Submissive Urination

in Adult Dachshunds and Puppies

Identifying and overcoming Excitement Peeing in Dachshunds

If this sounds familiar.. you need to read this!

"Aww..finally..time to go home. It's been a long day at work and you can't wait to see the new puppy! Maybe get a little quiet time before the kids get home. You walk in, giggling.."hi baby..mom's home! Come and give me kisses"
SHOOT..she peed everywhere! All over my new rug..and a little on my new shoes, too!"

What is submissive urination in Dachshunds?

Most commonly, submissive urination in Dachshunds is the real term for what happens when certain dogs or puppies pee a little when they are excited to see you, nervous or in trouble. You need to understand that this has NOTHING to do with the dog being housebroken. It has nothing to do with the dog misbehaving. If anything this is a normal reaction. Sometimes we get so caught up in thinking our Adult Dachshunds are family members we forget that they really are animals. And, animals have a different way of saying things than we do. If your puppy or dog cowers down, lays their ears back, rolls over, etc.. than they are trying to tell you that they see you as the boss..and they are submitting to your will. In nature a dog would pee a little to tell the other dog that they mean them no harm.

What NOT to do about excitement peeing

The last thing you need to do when something like this happens with your dachshund is get mad and start passing out punishment. This only tells them that next time they had better be even more submissive. It reinforces the behavior. Makes it worse. Don't be too hard on yourself if you have been guilty of this already. It's not too late to start over. That whole "you can't teach an old dog a new trick" is completely WRONG!

Helpful tips for overcoming Submissive Urination in Dachshunds

For starters, you need to understand what a dog does to show that he is submissive and then work on preventing these things from happening at home. A dog that needs to show submission usually does so when he is intimidated. Intimidation to us means that someone is bullying us. But, not in the animal kingdom. Intimidation comes more in body language and loud sounds to dogs. Standing over your dog, direct eye contact, reaching down and touching their head, neck or face are all major signals of dominance. Oddly enough, these are kinda the ways we tell them hi. So you see, submissive urination isn't behaving badly. It's really just miscommunication!
I try not to drop names on my website, but in this case I am going to anyway. Cesar Milan (the dog whisperer guy) is kind of a genius. I watched one of his shows a few years ago on how to greet your dog when you come home. He really summed it up to IGNORING them. Don't look them in the eye. Don't talk to them. Just come in nice and quiet and go about your way until they have a minute to gather themselves. Then take them outside to potty. Now, I am as bad as they next guy about being excited and talking baby talk to my doggies..but if you have a dachshund with submissive urination problems at home, you need to try to say hi in a much calmer way!

Staying the Course

Somtime we all need a little pep talk!
I really do believe that with patience and enough information..we can lick anything! Don't give up on your dog or yourself! Your dog loves you and I know you love them, too. It's worth the extra effort to make a lifelong, healthy relationship with your pet. No matter whether you are teaching children or puppies, the same thing is always true... Stick to your guns and keep a schedule. I wish you the best of luck.

A few extra pointers

* In most cases, we only see submissive urination in dachshund puppies. They almost always outgrow this behavior on their own. It has a lot more to do with having a small bladder and not being able to hold it when they are excited than submission.

* Dachshunds are not generally bad about this behavior. Dachshunds are usually very confident. However, it does happen. We do occassionally get calls about doxies that have this problem. That's why we decided to add this blog entry.

* Female Dachshunds are more commonly submissive urinators than males of our breed, but it can happen both ways.
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More resources on Submissive Urination

Submissive Urination - dog training and tips

The Dog Whisperer's advice on Submissive Urination

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Submissive urination with dachshunds | excited peeing in dachshunds