What Does It Mean When a Dog Sprays Pee in Front of You?

Dogs urine-mark for a multitude of reasons, whether territorial, hormonal or emotional. They often do so when no one is around to see. If your doggie tends to spray or leak urine while you're right in front of him, however, he may be engaging in submissive urination.

  1. About Submissive Urination

    • If your dog's pee spraying seems to be out of his control, it may be due to submissive urination, which is not at all a deliberate action, according to the Cleveland Animal Protective League. Submissive urination doesn't necessarily mean your dog is not properly housebroken. It often means that your pooch is feeling especially stressed out, scared, worried or overwhelmed at the moment. Dogs with submissive urination tend to eliminate totally appropriately in normal circumstances.

    Causes

    • Submissive urination has several potential causes, and it quite often occurs in the presence of a human being. If an unfamiliar person comes close to a fearful dog, the little one may spray urine. If a dog is reprimanded for a wrongdoing, he may do the same. A dog may spray urine when he perceives he's about to get into trouble for something. Submissive urination appears to be more prevalent around men -- dogs may be fearful of men's usually larger physiques and deeper voices. Make a point of never scolding your dog when he does spray pee in front of you. All that will accomplish is intensifying his fear -- and perhaps even the inappropriate peeing.

    Expression of Subordination

    • Even if submissive urination isn't a willful action, dogs do it for a reason. By urinating, a dog is essentially sending a message of subordination. Via placation, the dog is trying to communicate that he is not a threat and that he has no desire to fight. If your precious pet sprays pee when you're around, it's because he believes you are his superior.

    Certain Dogs

    • Submissive urination is especially prevalent in young puppies and in dogs that are particularly meek in temperament, for whatever reason. If a dog has some trauma in his past, he may be prone to submissive urinating behaviors, the Humane Society of the United States website says.

    Excitement Urination

    • A dog may spray pee in front of you out of sheer giddiness and emotional overload. If you've been away from home all day and your dog sprays pee the second he spots you, he's probably overwhelmed with excitement to see you.

    Urinary Incontinence

    • Not all pee spraying is related to submissive or excitement urination. Some is medically related. A lot of ailments can lead to loss of bladder control in canines, including bladder stones and urinary tract infection. Urinary incontinence also frequently affects elderly dogs. To rule out health issues, call your veterinarian to set up an appointment for your doggie pronto.

    Territorial Spraying

    • Dogs generally don't engage in territorial spraying in front of their owners, so you can likely rule that concept out. Dogs don't like to eliminate in their living space. Through training or through anecdotal learning, they tend to connect urinating indoors as forbidden. A dog partaking in territorial marking usually does so when you're nowhere about.