Submissive Urination

[GarryJ]

Hi

My 11 month old dog who I got at 8 months is a very nervous lady and I think her previous life was not a happy one for her.

However I have noticed that when I come home she gets so excited that she sometimes pees herself.

The other day the lady who spends an hour at lunchtime with them while I am work came with her hubby to see my puppy, Well she barked her head off and was cowering even though he was not near her then she ran over to the fire place and peed all over it before hiding herself behind the arm of the sofa.

I also recently took a bone off of her because when the puppy is out he trys to play with her and she goes mad, again she peed herself.

When I walk her and another dog approaches she normally pees herself.

Does anyone else have this problem?                    

[Christine]

Hello, Im not sure about the nervous thing, but certainly our dog Jasper who is 10 months old does this, and his little sister who my parents have also does this.  I assumed it was a puppy thing and they would grow out of it.  Jasper has got a lot better in the last month.

With the previous past of your little lady though, I dont know if this means the answer would be different for you, maybe the others will help a bit more                    

[Jane S]

Submissive urination is not uncommon in a nervous fearful dog - its an involuntary response to fear & stress. The best thing to do is to ignore it as much as poss - never ever tell a dog off for doing this (they can't help it), just keep very calm & clear the mess up very matter of factly. If you manage to build your bitch's confidence up, then the submissive peeing will eventually get less & less. Of course some puppies & adult dogs also pee in excitement but your approach should be the same ie don't make a fuss about it                    

[Pammy]

I was going to say much the same as Jane. Igonring the behaviour - ie no response at all is the way to deal with it. That way you give no encouragement for it to continue neither do you reinforce her fears.

When you get home - ignore her for a few minutes, then when the initial excitement has passed, call her and cuddle etc. Get all visitors to do the same. This way you will be showing her that you control when she gets attention and that it is not governed by her fears or behaviour. Her confidence will then grow and hopefully the submissive behaviour diminish

hth                    

[Colin]

I'm no expert so don't know the recognised methods of building up a shy, nervous dog's confidence but was wondering if you take Abby to training classes ?

At Misty's classes all the pups are around 5 or 6 months old, but there is one who is around the same age as your dog. She was terrifed at the first session so we were all told to not go too near to her so that she could gradually get used to being in such close proximity to so many dogs and people without being spooked. Week by week she has started to get more adventurous and confident, although not as outgoing and boistrous as most of the pups she is now tolerating being handled by other owners and becoming inquisitive of the other pups. In four weeks she has transformed from a quivering wreck, cowering under her owner's legs to being quite comfortable in her surroundings. I suppose there is always the chance that one unfortunate incident could set her back and also there is no guarantee that the same wonders could be worked with your dog this way but it might be worth a try......... if you are not doing this already of course.