In the wild, canines use urination as a sign of submissiveness. In your own home, you might find a particularly anxious or submissive dog performing this same action, especially when they are in the presence of another dog who is dominating them or a human who is particularly intimidating. This is actually a subconscious action—not something your dog does on his own—but it can still be frustrating. It should be noted that this is completely different from excited urination, which is common in puppies. Here are a few tips for dealing with submissive urination in your dog:
1. Don’t punish your dog for submissive urination.
Why not? Because this will actually only reinforce this behavior. He will not understand that he is being punished for urinating in the house. He will think that you are continuing to dominate him. The best course of action is to ignore the behavior, keep calm, and clean it up later when the tension is gone.
2. Don’t rush your dog into uncomfortable situations.
We all want our dogs to be happy, well-adjusted members of the community, but just like people, some dogs are more anxious and less able to cope with loud noises, dogs, and people. If you notice this behavior in your dog, it is important to gradually work towards these situations, rather than just thrusting him into them.
3. Build basic confidence with obedience training.
Basic training can be an excellent way to help build your dog’s confidence. Learning these small behaviors and being rewarded for learning them improves the bond between you and your dog and ensures that they at least have that baseline of confidence that is so important for any dog.
4. Let him out to relieve himself before a potentially stressful situation.
Submissive urination is more likely to happen when your dog’s bladder is full. If you are going into a situation where he might urinate submissively, it is a good idea to let him out to use the bathroom before he goes into that situation.
5. Keep your body language calm and relaxed. Your dog takes his cues from you.
If you are nervous, he will sense it and will feel nervous, too, even if you are nervous about whether or not he will urinate in front of a guest and he is nervous about the presence of that guest. If you stay as calm and as relaxed as possible, he will, too. No matter what he does, stay calm and appear unconcerned about what is going on. It is especially important to keep your tone of voice even and not to raise your voice, either at the other people or at your dog.
6. Take your dog for regular walks.
A dog that goes on regular walks is much more adjusted to the outside world. They are better acclimated to strange sounds, other people, and other dogs, and they feel more comfortable in their world. This can be a great first step for helping to soothe a dog that is anxious in new situations.
7. Ask your guests not to talk, touch, or make eye contact with your dog.
All of these are taken as signs of dominance, as a challenge. Your dog will urinate to show the visitor that he is not a threat. If your guests make no show of dominance towards your dog, he is much less likely to feel the need to make a show of submissiveness.
