Why does my puppy dig and pee on his bed? Marking or potty training?

Hi there! Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This is not an uncommom issue. I recommend that you try the training pad spray that you put on the pad. This would help your pup identify the right place to do her business. You can get this at your local pet store. Given that she learned how to let you guys know when she wants to go outside, she is for sure very smart so I'm sure she will learn this as well. Try to keep the blankets off the flour at least for now while she learns. Remember to praise and reward her when you notice the desired behavior. Good luck!

3 months is still EXTREMELY young, and I would not consider a 3 month old puppy to be fully house-trained. Any new situation can always cause a regression in training until worked on, and some dogs may have accidents on occasion until they are old enough and their bladder is fully developed. I would give her a few minutes in between going outside, and letting her on the bed at night, to give her a chance to settle down and relax. It's very possible that the fun of being on the bed is just too exciting (or scary) and is causing her to have an accident as many puppies may experience excitement or submission urination, even if they've already gone potty outside. Once she is calm, you can put her on the bed, but try not to make a big deal out of it, to see if keeping her relaxed helps. If she does immediately pee, she may just need to stay off the bed for a while longer until she is a bit older. An enzymatic cleaner can also be used with any bedding when it is washed to help break down any urine particles that may be attracting her.

It would be nice to know whether he deliberately pees on the bed or whether he is losing urine while he lies on it or sleeps on it. If he deliberately pees on it, I suggest you take it away from him because he will likely keep on peeing on the bed. If he loses his urine while resting, then he needs to be seen by your veterinarian and examined. He may have a UTI or other problem with his urinary tract, or he may have a problem with the sphincter muscles holding in his urine (urinary incontinence). Both conditions can be medically controlled.

I would recommend neutering Choco. This may be behavioral. I would also check blood work on him to make sure that his kidneys are functioning properly. After checking his blood work and neutering him then I would recommend crate training Choco. This means leaving Choco in a cage when you cannot 100% watch him. Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Inappropriate urination is often a medical issue and possibilities include a urinary tract infection, urinary tract stones, among other possible medical reasons. Another possibility is that this is behavioral in nature. I recommend that you have Millie evaluated by your veterinarian for further assessment and treatment. They would be able to check for these possibilities and treat accordingly. Good luck and best wishes!


Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! California is only 9 weeks old and house training isn't close to being accomplished yet. I wouldn't house train California to go in the house at all. Some dogs do n ot care if they eliminate in their bedding or not. I would ramp up house training: take her out as often as you can and when she goes outside verbally praise her, give her a yummy treat and play with her outside, teach her how to rings bell to go outside, block all rooms she can go in to to soil, clean all soiled areas with an enzymatic cleaner like Nature's Miracle, crate her when you are not home and at night, wake up 1-2 times over night to take her out, have someone come while you are at work to take her out and when you are home she should be leashed to an adult at all times. If she doesn't go when you take her out she should be put in her crate and you should try again 20 mins later. You should do this for 2-3 months with out an accident before you become less strict an allow her access to all rooms in your house unobserved. California is very young and to be 100% house broken at 9 weeks of age isn't normal for any puppy. I hope this helps and I wish you and California the best!

This is a very common problem with puppies :) It sounds like the pen he is in is probably too large - it gives him too much space to work with, and makes it easy for him to wake up and find a spot to pee, rather than either holding it or whining to let you know he needs to go out. Instead of the pen, I would recommend having him sleep in a crate in your bedroom at night. Most puppies instinctively do not want to pee where they are sleeping, so in most cases this means that the pup will whine to wake you up if he needs to go out during the night. As he gets older and his bladder control improves, he should start to be able to hold it all night with no problems.