Buddy & Porky’s Pet Health Column: Peeing & Spaying

by Contributor | June 5, 2008 11:18 am

By Buddy & Porky and the Oswego County Humane Society

Dear Buddy:

Whenever I come home, my puppy pees. I thought he was housetrained, he does ask to go out, but then he’ll squat and pee right in front of me. I have tried scolding, but he still does it. What can I do?

Anna

Dear Anna:

Thanks for writing. This is a common situation with young pups. It is known as “submissive urination.” Being submissive to the master during greeting is often accompanied by a dribble of urine. This kind of behavior is seen in young dogs, but may go into adulthood. It usually will resolve as the urinary sphincters mature and your puppy gets confident in his role in your household. In the interim, keep greetings brief and calm, maybe even ignore your puppy when you arrive for several minutes. Make sure there is no eye contact to limit his feelings of being threatened. Avoid petting on the head, as this is a dominant act on the part of the owner and could trigger the urination to show he’s not challenging you. Petting is also a form of praise and we don’t want to praise the urination.

Whatever you do, don’t punish or scold. It makes him more submissive and will only add to problem.

If you could redirect your puppy upon entering the house, for instance have him fetch his favorite toy, he won’t be in that submissive state and he can’t fetch and submissively urinate at the same time. Once your dog is feeling successful and confident, he probably won’t feel the need to urinate. I hope this helps. Let us know.

Dear Porky:

My cat has just had kittens, when can I get her spayed?

Jon

Dear Jon:

Thanks for writing and thanks for spaying your pet. It is the best thing for your pet’s health and well being.

It would be best, if possible, to wean the kittens by about 6 weeks, then let the mother’s milk dry up for about 10 days. This means all kittens should not nurse during those 10 days because nursing stimulates the milk production and you want her to be dry for the surgery.

The Oswego County Humane Society provides Spay/neuter services, information and referral, adoption assistance to pet owners, humane education programs, foster care for homeless or abandoned pets, assistance with lost and found pets. Check our web site at www.oswegohumane.org or call (315) 207-1070 for more information or to be placed on our mailing list for our quarterly newsletter.

Source URL: https://oswegocountytoday.com/news/fulton/buddy-porkys-pet-health-column-peeing-spaying/

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