Each dog has different behaviors that manifest in different occasions. These behaviors are often stemmed to the personality of your dog, and not relevant to the type of breed your dog has. A particular example is uncontrollable peeing whenever your dog feels excited or submissive. This condition is not permanent, if given proper and timely behavioral modification.
One particular instance when your dog would pee uncontrollably is during an exciting event such as you arriving home, having visitors over, a sudden loud noise, or whenever you and your dog are just having a good time. This is called excited peeing. Here are the steps that you can do to help lessen its occurrence.
1) Whenever you get home, do not make such a fuss when you arrive. Greet your dog with a pleasant “hello” and then keep your interaction low-key as much as possible. Try ignoring your dog for 15 minutes then give him your full attention.
2) If you’re having visitors over, you can pre-warn your dog by saying that some of your friends will arrive shortly. You can also lessen your dog’s intake of water before your friends arrive. The keyword here is lessen, not eliminate. Dogs need water as much as you do, so make sure that you just limit the intake and not deprive him of it.
3) Take your dog out for a walk before your friends come over. Encourage him to urinate while outside, and do not go in while he hasn’t.
4) Greet your friends outside with your dog. When your dog urinates outside, tell him he’s a good dog for he urinated outside the house. This way, your dog will get the idea that he should be doing the deed outside, and not inside the house.
5) If your dog is small, then by all means hold him when your friends arrive. This way, your dog will be reassured and be calm whenever strangers are around.
Submissive peeing, on the other hand, occurs when your dog is feeling threatened or dominated. It is also due to your dog’s belief that he must be submissive enough to gain your approval. To lessen this problem, the following tips can be employed.
1) Whenever you arrive home, greet your dog pleasantly but without looking at him straight in the eye. This is a show of dominance, and your dog will react by showing submissive behavior.
2) Wait for him to be the one to approach. When he does so, do not pat him on the head. Rub him behind his ears or give him a little scratch beneath his chin. You would be in a less-dominating position and your dog will get the idea that he does not need to become submissive to gain your affection.
3) You can also greet him this way: when he comes near, command him to sit, and shake. When he performs the command correctly, praise him appropriately and also tell him he’s been a good dog for not peeing.
4) Expose your dog to a lot of children or dogs. Tell children not to pat or touch your dog when she rolls over. Tell them to touch your dog only when she’s standing on all fours, or sitting down calmly. This can also be told to your friends whenever they come over.
5) If ever your dog pees whenever he is given attention, tell him softly and calmly in a normal tone of voice that you and he are going out for a walk. When he pees outside, tell him that he’s being good and peeing is best done outside the house and not inside.
Do take into mind that excited and submissive peeing are not problems due to improper training, or because of lack or too much attention. If you suspect a medical condition, consult a vet.
However, whenever you observe your dog doing such an act, do not scold or punish him. Doing so will only make the condition worse and not resolve the issue. All he needs is proper encouragement and a boost in self-confidence to overcome this behavior.
