Zak George's Dog Training Revolution by Zak George

Author:Zak George
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Potter/TenSpeed/Harmony
Published: 2016-06-06T16:00:00+00:00

Excitement/Submissive Urination

“Every time the doorbell rings, my dog pees on the floor. What’s up with that?”

Excitement urination/submissive urination is when a dog becomes nervous or excited, loses control of his bladder, and accidentally urinates. Sometimes it can be a few drops; other times it can be enough to create quite a puddle. Excitement urination may occur when your dog becomes elated to see you when you come home, while he’s playing, or anytime someone visits. It’s very common in puppies, and most dogs outgrow it by their first birthday.

Submissive urination has the same result, but dogs do it for a different reason: they are conveying nervousness or fear related to a person, another dog, or a situation. If you yell at your dog (which I never recommend) and he immediately pees on the floor, that’s most likely submissive urination. Also, many dogs are just naturally shy and more prone to submissive urination no matter how sweet you are to them. Again, this is normal in puppies. I just need to clarify that though the term for this kind of peeing is “submissive urination,” we are not talking about “submissive” as opposed to “dominance.” As I’ve explained before, the whole concept of dog-to-human dominance is a myth.

First things first: Visit your vet to rule out an underlying medical issue such as a urinary tract infection or urinary incontinence. If that’s not the cause, then it’s time to work on reducing the behavior. Remember, though, this behavior is involuntary, so you’ll need to be extra understanding. Here are tips for handling both kinds of accidents:

• Since this behavior is somewhat predictable—for example, you know you your dog is likely to pee when guests arrive—then take your dog out before a visitor is expected.

• General socialization will likely reduce this behavior dramatically. As new situations become less of an event for your dog, he will be less excited or nervous. (See this page, chapter 3, to learn how to properly socialize your dog.)

• As with general housetraining, never punish your dog or yell at him for submissive or excitement urination. Doing so will not help the situation at all; it may only make the problem worse.

• To help your dog with submissive peeing, make sure that when you approach him you don’t do so with a posture that he might view as confrontational. No yelling or grabbing! Instead, encourage him to approach you, perhaps by using a treat or fun toy he likes, so that he feels more confident. Overall, the rule of thumb here is to be extra gentle.

• To help with excitement peeing, make any introductions or greetings as mellow as possible. That means when you walk through the door don’t start playing an immediate game of chase, talking in a high-pitched voice, and getting your dog all riled up. Instead, ignore him until you can get him outside to go potty. Guests should follow the same protocol.

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