If you have a pup that urinates when you enter the room or gets overly excited when someone new arrives, you are not alone.
Excitement urination is a common issue among puppies that occurs when situations are socially stimulating or even during active play. Here's how to help if this happens to your canine companion.
Let your puppy approach first. Rather than having anyone reach out to your puppy to pet it, let your puppy approach people on its own. This can help avoid overexcitement or even intimidation, which could lead to urination.
Let visitors settle in. When family and friends come to visit, encourage them to ignore the dog for a few minutes or until it has calmed down. Once your puppy is sitting calmly, your guests may pet it.
Offer plenty of socialization. It's important to give your dog as many opportunities for socialization as possible. That way, it can be exposed to all sorts of places, people and things.
Don't punish for piddles. Be sure to never punish your puppy for excitement urinating. This will only make the problem worse. Instead, use praise and rewards to reward it for greetings when it doesn't urinate.
Minimize excitement. If a lot of the excitement urinations occur when you arrive home and greet your puppy, try being serene and not making a fuss over your pup. Give it a few minutes to settle down before you greet it.
Teach an alternative behavior. Distract your puppy by teaching it to roll over for a belly rub or sit or lie down. All these trick positions will prevent it from urinating.
