excitement dribble

[luvzcavs]

Just wondering if anyone has experienced this with their puppy ?

My mum's b&t boy Toby who is 7 months old and neutered sometimes dribbles a little when he is excited. It is only when we first get home and he is ready to go out for a wee and it is only about 5 drops but I have never experienced this and did not think it was normal ??

After he goes striaght outside and does a big wee, it is while we are unlocking the door for him to go out it happens.

[goldcountryrose]

It is completely normal, don't worry.

There are tons of tips on how to stop this. First of all, to prevent the dog from getting overly excited because you came home, you should ignore him for the first few minutes. Once he calms down is when you pay attention to him.

Your situation is a little different because Toby has been holding his pee and really needs to go when you get home and so he leaks a little in anticipation of getting out.

So, I think you have two problems, and both are very common. Is he crated while you are gone? If so, maybe you should take the crate to the door and send him straight outside. If he is not crated, then maybe you can open the door and stand outside and get him outside to greet you.

This behavior should disappear as he grows older. There is information somewhere on this site, sorry I don't know where, that discusses how long a dog can hold his pee based on his age. So many hours for so many months old.

Hopefully someone else can direct you to that thread.

My Toby, who has just turned one year old had the same problem. But not only did he sprinkle the floor, he would get so excited that he would jump up on a chair or the couch and sprinkle a bit there too. I used the advice I had read here about ignoring him when I first came home, and it worked perfectly.

However, due to the very unusual circumstances at my house, he is still paper trained, so he can pee on the papers all day long. I live in the forest, so he cannot ever be let out on his own because my fenced yard is not safe enough. I would rather have pee soaked papers than to let him out and be a target for preditors.

[Caraline]

A couple of my boys used to do this during their adolescent years but they seemed to grow out of it. Not sure if the growing out was to do with bladder control or if it was just that they became less excitable as they got older.

[Karlin]

Is he getting out enough? At 7 months I'd not be waiting more than about 3 hours between letting him relieve himself. That way he won't have huge wees that he needs to do but more comfortably spaced out smaller ones -- sounds like maybe his bladder is a little full. If it isn't as full and he doesn't get as excited and anxious to go out and go he will probably have better bladder/urethra control as his bits develop.

[mishmosh]

It's funny you should say this as I was about to make a thread on it!

My puppy is nearly 7 months old now and he has only started doing it the past fortnight. It's a bit embarrassing in front of visitors to say the least! He gets lots of fuss and then gets abandoned by folk after he does it!

So you think it's an adolescent thing? It's not hte full works - just a dribble on the floor.

[Karlin]

It could just be immaturity of the urinary system I suppose. Or if the dog hasn;t had the chance to go, has a very full bladder, then gets excited by people arriving in which puts pressure on his system.

There is also a behavioural issue called submission urination where dogs will pee/dribble on the floor when they get excited at seeing people, are given commands etc. This should also be considered as a strong possible cause here -- try the techniques noted in this article:

http://www.dogdaysusa.com/behaviorcenter_urination.asp

Note they don't need to be doing it under ALL these circumstances listed in the article here, for it to be the cause of this concern. I'd try to reduce the stimulation in the circumstances where these dogs dribble.

[mishmosh]

there's no way anybody could call my dog a submissive dog. He's quite the opposite. He's over confident, very friendly and highly exictable !!

[luvzcavs]

Thanks guys. Toby has access to the toilet all the time which is why I find it so alarming ( I should've mentioned that) however he will always go out and do a big wee when we first get home as I suspect he has probably just been asleep ?
My mum blames me for talking to him but I thought she was just making excuses to try and cover up the potential problem ? (she does this sometimes)
also I never experienced it with my little men when they were babies.

I'll try not to talk to him until he has had his wee when I visit and see if that makes any difference ?