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Home > Archive > Mar 13, 2008

Let's talk dog
By Skyler Staats
Dear Skyler,
We have a wonderful dog named Ember. She is great, except for one thing.  My Golden-doodle, diddles when she gets excited.  She has been potty trained but she can’t seem to control her bladder when we come home and greet her. This is the only time she goes in the house. She is trained in every other way. She does great on a leash, gets plenty of exercise, and she even goes running with me.  We all love her so much but this is getting frustrating.  I have tried everything, taking her outside frequently; clapping my hands and saying, “No- No,” but nothing seems to work. What can we do?
Thanks, Dixie Doodle.

Dear Dixie Doodle,
Even the best dogs have strange little quirks and Ember sounds like no exception.  There is hope and actually a simple fix.  Since she is going to the bathroom only when you arrive home indicates this is more of a behavioral problem rather than a training problem.
In order to understand your dog’s current behavior it is important to understand where the original behavioral came from. Young puppies are stimulated to urinate when their Mother rolls them over onto their belly and grooms them.  This type of grooming instinctively teaches teach the puppy how to show signs of submission to authoritative figures. Authoritative figures like their Mom, older pack members, or older siblings. When dogs urinate, they are often communicating a specific message to other pack members.
They may be leaving a scent-message of either dominance, submission, to mark boundaries and territory, or for a variety of other reasons. So, why is your dog urinating?  It sounds like she is submissively urinating.  She is displaying her submissive position in the pack (your family is her pack) whenever you all come home.  She is so excited to greet her pack members and to send the message that she submissive.  Ember is telling you she has not had any intention of moving higher up on the totem pole while you all were away.  In a way this is good.   Ember naturally accepts you and your family as her pack leaders, but there is still a mess on your floor. If you follow the very simple steps below, you will notice a remarkable difference immediately.
It is as simple as ignoring Ember when you come home.  Do not talk to her; don’t look at her, simply ignore her.  Initially, for the first week or so, enter the house without any talking, to anyone. No cell phone, no hollering a friendly hello to the neighbors across the street, no talking, period. Before you enter the house calm the kids down, clam yourself down and have a plan of action.  Do not look at her, don’t talk to her, and don’t touch her.  I know this can be difficult because kids love to hug their dog after they have been gone all day, but you now have to speak in a language Ember will understand.  The kids are to go about their business ignoring Ember, and staying calm. Your job is let her outside to relieve herself.  Leave her outside just enough time for her to do her business; you can even stay out with her if you like just no physical or verbal contact with her.
Once she had relieved herself, bring her back into the house.  If she has calmed down you can now give her a nice pat under the chin.  Again, pet her under the chin. By doing this you are greeting her in a less domineering manner.  When a dominant dog greets another dog, he or she positions their head over the other dog’s neck.  This is a clear message who’s the boss.  When you pet her under the chin, you are greeting her without enforcing your dominant status.  By nature, she is submissive, and you don’t need to reinforce her lower position within the pack at this time.  When she has completely clam down, for example maybe she has gone to lay down, then you and the kids can talk to her, play with her, whatever you would normally do.
    Dogs mirror our energy. If you enter the house and show your excitement to see her, she will get excited and urinate. If you are clam, she will calm down quickly.  If she still goes once in a while (which may happen), no worries, but don’t yell at her or clap your hands in this case.  Again, she is urinating out of submission, and yelling at her it will only reinforce her low position.  She may even become more insecure and urinate more.  There are a few different techniques you can try.   If she rolls over on her belly (like she did when she was a puppy) and urinates, I like the method of kneeling on the ground, shoulders slightly turned and calmly inviting the dog over. I encourage the dog to take a proud stance. This physically and mentally elevates their status.  Remember this is a behavioral issue not a training problem.    
Another method you can try when you see her assume the position of potting, turn your back to her and crouch over.  Your body posture will indicate submission and she will most likely stop urinating and walk over to you out of curiosity.  When she gets there don’t talk to her yet.  She will get excited again.  You can distract her with a trick she knows or get her favorite toy.
By applying these techniques, a new association will quickly form and your Golden-Doodle will stop diddling when you arrive home.
Skyler is a professional dog trainer and behaviorist. Through her business, Skyler Staats, Dog Trainer and Behaviorist, she has helped hundreds of people successfully learn to modify their dog's behavior. She also works with PAWS, a local non profit animal rescue group. You can contact her with your questions at editor@hvjournal.com. She  keeps a record of previous questions addressed on her web site,  www.SkylerStaats.net.

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