Submissive urination is very common among puppies. It is a spontaneous urination that occurs when the puppy is excited in either a positive or negative way. It could occur when you come home from work, when someone comes to visit, when meeting another dog for the first time, or when feeling fear. This type of accident should not be considered to be a deviation from potty training. Even a perfectly potty trained dog may experience submissive urination. It is not something that the dog can help, but most dogs will grow out of it at some point between the ages of four and seven months. The best way to handle this situation is simply not to react at all and immediately and thoroughly clean up the mess.

Dogs peeing out of submission will generally do so either when they are first greeted by a person or dog, or when they are being punished. Among adult dogs, bladder disorders aside, submissive urination will occur most frequently in dogs that have been abused – making it very common among rescued dogs – and dogs that are roughly punished or treated. Dogs that are excessively timid, shy, or anxious may also experience submissive urination.

Puppies will generally outgrow submissive urination. However, if you feel that your dog is overly anxious and that this habit might continue, or if your adult dog continues to experience this reaction, then you can help your dog to build confidence. This can be done through simple obedience training, taught gently using only positive reinforcement methods. Even the most basic commands such as sit, come, and down can help your dog to feel more comfortable with you and in his or her home. If you find that your dog responds well to training, you can add other commands such as stay, fetch, and roll over.

When you train your dog, you help to build rapport and communication with him or her. It also helps your dog to understand what you want from him or her, and to feel confident that he or she is behaving properly. Training gives a dog a sense of control over his or her own life through an understanding of the expectations of his or her, and how to live up to those expectations.

If your dog is anxious and needs to build confidence, you should also become very aware of your posture. Try to remember to approach your dog gently. Don’t rush your dog, but instead, move calmly, slowly, and predictably. Try not to hold direct eye contact with your dog as he or she will feel like you are trying to stare him or her down – that you are behaving in a dominant way, causing your dog to become submissive. When you pet your dog, instead of reaching for the top of the head at first, scratch underneath the chin.

Whenever your dog has done something correctly, make sure to praise him or her enthusiastically. Praise can include happy words in a pleasant tone (not too loudly spoken), a happy scratch, or even a small treat. You can praise for anything including following a command, or even something as basic as eliminating in the right place (outside). By doing this, your dog will feel much more secure in his or her actions and will feel much more content around you.