Why Does My Dog Pee On My Clothes?

Why does my dog pee on my clothes? Dogs can pee on your belongings to get your attention. Learn why dogs urinate on your clothes and what you can do about it. 

Waking up to a bizarre scenario and finding your clothes stained with your pet’s urine is a pretty awful sight. Canine behavior is difficult to interpret, and there can be instances when your dog might leave you feeling frustrated at odd hours. 

There is no single reason why your dog urinates on your clothes. But it is quite certain that dogs don’t take revenge or do it on purpose. These furry creatures are quite sensitive towards their owners’ belongings and communicate only through body language or marking specific gestures. 

Why Does My Dog Pee On My Clothes

If you are looking for the various causes that make them pee on your clothes, you could find some interesting facts here. This article will also help you find ways to stop such behavior in dogs. 

Finding The Root Cause Of Peeing Inappropriately

It could be fear, anxiety, marking behavior, or simply a medical problem like dementia or incontinence.

Dogs possess very similar character traits to a 2-year old child. Dogs can be entertaining but can also fear losing their owner. Some people may assume their dog’s behavior is a mere accident, but there could be various underlying reasons. 

The first step is to discover if your dog has developed this habit out of anger, frustration, or fear. Some older dogs can also encounter diseases like urine incontinence or dementia which can cause them to lose control over the house etiquette and lead them to pee over delicate items like clothes. 

Other dogs may find it difficult to welcome the arrival of new dogs, which causes them to pee on clothes to mark their territory. This behavior also stems from the wild ancestor culture, which remains even after being adopted into a family. 

Let us take a broad look at why dogs pee on your clothes and how you can help to avoid such incidents.

Why Does My Dog Pee On My Clothes

 

Medical Reasons

A few of the medical reasons why a dog is peeing on your clothes could be: 

Urinary Incontinence

It is one of the most common problems in dogs irrespective of breed, age or health disease. Many veterinarians have confirmed that no specific case of study points that urinary incontinence has a particular cause

Urinary incontinence makes dogs leak urine at any time of the day and can happen with any breed and gender. However, it is commonly associated with older female dogs when they age. It happens because old age causes the bladder muscles to shrink and lose the ability to hold urine. 

Additionally, young puppies may also leak urine on their clothes if born with a congenital disability called the ectopic ureter. When the ureter fails to function and urine escapes through the bladder, it likely contacts the urinal duct. 

Bacterial Infection In Urinary Tract

Another main reason your dog is peeing on your clean laundry is that it might be experiencing pain during urination. Urination pain can occur when a dog comes into contact with a bacterial infection in the urinary tract or inflammation in sensitive areas.

Nevertheless, when your dog looks at your clothes, he is just wondering if the soft fabric will make him feel less pain. 

Studies indicate that 14% of dogs suffer from urinary tract infections. In a group of 237 dogs, a study confirms that 26.6% of urinary infections are likely in female dogs. On the other hand, male dogs experience only 6.2% of the condition which is far less than female dogs. 

Why Does My Dog Pee On My Clothes

Dementia

Older dogs are susceptible to dementia, a disease that causes them to lose their cognitive capabilities. In such cases, dogs show confused behavior, and might not remember their training of appropriate places to pee or poop.

Other signs that your dog is facing dementia are loss of sleep and waking up at odd times, inactivity and dazedness, and reduced social interaction.

Behavioral Signs

Unlike medical causes, dogs sometimes behave childishly out of fear, anxiety or excitement. Dogs see through many things when they smell your clothes, particularly after long hours of living alone. 

They love the smell of your clothes since it makes them feel satisfied that you are around. However, peeing on owners’ clothes is associated with many reasons and their solutions.

Lack of Training 

When you bring a new pet to your home, particularly puppies, they play around and pee more often. Ultimately, when they smell your clothes, they may pee on them playfully. 

This behavior stems from the fact that puppies or younger dogs are untrained and do not even know if urinating on clothes can be frustrating. 

Reacting Out of a Dominant Behaviour

It is widely known that dogs love to show their dominance by barking or sniffing at other dogs. When dogs hear or smell the arrival of a new pet or baby in your house, they may pee on your clothes to show their dominance

Strangely, this behavior is inherent in most dogs which is particularly a sign of an ancestral environment. 

Why Does My Dog Pee On My Clothes

Fear of Being Alone 

When dogs live alone for longer hours than usual, it makes them feel that they are losing their owner. Eventually, these furry creatures look for your belongings like clothes to pee on them and can also be seen as distress. 

For this reason, a clinical vet suggests that dog owners should look for such signs and take appropriate action to stop this behavior.

Marking Territory

If your dog is left unneutered or unspayed even after years of adoption, they may pee on your clothes. 

Dogs usually do this to show other dogs that this place belongs to them. Moreover, if your dog wanders around to look for a perfect mate, he may feel the need to urine on clothes. 

Adopting Safe Practices To Prevent Marking Behavior

If your dog pees on your clothes, it is impossible to have an eye on your dog’s every move. However, as an owner, you can initiate clever ways to stop the urine-marking behavior altogether. 

  • Use vinegar to clean the urine-marked places to remove the bad smell. 
  • Keep your clothes in closed cabinets. Also, make sure that you place your belongings in distant areas. 
  • Befriend your dog with other neighborhood dogs or a new pet in your home. A friendly relationship will resolve the territorial behavior that causes them to behave abruptly. 
  • Train younger dogs and visit any outdoor space to prevent them from urinating indoors. You can schedule fixed hours for teaching the daily habit of urinating at the same place. 
  • Treat your dog with treats or toys when they obey your commands. 
  • Shut down doors and windows to keep your rooms safe if your dog happens to linger around in any such place. 

If your dog has started showing signs of peeing indoors, this is the right time to have a thorough discussion with a veterinarian. Any advice from a behavior expert can also help you find out the likely causes. 

Once you are well familiar with the circumstances that make your dog pee on clothes, you should consult if specific medications, exercises, or your behavior needs to change. 

Why Does My Dog Pee On My Clothes

Final Words

If you are confused and irritated with the sudden change in your dogs’ behavior, you should always talk to your veterinarian. 

Having expert advice will help you diagnose otherwise taken-for-granted problems. Whatever the results may be, you should always ask for the solutions which can make these accidents less frequent. 

Some people respond aggressively to such canine behavior and punish their pets. Punishing your dog will likely push your dog to repeat urine marking behavior! So, it is wise to change this behavior once and for all.

Thank you for reading this far we hope you got the answers you wanted! If there are questions left unanswered, please write to us in the comments and we will get back to you.

Are you looking to understand other inappropriate peeing or pooping behavior in your dog? Do read: Why Wont My Dog Poop In My Yard? And Why Does My Dog Pee In Other Peoples Houses?