Dog Peeing

I have a 9 year old Jack Russell, and she has always had a nervous piddling problem. It is worse if people talk to her in a babyish or high pitched voice. She is usually fine after things have settled down, and the guests have been here for about ten minutes. I have just gotten used to either putting her in another room for a few minutes when people come over, or letting her greet them outside as they walk up to the house--that way, if she pees, it's on the ground. Good luck. I haven't found any way to cure this problem.

I can't wait to see the responses for this. I too have an aussie and he does this when anyone over 15 comes over. I think they must be able to tell the age, lol. Anyway, my solution thus far as been just to let him outside to meet people. He only does it the first few seconds of seeing people. He doesn't do it with the immediate family. The other thing that seems to help, is if they just ignore him. As long as none of the visitors talk to him then he is ok. Thanks for asking the question,
Tam

Hi D.,
I don't know how to stop the behavior, it sounds like maybe sh has some trauma issues. As long as she calms down after initially meeting the adult then maybe just try having her meet the person outside. That way her mess will be out there and then she can come in and all will be fine. We have an energetic rat terrier who likes to jump on little kids and lick them in the face. We have done a lot to limit his behavior but in the end have realized that we just have to manage it. So, we put a harness on him whenever anyone comes over which makes him feel contained and he interacts with everyone much more calmly with the harness on. Then after he is used to the visitors we take it off. It is an extra step, just like taking your dog outside initially, but it has made life much more pleasant.
Take care,
B.

As a vet tech I see this all the time in the clinic. Sounds like your dog does something called submissive peeing. This is ver commn it has nothing to do with bad experances. She is just a submissive dog. You needed to exercises to increase her sef esteem. Which probabley sounds really stupid. Training can help. Because it lets her know exactaly what is expected of her. And she pees because she is unsure. Try training a set behavior when people come over. I also would recomend basic dog training. I love a place in Fort Collis called Canine learning Center. If you live somewhere else they might know of a trainer closer to you. She might also like agility training to burn extra energy and bulid confidance.

Hi D.,

Have you tried having your visitors giving the dog treats as they walk in the door? You could try having the visitors toss the treats to the dog without giving your dog any eye contact as they walk in the door. Don't let them pet the dog or talk to her. This way she associates people with good things, and she won't get so stressed when they come by. It could take some practice and time to fix.

Have you ever watched the show called "It's Me or the Dog" on Animal Planet? This is a great show showing a trainer treating all kinds of issues with dogs and their behaviors. Victoria Stillwell, the trainer has some great methods for helping dogs.

I hope this helps some!

L.