How do I stop my dog from peeing when he gets scared?

Does your dog pee a little bit when they are in trouble, excited, aroused or intimidated? Maybe you've noticed some puppy anxiety peeing or your dog gets scared and pees. What looks like a housebreaking problem is actually known as submissive urination which is a common behavioral problem in shy and timid dogs.

In order to understand submissive urination in dogs it’s important to understand that it is a subconscious response to dominance that your canine cannot control. Dogs elicit submissive signals to show their recognition towards your dominance.

"Submissive urination is an uncontrollable and instinctive reaction of dogs to show social appeasement and submissiveness."

Averting eyes, rolling on their back, and urination are all signs that express submissiveness. Although this behavior is more common among puppies, some remain timid even during their adulthood and then urination may become a frustrating problem. In this article, we will address how to stop submissive urination in female dogs and male dogs and how to identify submissive peeing. Plus, how to stop submissive urination in dogs.

Submissive Urination in Dogs

Submissive urination is an uncontrollable and instinctive reaction of dogs to show social appeasement and submissiveness. When a dog pees in submission, they are not trying to irritate you, they are actually trying to convey to you that they are not a threat. It is also their way of communicating to you their frustrations. Your dog peeing is informing you that they do not feel secure.

Submissive Urination vs. Excitement Urination

Although they may seem the same, there is a big difference between submissive urination in dogs and excitement urination. Excitement urination is when your dog becomes too stimulated by surroundings and starts peeing in response. If your dog pees when excited, it is excitement urination. Submissive urination or dog submissive peeing is a response to fear or anxiety, rather than excitement. If you're wondering how to stop a dog from peeing when excited, learn more about excitement urination here.

Your dog's peeing can be a sign of different illnesses or unpleasant behaviors. But, you are probably challenged with submissive urination if your furbaby pees during these particular events and settings:

Peeing together with submissive postures, like tail tucking, crouching, whelping, or rolling over to expose their belly are all common signs of submissive urination.

The following tips can help your prevent submissive urination:

Consult a Vet About Dog Submissive Peeing

In order to deal with any problem effectively, knowing the cause is the key to finding the solution. Take your dog to a vet and get them examined for any possible physical abnormalities pertaining to his problem. Difficulty in controlling the bladder can also be due to sickness or disease, according to Outward Hound. If this is the case with your canine, your vet will guide you through the best possible treatment options and coping mechanisms. Knocking any sort of health issue out of the way, will help you move on to the next step in how to stop a submissive dog from peeing.

Once you’ve ruled out medical causes, you can take appropriate steps to manage, minimize or stop the behavior. With a little bit of training, working together as a team, and patience you can help your canine outgrow submissive urination. Listed below are few steps that you can take for how to stop submissive urination in dogs. Here are some ways to help your dog with submissive urination:

Build Confidence

Since lack of confidence and shyness is usually the primary cause behind submissive behavior, you must start by taking some measures to build up your dog’s confidence. Talk your pup up, and treat him gently throughout the day. Indulge in confidence building exercises like “Find it," “Treat and Retreat” etc. Make sure you keep the play time low-key so that it doesn’t overly excite your dog!

Snuffle mats are an excellent way to help your dog build their confidence. The Forager™ Mat and Forager™ Bowl are snuffle mats and bowls with SoftSnout™ material that is non-abrasive to dog noses. Simply scatter your dog's food or treats into the the snuffle mat or bowl and let your dog forage for rewards. This works their natural instincts and provides an instant reward, helping them build their confidence!

Identify Triggers

Next, try to identify the triggers that usually lead to leaky accidents. This step will help you greatly in preventing submissive urination. Meeting new people; making direct eye contact; loud noise or fast movements; scolding or physically correcting the puppy are some of the scenarios that usually act as a trigger. Avoiding these situations can help minimize the behavior.

Empty Their Bladder

Take your pooch outside frequently to keep his bladder empty and avoid messes. You can also use Pet Parents® Dog Diapers or Male Belly Bands if you plan on staying indoors for training. Dog diapers can prevent messes from male or female submissive urination, while belly bands are designed for males. If you lose your temper at the time of an accident and engage in scolding or physically correcting your puppy, it will only reinforce his fear and need to be submissive for you. Then you will feel like you are running in circles! Using dog diapers will help you minimize the messes due to submissive urination and keep your calm.

Show That You Are Not a Threat

Avoid approaching submissive dog with posture that they may interpret as dominant or confrontational, as stated by The Humane Society of the United States. Also, avoid direct eye contact. It’s best that you look at their backs or tails instead. It will also help if you try to get down on their level by bending knees rather than leaning over from the waist. According to the San Francisco SPCA, speaking in a calm, low-pitched tone can help your dog feel more comfortable.

It’s also helpful for your dog if you ask other family member to approach them in the same way. Another thing to consider is to opt to rub them under their chin and not on top of their head. Approach them from the side, rather than head on, and/or present the side of your body to them.

Have Patience with Submissive Peeing

Be patient! Your dog may respond slowly and steadily to submissive urination training. Also, try to be careful about your body language and vocal tones; our pups pick up on everything! Most submissive urinators are sensitive to imposing body language and exciting movements. Patience is key in learning how to stop a submissive dog from peeing.

Avoid Punishments

Avoid punishing your dog and instead adopt a positive, calm approach. Punishing your dog will only worsen their submissiveness and cause your dog to fear you. Instead, redirect them. If they are able to control their submissive urination, reward them.

Most puppies usually grow out of submissive urination in about a year. The above mentioned tips will help you cope with your pet’s behavior in a slightly better manner and also prevent any unpleasant messes. Remember, if you are wondering how to stop a dog from peeing when excited, you will be looking to prevent excitement urination. To help prevent submissive urination, it is best to give time, patience, and socialization to help build confidence.

"Although they may seem the same, there is a big difference between submissive urination in dogs and excitement urination."

Living with a dog in your home is usually a pleasant experience, and you probably look forward to a friendly greeting whenever you return from work or an errand. When your pet urinates indoors, your patience can be tested, but you can help your dog correct the behavior in most circumstances.

Determining why a timid dog pees when it’s scared is the first step to helping the animal return to normal. Before trying to fix the problem, it’s vital to learn how to react to an indoor accident without making the issue worse. Let’s take a closer look.

How To Handle Urination Problems

After a long day, the last thing you want to see on your carpet is a pool of urine. Containing your anger or disappointment is essential because a heated response can scare your pet even more, and it’s unlikely to solve the problem. Canines have short-term memories and punishing them for something that happened hours or even minutes earlier is ineffective and inhumane. If you yell at a dog for a previous mess, the animal’s fear will only increase, and it will not understand what it did wrong.

Staying calm and immediately cleaning the mess is the correct response. Use an enzymatic cleaner to eliminate the urine scent so your pet will not be tempted to use the same spot again. If you catch your friend in the act, say “no” firmly but do not scream or hit the dog. Lead the pup outside to show it the correct location and clean the stain thoroughly when you return. When your dog urinates outside, instead of making a mess indoors, reward it with a treat and voice your approval.

If you recently adopted a dog that pees inside, the cause may be related to inadequate potty training. The animal will not understand that urinating indoors is wrong until you train it to go outside. Some dogs were raised in less-than-ideal conditions, and animals that have never lived inside may be clueless about bathroom etiquette. Potty training a puppy is usually much easier than teaching an adult, but training an older dog requires the same methods.

How to remedy the behavior:

Training an adult dog to pee outside make take weeks or longer, but it’s crucial to remain calm and patient. Positive reinforcement is the preferred method to use during training. When you take the animal outside, give it a treat when it urinates and say, “good dog!” Respond to indoor accidents firmly, but avoid yelling because it will only frighten a timid dog.

Moving to a new home or returning from a long trip can be stressful for pets, and some may not feel comfortable in the new environment. Separation anxiety is common with dogs and cats, but some pets take longer to adapt than others. When the dog’s daily routine is interrupted, the stress can profoundly affect its mental health.

How to remedy the behavior:

Try to make your pup feel more comfortable in the new surroundings. Adopting a daily routine that includes several outdoor breaks, regular feeding times, and play sessions can help the dog adjust. Retraining your pet to urinate outside is essential when the animal suffers from separation anxiety. Try to distract your pet with a toy if it sniffs around and prepares to pee inside, and immediately take the animal outside. Provide a treat if the pup makes it outside to urinate.

How a canine is raised as a puppy impacts its behavior as an adult, and your dog may be suffering from anxiety caused by a traumatic event or improper training. Although many pet parents assume that a traumatized animal was physically abused as a pup, veterinary behaviorists believe the cause is not always associated with abuse. Improper socialization may also play a role in timid dogs urinating indoors. If the dog is not exposed to children, strangers, car rides, or loud noises as a puppy, it may act frightened when it encounters those situations as an adult.

How to remedy the behavior:

Veterinarians suggest using desensitization and counterconditioning to help the dog with trauma. Desensitization involves exposing the animal to the stimuli it fears in a safe atmosphere. If a dog pees when a visitor enters your home, you can ask your guests to avoid greeting the dog with enthusiasm when they enter. Keep guests at a distance when they come over but gradually allow them to get closer to the dog on subsequent visits. When the dog refrains from urinating, you employ counterconditioning by rewarding the dog for good behavior. In extreme cases, traumatized pets may need veterinary behaviorists to prescribe medications to alleviate the fear.

Submissive urination occurs when the dog responds to fear or anxiety, and immediately taking the dog outdoors may not help improve the behavior. Determining the source of the dog’s fear will help you treat the problem and make your dog more comfortable in its home. After you discover the cause, you can work on building the animal’s confidence.

How to remedy the behavior:

Confidence building is vital to treating submissive urination, but it also helps to maintain a daily routine to put the animal at ease. Gradually, expose the dog to people or other stimuli to make it feel more comfortable around them, and reward your pet when it reacts without urinating. For instance, if the dog pees when strangers greet it, ask the people to stay at a distance and refrain from petting the dog on the head. Little by little, you can decrease the distance between the stranger and eventually allow the person to pet the dog. Experts suggest that visitors approach from the side and squat down to greet the animal instead of bending over.

When potty training and confidence-building do not seem to help a nervous dog, the problem could be related to a medical issue. Accidents are likely to occur with a puppy, but an adult dog that frequently pees inside needs a complete checkup from a veterinarian. A urinary tract infection is often the cause of indoor urination for adults, but it could also be bladder stones or even a disease like cancer. Senior dogs can also struggle to control their bladders when a cognitive problem prevents them from urinating outside.

How to remedy the behavior:

Medical problems causing excessive urination cannot be treated without professional help. Your vet will conduct several tests to diagnose the problem and determine the appropriate treatment. Urinary tract infections can often be treated with medication, but serious issues relating to congenital deficiencies, injuries, or disease may require surgery.

Conclusion

Keeping your home urine-free is challenging when you have a timid dog that struggles with fear. However, you can retrain your pet to go outside when the problem is not related to a medical issue. Using confidence-building techniques, establishing a solid daily routine, and slowly exposing the animal to “scary stimuli” can help reduce anxiety. Dogs do not urinate inside out of spite, and a dog suffering from stress must be handled with compassion and love.

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