Submissive Urination

[bottlerocket]

I'm at the end of my patience. I have had Sam for about a month and a half now and I cannot deal with the constant urination. He doesn't have trouble holding it, but he will pee when he is excited, gets in trouble, lots of people come over, etc. Unless everything is standard, normal and nothing is going on at all, he'll pee. I have tried constant positive reinforcement but it hasn't shown any change. He pees all the time and I cant take the amonia smell any longer. I have go to do something. I cant keep coming home to a house that smells like urine. What do I do?

[mbc1963]

Yeeeesh... That's too bad, and I understand how it would be frustrating!

 

A dog I had as a kid was really pee-y when we first got her: she'd pee when she got excited, when people came over, when anything new happened. It's a long time ago, and I don't have a clear memory of it, but I do know that by the time she was a year old, it had stopped and was only a vague memory. Growing up, gaining confidence...?

 

Good luck!

 

Mary

[Tommy Coyote]

Tommy always pees when she meets people. I'm hoping she will outgrow it. She doesn't do it at home. I can't take her in anywhere. But I don't mind that.

[Flamincomet]

Spirit has this problem as well. I've found that on days where we are out and about, with lots of people petting her, she will eventually stop, and not be so excited about it. But then the next day it will be the same thing all over again. I got her some bitch's britches recently (The ones you use for bitches in season) so that I don't have to worry about her peeing in a public place, like the pet store or the vets. They make them for dogs as well, they are called belly bands.

 

Have you had this dog checked out for a bladder infection yet? That could cause a dog to leak urine and is the first thing a vet will check if a dog has this problem.

 

I don't know if they offer medication for dogs with this problem, I just know they offer it for bitches that lose the bladder strengthening hormone after being spayed, unfortunately it didn't work for Spirit.

 

What I am doing with Spirit is just taking her out every day. I take her to Lowes, Home Depot, feed stores, vet offices, and pet stores, and have as many people pet her as possible. If they are willing I usually ask them if they will give her a treat too. She used to have this problem with my husband and I as well, but after a while she stopped, I assume because she realized we aren't scary (This was very recently after we got her) and it's really no big deal to be around us and be pet by us. I'm hoping she will eventually realize it's the same with everyone else too.

 

Building up her confidence has really helped as well. She went from a shy, cowering dog to a head up, happy-go-lucky, tail wagging dog just by using positive training methods and teaching her basic obedience and some tricks.

 

Hope that helped and Good Luck!

 

Autumn

[Sue R]

Sorry you are having this problem - it is not pleasant. How old is Sam and what is his brief history?

 

First, have him checked for a urinary tract infection. If positive, get it treated. If negative, at least it's ruled out.

 

Second, is he crate-trained? Use a crate to confine him during the day when there is no one at home. As soon as you come in you can do one of two things (depending on which gives better results) - either casually put your stuff up first (ignoring him) or simply immediately let him out of the crate (no fussing) and take him right out the door to do his thing in the yard. Do not do greetings and so forth until after he is done relieving himself.

 

Most dogs won't go in their crate - but submissive urinators seem to be able to go anywhere and everywhere. You may find the use of the crate to be helpful when company comes or other "exciting" situations. Just crate him before you open the door to visitors or before something may happen that might trigger the urination.

 

As for scolding/getting in trouble - consider if your corrections are a bit harsh at this point first. You may need to really tone it down to avoid his over-reaction. As you note, the urination is a submissive behavior and a reaction to the correction. Maybe just a quick "aht" or "uh-uh" followed immediately by redirecting his attention to a suitable behavior might be more helpful. And, avoid letting him "get into trouble" to help prevent the problem.

 

If he is like my one bitch (who had this problem when younger), give him the chance to go more than once if necessary. My little Megan would not be empty enough after just one quick pee but would be much less likely to have an accident if she had to go twice (or three times) before greeting.

 

And, do the greeting outside so, if there is some "leakage", it won't affect the house.

 

Now, as to the ammonia smell, is that because Sam is going in the house during the day when no one is there, or is that because you are not cleaning up the previous accidents with an enzymatic cleaner made specifically for this purpose (like Nature's Miracle)? The ammonia smell should only occur when spots are not cleaned up quickly and treated properly. I blot, then spray. Do not use other types of cleaners before the enzymatic cleaner because that can reduce its efficiency.

 

It's not pleasant, and I wish you and Sam the best at dealing with this issue.

[sweet_ceana]

If your dog is young they will probably grow out of it. Ceana used to do this and the older she got the less frequent it became. After about a year of age it never happened again. Just make sure you do all introductions and greetings on easy to clean surfaces.

[nancy in AZ]

Boo was four years old when I found him, and he used to submissive pee (and he wasn't house-trained either) in the beginning. He grew out of it once he felt secure in his new home environment. Every once in a blue moon if he sees me get really agitated about something he'll do it.

 

Really, 6 week isn't long at all, and he may need more time to adjust to, and feel secure in his new household. If you are aware of the circumstances under which it's most likely to occur, can you be proactive about managing it? Try to maintain a very calm and subdued presence whenever he's indoors. Be aware of the kind of energy you're projecting. People who come over should probably completely ignore him for the first several minutes, so he doesn't get keyed up whenever visitors arrive. Maybe use a baby gate to restrict his access to non-carpet areas when circumstances warrant.

 

Do you use Nature's Miracle on the places he urinates indoors? It will completely neutralize the smell (and it's a great spot remover on carpets)

 

I would also want to rule out UTI if he doesn't improve.

[Ace]

Rush peed the day we got her home she was so excited, she still does (rarely but sometimes - when shes got a full bladder and shes REALLY EXCITED), its really gross but she is so happy, but also submissive, she rolls on her back and just pees. I found that distracting her with food while people come in, or having people ignore her helped a lot. Also daily walks, we started out small, just going short distances (with the gentle leader, the clicker, and cheese), then started going further, and I would have her sit, and not let anyone pet her. I found when people pet her it reinforces her excitement, it diminishes over time, but it still reinforces it. She is on her way to recovery. I am trying to undo the damage my family did (that I allowed >.<). My advice is to work on it daily and don't let anything get by. If he is in any submissive state or excited, dont let him be petted. Try and distract him, take him outside to play ball as soon as people start coming inside if he doesn't respond to well to food. If its submissive and hes rolling over any of those should help, if hes a puppy I say start ASAP. The training I did with Rush also helped our bond so much, she was going through her humans suck and I dont need to listen to them phase, and walking her everyday really helped up grow a bond even through she seemed to love my other dog more.

 

Good luck with Sam!

 

Diane

[bottlerocket]

Sam is a stray rescue, so his history is unknown. He doesn't have a problem holding his pee unless he gets excited

 

As for harsh scolding, I am definitely not harsh at all. I never hit him, yell at him or get in his face. I'll just use a firm "no", sometimes even not so firm as to not scare him.

 

He is rolling over most times when he does this. He NEVER will just stand and pee. He will always lay on his back and will pee, or when he jumps up on you he'll pee as well.

[louboo]

Hi bottlerocket,

 

My dogs do the same thing. We have socialized them with other dogs and people, but they get just so darn excited and "have to go." I've found that by ignoring the dog(s) and not touching them when they're excited, they don't urinate. We usually greet our house guests outside, but ask that they not pet the dogs for about 5 minutes. The dogs say hi and sniff and then begin calm down. Make's it a wet-free zone.

[ErinKate]

I'm with the bunch that says he will hopefully outgrow it. Once he is more secure in your home, he should be ok. When you say he pees, you mean leaks, or piddles right? He isn't going out of his way to hike a leg? If it is just leaks, I wouldn't even say anything to him. My mom had a dog that did that and my dad would yell at the dog every time. Well I think it made her worse and gave her "stranger anxiety".

I too say do your meet and greet outside for now

[bottlerocket]

Well I have been taking everyone's suggestions and he's progressing it seems. He has the occasional accident, but every time he gets "submissive" (rolls and lifts his leg) I just turn around and walk off. I think he's learning to not get that way as much now. Seems to be working!