Male Puppy Peeing Concerns

[Adrianne Matzkin]

I need your input. I have never had a male dog so this is very new for me.
Mickey is our 4 months old foster puppy. He came to us Thursday from a shelter where he lived for a month and before that he was at the “Almost Heaven’ puppy mill.

He is 5 lbs underweight and suffering from a severe case of kennel cough. He is running a fever but with the new meds he is on will take care of that and my home cooking will take care of his weight.

My concern - is it normal for him to pee every time he walks towards us (with his tail wagging), every time he goes in or comes out of his crate or when I go to pick him up? He is drinking lots of water.
In the 48 hours he has been here I have only seen him actually squat and pee once - Friday.
I have taken him on walks and he does't pee. I wonder if all the spot peeing he emptys his bladder.
I just took him out of his crate (where he barks at least 45 minutes each night so far but I put a pillow over my head) and except for a little leak peeing, he hasn't peed or pooped yet. I stand with him, I took him to the P&P pen but he just sits next to me and wags his adorable, curly tail.

I know that living in home is a new experience for him and every sound he hears is a new one (oh, we stayed home last night but could hear the fireworks from our yard. Glad to report neither puppy had any issues with the noise!!) I am trying to figure out which scenarios he pees but I can’t quite get a handle on it yet.

Submissive peeing? If so, does it EVER end??
Any suggestions?


Sorry to attach this picture. Couldn't get it to upload here for some reason. See all the dark spots? That are the stains that his peeing has left on my slate deck. Have to get the power washer out.
I also wash my den floor (wood) and my kitchen floor (tile) at least twice a day. Love him - not this peeing.
http://www.kodakgallery.com/PhotoView.jsp?&collid=34454251306.4...

[Sally, Echo and Emmi]

My puppy had some submissive peeing issues for a couple of months from when we got him at 9 weeks until about 4 months. He only did it when something frightened him or someone loomed over him and scared him. If people approached more on his level he was fine. What cured him pretty quickly (besides age) was everytime I took him out to potty I rewarded with a high value treat! That totally potty trained him very quickly and the submissive peeing disappeared! In the meantime, while I was working on that, I just asked anyone who approached him to do it slowly and more on his level. Everyone wanted to rush up to him and rub his coat and I think this really scared him. Now, he is the most social, wants to greet everybody, joyful, dog park happy guy you would ever want to meet!

[Tammy & Gracie]

Definately not a male thing. Gracie had submissive peeing as a small pup. We never made a big deal of greeting her so she would remain calm and confident. When she awoke or whatever we just quietly and calmly led her oustide with great praising for any job outside! They say that leaning over the dog and reaching for them makes this worse. We also were told never to punish her for it because at that point it is uncontrollable. When guests visited they were always told no eye contact and don't pet the pup immediately upon arrival. We also tried new people meetings outside for obvious reasons. It passed. Hang in there. His meds probably have something to do with it, and as he becomes more comfortable and confident with his new (scary) environment it should improve.

[Joanne ~ Spud*]

It may be submissive urination, although since Mickey is on antibiotics you should tell your vet about the frequent urination. Antibiotics CAN and do cause side effects with urination and effect the bladder and kidney. Though I am sure this is not the case with Mickey antibiotics have caused renal failure in high doses.
Just because he is on antibiotics does not mean he would not have a UTI. Different types of antibiotics treat different infections. For example, if you had pneumonia and UTI, you might be placed on two different types of antibiotics because different organisms are sensitive to certain antibiotics but not to others.
So, just for the heck of it, make your vet aware and he can watch him closer. We want him better soon so he can drive you nuts with something else--like stealing Samantha's balls, or chewing on toilet paper, and stealing your bras!

[Adrianne Matzkin]

smart ass!! I knew I could count on you to make me laugh about this!

[Stella]

It is normal for him to do this given his history, don't worry. It is not specifically a male puppy thing to pee in the house, especially if he has been neutered. He was raised in a place where he probably just peed whenever he needed to go. No one ever taught him where and when it was appropriate to go. He is still just a baby too, and has already been through so much. Hartley used to run to greet me when I came home from work and dribble pee all over the carpet in excitement. He grew out of it as he got older. It could also be a sign of submission, especially given his history.

Go right back to the potty training rules, treat him as if he were an eight week old puppy. Every time he wakes up, comes out of the crate, eats, drinks, plays take him outside immediately to "go potty" or whatever cue word you are using. If you catch him going in the house, tell him no, take him by the collar and lead him quickly outside to where you want him to go. I'm sure once he is off the meds, settels in a bit with you guys, and gets used to living in a house this will improve.

Samantha might be a great help. Try taking Mikey out with you when you take her out to go to the bathroom. Use your verbal cue when she goes and he will learn from watching her what it means. Hartley used to bark to let us know that Chase was about to pee in the house, and he even rang the bell for him at the beginning!!

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

Is Mickey not pooping yet either? When we go camping it takes my dogs a bit of time to adjust to the change. The younger they are the harder it is for them to pee or poop on command or in a strange place. Ned still has lots of trouble going when on a leash. He never goes when we are on a walk and rarely goes when we are at a dog park. He did a little submissive peeing at 3 - 5 months of age - when people greeted him too quickly. Mickey is so lucky to have you and Samantha.

[Vicki Sacks]

It could be just stress, excitment, and never having anyone to love him before. . Zinc was 16 months old when we picked him up from the rescue. He was housebroken, but stressed. For 2 weeks he would drink up every drop of water he could find and have to go pee every 20 minutes. I'm sure any dog from Almost Hell has no idea what to do, except be happy to be out of there! Bless you!! Start from scratch like he was 8 weeks old and you will have success. Again, Bless you!!

[Allyson, Peri & Taquito]

One of my friends and her husband adopted a boxer that had been living alone in the woods for 3 weeks! He was estimated to be 9 months when they brought him home - he peed all of the time. I mean, every 10 minutes as he would walk around the house. No leg lifting even. He had even been neutered before being abandoned. They started formal obedience training pretty much immediately and he improved with that AND after settling in and understanding he was safe for once. I agree with others - treat him like a new puppy with that training. And you may have quite a time with the crating since he was in those conditions for so long...good luck with that. My thoughts are with you. You are great to be fostering one of those puppies from AH.