Excited puppy peeing is a common, fixable problem that happens when a Great Dane puppy is nervous or excited.

If your Great Dane puppy peeing and you are looking to stop submissive urination, we’re sharing some tips and ideas below!

A confident dog comes from good training and socialization. This means addressing puppy submissive urination correctly so you can get rid of this unwanted behavior and enjoy your new dog!

Excited Puppy Peeing & Great Danes

What is submissive urination?

Submissive urination episodes in Great Dane puppies happen when they are anxious, nervous, scared, or excited.

You may have noticed that your puppy will pee on the floor right in front of you, for no apparent reason as if they cannot control themselves.

Some people call this ‘submissive urination’ because they believe it’s a dog being ‘submissive’ to you as the handler. To be fair, submissive peeing is often seen in submissive dogs: these are dogs that are naturally more inclined to follow than they are to lead.

You may notice your Dane puppy dog urinates submissively when you make direct eye contact or assume a dominant position. Doing so can be very intimidating to dogs, especially puppies that are fearful or don’t know yet if they can trust you.

Your body language and response to your puppy dog can actually have a lot to do with submissive urination and even separation anxiety!

Submissive urination also happens when puppies (or adults) are excited. Their immature bladder cannot hold the pee as they jump, wiggle, and bounce around the room.

Most Great Dane puppies outgrow inappropriate urination by the time they are fully and reliably house trained. Most dogs mature out of this behavior, so it’s important to stay calm and be patient.

Submissive urination has nothing to do with dominance, stubbornness, or spite! Toss those old dog training ideas out the door, they are irrelevant.

Is submissive urination a medical problem?

Submissive or excitement urination is not usually the result of medical reasons, however, it’s helpful to take your dog to the veterinarian if you are concerned.

For example, a urinary tract infection can cause a dog to pee often and lose all of the work you put into positive reinforcement potty training. This condition must be treated by a veterinarian; your pet’s health and comfort matter and your vet can offer the best course of treatment for your dog.

Urinary incontinence may also contribute; puppy bladders are immature and often just need time to develop. Dogs that urinate submissively often just need time to mature and grow up both physically and emotionally.

An older or elderly dog may develop urinary incontinence (including complications related to kidney disease) as they age; in this case, a veterinarian can give the best advice.

Why is my Great Dane puppy peeing when scared?

Fear, anxiety, and stress can absolutely cause a Great Dane puppy to pee when scared.

For these puppies, it’s important to assume a non threatening posture and act like the dog pee on the floor at your feet is no big deal.

You may have a negative response and feel like becoming angry when your pet pees in front of you, but that is one of the worst things you can do.

Stay calm, focus on non dominant postures and use management techniques to avoid the behavior popping up in the first place.

It can be helpful to lower your body down to your dog’s level and use calming touch and voice to encourage relaxed behavior.

If you notice submissive peeing when your pet is being greeted by other dogs or people, it is important for you to step in at that moment and advocate for your dog. This reaction is based on fear and insecurity.

Some socially dominant dogs may hover over insecure dogs. This can cause fear that may make the problem worse. Take control of this situation and encourage your pet to be confident and walk away from dogs that are rude.

Great Dane puppy socialization and training

Good socialization using positive reinforcement and lots of friendly exposure to novel things in the environment will go a long way to reduce inappropriate urination.

We recommend following our guide, which outlines everything you need to know about socializing your Great Dane puppy so they are friendly, confident, and resilient.

Young dogs have a small window of opportunity to work on this, and if you are reading this article chances are that time is now!

Calm, confident Great Dane dogs are less likely to struggle with house training, submissive peeing, and separation anxiety.

The American kennel club recommends socializing your puppy with the Canine Good Citizen test in mind as your goal. https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/training/puppy-socialization/

How do I fix excitement urination in dogs?

The following tips can help you reduce inappropriate peeing so that your puppy dog is on the right track when it comes to their house training.

• Use an enzymatic cleaner such as Skout’s Honor or Rocco & Roxie to clean up any big or little accident that has occurred. It’s important that no urine scent remains, especially if other dogs in your home have urine marking issues or might view that area as an appropriate spot to pee.
• Don’t look your dog directly in the eyes or use a hovering, intimidating posture. Remember, intimidation can lead a timid or excited dog to submissively urinate out of fear.
• Encourage calm behavior; amping your pup up can cause and worsen excitement peeing!
• Use puppy pads in areas where you know your pup tends to do this. Common places include the front door or just outside of the crate. This simple tip will help with cleanup!

Excitement peeing is not a potty training problem

While it may be frustrating, excited peeing is not something that becomes a habit overnight. It’s primarily related to immaturity and emotions and not necessarily a potty training problem.

Use simple commands that your dog knows to encourage calmness and confidence without peeing. Avoid direct eye contact unless you are teaching your dog the ‘look’ command, where your pup is rewarded for focusing on you.

Puppy pee can stink up your house fast, so we recommend Rocco and Roxie urine odor remover to clean up messes. It smells amazing and works beautifully on dog pee.

For more Great Dane potty training tips, read here!

Rescued dogs Submissive urination

Rescued dogs and dogs from the humane society may need extra time here: for those dogs, we recommend revisiting potty training 101, just like you would do with a young dog. This is true even if you were told that your new rescue dog was potty trained!

We also recommend a minimum 2-3 week low-key dog decompression period.

This means keeping your new pet in a calm specially prepared area where they can feel safe, engaging them in fun active play and positive training that they enjoy, and developing a positive relationship based on trust.

Training methods that make the problem worse

It will be very hard to get rid of submissive or excitement urination if you use a lot of rough treatment or harsh, intimidating dog training methods.

Do not scold your dog for peeing, even if the peeing continues as you try and usher them out the door.

Rubbing a dog’s nose in their urine only teaches them to avoid peeing in front of you.

Incorrectly and harshly trained dogs urinate when they know you aren’t watching, often behind furniture or in bedding where they can bury it.

This is not spite nor is it stubbornness! It’s simply a symptom of what they are being taught.

If you want your pup to confidently pee outside, on a leash, or when you watching it’s important that you don’t resort to punitive training.

What should I do when my dog pees in front of me?

While it seems counter-intuitive, the best thing you can do in this situation is to ignore the pee.

If your pet is fearful, reduce your presence and clean up the mess when your pup isn’t watching.

Turn your body to the side and crouch if you need to. You may have to walk away and give your dog space. Fearful dogs need confidence building, basic obedience training, and lots of positive socialization.

If your puppy is excited, it’s also very important that you are very calm! Teach your dog a gentle demeanor by being gentle and cool yourself.

Potty training for Great Danes

Dogs pee whenever and wherever they want, especially without diligent management and training. For information on how to potty train your Great Dane dog, read below!

Do adult dogs have submissive urination?

Yes, adults can also have this problem! If you have an older dog that urinates in the wrong place or when scared, you may want to seek out the help of a dog trainer.

Medical causes for peeing

A pet dog with bladder stones, kidney problems, incontinence, infection or a UTI may urinate in your home.

Medical causes should always be ruled out, especially for older dogs that use to be perfectly house trained. Being an educated pet owner means recognizing the difference between training problems and medical problems! Always talk to your veterinarian if you are unsure.

When to see a veterinarian for excitement urination in dogs

If your dog pees uncontrollably despite calming protocols, positive training, management, and confidence-building you must see your veterinarian.

A pet dog that has separation anxiety and other signs of timid, anxious, or stressed behavior may have underlying health and temperament problems that can be addressed by professionals.