INAPPROPRIATE URINATION

Urinating inside will occur for many reasons

Puppies and kittens will urinate inside until taught otherwise. Some dogs will urinate inside when excited or fearful. Others will do it due to underlying anxieties (eg. Tom cats in the area), and there are several medical problems that will also cause this behaviour.

The first step is to determine if there is an underlying medical problem. With puppies this is unnecessary unless the puppy is not responding as it should to training. We recommend a consultation if your pet suddenly begins urinating inside. Tests may be required for problems such as cystitis, kidney problems, prostate problems and neurological problems.

Teaching puppies and kittens involves making the area to be urinated in obvious to them, as well as being a satisfactory medium to urinate on. For example, a dog or cat will often refuse to urinate on a hard surface. If the pet is caught in the act of urinating inside, a short sharp yell or clap is appropriate, then pick him/her up and place in the appropriate area. After meals is when they are more likely to urinate, so place them in the appropriate area after each meal or drink, and reward them for toileting in the correct place.

Excitement or fear urination occurs as an involuntary act when these things occur. This behaviour is often exacerbated when dogs are yelled at for the behaviour (excited dogs often become more excited, fearful dogs often become more scared). For excitable dogs, they should be ignored while they are exhibiting excitable behaviour - this means no patting, talking to, yelling at, or making eye contact until the dog exhibits calm behaviour. For fearful dogs, calm and quiet communication, lowering your eyes to not be staring at the dog, and allowing the dog to come to you while kneeling down can all be helpful.

INCONTINENCE

Many people think that urinary incontinence (bed wetting, urine dribbling) is normal for dogs as they get older. It can not only be messy, but also makes them more prone to infections, as well as cause embarrassment for the dog. Most causes of incontinence are very treatable with some very safe medications. Please feel free to discuss this with us.

URINE SPRAYING

Urine spraying is when dogs and, more commonly, cats urinate against vertical surfaces.

Urine spraying often occurs as a sign of underlying anxieties, social problems or can occur with medical problems (although medical problems will often manifest differently). These problems involve specific questioning to diagnose and may require retraining or medications to help. The success rate can be quite high if treating anxiety related disorders.

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