Gun Dog Forum

I have a pup that is submissive peeing. I am questioning the stability of the dog because of this. She is not shy or scared, but is on the softer side. She is 5 months old.

What is your experience with submissive pee-ers? Would you breed a dog with this problem if she turns out to be a very good gundog?

I dont think it is a big deal. I have known many great dogs that started out as submissive pee'ers. I think how you react to it and handle it will determine the out come of the dog. As far as breeding it, I think there are alot of other factors to concider other then this one. I could be wrong. JMO. Good luck either way!

Submissive peeing is a behavior best left ignored. In 99% of the cases it will rectify itself with time and confidence. I had one that SP'd for an entire year. She was afraid of men, and my boyfriend at the time most especially. The more upset he got with her the worse it got. When he finally learned to ignore the behavior and finally learned to help instill a bit of confidence into her himself, the SPing stopped completely.
It's not a genetic thing....it's a behavioral thing that CAN be overcome.

Kiki's Mom wrote: It's not a genetic thing....it's a behavioral thing that CAN be overcome.

Unless behavior/temperament is genetic.
It is not a temperament trait I would like to propagate.
But yes, it can usually be overcome.

I agree that is is a genetic issue that would get passed to some of the offspring. It isn't something you want in your line of dogs, but if the dog is good enough it is something you could live with. There are dogs with much bigger issues than peeing getting bred that affect the hunting ability of the dog. No dog is perfect.

What I want to know is if it indicates an unstable dog. A peeing dog I can live with, an unstable dog I can't. In the 30+ dogs I've owned I haven't had this issue.

It is nothing more than her saying she is nervous but submissive. She will get over it in all likelyhood. It has nothing to do with being unstable. Not even sure what that means but my impression is that being unstable would be much more of a problem in an aggressive dog. But I would need the definition explained a little better and what actions would tell us she is unstable?

Ezzy

It probably will pass but try to pinpoint the stimuli (or person?) that is causing it.

It will pass both my dogs did but I am a bigger guy with a booming voice. As others have said when first coming back don't greet the dog and ignore them and when you do acknowledge them squat to their level....not as intimidating. Just my thoughts.

I know from experience it can certainly be worrisome, as you're getting geared up to put a lot of time and money into a dog, but try, try, try to ignore it. And know that the odds (good odds are all you can ask for in choosing/training a dog) are on your side that it will be a distant memory by her first birthday.

for some it is an over excitement type pee some it is things are going a little to fast for me submit type pee

either case ignore it
do not coddle nor get mad
best thing to do is let the pup come to you not you to the pup and if the pup is in an over excited state just ignore the pup till it is in a calmer state of mind

If you handle it like that most will out grow it