One of our readers asked, “I yelled at my dog and he peed. I don’t understand because he was almost potty trained and he should have held it.”
Raising an animal is not easy, we do understand that.
Especially when he is just new in your house and you don’t have any experience with pets.
It is also normal to regret your decision of getting a puppy in the beginning.
Quick Navigation
- Reason
- What to do when your dog peed while you were yelling
- Do dogs forget you yelling at them?
- What to do instead of yelling at the dog?
- When to worry about your dog peeing because of emotions?
- Takeaway
Why did your dog pee when you yelled at him?
It is very normal for a dog to lose his bladder control when he gets strong emotions like extreme happiness (excitement) or extreme fear.
This phenomenon is called “submissive urination”.
Some experts say that this is called submissive urination because the dog is submitting himself to you and tell you that he is yours and you are the alpha.
We hope now you understand why this happened.
Even if he is fully potty trained, someone yelling at him especially their owner will make them frightened and he is most likely to pee right in the middle of the house.
According to pet md, “Submissive urination typically happens whenever a dog feels excited, shy, anxious, or scared. It also happens when a dog wants to acknowledge another’s dominance — like recognizing you as their owner.”
Signs that your dog is frightened because of you yelling at him.
If you are raising your voice and your dog
- Pees right there
- Tucking his tail between his legs
- Flattening the ears.
- Raising of hair on the back of his neck
- Avoiding eye contact
It means that your dog is frightened and you need to slow down.
What to do if your dog peed while you Are yelling
- First thing first, you need to look for your behavior.
We know that it is frustrating but it is also frustrating for him.
He is trying his best to be a good boy but things just happen and they don’t do anything out of spite.
Either way, yelling at the dog will never work. It can only mess up with the training.
- Say if you lost your patience, yelled at him and he peed. Now what
- We have an unpopular opinion with our dogs, continue yelling at him for a few more seconds.
If you will stop yelling right after he pees, he might get a signal that by peeing he can calm down the environment. - After a few seconds of yelling, give him a neutral look and leave the scene.
- Come back with the cleaning supplies in hand and clean up the mess perfectly with a good enzyme cleaner. (if a negligible smell of pee is left, your dog might love to pee there again, its nature)
- No need to apologize, he won’t understand.
- Talk to your pet politely.
- Work on building his confidence by playing and giving him treats for the good habits and correct the bad habits with good training, not by yelling.
- We have an unpopular opinion with our dogs, continue yelling at him for a few more seconds.
Learn for the future:
Now you know that this can happen, so be a wise person and don’t repeat this mistake again.
When your dog does something wrong, it doesn’t mean that he is mad, it means that there is something wrong with his training. Do a better job next time.
Do dogs forget you yelling at them?
Dog’s brain functioning is different from humans and they have a very bad memory of the stuff going around.
Isn’t this good news?
But there is a u-turn.
The events happening in a dog life! He may not remember but it may affect his personality.
Say, you yell at your dog every now and then, and then one day you decide that you will return to him and make him a friend, you won’t find the same, happy, friendly dog.
You will find him fearful, anxious and the one who gets frightened of simple things.
What to do instead of yelling at your dog?
To be very honest, all of us yell at dogs.
Some yell a lot and some yell occasionally but it does happen and it is completely natural to lose the temper because sometimes it becomes frustrating.
But yelling can also make the dog disobedient.
He will eventually stop following the commands properly. Not because he now hates you, but he will get confused more often.
So, instead of yelling at your dog, take a break, breathe deeply, and lower your voice.
If you can’t control your tone, just leave the place for some time. And return later on.
Always double-check your training techniques and what is going on around the dog.
When to worry about your dog peeing out of emotions?
If your dog peed when you yelled at him, it’s completely normal and natural (but should be avoided) but there are some instances when you should take it seriously.
- When you find your dog to be always fearful
- Tail tucked between legs
- Ears flattened
- Quite a behavior
- When the dog pees even with normal loud voices like someone talking in a loud voice or a baby crying.
- When you see physical changes in him.
- When the dog tries to hide when he sees new people and pees.
- If you are talking to him normally, he pees!
In such a situation it is best to visit the vet and let him know what is going on.
I hit my dog and he peed:
Yelling and hitting both are counted as abuse and the dog would react the same way. Hitting may cause an even worse reaction.
I hit my dog and he peed. Why did this happen? The dog must be scared and the nature is that “dogs pee when they get strong emotions”. This phenomenon is called submissive urination. Abusing the animal is not a solution to your problems. You need to slow down and be nice to your dog.
I yelled at my dog and now I feed bad! What do I do now?
You must be feeling bad after yelling at your animal friend. Now is a good time to spend some good quality time with him. Play with him and offer him his favorite treats. Take him for a walk.
Stop overthinking, dogs do not have a strong memory, they will forget it eventually.
Takeaway:
I yelled at my dog and he peed... Most dogs pee when they face strong emotions. When you yell at him or him, he will be frightened and this strong emotion will cause him to pee. This is called submissive urination, it is very common in puppies and dogs who are not yet confident about your love. You need to stop yelling at your animal and make him feel more loved and secure.