My new dog keeps peeing on the floor...advice desperately needed?

Question

I recently got a new dog, a black lab *****, 4 years old. She is so easy to train outdoors and learns amazingly quickly but if I use a raised voice towards her to disipline her if she jumps up or does something wrong, she will cower and pee on the floor. I simply wipe it up and say nothing. Our previous lab didn't do this and I do not know the best way to stop this behavior. She is a very clingy dog and at night we keep her in the kitchen and she wines quietly thus disrupting our sleep, is this because it is new surroundings for her or is there something that can be done to stop it....could some of you kind people out there offer me some advice.

Thanks in advance

Andy

I have just checked my dog's papers and it would appear she is a Lab-Retriver not a Labrador.

Answer 1

This is because she is in new surroundings and yes there is something that can be done to stop it all so don't worry -you'll get her settled soon enough.

Peeing on the floor - submissive dogs pee involuntarily as a sign that they are absolutely submitting to you. You are doing the right thing by just wiping it up. She seems a sensitive dog and your raised voice must terrify her to provoke this level of submissive behaviour. She hasn't necessarily been badly treated before, although you don't mention her background. It may be that she is very fearful of raised voices because she associates them with violence or aggression, but some dogs just don't need much correction and respond better to being ignored. I had a male golden retriever who was very similar. Raising my voice was too much for him. I used a firm no! instead and ignored him when he was misbehaving. This was enough for him to get the message. In the end all it took was a look to let him know he should stop that! You will soon find the right balance of your tone and body language that is needed to halt her bad behaviour without sending her into a cowering wreck!

Very Clingy - She will improve when she feels more secure. Help her by making sure that you she can't follow you around the house all the time. Restrict her to one area using a child safety gate. This is an excellent way to get her used to staying in a different room to you whilst she can still see what is going on as you move from room to room. Give her things to do in your absence like really yummy chewy stuff. Then she will learn that you leaving her isn't so bad and will associate it will pleasure. Her sense of security will improve.
At night make sure that she has settled and is relaxed before you leave her and go to bed. The soft whining is anxiety so try a few things to help her relax. Leave the radio on quietly in the background, leave a soft light on, make sure she has a place to call her own where she can feel safe. As she settles in your home this problem will gradually reduce. Don't be tempted to go and see her as it will slow down the process. It took an 8 yr old dog I rehomed about 6 months to stop severe anxiety - he barked all night, pooed and cried. He is now perfect. She is nowhere near that bad so it will probably only take a few more weeks.
When you come down in the morning I bet that she is really excited to see you. Don't greet her straight away. Wait until she is calm again and then say hi. You want to make sure that your comings and goings are not a big deal to her so that she isn't so anxious when she is alone.

She sounds like a sensitive character and as you have already discovered these dogs are very responsive and easily motivated and trained. They just need extra gentle handling.
Hope she carries on settling in well!

Answer 2

Crate Train Her

Answer 3

I take it you got the 4 year old Lab from people who did not want her. You may find that she is a nervous dog and might have been miss treated in the house when she did something the previous owners didn't like.

The first thing is not to shout at her, if she does something you don't like, say no in a firm level voice. Do not grab her or make sudden movements as this may cause the nervous peeing. Try not to make too much reaction when she does wet herself. You have to give her a bit of time to adjust to the new pack, and be patient. If all else fails, go to your local vet as they will have contact details for dog behaviour experts. Hope this helps and good luck

Answer 4

to me, the sign of peeing on the floor is the response of an abused dog -

will need to be gentle in your reprimands - and praise her when she goes outside and pees

the whining - maybe an old wind-up alarm clock placed inside a sock that you have worn - the old puppy trick
does she have a soft bed to sleep in the kitchen?

best of luck!

Answer 5

your lab is peeing in submission so i guess before she came to you she was hit or punished bad.the best thing to do is carry on what your doing dont shout at her when she has an accident,start from scratch as if she was a pup,take her out at regular intervals and spend time developing a good relationship with her so she's not scared,it could be shes nervous of her new surroundings,you and generally just an anxious dog.crate training could be usefull as your dog will have her own den somewhere she can go as a safe haven.a dog will normally never pee in there den area.keep training her with good reward based methods and try not to get angry with her because thats why she submits to you and pees.good luck

Answer 6

TAKE WIPER AND FOLLOW HIM

Answer 7

I would think the first thing to do is stop raising your voice. I had one that outgrew being so clingy after a while, though our vet suggested doggy prozac at 50 dollars a month.. Try using a crate at night, so the dog has her own space. I was totally against crates until my present dog but the dog likes it, stays quiet and lets us sleep.

Answer 8

if you cant beat em join em, just start peeing on the floor too, maybe ittll get the hint

Answer 9

get the pup into a routine. my old staffy pup used to eat 3 times a day, morning noon and night. each time about 10 mins after he had finished i would let him out in the garden and stay with him until he did his business then rewarded him.

after a while they will get to know to go outside and will start sitting at the door.

Answer 10

http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?cls=2&cat=1548&articleid=157

This is a useful site for housetraining your puppy.

Answer 11

i got a puppy also mate. a pug and i going through the same problem here so i will hope to read some good answers. good luck