Dog training basics – preventing unwanted urination

Problems with inappropriate urination are some of the most
commonly encountered by dog owners. As a matter of fact,
inappropriate urination and defecation is the most frequently
cited reason that owners surrender their animals to shelters.

Before you can address problems with inappropriate urination, it
is important to understand the basis of the problem. There are
several reasons why dogs lose control of their bladders, and it
is important to know the root cause of the problem before it can
be properly addressed.

Problem #1 – Excitement Urination Dogs often urinate when they
become overly excited, and dogs that are otherwise perfectly
housebroken sometimes show their excitement by dribbling urine
when greeting you excitedly. It is normal for some dogs to
urinate when they get excited, and this can be a particular
problem for many older dogs.

A lot of excitement induced urination occurs in young puppies,
and it is caused by a lack of bladder control. The puppy may not
even know he is urinating, and punishment will simply confuse
him. Becoming angry with the puppy will quickly cause excitement
urination to morph into submissive urination, thus compounding
the problem. As the puppy gets older and develops better bladder
control, this type of excitement urination should disappear.

The best cure for excitement urination is prevention. Preventing
your dog from becoming over excited is the best way to control
this problem behavior. If your dog is excited by a particular
stimulus or situation, it is important to repeatedly expose him
to that situation until it no longer causes excessive excitement.

Problem #2 – Submissive Urination Submissive urination is a
natural part of pack behavior among animals like dogs and
wolves. The submissive member of the pack shows his or her
submissiveness by lowering itself and urinating. Since dogs are
pack animals, they may show their submissiveness to their owner,
who they regard as the pack leader, by exhibiting this
submissive urination.

Dogs who exhibit submissive urination are usually showing their
insecurity. Unsocial zed and previously abused dogs often
exhibit submissive urination. These dogs need to be shown that
there are more appropriate ways to express their submissive
status, such as shaking hands or licking the owner’s hand.

The best way to deal with submissive urination problems is
often to ignore the urination. Trying to reassure the dog can
give the mistaken impression that you approve of the behavior,
while scolding the dog can make the submissive urination worse.

Correcting problems with submissive urination should be
directed at building the dog’s confidence and teaching him other
ways to show his respect. Teaching the dog to lift his paw, sit
on command, or similar obedience commands, is a great way to
direct the dog’s respect in a more appropriate direction.

Problems with urination are not always easy to deal with, but
it is important to be consistent, and to always reward
acceptable behavior on the part of the dog. When urination
problems do occur, it is always a good idea to first rule out
any medical conditions that could be causing those problems.
Medical issues like bladder infections can be the root cause of
problems with unwanted urination.

After any medical problems have been ruled out, it is important
to determine what is causing the problem, and treat it
appropriately. While it can be tempting to punish the dog for
inappropriate elimination, doing so will only confuse and
further intimidate him.