Why does my Labrador pee when I pet it?

If your Labrador pees when you pet it you might want to know why and what you can do about it. This post will show common reasons why it happens and what you can do about them.

So, why does my Labrador pee when I pet it? If it is young it is likely to be because it cannot control itself especially when it gets excited and it will likely stop as it gets older. If it is an adult, it would be more likely to be due to things such as being ill, fear or not being let out to pee often enough.

Your Labrador could be doing it for many different reasons. However, there are some things you can consider when trying to figure out the exact reason. There are also a number of things you can do about it.

Why your Labrador pees when you pet it

Below are common reasons why your Labrador might be doing it and what would make them more likely to be the main reason.

It’s still young

The reason why it does it could be that it is young and it cannot fully control its bladder yet. If your Labrador is below the age of 12 months it would be likely that it will stop doing it as it gets older. However, it would help to train it to pee outside while it is young and to take it outside whenever it wants to pee so that it learns to pee outside.

It has an illness

If your Labrador has started peeing when you pet it suddenly, it might be due to having an illness. This would be especially likely if it has been behaving abnormally and if it has been peeing around the house. If it does seem like it might be ill then the best option would be to take it to a vet.

It hasn’t learned not to

If you have never trained your Labrador to pee outside and it also pees inside when you don’t pet it as well, it would be more likely that you need to train it to learn to go outside when it needs to pee. In this case, it would be important to start training it to pee outside.

Submission

The reason could be that your Labrador is doing what’s known as submissive peeing which is where dogs pee due to being submissive. This would be more likely if your Labrador also shows signs of being submissive.

In this case, it would help to avoid punishing it when it does pee inside, reward it when it pees in the right place, to pat it under the chin instead of on the head and to let it come to you instead.

You have inadvertently rewarded the behavior

A part of the cause might also be that you have encouraged the behavior by giving it things it wants when it does it. If you tend to give it things that it wants when it does it then it will likely do it more in order to get more rewards.

Instead, it would help to follow the tips mentioned below and to avoid rewarding it when it does pee when you pet it.

It isn’t allowed out to pee often enough

If your Labrador doesn’t always pee when you pet it but it does when it has not been able to go outside in a while, it would make it more likely that it needs to be let outside to pee more often.

Things to consider

Below are some things to consider when trying to figure out why your Labrador has been peeing when you pet it.

Consider when it does it

It would help to consider the timing of when it does it since the timing could have something to do with it.

If it tends to do it more when it has not been able to go outside for a while it would be more likely to be because it can’t hold it in any longer. Whereas, if it tends to do it when you approach it in a bold manner it would be more likely to be that it is doing it submissively.

Consider how old it is

It would also help to consider the age of your Labrador.

If it is a puppy still it would make it a lot more likely that it is doing it because it can’t control its bladder yet but it will begin to do it less as it gets older. But, it would help to confirm that there is nothing wrong when you next take it for a checkup with the vet.

Whereas, if it is an adult it would make it more likely to be due to a disease especially if it has started doing it suddenly. But it could also be due to some of the other things mentioned above.

Consider when it started doing it

If your Labrador did not always pee when being pet, it would also help to consider what else happened when it first started doing it.

If it started doing it suddenly it would be more likely to be due to things such as not being able to go outside as much, becoming ill, you might have rewarded it for doing it once or something might have caused it to start feeling fearful. It would help to consider what else changed when it first started doing it. If it did start doing it suddenly, the best option would likely be to take it for a checkup with the vet.

How to get your Labrador to stop peeing when you pet it

Below are some things you can do about it. The best option will depend on the most likely cause.

Take it to a vet

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

Let it out to pee often

If your Labrador is currently having to wait a long time before it is able to go outside to pee, it would help to start trying to let it out to pee more often. 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.

Train it to learn that it is meant to go outside

It would also help to train your Labrador to learn to go outside whenever it needs to pee. One way to do this would be to wait outside with it until it pees and then to reward it for doing so. You can look here to see more on how to train your Labrador to pee outside.

Avoid encouraging the behavior

As mentioned above it could be the case that you have been reinforcing the behavior by rewarding it. Instead, it would help to reward it when it does not pee when you pet it and to train it to wait to go outside as mentioned above.