Why does my Labrador pee when excited?

If your Labrador has been peeing, when it gets excited, you might be wondering why and what you can do about it. This post will show you common causes and what your options are.

So, why does my Labrador pee when it gets excited? If it is below 12 months old it would be likely that it can’t fully control its bladder yet especially when it is excited. If it’s an adult it could be due to submissive peeing, a medical condition, having to wait to go outside for too long or you might have inadvertently rewarded the behavior.

There are many possible causes of your Labrador doing it and it could be due to a combination of reasons. However, there are some things you can consider when figuring out the main reason and there are a number of things you can do about it.

Why your Labrador pees when excited

Below are some common reasons why Labradors do it and what would make them more likely to be the reason why yours has been doing it.

It is still young

If your Labrador is still a puppy, the reason why it does it would be likely to be that it cannot yet fully control its bladder. It is not uncommon for dogs younger than one-year-old to pee a small amount when they get excited for this reason.

In this case, it should begin to do it less as it gets older. If it does not it would be important to take it to a vet.

It has a medical condition

The cause might be that it has a medical condition which would be more likely if it is an adult, it has been doing it suddenly and if it has been peeing more frequently overall. If it does seem like it could be a medical issue or you have not taken your Labrador for a checkup for a while then it would be the best option to take it to the vet.

It hasn’t been able to go outside to pee

If your Labrador tends to pee more when it gets excited when it has not been able to go out to pee for a long time it would be likely that it is because it can’t hold it in any longer.

It would help to make sure that your Labrador can go out to pee whenever it needs to. It would also help to let it go out to pee just before leaving for work so that it has to wait to pee for the least amount of time possible while you are away.

It hasn’t learned that it is not ok to pee inside

If you have not given your Labrador much training it could be the case that it thinks that it is ok to pee inside. In order to prevent this, it will be important to train it to go outside when it needs to pee by following the tips below.

You have inadvertently reinforced the behavior

The reason might also be that it has learned that it gets rewards when it does it. If you tend to give it things such as extra attention, toys or treats, when it pees, it might do it more in order to get more rewards.

Instead, it would help to give it neutral attention, to take it outside as soon as it starts to pee and to reward it when it pees outside.

It’s being submissive

It could be the case that your Labrador does it because it is doing it submissively and it is showing that it is not a threat (source).

When trying to figure out whether or not it is submissive peeing it would help to consider the type of body language that shows. If it hunches over, hides its tail between its legs or flips over onto its back then it would be a sign that it is peeing submissively.

Things to consider

Below are some things you can consider when figuring out why your Labrador has been doing it.

When it first started doing it

If your Labrador has not always being peeing when excited, it would help to consider what else happened when it first started doing it.

If it did start doing it suddenly it would make it more likely to be due to a medical condition but it could also be due to things such as a sudden change in its diet or not letting it out to pee as often. In this case, it would be important to take it to a vet for a checkup.

Whereas, if it always did it but it is still young it would be more likely that it has not yet learned to control itself. If it is older and it has always done it then it could be due to a medical condition or not having learned not to but it would help to take it to a vet.

When it does it more

It would also help to consider if there is a certain time that it tends to do it more since the timing might also have something to do with it.

If it does it in situations such as when you come home it could be the case that it can’t hold it in for any longer especially if you are away for a long time. Whereas, if it seems to do it more when you approach it quickly then it would be more likely that it does it submissively.

What to do about your Labrador peeing when excited

Below are some options you have when getting your Labrador to stop peeing when excited.

Take it to a vet

If you’re unsure of why your Labrador has been doing it, it has been showing signs of illness, it has been doing it excessively or it has started doing it suddenly, it would be best to take it to a vet. By doing so you will be able to get expert advice tailored to your particular Labrador and to rule out the possibility of it being due to a medical condition.

Train it to pee outside

If you have not trained your Labrador to pee outside yet it would help to start doing so. One way to do it would be to take it outside and to wait for it to pee and then to reward it.

Let it out to pee regularly

It is also important to make sure your Labrador is able to go outside to pee whenever it needs to. If it is not let out to pee often then it will be much more likely to pee inside it will also be unpleasant for your Labrador.

Avoid negative reinforcement

As mentioned above, it could be the case that you have been encouraging the behavior by giving it rewards when it does it. Instead, it would help to reward it when it does not do it and to train it to go outside.

Avoid intimidating it

It would also help to avoid approaching your Labrador in an intimidating way especially if it seems to be peeing submissively. Instead, it would help to be calm around it and to give it positive reinforcement training so that it learns how to behave in a more pleasant way.