Why Is My Dog In Heat Having Accidents Inside?

In this research you will know the answer to the query “Why Is My Dog In Heat Having Accidents Inside?“.

Just like human females unspayed female dogs experience a regular reproductive cycle.

The state of being in heat occurs when female dogs enter their reproductive cycle.

It is common for female dogs to display several unusual and unwanted behaviors when they are in heat.

You may feel like you are at your wits’ end if you do not handle these unsettling behaviors correctly. 

In female dogs in heat they may exhibit behaviors such as having frequent ‘accidents’ in the house.

The fact that your dog pees inside the house may shock you if he does not usually do so. 

You can prepare better for your dogs next heat cycle by understanding the heat cycle and the reason why he pees inside the house while in heat and you can maintain a good relationship with your fertile furry companion. 

What Does It Mean For A Female Dog To Be In Heat?

The dog heat cycle also called the estrus cycle in science is the canine equivalent of the period in humans.

When female dogs enter heat they are more likely to breed with male dogs. 

In female dogs the ovaries the female dogs reproductive organ release eggs as she undergoes various hormonal changes.

A female dog goes through four distinct stages of hormonal and physiological changes during the heat cycle.

Feminine dogs may exhibit strange behavior during this time such as peeing inside. 

When is Do Dogs Start Going Into Heat? 

Once a female dog reaches puberty or sexual maturity she experiences her first heat cycle.

Dogs usually undergo this between the ages of 6 and 15 months but the exact age varies greatly depending on their breed and size. 

For example our 9-month-old Golden Retriever just started her first season about a month ago.

It usually takes two to four weeks for the heat cycle to complete.

Afterward the female dog will go into heat about every 6 months depending on the breed. The heat of some smaller dog breeds can occur up to three times a year. Large dog breeds may experience heat only once a year however.

That being said the canine heat cycle is not like clockwork and many dogs experience irregular heat cycles over the course of their lives. It is possible to track your dogs heat cycle however the best way to avoid accidents when your dog is in heat is to be aware of the telltale signs.

In what ways can you tell if your dog is in heat? 

Key symptoms that your dog is in heat? 

It is possible to divide a heat cycle into four stages and because of this a large number of possible symptoms can be experienced. 

Thus in this section I will discuss the changes in your dogs behavior that are closely related to changes in the way he pees. 

Urination is increased 

There will be far more urination for your dog than usual. My experience suggests that this could be two or even three times more than usual. 

The increased urination is the dogs way of communicating to potential mates that she is about to mate. 

Dogs display this behavior instinctively and naturally. 

She does not have 100% control over this action. If a dog does not get more opportunities to urinate during the day than he normally would even the best house-trained dog may have accidents in the house. 

The urine contains blood

The second change in your dogs wee will be that blood will be mixed with it. 

There will be a change in color. You do not need to be alarmed if the color changes from clear or pale yellow to pink or red. 

The blood comes from your dog shedding the lining of her uterus and it is a perfectly normal process you should not be concerned about. 

1. Urination increases
2. While discharge becomes bloody

What do I mean by accidents?

I would like to clarify my meaning of accidents before moving on.

Dogs in heat are less likely to become incontinent and have accidents in the house.

Rather than leaving blood spots for you to clean up your dog is more likely to leave spots of blood that can last up to two weeks. 

Why Do Female Dogs Pee A Lot When In Heat?

Some dogs can exhibit slight incontinence during heat but in most cases the excessive urination that female dogs exhibit during estrus is intentional. During estrus female dogs urinate frequently so that they can leave traces of their breeding pheromones behind. 

Male dogs recognize the scent of a female dogs hormones as a sign she is ready to mate. During heat female dogs mark their territory in a distinctive pattern. Even though the dog pees more frequently than usual she just pees a little.

Why Do Female Dogs Pee Inside When In Heat? 

Females who are in heat are prone to peeing inside in addition to discharging blood. Those two things combined are enough to give even the most seasoned dog owner a serious headache. 

If your dog urinates in the house when she is in heat you may think it is an accident. If your dog has been house-trained this can be extremely frustrating. Many dog owners may even find this alarming concluding that it indicates underlying bladder issues. 

If your female dog pees indoors or in other inappropriate places when in heat there is a biological explanation. 

House-trained dogs are so receptive to their natural instinct to mate that during the canine heat cycle this desire to mate can override the knowledge that they are not allowed to pee indoors.

In the heat female dogs that are kept in the house all day may urinate in the house in an attempt to attract male mating partners before the end of their fertile period.

Rule out any medical or behavioral problems 

Maybe the reason your bitch is peeing in the house isnot associated with the fact that she is in heat and that it is just an unfortunate accident that is occurring while she is in heat. 

Therefore you should make sure that she does not have a separate medical problem causing her incontinence. 

I have listed below the most common reasons why house-trained dogs urinate in the house to help you with this.

The first part of my list contains medical problems:

1. Infected bladder or urinary tract
2. Kidney disease
3. Old Age
4. Diabetes

Behavioral causes are detailed in the second part of the list:

1. Anxiety
2. Over excitement
3. New environment

With a list of medical problems that daunting it is only logical to ask whether there is a connection between going into heat and some of these diseases like a bladder infection.

In the following section I will discuss a link.

Does going into heat cause an infection?

The fact that a female dog is in “season” does not necessarily mean it will suffer from bladder or urinary tract infections.

There is no connection between the two events.

It is possible that your bitch goes into the season and develops a UTI at the same time but the chances of this happening are very small.

Most likely your dog has an infection and they are not in season.

This is an easy mistake to make since some dogs’ patterns of “heat” are unpredictable- and I should know because I have raised four golden retrievers over the past four years!

When a dog is in season we have to be even more vigilant and that extra pressure can sometimes lead us to look for things that do not exist. 

Therefore I am going to discuss the symptoms of a urinary infection in the next section and if any of these symptoms are the same as those in dogs during the breeding season. 

UTI Symptoms vs Heat Symptoms

In dogs with a urinary infection the following symptoms are common:

Bloody or cloudy urine

More frequent urination

Incontinence in the house

Licking their “private parts”

We see that these four symptoms are exactly the same as those of a dog in heat even though the causes are slightly different.

If a dog with an infection has blood in its urine its not because they’re shedding uterine lining its more likely due to other causes that need to be evaluated by your veterinarian.

If a dog with an infection is urinating more often than usual this isnot because they are sending chemical messages as part of a natural cycle to all the male dogs in the neighborhood.

As a result they are unable to go as long without weeing as they normally would. 

Even with their best efforts some dogs might just have an accident or two because they have an infection. 

How to stop a dog in heat from having an accident?

I will conclude this research by discussing the best methods to prevent a dog in heat from having accidents in the house.

The reason for this is to give them a chance to go to the bathroom more often than they would normally do.

In terms of my dogs they normally go out for a walk first thing in the morning and late at night.

During the eight hours or so between walks they do not need to go to the bathroom. 

I also let them out for lunch in the garden when they are in season.

I am not implying that a dog that is in season requires another walk during the day- they just need a quick trip into the backyard or a walk to the nearby patch of grass or green space.

If you want to read more about dog health tips read here: Dog Health Tips and Tricks.

Why Is My Dog In Heat Having Accidents Inside? (Watch Video)