bottlerocket Posted March 11, 2009 Report Share Posted March 11, 2009 Lately my BC has been having an issue with urinating in bed. Its not large amount, probably not even a couple ounces. He likes to jump in my bed and he'll lay there, but I'm working on training him out of that. But every time I either tell him down or pick him up, he'll pee just a little in the bed. Any idea what would cause him to do this? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carson Crazies Posted March 11, 2009 Report Share Posted March 11, 2009 Almost sounds like submissive urination to me. How old is the dog? Does he do it in other contexts? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bottlerocket Posted March 11, 2009 Author Report Share Posted March 11, 2009 Almost sounds like submissive urination to me. How old is the dog? Does he do it in other contexts? He was a stray rescue, but the vet thinks 2-3yrs old. He typically only does it when I try to get him off the bed. He has done it one other time on the floor when a stranger (one of my friends he has never met) went to pet his belly Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Root Beer Posted March 11, 2009 Report Share Posted March 11, 2009 One thing that you could try is to teach him to get up on something and get off on cue. Make it super-rewarding. If he is urinating out of stress or excitement when you cue him off the bed, teaching him a very positive "off" cue might help with that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carson Crazies Posted March 11, 2009 Report Share Posted March 11, 2009 What she said. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaryP Posted March 11, 2009 Report Share Posted March 11, 2009 He was a stray rescue, but the vet thinks 2-3yrs old. He typically only does it when I try to get him off the bed. He has done it one other time on the floor when a stranger (one of my friends he has never met) went to pet his belly That is submissive peeing. I have one dog that does this. Taking him to the vet is always interesting. It sounds like your dog is nervous about being told to get off the bed. Do you use a stern voice when you tell him "No?" If so, it may just be too much for him, if he is overly sensitive to correction. You might want to try a different approach. Instead of telling him "no" when he gets on the bed, try to encourage him with food or a favorite toy to jump off the bed, all the while keeping your tone friendly and happy. When he gets off the bed give him lots of praise/food/play, etc. If you see him turn to jump back on the bed, simply say something like, "Uh-uh." This should at least cause him to hesitate long enough for you to praise/feed/play with him for not jumping back up on the bed. Continue to do this until he gets the idea that being on the floor is more rewarding to being on the bed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bottlerocket Posted March 11, 2009 Author Report Share Posted March 11, 2009 That is submissive peeing. I have one dog that does this. Taking him to the vet is always interesting. It sounds like your dog is nervous about being told to get off the bed. Do you use a stern voice when you tell him "No?" If so, it may just be too much for him, if he is overly sensitive to correction. You might want to try a different approach. Instead of telling him "no" when he gets on the bed, try to encourage him with food or a favorite toy to jump off the bed, all the while keeping your tone friendly and happy. When he gets off the bed give him lots of praise/food/play, etc. If you see him turn to jump back on the bed, simply say something like, "Uh-uh." This should at least cause him to hesitate long enough for you to praise/feed/play with him for not jumping back up on the bed. Continue to do this until he gets the idea that being on the floor is more rewarding to being on the bed. sounds straight forward. ill give it a shot! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bottlerocket Posted March 12, 2009 Author Report Share Posted March 12, 2009 Well it seems like he'll pee just about anytime I talk to him. Even if its me crouched down across the room in my nicest voice saying "sam, come!" he'll pee a little bit on the way over. Vet says it might be overactive bladder?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
urge to herd Posted March 12, 2009 Report Share Posted March 12, 2009 If he's a very 'soft' dog, your nicest voice and crouching down might still be too much social pressure for him. I'd try ignoring him totally, except when you must take him outside or feed him, for example. When you do interact with him, use a normal tone of voice, and do things without any fuss at all. For example, just put his leash on him to take him out. Don't chat with him, except maybe to say, "Let's go," or the like. Keep everything low key, even training. When you praise, do it quietly and give his reward/reinforcment equally calmly. If it is the social pressure thing, then a little is enough, and much more than a little is waaaayyyy too much. Try that for 3 or 4 days and see how he responds. If he starts to relax and seek you out a bit more, then you're on the right track and will just need to stay low keyed with him. Good luck, please let us know how you get on. Ruth Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carson Crazies Posted March 12, 2009 Report Share Posted March 12, 2009 While I suppose it's possible it might be an overactive bladder, it really does sound more like a submissive urination thing. How long has he been with you? Has he done this since the beginning? Particularly if he's reasonably new in your household I agree with Ruth - I'd try a matter of fact approach with as little direct pressure as possible, because sometimes even squatting/happy voice stuff can be pressure to a dog that's struggling with confidence issues. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bottlerocket Posted March 12, 2009 Author Report Share Posted March 12, 2009 It all actually started within the last few days. He hasnt had any problems the first couple of weeks. This is a new development. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
urge to herd Posted March 12, 2009 Report Share Posted March 12, 2009 Ah, but if you've had him less than a month, than he's still very, very new to this world of yours, and still trying to figure out where/how he fits in. Would you mind tellling us his name? If you did already, I forgot - one of the joys of being in your mid 50s when you're female. I spent a good 3 minutes last week trying to think of 'hypothesis.' Do try the ignoring thing for a while. Can't hurt, might help, and it's free! Ruth Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bottlerocket Posted March 13, 2009 Author Report Share Posted March 13, 2009 His name is Sam. I'll give the ignoring thing more of a chance and see how that works out. Thanks for all the advice Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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