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Owning a pup gives several feel-good benefits, as dogs are practically meant to be the ultimate companions. However, being a dog owner also presents a specific set of problems to deal with, one of the most common being destructive behavior. Many parents complain their dog peeing for attention.
It is not uncommon for house-trained dogs to urinate unexpectedly in the home. There are many reasons for this unwanted behavior and most of them are easy to fix. In this post, let us try to understand how you can deal with your pup that pees in the house for attention.
Dog Peeing For Attention – A Complete Guide
Dogs urinate for several reasons besides simply the need to eliminate. It is an instinctive behavior of dogs to urinate in the house for attention or in response to excitement. While there are many compulsive conditions your dog is unable to control, peeing for attention is more of learned behavior. Your pup knows that he can seek your attention by peeing around.
Certain breeds of dogs are more prone to submissive urination. For example, Poodles, Cocker Spaniels, and others are known to respond to nervousness and excitement through such behaviors. If you own such a breed, you might suffer more but you can still do something about it. Firstly, change the way you react towards your pup. Try ignoring it when you return home to prevent excitement during the greeting. Avoiding eye contact also seems to work for this problem.
Prior life experiences and the background of the dog play a big role in attention-seeking behaviors. Dogs who have been neglected or abused in the past or suffered from any sort of trauma are more likely to suffer from problems like peeing in the house for attention. In this case, you should be patient and try to overcome the dog’s fear and insecurity.
Dog Peeing In House For Attention? Here’s What To Do
It is distressing to find your previously trained pup peeing inside the house. As a pet owner, you are likely to get angry when your dog urinates at inappropriate places for attention. However, the way you react to the problem is critical to figuring out how you can stop this behavior. Getting angry or responding with anger will simply prove to be counterintuitive. By showing anger, you teach the pet to fear you.
The fear emerging from a harsh reaction to such behaviors will hamper any learning and even lead to submissive urination, which ruins the entire purpose. The first step to treating this issue is to consult a vet to rule out any other condition causing the problem. If you find that the dog is solely peeing for attention, it may need some kind of obedience training and behavioral therapy.
While a professional can surely help teach your dog the right behavior, you can take some simple measures to ease the situation. Consider eliminating any triggers to the attention-seeking behavior. Memory triggers like the smell of left-behind urine can provoke it to do that again. So, make sure you always clean stained areas. Patience and fortitude are key to getting rid of such unwanted behavior of your pooch.
Dog Emotional Peeing & Peeing Out of Spite
One of the most common reasons your trained dog pees in the house is emotional peeing resulting from anxiety. Your pup is likely to urinate from emotions when scolded, greeted, or disturbed by something like a loud noise. Dogs that show this behavior are generally shy, jealous, anxious, or have been treated improperly in the past. If the pooch is not clear about how to respond to cues, it often urinates from emotions.
Emotional peeing is mostly seen when you, a family member, or a visitor arrive at home. The dog, at times, gets so excited and happy to see the person that he forgets how to behave. Small pups can be expected to get over this behavior on their own, but others need some help. The best way to deal with this problem is to keep greeting low-key and avoid any eye contact. If you see that your pet is excited, wait for some time to get him calm before addressing it. This should be effective at curbing his excitement and avoiding unwanted peeing. Remember that punishing is not an effective way to treat such issues.
Sometimes, dogs pee here and there for other reasons like territory marking. They often do this to protect their dominance, particularly when they are challenged in the household. For example, if a new baby or pet comes is introduced to the household, the dog can feel insecure and left out, responding through inappropriate behavior. Your pup may start urinating on toys and people entering the house to re-establish its position. The solution is to assure it by giving proper attention and avoiding any harsh response.
Why Has My Puppy Started Peeing In The House Again?
While it is a common trait among dogs to pee in the house for several reasons, including stress, anxiety, and boredom, many pets try to catch attention in the house by urinating at inappropriate places. This can happen when you have a new member or pet in the house. Your pup is likely to feel insecure about its place and try to re-establish dominance by peeing in the house.
However, sometimes your previously trained dog starts peeing here and there because of an underlying medical condition. The first thing you should do is to get your pooch examined by a vet to rule out any serious medical issue resulting in increased urination. Such illnesses include urinary tract infections, kidney disease, bladder stones, inflammation of the bladder, arthritis, or incontinence. If not treated on time, these conditions can turn to be fatal for the pet.
Final Thoughts
Improper urinating behaviors in dogs are not easy to deal with and often provoke anger and stress. However, there are many reasons your trained pet can start peeing in the house and you should try to respond positively to stop such behaviors. Get your pet examined for any medical condition which could result in frequent urination. If no medical reason is found, identify what is causing the misbehavior and address the problem with patience.