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Excited pee? Submissive pee?

My boy squirts whenever I go near him, I am a single mother of 4 kids aged 3, 9, 11 and 13... I am a new Mastiff owner and I think that he is just being submissive towards me..knowing I am the Alpha in our family.. He will grow out of this yes?
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glen

Super Moderator
Staff member
Yes he should grow out of it, our 2nd cc Gandalf used to do it when people came in he would roll on his back and squirt occasionally hitting a target lol.you've not had him long, excitement and new surroundings but once he's used to everything he should settle down and stop.
 

season

Well-Known Member
Also, keep working (assuming u already are) on obedience, rules, boundaries etc....doing those things consistently builds confidence and gives a dog peace. They don't have to figure out expectations on their own. Strong leadership and structure is a magical too. Also, make sure you are staying calm and cool. Your dog will feed off of your energy. When owners give off that excited, high strung vibe your dog follows right along with that.
 

Hiraeth

Well-Known Member
There's no such thing as "alpha" and "beta" in dog/human relationships. Or even in natural dog/dog relationships. The concept of the alpha, the pack leader, etc, is based on a faulty study done in the 70s of a group of wolves placed in captivity. Since the study, both the original scientists and new researchers have realized that wild wolf packs are familial units, not random members from different families. The head male/female are the mating male/female, not the alphas who have taken that position by force.

While not necessarily related, many people who subscribe to the idea of alpha/pack leader type relationships also use dominance-based training methods to work with their dogs. Dominance-based training is based on aversive methodology (punishment for behavior) to produce results.

Your dog doesn't see you as "alpha" (the primary mating female). Your dog should see you as a source of leadership, guidance and positivity.

What type of training do you do with him? How do you 'correct' him for doing things you don't want him to do?

Not saying it was you, but at some point, someone has scared him. Submissive peeing is due to fear of repercussion and punishment. You should work on confidence building with him, you should work on punishing him for misbehavior, and instead try to redirect him to do what you want him to do instead and praise and treat when he does what you ask. Building his confidence in you and in the fact that you aren't going to enter a room and start beating him will probably go a long way towards reducing the fearful peeing problem.
 

7121548

Well-Known Member
For the excitement peeing, you'll just have to learn to read his body language and keep him under threshold. It might be difficult with 4 kids in the house, but try to keep a calm environment inside your home. Play with him outside so he doesn't get too aroused inside. Is he potty trained yet?
 

Hiraeth

Well-Known Member
Just reread my post. Should say "You should work on NOT punishing him for misbehavior". Kind of a big difference :p