Picture this: you’ve come home after a long day of work. You open the front door and are greeted by your ecstatic pup, his tail wagging wildly. Your dog’s delight is so infectious that you can’t help but grin as you bend down to pet his head. And then it happens. Your joyous pooch has suddenly produced a jumbo-sized puddle. So why do pups pee when they’re excited? Here are four reasons behind inappropriate urination and how to stop it.
The 4 Main Reasons Your Dog Pees When Excited
- Submission
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A post shared by Mathew Nicholson (@refreshinglyginger)
A super submissive dog may urinate when you are in a dominant position. This can include bending from the waist to pet your dog, looking him directly in the eyes, or greeting him face on. A dog will urinate submissively when he is trying to appease someone he perceives as “socially dominant.” This can happen when you approach your pooch, greet him, or punish him. Shelter dogs that are anxious, shy, and timid will submissively pee. To minimize submissive urination, avoid direct eye contact with your dog. Always approach him from the side and crouch down to his level. Scratch your dog under the chin rather than on top of his head. Keep your return-from-work greetings low key. Take your dog out to pee as soon as you get home. If your dog urinates inside, don’t make a fuss when cleaning it up.
Excitement Image Credit: pcdazero, Pixabay Dogs can also pee inside out of sheer joy and excitement. This is more common in puppies and dogs that are under one year of age. While most dogs will grow out of it, the problem won’t just vanish overnight. To help your pup with his excitement urination issue, always stay calm and quiet when greeting him. Consistency is key here. Keep all playtime outdoors or in areas of the home that you’ve secured with pee pads or newspaper. Give your dog plenty of praise when he relieves himself outside and on walks. Know the stimuli that trigger your dog’s excitement. Is it meeting new people? Playing with other dogs? Slowly desensitize your dog to these triggers to curb his excitement.
Separation Anxiety
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A post shared by Gus M. (@gusgus_the_shihtzu)
Some dogs can suffer from severe anxiety when they’re away from their owners. Separation anxiety can lead to excessive barking, chewing, peeing inside, and other destructive behaviors. If your dog has separation anxiety but you can’t be home all of the time, consider enrolling him in doggy daycare. You can also ask a trusted friend or relative to stay with the dog in your home when you’re away. Try spraying calming pheromones on your dog’s bed or using a pheromone diffuser.
- Medical Causes Image Credit: hedgehog94, Shutterstock If your dog’s urinating isn’t related to excitement or submission, it’s essential to rule out any underlying medical causes before trying to correct the behavior. Some medical causes for your pet’s accidents can include:
Urinary incontinence
Urinary tract infection (UTI)
Change in diet
After neutering
Talk to your vet if you think a medical issue is contributing to your dog’s peeing problem.
Final Thoughts If you’ve ruled out all medical issues, you can attempt to train your excitable dog to not pee in the house. Always remain consistently calm and quiet near him. Don’t hype-up greetings. And desensitize your pet to situations that trigger his excitement. After a while, your pooch will be free from pee!
You may also be interested in: Why Does My Dog’s Pee Stink? (4 Potential Causes)
Featured Image Credit by New Africa, Shutterstock
Picture this: you’ve come home after a long day of work. You open the front door and are greeted by your ecstatic pup, his tail wagging wildly. Your dog’s delight is so infectious that you can’t help but grin as you bend down to pet his head. And then it happens. Your joyous pooch has suddenly produced a jumbo-sized puddle.
So why do pups pee when they’re excited? Here are four reasons behind inappropriate urination and how to stop it.
The 4 Main Reasons Your Dog Pees When Excited
1. Submission
View this post on Instagram
A post shared by Mathew Nicholson (@refreshinglyginger)
A super submissive dog may urinate when you are in a dominant position. This can include bending from the waist to pet your dog, looking him directly in the eyes, or greeting him face on.
View this post on Instagram
A post shared by Mathew Nicholson (@refreshinglyginger)
A post shared by Mathew Nicholson (@refreshinglyginger)
View this post on Instagram
View this post on Instagram
A dog will urinate submissively when he is trying to appease someone he perceives as “socially dominant.” This can happen when you approach your pooch, greet him, or punish him. Shelter dogs that are anxious, shy, and timid will submissively pee.
To minimize submissive urination, avoid direct eye contact with your dog. Always approach him from the side and crouch down to his level. Scratch your dog under the chin rather than on top of his head. Keep your return-from-work greetings low key. Take your dog out to pee as soon as you get home. If your dog urinates inside, don’t make a fuss when cleaning it up.
2. Excitement
Dogs can also pee inside out of sheer joy and excitement. This is more common in puppies and dogs that are under one year of age. While most dogs will grow out of it, the problem won’t just vanish overnight.
To help your pup with his excitement urination issue, always stay calm and quiet when greeting him. Consistency is key here.
Keep all playtime outdoors or in areas of the home that you’ve secured with pee pads or newspaper. Give your dog plenty of praise when he relieves himself outside and on walks.
Know the stimuli that trigger your dog’s excitement. Is it meeting new people? Playing with other dogs? Slowly desensitize your dog to these triggers to curb his excitement.
3. Separation Anxiety
View this post on Instagram
A post shared by Gus M. (@gusgus_the_shihtzu)
Some dogs can suffer from severe anxiety when they’re away from their owners. Separation anxiety can lead to excessive barking, chewing, peeing inside, and other destructive behaviors.
View this post on Instagram
A post shared by Gus M. (@gusgus_the_shihtzu)
A post shared by Gus M. (@gusgus_the_shihtzu)
If your dog has separation anxiety but you can’t be home all of the time, consider enrolling him in doggy daycare. You can also ask a trusted friend or relative to stay with the dog in your home when you’re away.
Try spraying calming pheromones on your dog’s bed or using a pheromone diffuser.
4. Medical Causes
If your dog’s urinating isn’t related to excitement or submission, it’s essential to rule out any underlying medical causes before trying to correct the behavior. Some medical causes for your pet’s accidents can include:
Urinary incontinence
Urinary tract infection (UTI)
Change in diet
After neutering
Talk to your vet if you think a medical issue is contributing to your dog’s peeing problem.
- Urinary incontinence
- Urinary tract infection (UTI)
- Change in diet
- After neutering
Final Thoughts
If you’ve ruled out all medical issues, you can attempt to train your excitable dog to not pee in the house. Always remain consistently calm and quiet near him. Don’t hype-up greetings. And desensitize your pet to situations that trigger his excitement.
After a while, your pooch will be free from pee!
- You may also be interested in: Why Does My Dog’s Pee Stink? (4 Potential Causes)
Featured Image Credit by New Africa, Shutterstock
