Excitement Urination

During times of high excitement, dogs may dribble or squirt small amounts of urine. This behavior often occurs when the owner returns from a trip or even a day at work. Some dogs are so excitable that each time they see someone familiar, they dribble a small amount of urine.

Generally, this behavior occurs more often in puppies and younger dogs (one to seven months of age). Most dogs outgrow this behavior without specific intervention

Failure of Housetraining

Description: A dog that is not housetrained or has lost its housetraining abilities will urinate or defecate in the home whether the owner is present or not. Some dogs learn to avoid eliminating directly in front of the owner if they have been previously punished for this behavior. Dogs may find indoor locations more readily available or attractive. They often have a preferred substrate or location for the indoor elimination. Inclement weather can contribute to the development of the problem.

This problem usually occurs in young puppies (two to six months of age) and elderly dogs (more than seven years of age) but can occur at any age. This problem must be dealt with immediately.

Submissive Urination

Description: In an attempt to communicate a submissive status to a person, usually associated with a greeting or a reprimand, the dog may urinate. The dog will exhibit other body postures that convey submission (e.g., ears back, avoidance of eye contact, cowering, or rolling over). Submissive urination is more common in young female dogs. Most dogs outgrow this behavior by one year of age.

The age at onset for this behavior is early in life (one to seven months of age) but can occur at any age.

Urine Marking

Description: Urine marking involves small quantities of urine usually deposited vertically on targets. Urine marking occurs despite adequate access to the outdoors. Triggers for marking behaviors may include the addition of another pet, female dog in estrus (heat), or a new item or person in the household. Sexually mature, intact male dogs are most likely to engage in urine marking behavior.

The age at onset for this behavior is between six to 24 months of age.