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These puppies lack confidence and therefore worry about their ability to cope with situations wherein they must be subordinate. To correct the problem, a pup's confidence levels must be raised and strengthened so that the conditioned urination is not triggered.
An environmental factor involved in most cases of submissive urination is that the pup is reprimanded far more often than it is praised for its achievements. In fact, most owners do not really consider their pup's need for praise. Most owners believe the pup should be punished for doing the wrong thing, especially if it is "caught in the act." This leads to a vicious circle when urination is reinforced by the stimulus that causes it in the first place (punishment or dominant behavior).
A preferable corrective measure is to create situations wherein the pup can be praised both for doing the right things in response to its owners, and for not doing the wrong things. This approach is totally positive and avoids submissive urination in most cases. The puppy should be taught to respond to the simplest commands of "Come," "Sit" and "Stay," and be given immediate praise even for starting to make the appropriate responses. All teaching must be
done without physical force, punishment or even gentle positioning of the puppy. These may be too closely associated with dominance behavior and could lead to urination.
Other recommendations include:
1. Do not "hover over" the pup if this has caused urination in the past. When calling or petting the pup, the owner should crouch down. Petting is done palm up, under the chin and on the throat and chest, to avoid placing the hands upon the pet's head.
2. If homecomings stimulate urination, ignore the pup for at least 5 minutes after arrival home. Then, when greeting the puppy, crouch as described above.
3. Associate the phrase "Good dog" with petting and say it when putting down the pup's dish at feeding times. Then, whenever the puppy does something desirable, happily repeat "Good dog" a couple of times.
4. Avoid all scolding vocal tones, especially if these have stimulated wetting in the past.
When these corrective steps, including the simple commands, have been practiced for at least 2 weeks, the pup should be gradually taken through situations (except those involving punishment) that have caused wetting in the past.
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