Excitement Urination in Dogs: How to Stop a Dog from Urinating When Excited, During Greetings

Some dogs exude a feeling of extreme excitement and happiness, especially during greetings. The excitement is visible in the dog's eyes, it's evidenced by the dog's body language and by the puddle of urine on the floor. Yes, some dogs are prone to something called excitement urination, an involuntary loss of bladder control in dogs who are extremely excited.

Situational incontinence and urination due to excitement in dogs can be a messy and frustrating problem for dog owners to deal with, but a few simple dog training methods and some changes in routine on the humans' end can remedy the dog's tendency to urinate when excited.

Why Does My Dog Urinate When Excited?

Extreme emotion can elicit some powerful physical responses - adrenaline rushes through the blood stream, there's changes in muscle tone, the heart rate hastens. A loss of bladder control in dogs is one physical response that's commonly seen in a dog who's experiencing intense emotion, usually fear or excitement.

Dogs who experience extreme excitement to the point where involuntary urination occurs tend to be dogs who experience very high "highs" and very low "lows." Dogs who become incontinent and urinate when excited tend to be submissive and less confident by nature; this promotes excitement urination because the dog lacks the ability to maintain a steady emotional state on his own. Instead he looks to humans and outward sources for confidence and happiness, leading to a great fluctuation in mood, with very high "highs" and very low "lows."

How Do I Stop My Dog from Urinating When Excited

A dog who urinates when he's excited does not do so intentionally - it's an involuntary action that's beyond his control. Therefore, a dog's excitement urination problem is not a traditional behavioral problem like housebreaking where the dog can be trained to stop urinating at a certain time and place.

The key to resolving a dog's tendency to urinate when excited involves lessening the amount of extreme excitement that the dog experiences through changes in human habits and through boosting the dog's confidence level.

Step One: Boost the Dog's Confidence Level

A dog who is confident will be better equipped to regulate his emotional state. Confidence in a dog helps him to remain mentally stable, without the extreme fluctuations in mood that are seen in dogs who lack confidence. Dogs who lack confidence tend to rely on humans for happiness and a sense of well-being, so when the dog's human family members are not present, the dog's mood dips into feelings of anxiety and unhappiness. A confident dog will have a more stable mood and he'll be less apt to become incontinent when excited.

The most effective way to increase a dog's confidence level is through training. Obedience training provides the dog with an opportunity to interact with the owner in a positive way where the dog learns a command and then receives a reward for performing the command. Three or four ten-minute training sessions per day are the simplest and most effective ways to improve a dog's confidence.

Notably, improving a dog's confidence level will also help to resolve issues stemming from submission. Submissive urination is a separate, but related problem and many dogs who urinate as an act of submission will also urinate when excited.

Step Two: Make Exciting Events Less Exciting

Greetings are the most common time for excitement urination. Therefore, family members and guests must work to make the greetings less remarkable for the dog.

When returning home, verbally acknowledge the dog in a calm voice, but avoid physical contact. Physical contact such as petting during a greeting can send a dog's excitement level through the roof, leading to involuntary urination on the dog's part. Use of an excited voice should also be avoided, as the dog picks up on this as a cue that says "This is a time to get excited!"

Once the initial excitement of the family member or guest's arrival has waned - usually after five to ten minutes - it is acceptable to physically pet the dog for a physical greeting.

Meal times are another time where a dog's excitement is high. Feeding more frequently with three or four small meals per day will help the dog to feel less hungry, which will remove some of the excitement. Preparing the meal and putting the food down when the dog is not present is another way to eliminate some of the excitement that's associated with the anticipation of the meal.

These measures should resolve problems of excitement urination in the vast majority of dogs. In cases where there's little or no improvement, dog owners should contact an experienced trainer to assist. A visit to the veterinarian is also helpful in these cases, as an underlying physical problem like a urinary tract infection may be to blame for the dog's bathroom accidents.

Related Reading

Visit the Peeing Problem Page for more information on problems involving inappropriate urination and similar problems in pets.

Jan 21, 2009 11:04 AM

Guest :

Thanks for the great article! We're dealing with what I think is part excitement and part submission urination now with our 2 year old Irish wolfhound. He's just turned into adulthood, hormones are in full swing and my husband is his favourite person in the whole world. Result, husband comes home, or gets up in the morning, and as soon as he shows himself we have a puddle... a very large one of course, 'cause our pup is 180lbs! What's been frustrating us is that he'll only pee if no one has been home (or visible) for a long period of time, and he'll start as soon as he hears my husband's step/key in the lock of the door!
He's been checked at the vet, no health problem found, so we'll persevere and hope we get him out of it soon because our laminate flooring will not survive a twice daily wolfhound flood for much longer.

Jul 1, 2009 5:15 PM

Guest :

Oh, thank you so much for this article. I am a long time pet sitter and trainer and have never had this problem with a dog. I have had dogs that do the peeing accident on arrival and it ends quickly.

This time I have 2 dogs that both do it and it happens continually and often.

I am so thankful.

Sep 19, 2009 6:12 AM

Guest :

Thank you for the article on submissive urination. I have a mix breed dog, austrailan shepard/lab mix. She is a wonderful dog and smart. Being six months old I realize she is still a puppy, but her submissive urination puzzled me. I have never had a dog that did this. She no longer does this I correct her for bad behavior, but when company comes over she puddles, then puddles again. My thoughts after last night are, just don't let her out of her kennel when company arrives. Does a dog outgrow this?

Sep 19, 2009 7:35 AM

Mia Carter :

To the reader with the Australian Shepherd:

Generally, no. A dog will not outgrow submissive urination. But there are some exceptions in the case of a puppy; as the dog matures and settles in to his adult personality, you will usually see some slight worsening or slight improvement.
Kenneling the dog when guests are in the home may help manage the problem somewhat, but it won't solve the problem. If excitement is a large component of the dog's urination problem, it may help to kennel her when the guests first arrive, and keep her kenneled for a little while as she calms and the excitement wears off.
This is definitely a behavior that I would actively work to remedy. This isn't a problem that will disappear on its own and often, it's a symptom of a much larger problem. A submissive dog will begin exhibiting other problematic behaviors as well as a result of his/her mental state. A submissive dog often has low self confidence, which can lead to problems with aggression or self mutilation. Participating in dog training is one wonderful way to help these dogs develop a sense of self-esteem and mental stability. And in addition, the dog trainer can help owners work on the issue of submissive urination or excitement urination.

Good luck with your dog!
-Mia Carter
Suite101, Pet Writer