prostrating

[Guest Anonymous]

i have a german shepard that i purchased from a breeder in Germany. she is absolutely wonderful. and though i worship the ground she walks on, whenever i come home, she prostrates to me, rolls over and pees on herself. i realize that this is a primal response to me (the alpha female), but i wonder does anyone know how to stop this behavior. she has had to start sleeping outside, because i can't let her urinate in my house!!! help! :(

[Carolk9s]

Here's my stab at this issue, from what I have read, this means there is TOO much excitement associated with your comings and goings. If she only pees when you come home, then more so with that. If you are like me, I greet my dogs with pats, hugs, smiles etc when I come home. For your girl, this might be too much until she matures a bit and settles in more. When you come in, be very low key, even to the point of ignoring your dog for the first few minutes. Don't make eye contact, don't say 'yippe mamas home how is my baby I'm so glad to see you!' :D
Walk in, go right by the dog, put your stuff down, go into a room she cannot follow, be VERY calm the whole time. Do you have a fenced yard? Can you walk in, ignore her and just open the door for her to go outside? Also, how long is she left alone? If her bladder is full, this will make the problem a bit harder as in addition to her excitement of seeing you, she really has to go!
Once you've calmly entered and put your things down, if there is no fenced yard, perhaps having a slip over the head leash to enable you to quickly and smoothly take her out will help. I know when mine are jazzed up, it can be a bit tricky just snapping the leash to the collar as they have trouble sitting still! :D
Perhaps other ideas and solutions will come through, best of luck and do keep us informed!

[Guest Anonymous]

Thank you for the replies, but i don't make my homecoming that much of an event. As a matter of fact, when i come home is not the only time she displays this behavior. Sometimes when we are outside, she will run around the corner of the house and see me, and immediately run to me and start rolling on her back and urinating, even if i've been home all day. I don't have a fenced in yard, but i live in a very secluded area. I live on a 710 acre spread of land, and my yard is about 4 acres. I used to think she'd grow out of this, but she's going on 4 now, and shows no signs of stopping. :-? . It's really not a "BIG" issue, in that i would never dream of parting with her for this behavior.....i just wanted to know if anyone had any advice. Plus i'd really like to get her back in the house, i know she thinks she's being punished for something by staying outside
:( thank you everyone for your help!!

[ShadyLady]

Have you had her checked out by a vet to check there is no infections or anything? :o

[Carolk9s]

Hm, wondering then about your reaction when she rolls over to pee, thinking perhaps TOTALLY ignoring her behaviour might help? Such as, she runs to you, as soon as she starts to hit the ground, calmly turn on your heel and walk the other way. Do this over and over, perhaps she will start turning the gears in her mind over and think well than WHAT can I do to get her attention! Is she obedience trained? Will she sit on command? Making a quiet, pleasant request for her to sit in front of you and mild praise might help. Basically, choose a behaviour you WANT, teach it, ask for it, praise for it, IGNORE the submissive peeing, no fuss no muss. Just walk away like she is not even there. When she follows you, ask her to sit, if she sits, quiet praise. If she dives to the ground for more belly showing and peeing, walk away. Remove any perceived 'reward' for the behaviour you want to stop. Even if you were to say 'oh too bad you have peed again' in a mild voice that is STILL a response. Again, best of luck!