Many dog owners know this. The dog is greeted and he leaves a small puddle of joy and excitement. Otherwise he is housebroken. In conversations with masters and mistresses, I often hear the concern that the dog is definitely incontinent, even if it is still a puppy. But I can usually calm them down quickly. Because when dogs pee with joy and excitement, it usually has nothing to do with incontinence. But what it has to do with and what you can do about it, you will find out in the following article.
What is incontinence?
If the dog can no longer hold urine or feces, there are various reasons. An age-related declining nervous system or a weakened bladder occlusion, castration, hormonal changes, an injury to the nerve tracts due to surgery, spondylosis, BSV (herniated disc) or an injury and even a bladder infection are possible causes of incontinence.
In the event of an injury, spondylosis, herniated disc, castration or other surgical interventions, important nerve tracts can be injured. As a result, the signal transmission of the nerve impulses to the sphincter muscle can no longer function properly, resulting in incontinence. But none of this has anything to do with peeing for joy!
Why is the dog peeing out of joy or excitement?
The question already contains a false assumption. That the dog is so happy that he completely forgets to keep his bladder closed, or squeezes the joy out of the urine, is a wrong assumption. The dog pees out of insecurity! Now some dog owners will surely make eyes and say: “But my dog is not unsafe.” Well, unfortunately that’s not true. I’ll explain it once.
The pee protection
When puppies and young dogs meet an older conspecific, they first sniff them to get to know each other. Very often it can be observed that puppies start to pee a little. Why is that? Instinctively, the puppy knows that when the older dog smells the urine, he will know he is dealing with a puppy and in most cases will leave him alone. The pee protection! The puppy is still very insecure and doesn’t know what else to do. The insecurity, and with it the peeing, goes away over time – usually if it’s not instilled through constant repetition.
Now let’s imagine the following situation: Mistress comes home and greets the dog with excessive joy. Her voice and gestures are exuberant and the dog can no longer control his tail at all, pure joy for both parties. Mum might think if the dog didn’t start peeing. In reality, the dog may be happy too, but it outweighs the uncertainty. Dog: “Oh dear, there she is again, what does she want from me? It’s so big, why is the voice so loud and why is she waving her hands around like that? I know her, but maybe she wants something bad for me? Uh, I don’t know, I’m so insecure, I’d rather pee, then nothing will happen to me.” Other dogs also let loose when visitors come. So, in both cases it is the instinctive pee protection that results from the dog’s insecurity. Well explained?
What can you do about it?
Please do not greet the dog, but completely ignore it and let it come later of its own accord. Also, please don’t wipe away the urine immediately, it’s not hygienic, I know, but it’s necessary, because otherwise the dog thinks that you’re dealing with him again immediately afterwards. Mommy is definitely thinking: “The poor little one is sad when I ignore him. I can’t bring myself to do it.” Stop! You have a dog, not a human! You want your dog to stop peeing with “joy”, don’t you? Pills and misplaced sympathy don’t help, but education. That’s how it is with dogs.
Warm greetings
Yours, Sandra Marcel from DOG FIT
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