Hi...We have a 3 yr old Dobe female..(a little on the small side) She has always been a bit on the hyper side. She hasn't had much training but does listen to most commands. She doesn't get the run of the house but she has a very big area that is fenced off for excercise outside. At night she is gated inside the house in a hall way..The Problem is her hyperactivity... when I let her into the house..out of the gated hallway.. she will crouch down and almost always urinte..this will even occur after she has releived herself outside..I try to calm her down but in the process ..well she just urintates..I tryed to be calm about it when I let her into the house to play..but I don't let her get the run of the house because of this problem...any suggestions? - Jamie

From your description, this problem could be something akin to submissive tinkling. Your dog gets so happy and excited that 'oops!' she piddles. Whenever I deal with involuntary urination in adult dogs, I first have them checked out and cleared by a veterinarian. Barring a medical problem, I then look at environmental factors such as a new or different flea collar or certain carpet cleaners and fresheners (clean affected areas with products designed to kill odor causing bacteria, not simply mask over them). Eliminating those factors, I then look at ways to monitor and restrict the dog's water and liquid intake. I also look for any and all ways to exercise the dog mentally and physically. From your statements, she has a large fenced in area but is still "hyper". I would suggest obedience oriented games and repetitive games to tire her out both physically and mentally prior to allowing access to the rooms of the home. At first, try to walk her through the home ON LEASH for a few moments at a time and increase the time gradually. Have patience with this one. Good luck.

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