Martha & Lily

Martha asks: We rescued Lily, a Yorkie, from our local humane society. She is about ten months old and the reason given for surrendering her was "lack of time". She was spayed by the humane society and we have since learned she was in season at the time of the spay. Our vet said she will be fine when her body recovers from the hormone changes. We have noticed that she is dribbling urine from time to time. She’s had some real accidents in the house, all in one spot, but the dribbling is happening as well. I did see that at the humane society before the spay. When I say dribble, it is tiny spots in a line, as she walks. She is adjusting well to us and the other two dogs. She does scratch at the door to go out and we take her out frequently. Why is she dribbling and what can we do to get it to stop?

There are a number of things that can cause urinary incontinence and they fall into two categories: behavioral and physical.

Behavioral -- Many dogs, especially young meek dogs, do what is called "submissive urination". Some will roll over, belly up, while peeing, while others just dribble as they walk or may do a squatty kind of walk. Although its called submissive, some dogs that do it are overly excited, not fearful.

If its submissive urination, it will happen most often when the dog is approaching a person or being approached. It may also happen if something scary is happening, such as yelling or other loud noises. If its over-excitement, it will happen when the dog is very excited. So your first action is to observe Lily for a few days and see if the times when it happens fits either of these patterns. You might want to take notes and see if you notice any other pattern.

In most cases, dogs grow out of this behavior, provided they gain confidence as they mature. Its very important that Lily never be corrected for this, since she isn't aware that she's doing it. Plus, correction undermines confidence and actually makes the problem worse. This is not a house training issue, so you have nothing to correct in any case. You will want to use all reward based training, specifically geared to increasing Lily's confidence. If you think she is generally fearful or uncertain, I recommend following the approach outlined in Leslie McDevitt's book "Control Unleashed" or Leslie’s new puppy book.

In the meantime, whenever you call Lily or when she approaches you, turn your side to her, so she isn't approaching you face-to-face. You can also squat down to her level so you aren't as intimidating. Naturally you'll want to try to make these approaches outside or on linoleum.

Also be careful when you talk to her or when others talk to her. Tiny cute dogs like Lily just naturally cause people to say "Ohhhhhh, isn't she cute." When we make the "Oh" sound, our mouth gets small and round which closely resembles an offensive pucker, a threatening canine expression. Some dogs are very sensitive to that expression and may think you are threatening them. Remember, dogs don't speak English. So try to use wide mouth smiles instead. If you think that expression is an issue for Lily, its possible to teach her with counter-conditioning that the expression is a good thing, predicting treats.

If your observations don’t identify a pattern that suggests submissive urination, then you will need to consider physical causes.

Physical – Two very common causes for dribbling are spay and geriatric incontinence. These result from lack of certain hormones. Geriatric incontinence can also be caused by weak muscle tone. Of course, neither would apply in this case.

The next most common cause is Sphincter Incompetence. SI is fairly common, occurring about three times as often in females as in males. It can also be a matter of degree. Some dogs have truly impressive bladder control and can hold their urine for really long times (although they shouldn't have to). Other dogs need the opportunity to relieve themselves more often than normal. In its simplest form, this is easily controlled by medication.

There are many other physical possibilities, including: diseases that cause frequent urination, birth defects, bladder infection (acute or chronic), partial blockages, stones, tumors, geriatric diseases, senility, and even brain injury.

Your veterinarian can evaluate Lily and determine if there is a medical explanation and what the best course of treatment is. Once you have observed Lily for a pattern to her dribbling, you will be better able to answer the vet’s questions. You may want to call ahead and ask if you should wait awhile for her body to recover from the spay and hormonal changes before scheduling an appointment.