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Excitement or submissive urinating house training housebreaking. Some dogs have a problem wherein they urinate a bit when they are very excited or feeling submissive. This can be very frustrating for pet owners who often feel that they cannot even say hello to their dog without having to clean up a mess, and to some it may even seem spitefully done, particularly for those dogs who do it when being disciplined.
In order to alleviate this problem, the first step is to understand two things: First, this is not a housebreaking issue, since the dog doesn't even realize it is coming out, and second, it is not done out of spite, as dogs don't have the ability to rationalize and plan on getting you back for yelling at them.
Once you understand the above concepts, the next step is to move on to implementing specific strategies to solve the issue. If you work on ALL of the following exercises, you should be able to eliminate the problem within just a few weeks. As with any behavior problems, it is always best to check with your veterinarian prior to start to eliminate any health problems that may be causing or inhibiting the issue to make sure you both have a rewarding and successful experience from this training exercise.
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- Build your dogs muscle control. Make sure your dog builds up the bladder muscles by having him hold it in for at least four hours per day (but not more than a maximum of seven). If you have a doggy door, leave your dog outside, or walk him every 30 minutes, he will not build up the muscles needed to avoid leakage.
- Build up your dogs self-discipline. By working on some obedience and manners training. If he was not soooo excited when people pay attention to him, he will be much less likely to sprinkle. Work on basic commands such as heel, sit, down, and stay, and manners such as not jumping, and sitting when people come in the door. - Control yourself. If your dog is submissively urinating, then yelling, hitting, and looming above your dog are all actions that will contribute to the problem, not solve it. If a dog is scared or feeling very submissive, he will instinctually urinate to show that he doesnt wish to challenge you. Instead, use milder, more positive methods to teach your dog what he should or should not do. If you do not know what to do, consider working with a knowledgeable trainer. - Likewise, if your dog is tinkling out of excitement, do not contribute to the situation by using a high pitched, happy voice and getting him all worked up. Instead, ignore the dog and avoid eye contact upon arrival, and save the happy voice for after hes calmed down. - Build your dogs confidence. Through obedience training and games. Teaching your dog new things and then praising him when he gets them right are excellent confidence builders. Other confidence building exercises include teaching him some simple agility moves (like jumping onto and off of a bench or other home made object), and thorough socialization with people, other dogs, noises, etc. |
Canine body language: submissive
Many dogs of all breeds become submissive to other dogs and to humans. Submissive behavior is normal up to a point, such as when the human assumes pack leader. A submissive dog will show through body language that the human is the boss, and the dog is the follower of the human. The same is true when a dog assumes a submissive posture to another dog; its body language shows that all authority belongs to the alpha dog. For example, a submissive dog is one that lies on its back and shows its belly, which is its most vulnerable side.
When your dog is exhibiting submissive behavior he most likely will have his ears flattened down so that they are flush to his head. His eyes may be narrowed so that they look almost closed, or they can be wide open and have that 'worried' look. A submissive dog may way to nuzzle into you to be held. He may also want to kiss you on your face. A submissive dog will also try to make himself smaller by lowering himself close to the ground. He may also offer you his paw, as if to shake hands. Your dog may vocalize or make no sound at all when he is exhibiting submissive behavior. Submissive vocalization may be exhibited by yelping, whining, or whimpering. This is not the time to comfort your dog.
It is important that we don't cause the submissive dog undue anxiety. Showing dominance over your dog will reinforce anxiety; therefore to prevent anxiety we should never look our dog square in the eyes, because direct eye contact is a sign of aggression. We should never approach our dog while looking directly at him; your dog will have less anxiety if you approach your dog while not looking directly into his eyes. When you approach your dog, do not tower over him; get down to his level by lowering yourself into a small position. Just as you would approach a child in a smaller position you should approach your dog in the same manner.
How should we react to submissive behavior? It is important not to give praise when a dog is exhibiting submissive behavior, because this will reinforce the behavior. By praising submissive behavior, the dog thinks that you want him to continue in the submissive manner, which adds to his anxiety.
It is important to be kind and use a calm assertive tone of voice. Don't ever yell at your dog; your dog may not fully understand the words you use, but he understands the tone. He knows if you are pleased with him or not. Being nice one minute and yelling the next adds to his anxiety, and also confuses him, because he may not be clear about what you want from him.
Other articles related to Shar-pei training:
Dog Fighting Prevention
Fears & Phobias
Raising your Shar-pei
Separation Anxiety
Understanding Canine Behavior
For more information, please join or visit:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/workingpei/
Dr. Jeff Vidt - training CSP article
Cesar Millan Inc. for pack leadership training
Karen Pryor for clicker training
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