I yelled at my dog, and he peed

We love our dogs, and we don’t want to shout at them. 

Still, sometimes your dog just does something so outrageous that you end up yelling… but then, on top of everything else, he suddenly starts peeing!

You can see he’s not doing it out of spite—he’s clearly not happy! So why does he do it?

I yelled at my dog, and he peed, why is that?

As much as you love your dog, there are going to be times when you feel pretty frustrated with him. Maybe he’s not listening to your commands and he’s acting out. Or maybe he tore up your favorite pair of shoes.

Whatever the reason, it’s normal to have bad days with your dog! It’s also normal to want to let him know that you’re feeling pretty unhappy with his behavior.

But if you’ve yelled at your dog and he then peed, that can seem pretty confusing. Why would your dog have reacted like that?

There are a few reasons why your dog might’ve peed if you yelled at him. Before we get into that, make sure you check out these articles about other confusing but common dog behaviors:

• Why Does My Dog Guard Me?
• 9 Signs Your Dog Is Stressed
• Dog Humps When Tired or Over Excited—What Can I Do?

Your dog is scared of you

One big reason why dogs pee, other than to relieve themselves, is because they’re scared.

And it was pretty scary for your dog when you’ve yelled at him—enough so he peed!

Dogs don’t necessarily know that something they did is wrong. It’s up to you to show them what behavior is and isn’t appropriate—the right way!

If you yell at your dog, he might not understand why you’re yelling at him. All he knows is that someone is shouting, and that can be pretty scary. Your dog might pee because he feels afraid of you.

If your dog is scared of you, then you’ll want to learn how to get a scared dog to trust you.

He’s trying to show you that he’s no threat

Think about it like this: When dogs are upset or fighting, they tend to bark at each other. Your dog can’t necessarily tell the difference between you yelling because he did something wrong—and barking to show dominance.

That could really freak your dog out! He might try to defuse the situation by finding a way to show you that he’s not a threat. 

If you’ve yelled at him and he peed, he’s making himself vulnerable. It’s your dog’s way of saying, “I’m not a threat to you,” so that you’ll stop yelling at him.

Some dogs tend to submissive urination

One common but undesirable behavior in dogs is submissive peeing. Submissive peeing means that your dog is trying to show you that he’s not a threat to you, or that he’s feeling overwhelmed.

Some dogs tend to be more prone to submissive peeing than others.

You’ll most likely see submissive peeing in puppies, but it can happen in older dogs too. If you have a rescue dog, you may find that he can be pretty prone to submissive peeing.

Another similar reason why your dog might be peeing inappropriately is separation anxiety. If your dog thinks you’re leaving him, then he might pee because he’s so anxious about you leaving.

For some more information and help with this issue, check out these related articles:

• Do Puppies Grow Out of Separation Anxiety?
• 9 Signs and Symptoms for Separation Anxiety in Dogs
• How to Crate Train a Dog with Separation Anxiety

To sum up: When you yell at your dog, and he pees, it’s usually because you’re scaring him. To him, you’re asserting your dominance, not telling him that he did something wrong. With submissive peeing, he is trying to show you that he is no threat to you. 

How to stop submissive urination in dogs

Submissive urination isn’t fun for you or your dog. Your dog is so anxious about what’s happening that he feels he needs to pee. And you’re left cleaning up a big mess!

If you’re looking to stop your dog’s submissive peeing, make sure you check out these 13 tips on how to stop excited or submissive dog peeing.

Here are a few additional tips that will help you too.

Stop scaring your dog: no yelling and definitely no hitting

Dogs pee submissively because they are scared. So the first thing to do is get to the cause of the behavior: You need to stop scaring your dog.

That also means that you need to stop yelling at your dog. You should also never, ever hit your dog. 

Abusing a dog like that won’t teach him anything, and it won’t stop submissive peeing. Quite the opposite: It will only make the behavior worse. It could also lead to reactivity or aggression.

Once you stop yelling at your dog, it can take a little while for his confidence to build back up. He’s so used to being yelled at, it might take some time for him to realize that it isn’t going to happen anymore!

Be patient with your dog during this time, and make sure to have fun activities together that you both love. This will help him with his confidence.

Observe in which situations your dog starts submissive peeing

Some dogs will pee submissively because they’re being yelled at. But other dogs will pee for other reasons.

It’s a good idea to keep track when your dog is peeing submissively. If your dog is peeing only when you yell, you know that that’s the problem.

But if your dog is peeing when visitors come over, then you’ll know that you need to work more on greetings and having people in your home.

Keep track of your dog’s submissive peeing to determine what exactly is triggering it. This will help you know what to target when you’re working with your dog.

Work with positive reinforcement instead

Dogs learn best when they are being trained with positive reinforcement dog training. 

There are a few different elements to this type of training, but the gist of it is simple. You train by rewarding your dog for things you like and by ignoring things you don’t.

This is a gentle, force-free, and humane way of training a dog. Positive reinforcement is also a really great way to build up the bond between yourself and your dog. Your dog will trust you more, and he’ll be happier in general when you train with this method.

Related topic: For dog training in general I highly recommend you get a program that walks you through step by step, such as Braintrainingfordogs. Certified dog trainer Adrienne Farricelli teaches you to train your dog to be the best dog he can by be using mental stimulation! Check out Dogpackr’s review to see if this is a fit for you!

Related questions

I yelled at my dog, and he started shaking

If your dog starts shaking because you’re yelling at him, then it’s probably because he’s scared.

Nobody likes being yelled at, including your dog. And to make things worse and even more confusing, he might not understand why you’re yelling at him.

This is why you should never yell at your dog, or act aggressively towards him. If your dog is doing something you don’t like, that’s a sign that something in your training needs to change! It never means that your dog needs yelling at.

Always use positive reinforcement training, and remember to be patient with your dog.

Do dogs remember if you yell at them?

If you yelled at your dog and he seems uneasy around you, you might be wondering if he remembers being yelled at.

The answer to that question is yes. If you yell at your dog, he’s going to remember that. And because of that, he might be a little more nervous around you than he used to be!

This is just one of many reasons why you shouldn’t yell at your dog. Your dog is definitely going to remember when you yelled at him, and that could continue making him anxious for a long time.

Do dogs pee when jealous?

Some dogs can appear to get a little jealous, even though they don’t feel jealousy the same way we do.

There are lots of ways that a dog might demonstrate behaviors that are similar to jealousy. Your dog might start acting clingy or pushier than usual.

Another thing that your dog might do is urinate. It’s possible that your dog is trying to get your attention. If he feels like he’s being neglected, then he could start acting out to get you to spend more time with him. If he knows that peeing will get your focus, then he might resort to that.

Do dogs ever pee out of spite?

Are you wondering if your dog might be peeing out of spite? While it might seem like that sometimes, it’s pretty unlikely.

Most of the time, a dog that’s peeing inappropriately has something else going on. Your dog might be peeing submissively because he’s anxious. It could also be that your dog wasn’t house-trained properly, and you need to go back to your basics.

If you can’t find a reason for your dog’s inappropriate peeing, then it might be time to see your vet. There could be an underlying medical issue that’s making your dog lose control of his bladder.

Conclusion

It’s completely normal to feel frustrated with your dog sometimes. It’s not always going to be sunshine and rainbows! Sometimes you’re going to have a bad day.

But it’s really important to understand that the way you respond to your bad day and to your dog will affect your relationship. If you’ve yelled at your dog and he peed, that’s a sign that you need to work on something.

Remember to never yell at your dog, and especially to never hit your dog. If you find yourself getting frustrated, it’s time to take a step back and return when you have a clearer head. Then you can identify what the real problem is and help your dog instead of scaring him.