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Dog training basics - preventing unwanted urination

By: Barry Gilbert

Problems with inappropriate urination are some of the
most commonly encountered by dog owners. As a matter of
fact, inappropriate urination and defecation is the most
frequently cited reason that owners surrender their
animals to shelters.

Before you can address problems with inappropriate
urination, it is important to understand the basis of the
problem. There are several reasons why dogs lose
control of their bladders, and it is important to know
the root cause of the problem before it can be properly
addressed.

Problem #1 - Excitement Urination
Dogs often urinate when they become overly excited, and
dogs that are otherwise perfectly housebroken sometimes
show their excitement by dribbling urine when greeting
you excitedly. It is normal for some dogs to urinate
when they get excited, and this can be a particular
problem for many older dogs.

A lot of excitement induced urination occurs in young
puppies, and it is caused by a lack of bladder control.
The puppy may not even know he is urinating, and
punishment will simply confuse him.

Becoming angry with the puppy will quickly cause
excitement urination to morph into submissive urination,
thus compounding the problem. As the puppy gets older
and develops better bladder control, this type of
excitement urination should disappear.

The best cure for excitement urination is prevention.
Preventing your dog from becoming over excited is the
best way to control this problem behavior. If your dog
is excited by a particular stimulus or situation, it is
important to repeatedly expose him to that situation
until it no longer causes excessive excitement.

Problem #2 - Submissive Urination
Submissive urination is a natural part of pack behavior
among animals like dogs and wolves. The submissive
member of the pack shows his or her submissiveness by
lowering itself and urinating. Since dogs are pack
animals, they may show their submissiveness to their
owner, who they regard as the pack leader, by exhibiting
this submissive urination.

Dogs who exhibit submissive urination are usually
showing their insecurity. Unsocial zed and previously
abused dogs often exhibit submissive urination. These
dogs need to be shown that there are more appropriate
ways to express their submissive status, such as shaking
hands or licking the owner's hand.

The best way to deal with submissive urination problems
is often to ignore the urination. Trying to reassure the
dog can give the mistaken impression that you approve of
the behavior, while scolding the dog can make the
submissive urination worse.

Correcting problems with submissive urination should be
directed at building the dog's confidence and teaching
him other ways to show his respect. Teaching the dog to
lift his paw, sit on command, or similar obedience
commands, is a great way to direct the dog's respect in a
more appropriate direction.

Problems with urination are not always easy to deal
with, but it is important to be consistent, and to always
reward acceptable behavior on the part of the dog. When
urination problems do occur, it is always a good idea to
first rule out any medical conditions that could be
causing those problems. Medical issues like bladder
infections can be the root cause of problems with
unwanted urination.

After any medical problems have been ruled out, it is
important to determine what is causing the problem, and
treat it appropriately. While it can be tempting to
punish the dog for inappropriate elimination, doing so
will only confuse and further intimidate him.

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