bladder control

[Jensmom]

my almost 6 month old shih tzu pee's all over herself/or the floor when we come home or she meets new people. It seems to be getting worse, she never used to do this with the family at first. Now we all get it. Is this something that is likely to stop when she gets older? Is there anything I can do to help her stop?

[MyBabyShihPoo]

Hi Jensmom~

What you are experiencing is either submissive or excitement urination. If the dog in which is having problems is the real shy and timid one, then it would be submissive urination. If it is the more outgoing and social dog, it would be excitement urination. Both problems are not uncommon, so you are definitely not alone!

-When you come home, don't make it a "grand" entrance with lots of noise and excitement!!! Try and stay as quiet as you can, don't look at her, don't approach her, nothing (ESP. if she is indeed very timid). The more stimulation, the scarier/more exciting the situation is causing loss of bladder control. (For shy and timid dogs it is fear, but for social dogs it would be excitement. Whichever it is in your dog, the commotion of people entering over excites/scares them and thus the accidents.) The same applies to when guests come over, if it's possible, try not to have people ring the door bell, have them come in quietly and not approach the dog, talk to her, make eye contact with her, etc. If she decides to approach you or whoever else, that's fine, but still keep it calm if she does decide to approach you or someone else! (When petting her, get down to her level, towering over a dog while petting is often viewed by a timid dog as a threatening posture. Calmly reward her with small treats and verbal praise - not excited though - when she does show confidence and is successful!)

-If you don't want to deal with the mess every time, you could always purchase a "doggie diaper." If you do decide to use the diaper option, I would still do the above option I first mentioned every time you or someone else comes home, the diaper just helps with the mess issue.

There are a lot of websites that further explain the problem (both submissive and excitement), suggestions for what you can do about it, etc. If you are interested in reading more about submissive urination and excitement urination, take a look at these links:

http://www.ddfl.org/behavior/submissive.htm

http://www.perfectpaws.com/subr.html

http://www.dogdaysusa.com/behaviorcenter_urination.asp

http://www.usask.ca/wcvm/herdmed/applied-ethology/behaviourproblems/suburine.html

http://www.scvhumane.org/behavior/dog/subm_urination.htm

http://www.lakeeffectdogs.com/Submissive_Urination.htm

http://www.thevet.com/vetbhv24.htm

http://www.ahshc.org/behav/suburination.htm

http://www.pet-tails.com/LPMArticle.asp?ID=185

Now some of those sites suggest having your dog do commands, but until you have trained your dog, and most importantly, until she is really comfortable around you, I wouldn't do so. Stick with the very quiet entrances, and ignoring her when coming in! Ignoring her is not meant to be a punishment, rather it is helping her!

Hope some of those links are of some assistance to you!

Best of luck!

[puttin510]

I agree, my terrier used to do that but mostly roll on his back like he was worried we would not except him or something like that. At first I babied him, did not work. Then decided to just ignore him when I got home. He finally realized everything was ok. Dogs do that rolling on their back when they are afraid of bigger agressive dogs also, it shows the big dog he is submissive and means no harm, also lets the big one know he's still a pup. Mine was about a year when I got him though. He was and still is the omega dog, very friendly. My poodle is the dominate alpha. Though once in awhile she will bear her tummy to me. She finally gets it that I'm the boss. Do as mybaby said, don't make any fuss over your girl, put away whatever you have in your hands then sit down and let her come to you.

[Jensmom]

thank you both for the reply and the advice...I've realized that I DO make a big fuss when I come home because I'm so excited to see her. Today I didn't go over to her for about 10 minutes and then just patted her head and talked quietly to her for a while. Guess what, No mess. I'm sure it will still happen from time to time, but ya gotta love um anyway Thanks again for your reply, it really helps us first timers!

[MyBabyShihPoo]

Fantastic Jensmom!!!

Keep up with what you did today...it should definitely help!

Good luck with it!

[MonsterBailey]

Well, this brings up a VERY good question that I've had.....

Bailey pees when his daddy comes home and also when one of my nephew's comes over (or we go there). Now, HE ONLY PEES "FOR" THEM!! No one else...... Now, it's quite clear that Bailey is a mama's boy, and you should see the flips and dances he does when I come home. We always make a big deal (sorry, I think it's a mommy thing) But no pee. But, when daddy comes home.... pssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss. He does the same thing for my oldest nephew... there are other nephews, but he only pees for the oldest. Now... keep in mind that daddy is obviously the "tougher/sterner" one.... and maybe it's a submissive thing?? but my nephew never scolds Bailey, so I really don't understand the "connection"... Hmmm.

Now, it's been this way since Bailey was a baby, and actually he's gotten much better over the last month or two... and doesn't do it as much anymore. I, guess, I'm assuming he's just grown out of it..... ?? but, it's just one of those things I've never understood.

Thoughts?

[puttin510]

I think bailey has not figure out the pack order with men in general. He knows he loves his mommy and he could do no wrong in your eyes. Maybe he's worried he might not measure up to their expectations or something. Tell them to go easy on him. He obviously has men issues. Was he around men when first born? Maybe they smell funny to him, LOL. Grasping stones in the dark. Can Ya tell.

[MyBabyShihPoo]

I agree with Puttin! Some dogs are scared of men in particular if they weren't exposed to many when real young, or were scolded too harshly by men in the past. The best advice I can give you would be to have your husband and nephew follow the same directions as posted above for Jensmom!

Hopefully that will help!