Incontinence in an older dog, without telling them off
If your dog leaks urine at night or in their bed without even noticing, it is neither dirtiness nor stubbornness: it almost always comes from a health problem, and it can often be treated well. Do not tell them off. Start by checking things over with your vet, then adapt their daily life.
Why they start weeing without meaning to
Incontinence is an involuntary leak: the bladder lets urine escape at rest or during sleep, and your dog is on the receiving end of it, they do not decide it. In a spayed female, the muscle that holds urine back can weaken with age: that is the most common cause of these leaks. There are other leads: a dog who drinks and urinates a lot, a urinary infection, or cognitive decline, meaning an ageing brain that loses its bearings. In every case, it is a health problem, not a training one.
"They're old" is not a diagnosis. Behind this loss of urine there is almost always a cause that can be treated (a weakened muscle, an infection, abnormal thirst, cognitive decline). See your vet: they rule out a medical cause before anyone thinks about "retraining".
What you can do from today
Simple things that ease daily life while your vet looks for the cause.
Write down what you notice
Since when, by day or by night, a few drops or a real puddle, and whether they are drinking more than before. These dated notes (and a photo of the damp patch) are worth their weight in gold to your vet.
Offer more trips outside
On waking, after every meal (eating often makes them want to urinate soon after), after a nap. More chances to go, fewer leaks.
Add one last trip out late in the evening
A final wee just before you go to bed empties their bladder for the night: that is when leaks are most common.
Reward every wee done outside
A marker word, always the same one ("yes!"), and a treat, even at twelve years old: their motivation is still intact, and never a word of blame for an accident.
Protect their bed
A washable or waterproof mattress protector under a soft blanket, plus a low, warm, easy-to-reach bed. They stay dry without having to hold it in.
Get rid of the smell for good
An enzymatic cleaner breaks down the trace their nose can still detect and that draws them back to the same spot. Never ammonia, which smells of urine and attracts them, and never bleach, which masks without erasing.
Keep their skin dry
If the coat is wet, wipe gently with warm water, without rubbing, then dry: skin that stays damp gets irritated. No scented products and no essential oils.
At night, never take away their water bowl to "limit" the leaks. A dog who drinks a lot does so because their body needs it: depriving them of water solves nothing and can dehydrate them. Work on the trips outside and the bedding, not on the water they drink.
When to see the vet
Some signs can wait for an appointment. Others mean calling your vet straight away.
Worth getting checked
- Leaks during sleep or at rest (a damp patch where they were lying)
- Accidents appearing in a dog who was house-trained
- They are drinking noticeably more and urinating more over the past few days or weeks
Get seen quickly
- Blood in their urine, or cloudy urine, and they lick that area non-stop
- At night they pace in circles, seem lost, and mix up day and night
Emergency, call straight away
- They strain to urinate and nothing comes out, or only a few drops despite the effort (especially in a male)
- Their belly is tense and painful, they are listless and no longer urinating
- Kendall et al. — Urethral sphincter mechanism incompetence in the bitch (ACVIM consensus) (2024)
Going further
Frequently asked questions
Why does my dog wee in the house at night?
In an older dog, weeing at night is rarely "naughtiness". The muscle that holds urine back may have weakened, they may be drinking more, or getting disoriented at night. Start with a last trip outside late in the evening and a check-up with your vet: it can often be treated well. And never tell them off.
Why does my dog wet themselves?
If they leak urine without noticing, especially lying down or asleep, that is incontinence: an involuntary leak, not dirtiness. They are on the receiving end of it. The cause is a health one (a weakened muscle, an infection, abnormal thirst) and it is well managed in most cases. Off to your vet.
Why does my dog wee in their bed?
A house-trained dog who suddenly wets their bed, especially while asleep, is not "regressing". A damp patch where they were lying is the classic sign of a leak at rest. Protect the bedding with a washable mattress protector in the meantime, and have them examined: your vet rules out a medical cause first.
Should you tell off an old dog who wees in the house?
No, never. They do not connect your anger with the puddle: they only learn to fear you, which raises their stress. Instead, reward them with a cheerful marker word ("yes!") every time they wee outside, offer more trips out, and see your vet.
Can incontinence in an older dog be treated?
Often, yes. In a spayed female, the muscle that holds urine back responds well to treatment, and many other causes can be treated too. It is your vet who decides, once the other leads have been ruled out. Your job is to spot, to date and to report.
My old dog drinks a lot and urinates a lot, is it serious?
It is a signal not to brush aside: thirst and urine output that go up and stay up can come from the kidneys, from diabetes (too much sugar in the blood) or from a hormonal disease. The sooner your vet spots them, the better they treat them. Never take the water away to "fix" this: write down what you notice and get advice.
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