Submissive peeing is all about your body language and tone of voice.

Things that are threatening: approaching face to face (dogs meet each other from an angle); bending over the top of them; looking directly at them; quick movements; reaching for them; even happy, high pitched voice can be a threat....try not talking at all - use some luring techniques....a treat....standing sideways as if to say Walk with Me to the potty area and then start walking.

 

This just started recently? Did anything averse happen to him recently or has it been going on for a while? What does he get when he is in the crate? How much water does he have during the day when you are out?
Don't take this as an accusation but did you have to punish him for something recently that may have triggered a fear of you being in the room? Or did something happen at the same time you entered the room? Sometimes dogs make weird associations...like you walked in something happened loud crash or whatever nearby at the same time and bang you are considered part of the loud crash...
Check out the website www.fearfuldogs.com for lots of great info on desensitization etc.



Yes. Exactly.

 

Submissive urination is usually caused by fear or excitement.

By how you're describing, it seems like he's really scared. The more you yell/wash him in cold water/make threatening gestures, the worse he's likely to be.

You have to build his confidence through training, praising and treats. Never use a harsh tone with him and never hit him or yell at him if your dog is shy.

You have to get him to associate you with good things like food, treats, petting, toys not fear.

 

Okay.
You've recognized you may have triggered this behaviour. It is important for you to know that submissive urination isn't like a total terror release of bladder (though it CAN be) but is actually a SIGNAL a submissive dog gives to appease a threatening dog/person etc. This is why it's so sad, he's peeing to try and get you to calm down, which is doglanguage, and you are getting more upset, which makes him pee even more...make sense?
I hope this makes it easier for you to be more understanding about it...though I totally see you don't WANT this sort of relationship with your dog. Now you have to recover your relationship through trust building exercises and calm behaviour. This is a call for YOU to learn to stop, take deep breaths and RELAX when dealing with your dog. I know this one well, I walk dogs for aliving and there are days when they are a lot of work and alot of stress. I will stop dead, stare at the sky and tell myself to breathe because I can't even LOOK at them I'm so mad or frustrated. I relax, and they relax. My dogs have now become sort of a biofeedback device...

You now have the chance to change everything. Take your time, be patient and make sure you are the best thing that ever happened for your dog. Lots of calm, quiet training and support, watch your body language carefully. There is a thread here by Dogshrink with a description of calming signals..this may come in handy for you, so do a search. No extended eye contact, turn your body to the side when handling, working with him etc. Use REALLY good rewards and be as silent as you can...body language is very very telling for dogs and this is their main form of reading us...the verbal stuff comes later.

Good luck!

 

I think it sounds like it's both from being excited and scared. I would definitely do the quiet friendly method full of treats. No high pitched voice and I wouldn't even look him in the eye. I would just ignore him if he seems agitated when you get home and then once he's calm quietly with no eye contact or high pitched voice, as one poster said, which your body turned to the side let him follow you outside or wher he's supposed to potty. Eventually it'll get better, it's all about starting at the bottom and working your way up.

 

Yeah I would think peeing and eating smelly yummy treats would be incompatible behaviors, he's got to do one or the other.

Maybe come in, don't speak, don't make eye contact, drop some yummy treats in the crate for him, and work from there.

 

No one else has mentioned this point, but you said there are times when you leave him in the crate for 6-8 hours. And then he twists and pees... In these particular instances, I don't think it's so much a case of submissive urination as it is a case of "OMG, I've got to GO!" If you are already having a problem with submissive urination, and then you come in all excited and get HIM excited, and he hasn't been out in 8 hours, I really can't see this being the dogs fault, at all. Even if he wasn't fearful, your initial presence means he's about to be released so that he can go pee, right? It's a signal to him... and if you rev him up by being all excited, and he really needs to go, he's probably not going to be able to hold it.

The responses from the others about fearful urination and submissive gestures seem to be great, but I was just caught by the length of time he spends in his crate.

 

I had this problem with a dog I rescued. She had been in a puppy mill and also, it appeared, abused in some mannger. It was tough going, but she finally stopped peeing when she became comfortable with me and realized I would not hurt her. She did continue for quite some time to leak a little when excited.
Good luck...my dog was worth the carpet cleaning and time investment. She was fabulous once we got her through her fears.