Dog Behavior Problems

Dog Behavior Problems - Common Questions answered.

Q 1

My dog and puppy pees when I pet him - what can I do?

A 1

• Your dog is doing what is known as submissive urination. This is a Housetraining issue and your dog/puppy is actually trying to tell you that you are superior to him. Dog's communicate very differently to humans and when a puppy or dog is approached by a bigger or more dominant dog - the lower ranking dog may pee to let them know that he respects him.
• When you lean over your dog you are in a very assertive position - so your dog well pee to tell you that you are more dominant.
• Don't shout at him otherwise he may pee more as he doesn't think you got the message the first time he peed.
• You may notice submissive urination in certain breeds - it happens to be quiet common in Spaniels.

The cure

Dog's often do submissive urination when you have been gone for a while and come back - consequently the dog maybe excited.

• The next time you come back from going out - ignore your dog - don't pet him or greet him - or make eye contact with him - tell any visitors to do the same.
• As soon as your dog has calmed down after about 15 mins or however long it takes - quietly acknowledge him - make it very matter of fact - don't get excited otherwise your dog will start peeing.
• The calmer you are the calmer your dog/puppy will be.
• Continue to ignore him when you get back and he has calmed down and eventually your puppy/dog will start to get better control of his bladder.

Q 2

• My dog is doing well in his outdoor training regime but as soon as it rains he will go outside but not potty - what should I do?

A 2

• Some dogs are able to pee outside in a force 10 hurricane but others see a spot of rain and just won't go. Think about it though - it's not very appealing to your dog (and it wouldn't be to you either) to go outside in the rain and pee.
• Consider taking him outside with an umbrella - you may feel this is a bit indulgent - but you will have clean carpet.
• Maybe build a small shelter for him to pee under.
• Use rewards - use a reward so that as soon as he pees you give him lots of praise and a nice dog treat - a nice piece of beef or liver - this particular trick worked on a Yorkie I was training.)

Q 3

• I take my dog outside to potty but he takes forever - how do I get him to do his business quicker?

A 3

• You have quite allot of control over how long it takes your dog/puppy to pee.
• If you are letting your dog/puppy take 30 minute to find the right spot - then you are teaching him to take 30 minutes to find the right spot.
• If you want him to take 5 minutes then take him out on his leash and use a cue word that you have decided on - (you may need to refer to one of my other articles) and use the cue word "go potty" or whatever you chose - if he doesn't go then bring him inside and confine him to his crate for 15 mins.
• Keep doing this and he will soon realize that he has an allotted time to pee.
• Continue practising these dog obedience training techniques until you and your dog or puppy have mastered the puppy potty training process.