How to Prevent Your Dog From Peeing When It Is Excited

Scolding your dog can make submissive urination worse.

A dog that pees when it is excited is acting in a submissive manner, so this problem is often referred to as submissive urination. This behavior is learned as a puppy and can be triggered by other dogs or people, affectionate greetings, arguments, loud noises or scolding. This is a problem that can be embarrassing for the owner of the dog as well as messy, so it is important to work with your dog to stop this behavior from occurring.

Difficulty:

Moderately Challenging

Instructions

1. Praise your dog for good behavior in a calm manner. Do not act overly excited because this can trigger submissive urination in your dog.

2. Avoid punishing or scolding your dog when it urinates. This is a problem with submissive pets, which means that scolding the animal will make it feel less powerful and unsure of itself. This can lead to additional submissive urination instead of less.

3. Crouch down in front of your dog when greeting it to avoid appearing dominant. Allow your pet to come to you instead of walking over to it. Do not act overly excited to see your pet when you get home. Instead, stay calm and your dog will not become so excited.

4. Limit the amount of water that you give your pup before you have guests to your house or before you take it out in public. Do not limit its water intake too much, but giving your dog a bit less before these situations can be helpful.

5. Take a dog training class to have a professional help you curb this behavior. Teaching your dog basic commands and praise is helpful in overall training, including helping with submissive urination.

References

• Dogs 4 Life: 8 Ways to Stop Submissive Urination
• University of Saskatchewan: Submissive Urination in Dogs