Peeing When You Go Near Her, Touch Her Or When Excited

[Nekhbet]

try a lick of calming paste with the bichon. She's never learned to deal with her anxiety in a productive manner and in some dogs it's at the drop of a hat. Then try the ignoring until calm and gentle pats/massage with her.

Saying that your parents didnt put the dog in the too hard basket and leave it as an outside only dog

[poodlefan]

Sounds like it could be submissive urination. My Toy Poodle was a submissive wetter when I got her aged 8 months.

What others have said - she needs to be kept calm, not looming over her or getting her wound up during greetings.

I have to say I find the owner's attitude of "it's all too hard, put the dog outside" pretty disappointing. What have they actually DONE about it.

I'd be starting with a vet visit to elimimate any physical cause and then getting a behaviourist. This could probably be sorted out with some effort and expense.

The dog sure as hell won't improve if every time someone appears outside, it goes beserk with excitement. Poor little thing.

[Guest RosieFT]

nehkbet - what calming paste is that? My parents did talk to vet about it, and was told she would grow out of it - she never has. She copes fine with our big family gatherings and does love to be petted, even from the grandkids. She is not nervous in this situation, in fact if you stop stroking her she will often give a little bark, and wag her tail like mad asking to be patted again.

She is expected to behave like a dog, walk on a lead properly, has good manners . yet has some other quirks, she takes ages to toilet, and often has to be near a wall to poo... can be fussy with eating - but my parents don't buy into that and she just goes hungry if she is being silly. Like she used to wait until their other dog (who passed away almost 2yrs ago now) had finished eating and then would only eat when he came sniffing to find where she was eating - on the other side of a door. Then she would eat - almost as if she had to have a reason to eat. When we have looked after her, if each dog was given a treat, she would carry treat to her bed and watch the other dog eat, then wait till other dog showed some interest and then she would guard her food and then eat it. Of course we would separate the dogs so there was not chance of a squabble if she had not eaten treat quickly.

She is a lovely natured dog, very gentle dog, but a very strange dog.

I would love some suggestions as to how you get a dog to deal with its own anxiety?? thanks :-)

[Nekhbet]

When I say anxiety there is a different meaning then there is for people. We think of anxiety as that negative panicking feeling when for dogs I mean an increase in the level of, well, lets call it excitability. Now depending on breed, training, socialisation etc that anxiety can shoot off into different directions once it reaches a threshold. Some dogs go mad and run around, some start a fight, some pee themselves etc.

Troy Calming Paste, Good Manners, Valueplus 4 Calming paste are good. I give my big ones one ml but I would say put a ml into some water then give her a quarter a day (they're big tubes) just keep the mixture in the fridge so it doesnt go off.

Now for super submission and constant rolling over there are a couple of ways of doing it. One is redirect the dogs attention to something it loves (apart from you, so food/toy) and get her up off the floor for it. Bring her out of her shell, let her jump about for it and grab it then just gently praise her until she becomes more confident. If she's not interested in anything another way is when she goes to roll over hold her up. Dont let the brain go into autopilot. Hold her and give her a nice, firm massage and keep talking to her gently to prevent the brain just going 'ROLL OVER AND PEE, ROLL OVER AND PEE'. Do it in small bursts, if she has that look like she's about to pee just get up. Gradually extend the attention she get

[pesh]

It is most likely submissive urination... ?

My suggestions... IGNORE her as much as possible. NO looming over her... no eye contact/baby/excited talk.... no patting unless she is sitting/standing calmly/walking nicely on lead. ..then brief and under the chin ..then immediately ignore again.

You shouldn't need to touch her much.. ? Doesn't she walk/jump without help?

and make sure everyone in the house follows the same rules. :D

This is what I would also say. Would also add, dogs bladders don't fully develope till 6 months. So take what Pers has said and give her a little time, but in the same breath, a vet check wouldn't hurt either.

Good luck...............

Sharon

[moofius]

I'd bet that it's submissive urination by the sounds of it too, especially if it's about 6 months still.

I had a lot of problems with my puppy (female cocker spaniel) up til 6 months, she's now 8 months old and maybe has an accident in the house once a week at most. It usually occurs if I haven't taken her outside for 2-3 hours to go pee and someone visits that hasn't been around for awhile and she gets too excited. It drove me crazy for quite awhile.

If she's been outside for awhile and I'm letting her inside I'll always try to get her to "do wee's" before letting her in, her bed's in my ensuite and if she's been in there for more than 2-3 hours I'll always take her outside to get her to "do wee's" then too. After a month or so she got the hang of the words and now will go in a couple of minutes a lot of the time.

So if you aren't doing that, I think that's a good approach. She will soon be able to hold her bladder better and go when you ask (most of the time) hopefully.

[vetrg]

Another issue to consider in such a young dog is the possibility of an ectopic ureter which then empties into the vagina, after the bladder sphincter, so then there is leakage.

[sas]

She's trying to control her environment by an act of dominance.

She needs space and a sense of control.

It's just timidity from lack of familiarity.

[LizT]

One of my Cavalier bitches (my first) used to pee as a puppy whenever we spoke to her, patted her or basically alknowleged her existence! She was far worse if someone greeted her when they came home. It got to the stage where we purposefully would ignore her when we came home for a few minutes while she passed through the excitement stage and settled down, then we would greet her. FOrtunately she out grew this excitable weeing, but she was almost a year old before it stopped fully.

My mother had a poodle X that did this ALL her life if you spoke to her in a "cutsie high pitched voice" that got her excited she'd pee!

Edited March 15, 2011 by LizT

[W Sibs]

I will get her thoroughly checked up from the vet to make sure that she is physically well.

But I have to agree with the others saying it sounds like submissive urination too.