Puppy question - is this normal?

[myfatherslily]

My SIL's dog had puppies 5 months ago. They kept two of them, I kept one. We live next door to one another.

 

I've noticed that when their two puppies greet me, they lower their bottoms a bit, like they're cowering just a tiny bit, and they pee. Every time. Our puppy doesn't do that. He gets excited and tries to jump on me but when I insist that he sits, he does it and then I pet him and we're all good. I have no idea if it's just ME that the others do that with - I haven't asked SIL, but it just seems weird to me. BUT it might be perfectly normal puppy behavior! What do you think?? I just don't want them to grow up to be... weird dogs... thanks to being lovingly manhandled by half a dozen children but not trained AT ALL...

 

Maybe it's just ME? Maybe *I* need to pet and love them more? I don't pet them much (the other puppies - I do pet ours).

 

Like I said, they're 5 months old. What do all you doggy people think?

[Jean in Newcastle]

That sounds like submissive behavior to me. It's a doggy personality thing. I tend to ignore dogs that do that - ie. I don't go up and greet them right at first. I let them get used to me being around and then go up a bit later. By then they've gotten over the urge to pee in greeting.

[Carrie12345]

My dogs are not litter mates, but they are only about 6 weeks apart and were adopted (from the same rescue) together.

At 5 years old, I have one pee-greeter and one non-pee-greeter. The pee'er has improved over the years, but it still happens once in a while. It's just their different personalities.

[ktgrok]

google "submissive urination". Totally normal.

[StephanieZ]

http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&S=0&C=0&A=1112

 

a helpful article from a reliable source.

[myfatherslily]

Thanks!! That is very helpful!:)

[hornblower]

It certainly sounds like normal submissive urination.

 

For me it is not something to ignore as it is a signal that the dog needs some confidence boosting.

 

More controlled socialization, some training, clear guidelines on how to behave. There is a risk with submissive fearful dogs getting MORE frightened & resorting to a growl or a bark to tell people that they're scared. MANY people will interpret that as aggression whereas it's actually fear. This kind of mistake costs dogs their lives.

 

bottom line - spay & neuter, socialize, train.

[StephanieZ]

It certainly sounds like normal submissive urination.

 

For me it is not something to ignore as it is a signal that the dog needs some confidence boosting.

 

More controlled socialization, some training, clear guidelines on how to behave. There is a risk with submissive fearful dogs getting MORE frightened & resorting to a growl or a bark to tell people that they're scared. MANY people will interpret that as aggression whereas it's actually fear. This kind of mistake costs dogs their lives.

 

bottom line - spay & neuter, socialize, train.

 

True enough. Fear biting can be worse than aggression biting b/c it can be harder to predict. . . And, of course, either kind of biting can do the same damage!

 

Socialization is sooooo important with puppies!