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How to stop my 5-month-old Golden Retriever from peeing when leashed?

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Golden Retriever | Female | unspayed | 5 months old | 45 lbs

Our 5 month old golden retriever squats and pees when we start to leash her. Doesn't matter where we are. Any ideas?

1 Answer

Most Helpful Answer

Dr. B. DVM, DACVIM (Oncology)

Answered By Dr. B. DVM, DACVIM (Oncology)

Veterinarian

Published on July 21st, 2018

Your little girl sounds a bit nervous. Some dogs that are a little more submissive in nature can be nervous urinators. Meaning that when someone approaches them or they get excited they may urinate. This often gets better as they get older and gain more confidence, but can take some work. Can you try to change how you approach her with the leash? You could try to get down on her level with the leash behind your back and ask her to come to you instead of you going to her. You can also try distracting her with a treat while you put on the leash. If it seems to be related to approaching her head you can try having her wear a harness that way you dont have to approach her head. These are all some general ideas but you really just have to find out what her trigger is and change your routine to what works best for her. Hopefully with confidence it will improve with time. The flip side would be if she is urinating in the house at other points in time, then this would be more concerning for a physical problem such as a UTI that would prompt evaluation by your family vet. I hope this helps and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!
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