How to Cure Your Dog’s Submissive Wetting

Dogs that would rather run than fight are notorious for submissive wetting behavior. These dogs usually wet themselves or the floor when you first greet them. The dog either squats or rolls over on his back and dribbles, a behavior that dates back to his days as a puppy when his mother cleaned him.

When your dog dribbles, scolding him only reinforces the behavior and actually makes it worse. By scolding him, you cause him to act even more submissive, which brings on the wetting. Also, don’t stand or lean over your dog or try to pick him up, because that, too, makes him act submissive and causes wetting.

Fortunately, submissive wetting isn’t difficult to solve. Follow these steps:

  1. When you come home, ignore your dog.

    Don’t approach your dog; let him come to you instead.

  2. Greet your dog without making eye contact and by offering the palm of your hand.

    This step is important. The back of the hand transmits negative energy, and the palm of the hand transmits positive energy.

  3. Keep your mouth shut, and let him sniff your palm.

  4. Gently pet him under the chin, not on top of the head.

  5. Don’t reach or try to grab for the dog.

When friends visit you, they can help you manage your dog’s wetting behavior. Tell your visitors when they arrive to ignore the dog and let him come to them. Instruct them about offering the palm of the hand and about not grabbing for the dog.

Comments (1)

  1. Posted by Tina Spencer
    We just adopted a mature male Pom cross from the neighborhood pound. We love our little dog named Danny. He loves my husband but there's a problem. I let him out to go potty in the mornings and he comes running back in all excited. He jumps up and puts his front paws on my hunband's chair. My husband pets him and he just pees all over. Like he's excited. We have three more days to decide on whether to keep the dog. We really want to keep hi,. We have a large Dodge truck. Danny has just been newtered. We have to lift him in and out. He pees on us and the truck seat. Please help us. Danny is not the kind of dog folks look for in a pet. If we take him back to the pound, he'll probably be put down. We want to keep him, make him a good home and not get peed on in the process. Thank you so much, Tina Spencer

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