Leaking Urine

Question
Two days ago I was given a Jack Russell who is approximately 2 years old.  The previous owners could not care for her because of their busy lifestyle.  However, they did indicate to me that she has a tendency to "leak" urine from time to time.  Well, needless to say, it is not from time to time.  She leaks when she is excited, happy, nervous, etc.  I do not have much experience in raising dogs so any information and guidance you can offer would be wonderful.  Thanks.

Answer
Tranita, it sounds like, rather than her having a problem 'leaking' urine, she has a problem with submissive or excited urination. The first thing I would recommend would be that the vet do a urine culture just to be certain there is not an infection or anything that's causing the problem. A dog that 'leaks' urine will do so usually when it relaxes, and it's common in senior pets and spayed female dogs if the surgery was not done correctly.  

If she is healthy, then you just need to ignore it when it happens. Scolding her or punishing her will only make it worse. If she does it whenever you come home, or when visitors greet her, ignore her and tell your visitors to ignore her for several minutes until she settles down and loses interest in you (or them). Then she can be called over for calm petting. If she urinates, all attention should stop and you should just clean it up. She should learn that if she doesn't control herself, she doesn't get the attention that she's after in the first place, and she should stop doing it.

Another option is to let her wear a doggie diaper, or undergarment. This will not solve the problem, but it will help save your floors! Just like a human baby, the diaper needs to be checked and changed when wet.