[JessicaP]

He is small, not threatening, but very loud, and gets so excited he pees. How can I get him to calm down so I can answer the door and not clean up pee every time the bell rings?

[Danielle DeGroot]

Quote:
How can I get him to calm down so I can answer the door and not clean up pee every time the bell rings?

Hi JessicaP. This sounds like a rather messy situation, but you are not alone in dealing with it. I also have a dog that pees when she gets excited. This is sometimes called submissive urination, especially if it happens when your pup is anxious or in a situation where someone stands over them, and they feel intimidated. Submissive urination is normal and can occur whenever your pup feels startled, excited, or overstimulated.

There are a few things you can do to help temper this down. If it happens only when the doorbell rings, try training him to lie down or go to his crate or other special spot when the bell rings. Do not answer the door while you are waiting for him to respond. You may want to put a sign out by the doorbell that says, “Dog Training, please wait after ringing the bell. We will be with you shortly,” or something to that effect. I used this method for one of my dogs that barks at the bell and for my dog that pees out of excitement. It has helped quite a bit, but it did take some time. You can definitely lessen this behavior, but it is going to take some time and dedication, and you may have to get some advice from a professional dog trainer if the at-home methods don’t work.

One thing to keep in mind is that small dogs may not be able to hold their bladder for very long, so be sure you are taking them out regularly, even a little extra, especially on days you expect company. This way, there won’t be much for him to let out and less mess to clean up. Always be sure to clean up the pee accidents right away; you do not want him sniffing old urine and thinking it is okay to pee there. I’ve covered how long dogs can hold their pee in more detail in this article, and we also detail urinary incontinence and what to look out for there. Best of luck with your pup. Keep us posted on how it goes.

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