CHENNAI: My 2-year-old Labrador loves people and gets excited when someone visits us. He jumps and licks their faces to greets. But recently, when my friends came over, he got so excited that he peed in front of them. This has never happened before. Is it something to worry about?
Hi,
As in all cases, the first step is to always evaluate and eliminate all medical possibilities that could result in your dog’s lack of bladder control. If all is well medically, and this is not a one time accident then we can look into this from a behavior perspective.
If your dog squirts small amount of urine every time he greets you or your visitors, and during other excited states, this is referred to as Excitement Urination. In fact, your dog may also be excessively submissive thereby trying to appease the visitor.
In his own way, he is only conveying that he is not a threat and is willing to oblige to the other person's authority. You may also notice this behavior when he is excessively excited like during play, when you are petting him or even when you are scolding him. In some dogs, it could even be large puddles of urine.
Do not scold or punish your dog for this behavior, as you would then inadvertently reinforce this and he will never be able to come out of it. Instead teach him to control his excitement. If his greetings of jumps and licks have been returned with attention and cuddles and petting, you have been encouraging him to get excited and you have rewarded him for his excitement.
Teach him calm behaviors with help of Sit, Stay or Down commands and encourage him to be calm at all times. Always greet your dog in a calm manner and do not acknowledge him if he is excited. Wait for him to calm down before you touch him. Your friends and visitors must also greet and pet him only of he is calm.
Provide him with plenty of physical exercise to channelize his energies in the right way. Take him out for his nature calls more often such that he has a relatively empty bladder. Take him for supervised dog socialization sessions to improve his confidence and social interactions. Consult the help of a professional trainer if required.
Does your dog turn grumpy when visitors show up? Write to us at pet.faqs@gmail.com