Pets can be incontinent for many different reasons. Those reasons can involve the bladder, the urethra which is the tube from the bladder to the outside, or incontinence can be caused by abnormalities in the parts of the brain and spinal cord that control bladder function. This pet health topic only discusses incontinence, not frequent urination. Incontinence can also be confused with submissive urination. Submissive urination occurs when a dog is acting submissive to a person or to another dog.
Submissive urination occurs more frequently in young animals.
The dog usually rolls on its back and urinates. These dogs can also urinate normally. Ectopic ureter is the most common birth defect that causes incontinence Young animals may have a birth defect causing incontinence. The ureters carry urine from the kidneys to the bladder. If one or both ureters by-pass the bladder and connect to an abnormal location such as the urethra or vagina, the puppy may drip urine.