How to Train Your Dog to Stop Submissive Peeing

Building the dog's confidence gets right to the heart of the problem. When he no longer feels a need to appease because he no longer feels threatened, then the problem will stop.

Reward-based training uses the principle that he is encouraged to learn by giving a reward when he does something well. In this context, the dog is rewarded when he acts confidently.

The dog wants to appease you and show he is no threat. Work on training the dog to 'sit'. When you come home, quietly ignore the dog and when he approaches, use the 'sit' cue. By giving the dog an alternative action to perform, this distracts him and channels his need to obey into something less wet than peeing.

When flashpoints are likely, such as greeting strangers or when you arrive home, distract the dog. This could be throwing a favorite toy for him to fetch, or by using that 'sit' command he learned earlier to offer you a more appropriate behavior.

At the core of submissive urination is a dog that wants to please you. Work at training the dog to do an activity, such as going to a mat to lie down or fetching an object. This way the dog has a displacement activity he can perform rather than peeing.

Submissive dogs become anxious or fearful when challenged. Anxiety increases the risk of submissive urination. By keeping greetings low-key and understanding the body language cues that signal dominance, you can help reduce the dog's anxiety and cut back on submissive urination.

A flashpoint for submissive urination is when you come home and the dog greets you. This is best avoided by ignoring the dog and waiting for him to grow calm. It's fine to acknowledge the dog in a low key way, such as saying "Hi, Rover, I see you,", so that the dog understands you have seen him but aren't choosing to greet him right now.

Once the dog is calmer, then greet him. But keep things quiet and understated, with a gentle stroke along the body or under the chin. Speak to him softly. Avoid overly enthusiastic greetings and if the dog rolls over, then walk away.

Actions such as approaching the dog head on or staring into his eyes are seen by challenges by a dog and make a submissive dog anxious. Instead, approach the dog in an arc so you come round to his side, and either watch him from the corner of your eye or focus on a distant part o his body such as the tail.

If your dog lacks confidence and this submissiveness is disabling, then consider speaking to your vet. They may be able to suggest a medication to reduce the dog's anxiety while he undergoes training to build his confidence.

A submissive dog that urinates is doing so out of anxiety and as an appeasement activity. If you scold the dog this will make him more anxious and more the behavior more likely to occur. Not only does this make the problem worse, but it risks the dog becoming increasingly distressed and unhappy.

Out-dated dog training methods use the principle of dominating the dog, to show who's boss. However, dominating a submissive dog only increases anxiety, which could even result in the dog becoming aggressive because he is fearful....and the dog may still urinate.

Owning a submissive dog can be frustrating, as he doesn't cope well with visitors or changes in his routine. It can, therefore, be tempting to force the dog into situations he's not comfortable with (such as making him greet strangers) in order to 'get him over it'. However, this is liable to backfire and only make the problem worse.

Leaning over the dog to greet him or stroking the head are both gestures that reinforce your dominance and can be perceived as a threat to the dog. Instead, try kneeling or sitting down and letting the dog come to you, and stroking him under the chin.

If you are really struggling with the dog's problem, then get him checked by a vet. It might be he has a medical problem which needs treatment, that is exacerbating the submissive urination.