My Dog Gets Too Excited and Pees

You love your Cockapoo puppy, but you have one issue you can’t get around. When your dog gets really excited, they seem to lose control and pee themselves. If this describes your pup, the good news is the issue can almost always be solved. The key is to figure out the cause first and then go from there.

Submissive Urination

In some cases, the problem is not that your dog is too excited. Instead, they may be signaling submission to input. Submissive urination is fairly common and normal with dogs under the age of one. It’s basically how they communicate and also how they signal a variety of different emotions. Reasons for submissive urination include:

– Discipline,
– Loud noises,
– Guests coming over,
– You coming home,
– New experiences, and
– Arguments or tense situations.

Pay close attention to the next incident your pup has. If it is an act of submission, and not being excited, you have a different problem that we will cover in another article. If the problem is truly excessive excitement, then…

Change the Outcome

If you have a behavioral problem, the obvious solution is to work with your pup to change their behavior. Many professional trainers find teaching a dog to sit when he or she is greeting people is an effective way to stop the pee problem. I’ve actually seen this done with a Yorkshire Terrier. At first, the pup would sit and pee, which meant a lot of baths. Over a week or two, however, the pup got the hang of it. It is actually a bit humorous now as the pup always sits down when it gets excited regardless of the reason.

Some suggest you can also seek to divert the attention of the pup when certain events come up. This typically means giving the pup a toy to play with when excited. My personal experience with this approach is the results are iffy at best. The problem is an excited dog that pees tends to not have the discipline to realize it should go grab its toy. Still, you can give it a try.

Medical Issues

In some cases, there is simply a medical issue with your dog. This is particularly true with older dogs. Many older dogs will suffer from incontinence at some point. Medical causes for this can include gastrointestinal upset, spay, urinary tract infection and loss of control. To deal with the issue, you really need to see a vet. The vet can prescribe medication for your pup that will take care of the problem. Growing up, my family had two Goldens that had this problem. A pill a day solved the problem for both of them.

In closing, let me say that a dog who pees when too excited is not really a major issue. The reason is the problem can be fixed through either behavioral training or medical assistance. Your goal is to figure out the cause and then act. Once you do, you can slash your paper towel budget.

Annie Klacks
@animaroo