# My puppy pretends to pee!!



## nikelodeon79 (Feb 3, 2009)

My 11 week old pup has learned that if she pees outside, she gets a treat. Lately, I've been noticing that she'll pee, get a treat, and then a very short while later she'll squat down for a couple of seconds and then come trotting up to me for her treat, but there is nothing on the ground (snow covered, so very easy to see urine). I thought I was just going crazy/seeing things, but then my brother told me the same thing: "Luna pretends to pee so she gets extra treats!" So, I think she's learned how to "pretend pee" so she gets another treat!

Sometimes when she does it, I cannot be 100% sure she didn't actually go a second time (there are grass/gravel patches where I walk her), so I go ahead and give her a treat anyway. 

Any thoughts/ideas/similar experiences? Should I just be giving her a treat each time just in case she did go?


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## cshellenberger (Dec 2, 2006)

LOL, you've trained her to squat! IGNORE the squat and DON'T reward until her bottom comes OFF THE GROUND and she's done her business.


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## nikelodeon79 (Feb 3, 2009)

cshellenberger said:


> LOL, you've trained her to squat!


LOL, I must be a great and mighty dog trainer.  Nah... I think my dog's just too smart!!

I will be extra diligent to make sure there's actually something coming out before Luna gets her "good girl" and reward!


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## Mach1girl (Apr 17, 2006)

Lol, Dixie learned the same thing. Just watch closely and only reward her if she actually does something!


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## Laurelin (Nov 2, 2006)

Haha, Summer does the fake pee too. She learned if I see her squat then she comes inside and gets a cookie. If she doesn't have to go but wants her cookie, she'll go outside and squat for two seconds then run to the door. No one believed me until she did it to them too. I say she's too smart for her own good. When the others don't need to go, they just don't go.


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## melgrj7 (Sep 21, 2007)

I would put that on cue as a fun trick, lol. Its simple though, only reward when she does actually pee, not when she fake pees


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## nikelodeon79 (Feb 3, 2009)

LOL, you should see me peering underneath her, trying to see if she's actually peeing! Darn rain took away all the snow... so now I can't tell unless I actually see the stream! 

It seems now that she's sort of "holding it" and going multiple times. It might be marking behavior... but it just seems more treat motivated. She is doing the same thing with her poo! She leaves a couple of turds, comes for a treat, sniffs around for awhile, leaves a couple more, comes for a treat, etc. Yesterday, she had to go out SO many times (multiple times per hour) and she peed and/or pooped each time.

I just had her to the vet for some other issues (I have a thread in the Health section) and she's on antibiotics (in case she has an infection from chewing on a mushroom). I'm now concerned that she might have a UTI or something. She has another appointment at the vet's on Tuesday, but I'm wondering if I should bring her in sooner?


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## ioreks_mom (Oct 1, 2008)

my sister's dog knows that she gets a "cookie" every time she comes in from doing her business so she takes advantage of that fact with me and my mom. she knows that her mommy won't give into her asking to go out just to get a cookie but my mom and i just can't say no to her chocolate sad eyes!  i don't get to see any of them much now since we live in different provinces  the dog, kaiser, also gets cookies when anyone comes home so she has perfected the sad eyes to make everyone that comes in the kitchen that she didn't get the come home cookies. my sister calls her cookie monster. she is a funny dog! she gets LOTS of cookies!


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## hulkamaniac (Feb 11, 2009)

I'm still working on getting my dog to pee when I'm around. I put him outside in the morning and he sits there on the step staring at me. He won't pee, he won't eat, he won't do anything until I go inside. Then I swear he hears me pull the curtain aside to peek out and look at him as he's staring at me when I look out the window. If he would go out and pee I'd let him back in immediately. Instead I have to leave him out for 30-45 mins just to make sure he goes.


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## Spicy1_VV (Jun 1, 2007)

I never give treats for peeing outside, nor would I. But some learned to fake pee. If they pee they get to come back inside. Some didn't want to pee, but I watch them and can't come in until they go. So they learned if they squat and fake it, that can work sometimes.


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## nikelodeon79 (Feb 3, 2009)

Spicy1_VV said:


> I never give treats for peeing outside, nor would I. But some learned to fake pee. If they pee they get to come back inside. Some didn't want to pee, but I watch them and can't come in until they go. So they learned if they squat and fake it, that can work sometimes.


I'm confused.

My puppy likes it outside, so getting to come inside wouldn't really be a reward for her. Besides... the treats after pottying outside is working. She now wants to pee outside, and I guess I'd rather have her fake peeing outside, than real peeing inside!


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## john.morrison (Feb 13, 2009)

haha that's very cute and smart actually.







I faced the same issue when I was training my puppy to pee outside in the garden. She would act like she needs to pee, and when I took her out, she would just stand behind a bush with one of her leg up, but next thing you know nothing's coming out .


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## DJsMom (Jun 6, 2008)

I've never given treats for pottying outdoors either, a vet once told me that multiple peeing that some dogs pick up on to get more treats could lead to UTIs or other problems.
When I was potty training, the reward was time outdoors off leash in the fenced in yard to play, but when it was real cold, their reward was coming back indoors where it was arm.
Don't think I've ever seen my dogs fake pee, unless they were faking really good!


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## Dog Tracks (Jan 13, 2009)

There comes a time to reduce the frequency of the treat. In a couple more weeks try a week of rewarding the behavior every other time she pees. The next week, every third or fourth time. In my experience it actually increases the effectiveness of the treat...the uncertainty kind of adds an element of excitement "Woooo, am I getting a treat this time?"

BTW, the times that she doesn't get a treat: make sure you replace the treat with praise, chin rub, etc. so she knows she didn't do anything wrong. In other words, it's still a good thing...just that not all good things result in food.


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## SxyVixen (Feb 3, 2009)

hulkamaniac said:


> I'm still working on getting my dog to pee when I'm around. I put him outside in the morning and he sits there on the step staring at me. He won't pee, he won't eat, he won't do anything until I go inside. Then I swear he hears me pull the curtain aside to peek out and look at him as he's staring at me when I look out the window. If he would go out and pee I'd let him back in immediately. Instead I have to leave him out for 30-45 mins just to make sure he goes.


How did you housebreak your dog? Kai learned by me taking him to the dog run on a leash every hour or two (he was a puppy when I brought him home). He had to pee/poop around me. We wouldn't go in until he did, especially after eating/drinking, and coming out of the crate. 

There are times now where he'd prefer me to be with him when he does his business, but he's also learned the command "Go Potty!" and will trot off on his own to the dog run in the mornings and do what he needs before coming in for breakfast. Max time outside to eliminate? Maybe 5-10 mins at the very longest. 

I'm just curious as to why your dog is performance shy.


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## Figgy (Jan 14, 2021)

I caught my pup pretending to pee cause it was wet outside lol I use praise as a reward and just told him “go pee” again and ignored him until he really went before he was rewarded. Sucks but sometimes you gotta stand in chilly drizzle for a couple minutes to train them right lol my advice is keep a close eye on them and don’t reward the fakes.


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## RonE (Feb 3, 2007)

12-year-old thread.


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