At 6 months old, Coco was excitement peeing, so she occasionally wore a diaper. and we made sure she got plenty of diaper-free time so she could keep practicing good habits.
We’ve had both male and female puppies over the years, and in our experience, females do seem a little more prone to excitement or submissive urination.
The trickiest part was that when Coco was in a diaper, Lily thought of it as a toy and tried to play with it—and sometimes tore it right off Coco. It was our biggest challenge at that moment.
Here are some of the steps we took during this time of excitement peeing.
Potty before excitement
Calm arrivals
Low-energy play activities
Reward calm behavior
Stick to predictable potty times
Plan to use diapers short-term
Don’t rely on them all day
Check her skin to avoid rashes.
When to check with a vet
If it’s happening even when calm
If accidents get worse
If there are signs like frequent urination, straining, or discomfort.
It has been our experience in having puppies that most puppies improve between 6–9 months, and many stop entirely.
One important note: If excitement peeing doesn’t improve after maturity or continues well past a year, a vet may check for things like weak bladder sphincter tone (more common in females), which is very treatable.