Dog Urination Issues? 

Problems with dog urination are one of the most common issues dog owners run into. In fact, unacceptable urination and defecation is reportedly the top reason dogs are surrender to shelters.

There are several reasons why dogs lose control over their bladders, and in order to correct dogs with improper urination behavior, it is important to understand the root of the problem.

When urination problems are present, it's a good idea to rule out any medical conditions that could be stimulating the unwanted behavior. Does the dog have medical issues such as a bladder infection? After all possible medical problems have been ruled out, it is important to determine what is causing the problem, and treat it appropriately.

Excitement Urination occurs in some dogs when they become overly excited, and dogs that are otherwise are housebroken sometimes show their excitement by dribbling urine when greeting guests or owners at the door. It is normal for some dogs to urinate when they get excited, and this can be a particular problem for many older dogs.

Excitement induced urination is most commonly seen in puppies, as it is caused by lack of bladder control. Young puppies are often unaware they are actually urinating, and punishment only confuses the matter more. Show anger towards a puppy can cause the excitement urination to progress into submissive urination, creating an additional behavior problem. As puppies get older and develop their bladder control, this type of excitement urination generally disappears.

The best cure for excitement urination is prevention. Preventing your dog from becoming overly 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 desensitize the dog through repeated exposure to the stimulus.

Submissive urination is a natural behavior among pack animals such as dogs. The submissive dog of the pack shows his or her submissiveness by lowering itself and urinating. Dogs may often show submissiveness to their owner, who is seen to them as the pack leader.

Dogs who exhibit submissive urination are usually showing signs of insecurity, typical behavior of non-socialized and previously abused dogs. These dogs need to be taught other ways to express their submissive status, such as shaking paws or licking the owner's hand.

When working to correct submissive urination problems, it's important to ignore the urination and to focus on building the dogs' confidence. Reassuring dogs in such a situation can lead to the wrong impression that you approve the dog's problem behavior, and scolding can make the dog grow even more submissive with increased urination.

The best way to eliminate submissive dog urination is to build the dog's confidence and teach him other ways to show his respect. Teaching a dog obedience commands such as to lift and present his paw, or sit on command are great ways to redirect the dog's attention, and reward his good behaviors thus boosting his confidence.

A good solution to adopt is to teach a dog to sit before people approach and greet him. This rule is not only helpful for submissive urination, but also to teach the dog not to jump on people, as well as it gives visitors that are not comfortable around dogs a chance to get acclimated.

Okay so dogs aren't human but its not just humans who make mistakes. Dogs wholeheartedly want to please their human(s). Learn to identify with a dog's unwanted behavior and work to correct the situation. Dogs are always good, they may act out in ways we that are unwanted, but all dogs are good – always.