By Adam Katz
Bhabani wrote to me with her question about her dog andsubmissive urination:
She wrote: "I have a mixed-breed puppy (German shepherd/bordercollie mix) which is 4 months old. It's very friendly withpeople but when it approaches people, it urinates all-over. Thesame happens when I come home in the evening. It becomes veryexcited and urinates on the carpet. Is that a submissivebehavior? How can I solve this problem?
-Bhabani
Dear Bhabani,
Just for peace of mind, have him checked by your veterinarian tomake sure the problem is strictly behavioral and isn't medicallyrelated. Once you have the results from the tests, you can startfrom there.
If your dog is otherwise house-trained, it is more likely asubmissive behavior. You can help reduce this behavior byincreasing your dog's confidence level.
Take the dog out more and socialize, socialize, socialize withother humans.
Agility training is also a great start.
Don't create as much excitement around the dog when he's knownto exhibit the behavior. When you come home, ignore him untilhe's calm enough to greet. Is he kept in a crate while you'regone? This can help you by allowing you to come home andimmediately take the dog outside to potty. By staying in thecrate, he will be more at loathe to potty in it because dogshave an inhibition to using the same area as a toilet and a den.
The same goes with guests. If a guest comes over, they shouldignore the dog and not fuss until he calms down. Do not correcthim for urinating. Correcting submissive urination will onlymake the behavior worse
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