Excitement Urination

You walk in the door and your puppy pees. A friend comes over and your puppy pees. You get out a toy and, guess what? Your puppy pees. Excitement urination is different than submissive urination as it occurs when your dog is in a very stimulated state, generally in the context or greetings or play, and your dog is not displaying any signs of fear or insecurity. Your dog loses control of their bladder in moments of social stimulation and excitement. This type of urination is common in dogs under one year of age and is a behavior that often stops as your dog matures. The good news is you don’t have to wait for your dog to grow out of it. With some training and some management, you can help make those messy moments a thing of the past. Generally speaking, you will need to keep interactions lower key. Use the following tips to set your dog up for success.

• Reduce the excitement level when people arrive. This means do not talk to, touch, or bend over the dog. In some cases, even looking at the dog can lead to excitement urination. Sometimes it is simplest to ignore your dog until they start to calm down.
  
• Immediately take the dog outside or to their potty area and use calm praise for proper elimination.
  
• Instruct family members and visitors to remain calm, only offering eye contact OR verbal acknowledgment OR petting when your dog is offering calm behavior. Combining the acknowledgments can overwhelm your dog’s bladder control.
  
• Keep all greetings brief. Dogs have a limited amount of self control. Starting with short, calm greetings and progressing to longer, slightly more excited ones sets your dog up for success.
  
• Reward all instances of calm behavior and remain calm and composed yourself. If your dog starts to get excited, turn away and stop the interaction until your dog settles down.
  
• Train an alternate behavior. Teaching your dog to sit or down at the approach of a person or dog may help lower their arousal level.
  
• Socialize early and often so that your dog is not overly stimulated by the environment.
  
• Consider initially only playing outside or in a piddle proofed area. This way, if your dog gets too riled up, there is no mess to deal with. Also, take frequent play breaks and reward for appropriate eliminations outside of play. Using frequent breaks can help your dog modulate their excitement over time.
  
• Teach an incompatible behavior. For many dogs, Sit, Down or Settle help them to remain in a calmer state.
  
• Remember, accidents happen! If an accident occurs, do not chastise or yell at the dog as punishment can make situation worse. Take note of what caused the excitement and look for ways to moderate the stimulus in the future