Cocker Spaniel Dog Peeing At Night

A dog peeing at night can cause much discomfort and many sleepless nights. Unfortunately, it can be challenging to remedy, especially if you don't know what's causing it. Many visitors have asked this question, so I will try to answer it here.

Why Does My Dog Pee In His Sleep?

Hello, 

I wish I could stop my Cocker Spaniel dog peeing at night! Pepper has been potty trained, and she's very good at holding it all day while my fiancé and I are at work.

Her only (occasional) problems occur at night. She'll often pee on the carpet at night but not always in the same place.

I take her out before we go to bed, and I'm up by around 6:15 to take her out. She knows that when the alarm goes off (during the week) that I'm up, and she's ready to go.

I'm sorry mom!

She usually sleeps in bed with us. As soon as the alarm goes off, she jumps off the bed. (Weekends are a little different...she jumps off the bed or onto me when she is ready to pee, and I know it's time to let her out).

Another factor to include is that we also have a cat who likes to prowl at night. They get along just fine, but the cat likes to get into things at night, which wakes up my fiancé and the dog and me.

I would love to know if there are any good ways to teach Pepper not to pee during the night.

Thanks!

Dog Peeing at Night In His Sleep
By: Winfield
From: Chicago

Cocker Spaniel Dog Peeing At Night

Reply From Pauline (Website Owner)

Hi Winfield!

There's nothing worse than being woken at night, by anyone or anything. You wake up so grumpy in the morning, and it's even worse if you wake up to a little puddle!

Is Her Plumbing in Working Order?

I'm assuming that Pepper has no problems with her waterworks and everything's in good working order.

An average healthy dog should be able to go all night. The only exceptions to this are very young puppies and senior dogs who are getting on in years.

Does She Have Too Much Pent-up Energy?

If your dog isn't getting enough exercise during the day, she may have too much excess energy, which in turn may be causing her to wake up (far too early). And, because she's awake, she decides she wants to pee. 

Giving your dog lots of daily exercise; walks, runs, training and play should give her the physical and mental stimulation to help her sleep through the night.

Does She Do The Business Before Bedtime?

When you take Pepper out before bedtime, do you stay with her and 'encourage' her to do her toilet? Do you actually stay with her to see if she has pee'd? 

If you don't stay, how long do you leave her outside? A minute or two isn't always long enough unless she goes straight away.

Why Not Crate The Cat?

If the cat waking up and wandering during the night is part of the problem, why not have the moggy sleep in another room or crate it overnight until you sort out Pepper's problem. That way, you'll all get a good night's sleep.

Remove Her Water Bowl

Have you considered removing your dog's water bowl a couple of hours before bedtime? If you're sure she does the business before bedtime, but your dog is peeing at night, I suggest restricting her water intake from 8:00 pm or earlier if it doesn't give you the desired results.

However, I certainly wouldn't limit liquids any earlier than 7:00 pm.

I've pee'd Mum!

Summary: Cocker Spaniel Peeing At Night

So, to sum up:

• Check that your Cocker Spaniel has no health issues and that her 'plumbing' is working as it should.
  
  
• Make sure she's tired; give her plenty of exercise during the day.
  
  
• Please make sure you stay with her and confirm she actually pees before she goes to bed.
  
  
• Remove her water bowl for a few nights to see if that works; it should, but let's wait and see.
  
  
• Crate the cat (or at least let it sleep in another room) for a few nights.

Good luck!

PS: I assume that when you've cleaned the carpet where she pees, you've used a scent-removing product. If not, she will still be able to smell her urine, encouraging her to pee in or near the same spot.

Visitor's Comments

Cocker Spaniel Dog Peeing At Night

We had the same problem with our cocker spaniel peeing at night.

We had her potty trained one minute; the next, she was peeing in the house again.

I'm sorry to admit that our puppy duties had slipped a little. We had begun to let her out of the back door into our garden, and (especially if it was cold or raining) we'd leave her there and return indoors.

It sounds so cruel now. We never stayed with her to check that she'd peed. That was wrong of us.

Our vet advised us to remove her water bowl, hide it after 9:00pm, take her out each night, watch her, and encourage her to pee.

We followed this advice, and it wasn't long before our little puppy was dry overnight.

Result!

Cocker Spaniel Dog Peeing At Night
By: Ester

Hi Mum, no rabbits here!

My Puppy Pees in His Sleep: He Wets His Bed!

Kosmo, my 6-month-old male puppy, is peeing in his sleep.

He was recently neutered, and there were no problems; however, over the last few weeks, Kosmo has been having nightmares, and he's wetting himself while he sleeps. 

Please give me some advice; many thanks.

By: Michelle
From: Clearwater

Puppy Dog Peeing At Night

Hello Michelle, 

It could be a post-neuter urinary problem, possibly an infection, but I'm not a vet and certainly not qualified to make this diagnosis.

I recommend going back to your vet and explaining what's happening. He may want to do some tests to check for infection. At least then, you'll know for sure and be in a better position to treat the symptoms and eliminate any disease or illness.

Otherwise, please read the answers above and below.

Puppy Nightmares?

As for the 'nightmares', dogs (just like humans) can dream and have occasional nightmares. However, it's more likely that he's dreaming of chasing rabbits or playing with other dogs. I wouldn't worry too much about it, Michelle.

Don't be tempted to wake your dog from a nightmare (or even normal sleep), as roused dogs can often be dangerous.

Waking your puppy may cause him some confusion or frighten him, but if you want to wake him from one of his nightmares, try calling out his name or clapping your hands at the same time as calling him.

Possible Seizures?

It's unlikely that your puppy has seizures, but if you're going to see your vet anyway, why not record your dog when he's next asleep and having a nightmare.

Note what and when he was fed, how much he drank, and what happened during the day. 

When you visit your vet, you may have enough information to allow him to make a quick and easy diagnosis.

Hope this helps!

Summary: Cocker Spaniel Peeing At Night

So, to sum up:

• Check she's not got any health issues, and that her 'plumbing' is working the way it should.
  
  
• Make sure she's tired; plenty of exercise during the day.
  
  
• Make sure you stay with her and confirm she actually pees before she goes to bed.
  
  
• Remove her water bowl for a few nights to see if that does the trick - it should work, but let's wait and see.
  
  
• Crate the cat (or at least let it sleep in another room) for a couple of nights.
  
  
• Remove her water bowl before bedtime.

Good luck!

PS: I am assuming that you've not only cleaned the carpet where she pees, but you've used a scent removing product, because if she can still smell her urine it will 'encourage' her to pee in or near the same spot. 

Comments From Our Visitors

Cocker Spaniel Peeing At Night
By: Ester 

We had the same problem with our cocker spaniel peeing at night. We had her potty trained one minute and the next she was peeing in the house again.

I'm sorry to have to admit that our puppy duties had slipped a little. We had began to let her out of the back door into our garden and (especially if it was cold or raining) we'd leave her there and come back indoors. 

It sounds so cruel now. We never stayed with her to check that she'd peed. That was wrong of us.

Our vet advised us to remove her water bowl and hide it after 9:00pm and to take her out each night and watch her, encourage her to pee. 

We followed this advice and it wasn't long before our little puppy was dry overnight.

Result!

Cocker Spaniel Dog Peeing At Night

Hello Michelle,

Are you sure your dog's not just dreaming about chasing rabbits? My dog often does this. To the uninitiated, it looks like he's having a nightmare, but I know he's dreaming he's running and chasing small animals. His legs are twitching and moving; sometimes, you'd think he was running in his sleep.

He also whimpers. It sounds really sad to hear, but I know he's okay.

As for your puppy peeing in his sleep, perhaps restricting his water just before bedtime would help?

Good luck!

Cocker Spaniel Dog Peeing At Night
By: Janie