srm@npois.UUCP (Steve M) (07/12/85)
I have a 9 month old German Shepard. She was spayed when she was 6 months old. She is a very good natured dog, friendly and willing to please. My wife and I bought her from a pet shop when she was 3 months old. We house broke her very easily. The only problem we have with her is piddling. When she gets excited such as when friends come to visit, she piddles. She also piddles when she gets scolded. We were told that it is an emotional problem and there is nothing that can be done. If anyone has had a similar problem with a dog and was able to train them not to piddle, I would appreciate the solution to the problem. Please reply via electronic mail or on the net. thank you, Steve Maliszewski npois!srm
cushner@ttidcb.UUCP (Jeffrey Cushner) (07/15/85)
What you are experiencing is an involuntary action over which the dog has
no control. It is called submissive urination. It is usually caused by
an emotional upset. Specifically among the various causes are:
over correction, isolation, shyness, exited greetings and exits.
First things first. This is not a conscience act by your pet and you should
NEVER repremand, scold or punish your pet for it.
Try to imagine a person who loves his family but never gets a chance to
see them. Also imagine that this person has been isolated and is on the
nervous edge of a breakdown. When his family does come to see him, they
barge in the room, yelling and hollering, jumping up and down, hugging
and kissing.
Also imagine when they leave, they make a big scene crying and telling
him that they'll miss him alot, then they rush out the door and they're
gone.
Although exaggerated, these emotional ups and downs are what these kinds
of dogs don't need in their lives.
If you haven't trained your dog to sit and stay, you might try doing that.
Also keep a calm attitude toward her. Keep your entries and exits subdued.
Rather than coming home and saying "HI GIRL!! How'ya Doin!! GOOD GIRL!!"
etc. just give her a pat on the head, say hello, and go about your normal
business.
You mentioned scold. Check into proper correction. If you have overcorrected
her, she will roll over on her back, show her neck, and submissivly urinate,
when corrected.
Although it's too late to correct how you bought her and the existing
conditions, I thought that for the other future dog owners out there this
following bit of information will help.
Dogs from pet shops are usually churned out of "puppy mills" where
little regard is made towards their psychological needs. These puppies
are taken from their mother when "very" young. Shipped and isolated,
these puppies undergo severe psychological trauma during their most
sensitive mental growth period, between 6 and 12 weeks of age.
The fact that you got your puppy from a pet store at 3 months means that
your dog probably has undergone plenty trauma.
So, to straighten out the problem the best you can:
1. Train your dog properly. Take her to classes, secure private
training, or buy a few training books. This will help her
make sense of life and calm her down.
2. Keep all your entries and exits calm.
3. Correct her properly.
Besides this urination problem, she sounds like a great dog!
Regards,
--
==============================================================================
Jeff Cushner @
Citicorp-TTI
Santa Monica CA 90405
(213) 450-9111 x2273
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*********************************************************************murphy@voder.UUCP (Neil Murphy) (07/17/85)
We got our (first) dog from the pound about four months ago. He was then roughly a year old. He peed whenever he got excited or afraid. Roll over on his back and squirted in the air. We availed ourselves of the services of an animal behaviorist (San Francisco SPCA provides this service for free!) who told us our dog lacked confidence. By the way, he knew he was into bad behavior and looked incredibly guilty after his performances. Here's how we handled it. Absolutely no punishment. He knew he was wrong already. When a dog rolls over and pees he's saying "I give up, your the big boss and I'll do anything for you". When he did it, I picked him up and put him outside where he was supposed to go (30 lbs of dog). I even walked him to a tree, lifted his hind leg, and when he go scared and peed, I'd pet him like mad. GOOD DOG. We also tried to antici- pate when he was going to need to pee. Like in the morning first thing. Put him out quickly and generously reward a good performance with verbal and physical strokes. It's all in consistancy and positive reinforcement. It took about a month to get him 90% cured. Now he's fine. My mate and I both work and Torpedo was lonely during the day so we go him a pet dog of his own - Ruba. She seems to hardly ever pee - anywhere! They have a dog door so they have access to the back porch and the yard during the day. They think they own the world. They do. Woof, Neil Murphy