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-----Question-----
We have a 16 week old male golden retriever puppy that is giving us fits!  First, he had a bladder infection and has been treated with antibiotics.  We took him to the vet two days ago and all the tests came back very good;  ph is back to normal, etc.  He was just starting to be housebroken when this infection occurred; now we cannot get him to stop 'dribbling' all over the house.  Can you offer us any advice?  Has he just formed a bad habit after 'dribbling' due to his infection?  We sure appreciate any advice you can offer.
-----Answer-----
Dear Jane,
Thanks for the question. I can give you some accurate advice. I am not exactly sure what you mean by "dribbling" but in my mind I think of dribbling as a medical, involuntary behavior (as in "oops some urine just leaked out of my dog"), not a house training issue (as in "my dog chooses to pee in the house").  

If it is medical, I can't offer any advice - except go back to the vet.

It sounds like this guy has a bit too much freedom. At 16 weeks, he should only have very limited, very supervised access to portions of your home in brief periods - right after he empties his bladder outside.

House training is a very common issue. That's why I have a free, very detailed, house training guide on my web site.

Please visit http://howsbentley.com  look at the top center of any page to learn how to get immediate access to several free handouts for puppy people. There are handouts for Play-Biting, Jumping Up, 'Teach Sit and Down' and House Training instructions. All are free, I'm not trying to sell anything to you (sincere mile).  

You've taken the first step, now go ahead, take another, visit the web site and download the house training guide (another smile)! Thank you.

Happy Holidays! Happy Training!
Alan

p.s. if you think I'm sort of pushing the "please download the house training guide thing"- I am - you would be shocked to know of the very many people who ask for my help and then never download and read the guide. Have fun!
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Thanks for your quick reply. I will do the download thing.  Also, what I mean by 'dribbling' is he doesn't just squat and urinate...he 'dribbles' it all over the kitchen, for example.  Droplets of urine in a line over a distance.  Do you still think it's a housebreaking problem?  THANKS!  

Answer
>>>>>Thanks for your quick reply. I will do the download >>>thing.  Also, what I mean by 'dribbling' is he doesn't just >>>squat and urinate...he 'dribbles' it all over the kitchen, >>>for example.  Droplets of urine in a line over a distance.  >>>Do you still think it's a housebreaking problem?  THANKS>>>>>

Dear Jane,
I'm not sure if what you describe is a house training problem or not. Is he excited when it happens. Does it happen when you are interacting with him? What is the "rest" of his body doing at the moment he urinates? Is he running to greet you?

Does it happen if you are not interacting with him? Does he ever "leak" when he is resting?

It's possible that the behavior is related to excitement or submissive urination - except both of those elimination problems would have been apparent and present before now. Your description leads me to believe that the dribbling is a new problem that has recently developed -  which would pretty much rule out submissive or excitement urination.

Most pups with submissive or excitement urination "grow out" of the behavior - which means they have it worse when you first get them and it subsides over time.

I would attribute your problems either to a medical issue, a developmental issue or a house training issue.

For instance, if he was healthy and his bladder was empty, he wouldn't dribble. Either he hasn't developed bladder control (could be normal but slow development or a medical issue) OR he has too much access at times when he should be confined.

I would follow the guidelines in the house training guide - such as keeping a very detailed log - this will help you and your vet figure it out.

Good luck - thanks for the follow up!
Alan