Submissive urination - Page 1

Hi I have a male puppy that is almost three months old. We got him when he was just 8 wks old. Overall he is a great puppy. Very friendly and overall a good pup. When we got the puppy, my husband would get him in the morning and feed him and he never piddle However, in the last two- three weeks he started urinating almost every time he sees my husband. Sometimes we have a dry greeting but too often he piddles when he sees him. This morning my husband got him out of the crate and he piddled, than after my husband fed the puppy he put the puppy back in the crate while he got ready for work. The pup was in the crate for about 10-15 minutes and than I got the puppy out of the crate and brought him downstairs. He was looking for my husband and when he heard him upstairs he climbed the stairs and when the puppy greeted my husband he piddled again. This is very frustrating because my husband feels like he can’t greet him because he piddles. Sometimes he piddles when he meets strangers but I have noticed that the frequency is declining. He piddled with me once or twice, and that was only after I have been absent all day. I work from home, so I spend all day with the puppy. Any suggestions or ideas on how to teach our pup to dry greet my husband?

Hello! I have a 6 month old Yorshire terrier to go along with my 5 German Shepherds. The Yorky has this issue of submissive urination. Submissive urination is the way that most dogs show respect for the authoritive figure. It occurs frequently with young puppies who have not learned social skills of showing respect. Most puppies will outgrow this. Even one of my GSD's did this until he was over a year old and finally he stopped. Submissive urination in adult dogs is usually a sign of insecurity, not being well socialized or abuse. Here are some links you can read about this and how to handle it. http://www.dogdaysusa.com/behaviorcenter_urination.asp http://www.clickandtreat.com/webart105.htm http://www.usask.ca/wcvm/herdmed/applied-ethology/behaviourproblems/suburine.html http://www.hilltopanimalhospital.com/submissive%20urination.htm

Time, they usually grow out it by the time they hit 6 months to 9 months. I have had a few of them that did that and they grew out of it as they matured, it is a puppy thing. It is a sign of being submissive. As you said he doesn't do it with strangers now so he has grown out of that. Don't make a big deal out of it and it should go away on its own.

Well, for a time at least while indoors, you need to reduce the triggers that cause the piddling... thank goodness you have recognized it as such.. so many people will call it a housebreaking issue.. most pups grow out of this stage but some will continue to piddle with certain people.. Many many years ago, I had a GSD female who only would do it with this family friend.. so we made all their greetings outdoors.. It's important not to make a big deal about it and refrain from bending over the dog, looking right into its face and other intimidating gestures... this could be almost anything from your husband..especially if he is a big man or has very strong body language. So, his time with your dog is outside where he will need to relax his body posture ..... Some dogs will also do this while totally excited until they can learn to control their muscles...we had a male many years ago who watered the surrounding are when he got excited!! With client dogs .. I will often open the back door and then the crate and we will run to it and outside where I will stop and put the leash on..... with lots of treats.... Good luck, it will pass