Common House Training Problems With Dogs

House Training Problem: Submissive / Excited Urination / Oh No!!


House training is one of the areas of dog ownership that’s most subject to misunderstanding, confusion, and just plain dread!



A ‘submissive urinator’ is a dog that urinates on the floor and himself (and sometimes on you and any guests you may have!) in situations of extreme excitement or stress - like when you return home at the end of the day, or when he’s being yelled at. Puppies are the usual candidates for submissive/excited urination, but it’s not uncommon to see adult dogs with the problem as well: usually, these are highly sensitive and timid dogs, and/or ones from a shelter/with a history of abuse (often the last two go hand-in-hand.)



Situations when an excited or fearful dog is likely to urinate


- Greeting time after a prolonged absence
- Play time
- The arrival of guests
- Stressful situations at home, eg arguments
- During a correction (you’re telling him off)
- Sudden loud noises (thunder, fireworks)



What's the solution? Fortunately, it’s not difficult to “cure” your dog of his submissive/excited urination. First of all, you should take him to the vet to make sure there’s no medical reason for the issue (like diabetes or a bladder infection.) Hopefully you are taking your dog infor regular vet check- ups.



NOW...to take control of the problem!! Limit his intake of water to help him control his bladder more effectively. Don’t restrict his water intake over a prolonged period of time, but if you know there’s a situation coming which would normally result in urination – for example, you have guests coming over, or are planning on a play session soon – take his water bowl away for a period of time (maybe half an hour to an hour) before the event.



Another thing that will help. When greeting your dog, keep it calm and mellow. The more excited he is, the harder it is for him to control his bladder, so don’t encourage him to get worked up: ignore him for the first few moments, or give him a neutral “hello”, a quick pat, and then go about making yourself at home. I remember when I was away fro my puppy for a week, she instantly peed at my feet the second she met up with me. Lucky for me, we were outside at the time. So this can happen even when your puppy doesn't normally have a problem. So just understand the circumstance.



So then it’s important that you DO NOT punish or harshly correct your dog for this behavior. It’s not something that he can easily control, and he’s certainly not doing it on purpose. When you catch him in the act, you can interrupt him (a firm “No!” followed by praise when he stops should suffice) but don’t punish him. Keep your cool, and try to be sympathetic: he doesn’t mean to do it, after all!




If he urinates out of fear (submissiveness) when scolding him for another offense, try to take the stress levels down a notch by keeping a firm, authoritative, but not angry tone. Remember, you’re dealing with a sensitive, highly-strung dog: if you get angry or worry him further, the problem will worsen. Remember dogs are like people, with different personalities. And they react to things in a certain way as a result of certain circumstances that have taken place in their life.




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