5 month old male boxer peeing problem.

Question
My son just moved back in with us. He has a 5 month old male boxer.  He "drizzles" all the time!  We are a boxer family.  We hav a 5 year old female, have had 3 others in our life-time.  I have never seen this before.  He pee's when he's happy, pee's when he's excited, I can't have him in the house un-kenneled.  We are lucky to live in the country, but we have always had inside boxers.......HELP!

Answer
Wendi,
Thanks for your question about your boxer puppy. First thing is a trip to the vet to check for underlying medical conditions. If he checks out fine, then there are several ways to address this problem. It is most likely submissive urination and is not deliberate on his part as it just happens in response to dominant behavior and him being unsure of his new environment. If this being the case,all punishment or other dominant behavior approaches are counterproductive. All scolding,picking up the puppy, shaking,spanking,yelling or hitting or any other punishment should be avoided at all costs. Puppies with this problem lack confidence and worry about their ability to cope with the situations wherein they must be subordinate and usually start in early life with the litter. It is best to praise this puppy for the good things he does and try not to punish him at all even if caught in the act of undesirable behavior for a time period to build his self confidence. Preferably corrective measures are to create situations where the puppy can be praised for doing the right things in response to the owners. The puppy should be taught to come, sit and stay and be given immediate praise even for starting to make the appropriate responses. All teaching should be done without physical force,punishment or even gentle positioning of the pup.These actions may be too closely associated with dominance behavior on your part and could lead to more urination. Some more things to do: Don't hover or stand tall over the puppy if this has caused urination before, instead crouch down when calling the puppy or petting the puppy, pet him palm up on his chin or throat, chest or sides NOT on the head. When coming home and greeting the puppy has stimulated urination then ignore the puppy for at least 5 minutes after arrival home or before greeting the puppy, then when greeting the puppy crouch as describe earlier.Whenever the puppy starts to urinate, stand up and walk away from him quickly and then praise him to interrupt the behavior. Associate a phrase like : "Good dog" in a calm happy voice when petting him and when putting his food bowl down at feeding times. Then use it when he does something desirable like sitting on command. Avoid all scolding tones of voice if this has caused urination in the past. Also praise the puppy whenever he sits or lays down on his own.Remeber to praise him for the good things he does. The whole family must follow these same techniques. You should see improvements in his personality in about 4 days and the problem should completely clear up in about 6 weeks using the techniques I have suggested if no underlying medical issue is at hand.
I hope this information helps you and your boxer puppy. Thanks again for your question.
Angela Donald
Canine Behavior Consultant
http://www.hitowerboxers.com