My Dog Peed on My Mattress. Now What?

You climb into bed, ready to binge your favorite show. But something’s not right. There’s a familiar yet gross smell, and something… warm? And wet. Yep, it’s dog pee on your mattress.

Your first reaction could be to scream in horror, but that probably won’t help the situation. 

Here’s what you can do instead to get to the bottom of why your dog did it, how to get that stain out, and how to keep your pup from doing it again.

Don’t Yell at Your Dog

The first step is simply not to panic and start yelling at your pup. They will not connect the yelling with the peeing, especially if they did it hours earlier. Even if they did connect the two, it would just teach them to make sure you don’t see them peeing inside. 

On top of that, it can make your dog feel scared and possibly damage your bond. So, even though you want to yell, try not to.

Take a Trip to the Vet

Did you know that if a dog’s suddenly peeing in the house, there can be a health issue to blame. So the first thing you want to do is to make sure nothing’s going on that could be causing your pup pain or symptoms like needing to pee urgently and not being able to make it outside. It could be the clue to an underlying issue like diabetes, kidney or liver disease, incontinence, urinary tract infection, or Cushing’s. 

Look into Behavioral Causes

Once the vet has determined that there’s no medical cause for your dog to pee inside the house, it’s time to think about behavioral causes. So what does that mean?

For this, you’ll need to do a little detective work. Here are some question to ask:

   - Could anything be making my dog anxious? This could be loud noises from construction outside or fireworks.

   - Is it raining or snowing out, and your dog hates going potty in bad weather?

   - Have you recently gotten a new pet or had someone new move in? This could be a new baby, roommate, or significant other.

   - Have you been doing remodeling, renovations, or even just rearranging furniture in your house?

   - Has anyone yelled at your dog or scolded them? Or maybe your dog is a rescue that had an abusive background? This can cause submissive urination.

If any of these are true, you may have found the cause of your dog peeing on the mattress. But how can you help your dog out and make sure they don’t do it again? Ask your vet for recommendations of dog behaviorists that can help you work to find the right solution for the situation.

Get the Smell Out

It may seem like an impossible task to get wet or especially old urine smell out of your mattress. It’s not like you can just put it in the washer. But it can be done! 

Lucky for you, this isn’t the first time this kind of incident has happened to an unsuspecting pet parent. And that means there are plenty of cleaning products formulated specifically to remove dog urine smell from fabric and bedding. And if you want to use natural cleaners that you have around the house, you can do that, too. 

Here’s what you’ll need:

• Baking soda
• Vinegar
• Cold water
• Spray bottle
• Laundry detergent (optional) 

Or you can buy:

• Enzymatic cleaner (labeled for cleaning dog urine from fabrics)

Steps for wet/fresh pee accidents:

DIY Method

1. Cover the wet area with baking soda and leave to soak up the wetness as much as possible. Leave it on for at least several hours or overnight, then vacuum.
2. Mix two parts cold water with one part vinegar in a spray bottle. You can even add a little splash of laundry detergent for extra cleaning power. Fully saturate the area and leave for half an hour, then gently blot it up with paper towels.
3. Repeat steps 1-2 until you have removed the smell.

Enzymatic Cleaner: Follow the directions on the label for the best results. 

Steps for dried, smelly pee stains:

The steps for dried urine are almost the same, but it will just take longer. 

1. Make the cold water and vinegar solution (two parts cold water, one part vinegar). Thoroughly spray and soak the area. 
2. Leave overnight or up to two days. Let the mattress dry. If possible, place the mattress in a clean spot outside where it can dry in the sunlight. 
3. It may take several rounds of this.

Enzymatic Cleaner: Follow the directions on the label for the best results.