Submissive Urination. How To Not Scare The Pee Out Of Your Pup.

Lucy, my heart is always captured by those eyes,
but the ears seal my fate.

I see quite a few dogs with submissive urination problems. For parents it can be very frustrating as they try to convince their pups to not pee when they are already peeing. I was just asked this exact question on Pawbly. So, I thought it would be a good opportunity to share my advice and my clients experiences.

Here is the question that Nicole asked;

My female dog who is 22 months old is submissive urinating. Has anyone else ever had this issue and how did you go about fixing it?

Every annual exam should look like this..

Here is my answer;

There are a few things that should be discussed with your vet to help identify the source of the problem.

Here's where I would start;

1. Breed
2. Anatomy. Look for inverted vulva, an anatomical defect that affects urination/UTI. Look for a urinary tract infection. Check a first morning urine sample.
3. A good physical exam.
4. A good behavioral exam.
5. A long discussion on how housebreaking went.

Here is my experience with these cases; IF, everything above is normal and no problems are found it is usually a problem with over stimulation. This "over stimulation" can occur as either;

Submission, i.e. a threatening or intimidating person/presence gets too close to you. For me this is the Cocker Spaniel cowering in the corner of the exam room. As soon as I get to within about 3 feet they pee. "Ooops, and sorry," we both say. Submissive urination occurs because a timid insecure dog is bowing in deference to an adult or top dog. This can be you, a family member, a strong adult figure and even another dog.

Aura, a beauty, no doubt.

OR,

Excitement. The four month old lab who is throwing herself all over the room as if I am her long, long, long, lost mom who just returned from a 4 year trek to Machu Picchu.

I see these pets most commonly urinating when the parent comes home, new people arrive at the house, excessive excitement, etc. I also saw it recently in a family that was reprimanding their puppy because she was doing it. Please note that there is a difference between "submissive urination" and "excitement urination."

It is important to know which behavior your pup is eliciting. BUT, in general, both are a result of over stimulation. So I am going to try to simplify it for those of you who aren't sure which your pup is exhibiting and what to do about it. In general, people with absent-minded peeing pets just want the peeing to stop.

Excited for a treat or a belly rub.

The key to conditioning your puppy to not get soo over stimulated/excited is to go back to basic housebreaking rules. Re-start from scratch your training EXCEPT this time there is only mild, calm gentle praise for GOOD behavior. NEVER EVER reprimand bad behavior. It causes stress and stress exacerbates the condition.

Willow sits safely, but confidently, next to dad.

Here's where people fail. They can't become robotic calm parental guides. Their stress, anger, frustration, etc is passed onto their pet and the snowball effect occurs. Don't be anything but a gentle kind guide for your pup. Don't let or encourage your pup to get over excited or over anxious. Both are ends of the emotional spectrum which prohibit your pup from being a happy, healthy, emotionally secure independent individual.

I always also discuss how the housebreaking is going. Some have failed in the adequate complete housebreaking plan. This needs to be addressed as the discovery process to the root of the problem is explored. Here are my simple tips to successful housebreaking;
While housebreaking your puppy she is NEVER out of your control. She is either;

1. In her crate,
2. Outside potty training on a leash, treats in tow, gentle praise and commands . Even this has to be structured, not just let loose outside. You aren't training unless you are participating.
3. Tied, yes, tied to you. So, that if she starts to pee you can pick her up and carry her outside to finish going. And praise her (calmly/quietly) when she does finish peeing outside. 

I wrote a blog with more of my housebreaking tips. It can be found here; Housebreaking. And one on Crate Training, (JIC).

Zeus, the epitome of a secure dog.

Your first stop should be at the vets office. Try to find someone who also specializes in gentle behavior modification. The most detrimental thing for a submissive pup is a threatening, forceful, or intimidating person. 

Best of luck,

Krista

If you have advice for this pup you can add it to the question here. And, Thank You for helping pets!

If you have a pet question you can ask it for free at Pawbly.com. Pawbly is a place  for  all pet people to  ask questions, share experiences, and build stronger relationships with their pets.

You can also find me on Twitter @FreePetAdvice, at the clinic, Jarrettsville Vet, or sitting ear buds in place in some dark Baltimore coffee shop glued to a laptop.

And please always be kind.