Submissive Urination

 

 Troy Wilson & Rosita Wilson - Outback Dog Training Group

 

Submissive urination is a normal part of dog communication; they use it as a form of conciliation. A dog who submissively urinates is saying “I'm not a threat”. While not all dogs will utilise this means of communication, some will use it when they are extremely excited, when they are feeling intimidated or that they need to submit. It is common for dogs who submissively urinate to do so when they are playing, getting petted, being corrected for unwanted behaviour, or meeting someone (particularly someone new). It's like they lose control of their bladder. The amount of urine released will vary from dog to dog.

 

A dog who submissively urinates will use submissive body language when in a situation likely to trigger submissive urination; they may cower, raise their front paws, tuck their tail away, lick their lips, lay their ears back and/or grin submissively. The grin, although often showing teeth, is not a threat; it's the dog version of a nervous smile and is often accompanied by body wiggling, squinting eyes and lip licking; it is a conciliatory gesture. This behaviour usually occurs when meeting someone or during stressful interactions with people, such as a visit to the vet.

 

Submissive urination is mostly seen in puppies but can also manifest in older dogs. Females seem to be more prone to submissive urination than than their male counterparts and it is more common in dogs lacking confidence. The circumstances where individual dogs may submissively urinate will depend on the dog themselves; they are all different and have different triggers. Some dogs will experience submissive urination only with other dogs, some only with their owners, others with visitors and some only at the vet.

Medical Causes to Rule Out

If your puppy or dog experiences sudden changes in their toilet habits or is experiencing unwanted urination it is advisable to have them vet checked as there may be underlying medical issues.

 

 

Upset stomach

If your dog is fully potty trained but is experiencing loose bowel movements or diarrhoea in the house they may have an upset stomach.

 

 

Dietary Changes

If you have recently changed what or how much you feed your dog, they may experience a stomach upset. Often a change in diet will see a dog experience loose bowel movements or diarrhoea; they may also need to go to the potty more often than previously. The times of day your dog will need to go to the potty may also change.

 

 

UTI

A UTI (urinary tract infection) can cause dogs to release small amounts of urine regularly. If your dog has a UTI they may have blood in their urine and/or lick their genitals excessively.

 

 

Medication

Some medications including diuretics and steroids can cause regular urination.

 

 

Incontinence

This is a medical condition where a dog 'leaks' or voids their bladder unintentionally, sometimes even while they are asleep. Your dog is probably unaware they have messed themselves.

 

 

Genital abnormalities

Genital abnormalities can sometimes cause incontinence.

 

 

Diseases 

There are diseases that can cause frequent urination such as diabetes, liver and kidney diseases.

 

 

All medical problems should be be assessed by a vet before your dog is evaluated and treated for submissive urination. Once your dog has been vet-checked, if they are found to be healthy with no underlying medical issues that could cause unwanted urination, it is time to look for behavioural issues and potential triggers to unwanted urination. The cause may be a training or behavioural issue.

 

Behavioural Factors to Rule Out

Your Puppy is Not Potty Trained

It can take 4 - 6 months to get a puppy completely potty trained, but some take up to a year. A pup of less than 12 weeks of age may not have had any potty training; they may not know the rules relating to urination and defecation. Or it may be that they haven't yet learned to control their bladder or bowels; they may not have the ability to 'hold on'. Puppies usually begin to develop this ability around 12 - 16 weeks of age. For details on how to potty train your puppy refer to our articles on Potty Training and our supplementary document to potty training Bell Training Your Puppy for Potty.

 

 

Incomplete Potty Training 

A puppy or dog who has not been fully potty trained may mess in the house if they are not given enough opportunities to go outside to the potty; when they are left alone in the house for long periods, during the night, first thing in the morning or when there is a change in the household routine that impacts their ability to get outside to the potty. They may sneak out of the room where they sleep to mess in other rooms. Some dogs who are not fully potty trained will mess anywhere in the house but others will go in rooms that are not used often. It may be that your dog does not know how to tell you they need to go to the potty or you may be missing the signs. To resolve this, you need to go back to the very beginning of potty training and start from there. For details see our articles on Potty Training and Bell Training Your Puppy for Potty.

 

 

Marking 

Dogs use urine as a means to communicate with each other - they 'mark' to identify themselves, let others know they are there, that this is their space or because they are frustrated, stressed or in a situation that is causing them anxiety. In the wild, this is the domain of the 'top dog'. In the human world dogs can get confused about where they stand in the social hierarchy, particularly if there is not a clear and consistent pattern of behavioural expectation. So they mark. Most dogs, both male and female, will lift their leg to urinate. To learn more about canine marking and how to stop it see our article on Canine Marking.

 

 

Isolation or Separation Anxiety

If your dog only experiences unwanted urination when they are left alone at home, even if they are only left for short periods, they may be suffering from isolation or separation anxiety. Your dog may be visibly upset or nervous before you leave. This can be resolved with training; you need to teach your dog to be alone. Begin with calm training so your dog learns to relax. You should also consider crate training your dog if you haven't already done so; this will teach your dog that they have a 'safe place' to wait for your return.

 

If you have eliminated all other possibilities and your dog only experiences unwanted urination when they are excited, anxious or nervous then your dog is likely experiencing submissive urination.

 

Training Your Dog Not to Urinate Submissively

The majority of dogs grow out of submissive urination by the time they turn one, often without human intervention. This does not change the fact that it is a messy, unpleasant thing to have to deal with. And the reality is that some dogs never grow out of it. However there are steps you can take to manage or minimise submissive urination and maybe even eliminate it.

 

Try the following:

• Whenever you can, greet your dog outside the house. Distract your dog by tossing a few treats or a favourite toy gently towards them as they come to greet you so their attention is on the treats or toy rather than you. You are trying to make yourself less exciting.

 

• If you can't greet your dog outside, ignore them when you walk in the door. Wait until your dog is calm before you acknowledge them, then greet them calmly. Get down to your dog's level - sit on the floor or squat down; don't stand over your dog. Don't look directly at your dog, look off to one side. Don't walk squarely towards your dog, turn your body slightly sideways. This is so you do not appear intimidating or confrontational to your dog.

 

• Teach your dog that they must sit when they greet someone; begin at home with someone the dog already knows well.

 

• Pat your under the chin or on their chest. Patting your dog on the chest will also help to calm them.

 

Don't:

• Rev your dog up when you are playing; use toys to entertain your dog and avoid bodily contact.

 

• Hug your dog or pat your dog around their head. If you must have body contact, pat your dog under their chin or on their chest.

 

• Ignore your dog if they do submissively urinate. Continue with potty training.

 

• Ignore your dog if you suspect they are about to submissively urinate. Continue with potty training.

 

• Use negative words, tone of voice, facial expressions or body language when dealing with your dog's submissive urination; this may make the problem worse.

 

• Tell your dog off for accidents; this may make the problem worse. Punishing your dog for accidents may also make the problem worse, so avoid doing this, no how frustrated you are. Your dog needs training, not punishment.

 

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