Elderly dog's strange new habit

[Annagain]

I don't come in here very often but wondered if anyone can shed any light on my 16 year old dog's strange new habit. Since lockdown, I've been working from home in the spare room. The dog's always with me and, at first, would sleep on the bed but she started struggling to make the jump up (it's very high as MiL isn't very mobile so we bought one that would be easy for her to get in and out of) a few months ago. We therefore bought her a new bed so she could lie on the floor in comfort (yes she's spoilt but at her age she deserves it).

In the last month or so, she's started weeing on this new bed. She scrunches it all up into a ball with her front legs (which she does often) and maybe one time in ten she'll then sit on top of it and wee. She's not incontinent, she's making a choice to do this and she doesn't wee anywhere else in the house. I'm sitting right next to her as she's doing it and she doesn't ask to go out beforehand - she'll even wake me up to ask to go out at night so I know it's not that she can't get my attention. I've tried telling her a firm 'no' as soon as I realise what she's doing but she just sits there happily weeing! It's only ever a few seconds so I don't think she desperately needs a wee at that point.

She has other beds dotted round the house and while she does the scrunching up with those, she's never weed on them. I'm washing it twice a week at the moment but I wonder if she's wanting some sort of scent on it. It's not a lot of wee, just a small damp patch and I can't smell it. She'll lie on it quite happily even after weeing on it so I'm wondering if it's better to leave a bit of smell so she's not trying to mark it or to give it an extra hot wash to get rid of any smell to discourage her from going back to the scene of the crime, so to speak. Any thoughts?

 

[meleeka]

I think I’d give it a good wash with what is used for all her other beds, so they all smell the same. It could have been the smell of that one when it was new and now shes decided it’s a toilet because it smells like one.

I have a rescue that randomly pees on things. She’s decided that OH’s workshop is a toilet and I’ve no idea why, but I obviously can’t make that smell better. She will used to pee in her food bowl when she’d finished, but thankfully hasn’t done that for ages.

 

[dogatemysalad]

Haven't got a clue, but it must make sense to her.
I'd be tempted to do a trial by removing the bed and replace it with one of her other ones.
After washing the offending bed and leaving it the fresh air to get rid of lingering smells, bring it back after a few days and use it in an another room to see if the pattern of behaviour has stopped.

 

[SadKen]

How odd! Is it made of something different to the others you have? It sounds as though she is trying to change the smell in the easiest possible way!

 

[Annagain]

How odd! Is it made of something different to the others you have? It sounds as though she is trying to change the smell in the easiest possible way!

Yes, it’s one of those fluffy ones. Her others are more traditional style ones. That could be it.

 

[Bellasophia]

I have a “ bed” at the side of my armchair..it is a piece of thick sponge,and I’ve sewn a cotton cover onto it.Then I have a removable cover to wash daily....this idea could become your dogs temporary bed...
In your situation, what I would add is a plastic bin bag , over the mattress and under the washable cover...it would keep the mattress dry,be an easier wash option,to just deal with the outer cotton cover daily,and change the plastic bag....
This idea worked well for me when my older girl became incontinent..
she also got incurin.. one 1 gm tablet daily when she became incontinent..after a year she did without this and was dry till she passed( late spay incontinence in her case)

 

[gunnergundog]

Sounds like spay incontinence which often shows up in old age.......as Bellasophia says Incurin can work miracles.

You need to experiment; with one bitch I had her on a full tablet for a month and then could alternate a tablet (one day with, one day without) for another month and then drop down to a half. We could go like this for a while and then something would trigger her again and we would start again.

PS. When I say you need to experiment, it is because I prefer to put as few drugs into my dogs as possible.