Puppies and adult dogs often wet the bed when excited. Instead of squatting or lifting their legs, they can urinate while standing, walking, jumping or running. They may also inadvertently urinate during active playtime, high-energy petting and greeting sessions. Holly Lewis, founder of Cold nose. You shouldn’t yell at your dog as he may become scared to pee in front of you.
Why do dogs pee when excited?
Puppies also urinate when held because their bladder muscles are still developing. While most young adult dogs develop euphoria, Holly says not all dogs do. One Research 2020 published in the journal Frontiers in Veterinary Science also showed that neutered or euthanized adult dogs were more agitated than intact adult dogs.
How to stop a dog from urinating when excited
You can’t teach your puppy not to pee when excited because it’s not something they can control. Timing is the best solution as most puppies lose interest in peeing when they are physically mature around 12 to 24 months of age.
But Holly says you should teach family members and guests how to interact with your dog until it comes out. She suggests using a deep, calm voice. Breathe slowly, steadily, and without anxiety or making small, repetitive movements. Completely ignore your dog until he settles down.
Tips for managing your dog peeing when he’s excited:
- If you welcome and play with your puppy outside, there’s no need to clean up!
- Put newspaper or puppy pads down where dogs greet people to make cleanup easier.
- Take him to the toilet regularly and walk to empty his bladder.
- If your dog pees on the floor, ignore it and quietly clean it up. Seems too harsh? Praise will confuse the puppy and punishment can make them need to urinate.
Submissive urination and excited urination in dogs
Excited urination in dogs is often confused with urination. Easy urination happens when your dog is shy, nervous, or scared. It’s the equivalent of a squeal of, “You’re the one in charge, so I don’t want any trouble!” Holly says your anxious or shy dog loses bladder control because it feels emotionally overwhelmed. Submissive urination helps him get ready to run away. When he empties his bladder, he is making himself lighter.
When to Seek the Help of Your Dog Care Professional
If your dog picks his ears, licks his lips, or stoops, submissive peeing could be a behavior problem. It needs to be addressed by a positive reinforcement-based dog trainer. Health problems like diabetes and urinary tract infections can also cause inappropriate urination. Many products on the market can be soothing dog stress, from canine anxiety to CBD dog treatment. Talk to your vet about what kind of dog calming aid is best for your dog. Just remember he doesn’t pee when he’s excited or scared to make you angry.
