? Have you done any obedience training with her? And, by the way, what breed is Lola, and is she spayed?

[IRescue452]

Did you brign her home recently? She may just be adjusting to a new place. Either way, she needs a brush up on her potty training so you need to keep her supervised so you can catch her when she starts sniffing for a spot to go. You must catch it before it happens or during and then bring her outside.

Showing it to her after she's done it will only make her think you are yelling at her for no reason. A dog can't learn to trust a person if they are sleeping in another room and all the sudden the human comes in yelling and drags them into a different room to point at something. All the dog knows is it was sleeping and not provoking anything and you "attacked" it. That means the dog can't trust you for a second and always has to be on the look out for one of your unprovoked attacks.

[Freedom]

First thing, take a urine sample in to the vet. This is a classic sign of a UTI - urinary tract infection. So you need to rule out a physical issue.

Next, do NOT muzzle the dog for urinating on the bed. There is no connection between one and the other.

Also, as someone pointed out, unless you SEE the dog peeing on the bed, unless you catch her in the act, sorry but there is no later point in time when you can reprimand the dog. You clean up quietly.

If you catch the dog in the act, you can call and get her OUTSIDE. The calling should distract and stop her temporarily. Get her out or, if you don't have a fenced yard, put on collar and leash and get her outside. NEVER scold or hit your dog, for ANY reason. Hollering and yelling is an excitement sound which makes the dog wound up and start barking too.

Positive reinforcement training means you praise, treat and reward your dog for doing the RIGHT things. Keep a baggie in the fridge with high value treats -- small bits of hot dog and cheese work well. Take this out with you. When she pees or poops outside, PAWTY! Clap, dance and jump, smile and laugh, give treats lavishly. If your dog -- and your neighbors -- are looking at you like you are completely nuts, you are doing it right. Anything less, you are not celebrating enough! Your dog should quickly catch on and be upbeat and trotting with you and smiling (yes, dogs DO Smile!).

After you have celebrated outside a few times, and your dog catches on, if she is still going indoors, you can make noises of disgust as you clean up. You should be looking at the mess and directing your attention to that, NOT THE DOG, as you make the sounds: icky yucky, ugh, ick, etc. It is not the dog who is yucky, it is the mess indoors.

As for being aggressive w/ other dogs when on walks: you should ALWAYS have a baggie in your pocket, with high value treats. As you walk along, with no dogs around and your dog is behaving, praise and treat! Let her know what is proper behavior. When you see another dog approaching, move in an arc around them -- cross the road if possible. As long as your dog is behaving, TREAT! You may be "shoveling treats in the dog's mouth" at the start. As long as you keep moving and your dog is behaving, TREAT.

If you lose the dog's attention and she starts reacting to the other dog, you were too close to the other dog. It is your responsibility to set up your dog for success. So next time, move further away from the approaching dog. Note this means you may have to turn around and walk your dog back the way you have come, depending on the situation, if crossing the street is not possible.

When you have the proper distance in mind, do that for several walks. Then SLOWLY move closer to the approaching dog, still treating. If you move 5 feet closer on a walk and you lose your dog's attention, then you know she isn't ready for that, so back out the next few walks. Once she is back on track, try to move 3 feet closer, see if THAT is OK.

I highly recommend that you and the dog attend obedience classes at a place which uses positive reinforcement training. You can find a place which uses APDT certified trainers here:
http://www.apdt.com/petowners/ts/default.aspx

[luvofallhorses]

I would take her to the vet to rule out a UTI. It's not normal for a dog who is house-trained to pee on the bed.