I have a 14 week Labrador Retriever puppy. The other evening I was playing with my dog. I never allow him on furniture however, I sometimes allow him on the bed to play. I keep his kennel in the bedroom as well. In the past he has wanted to get off the bed and go to his kennel and I usually wait until he is ready to settle down and then put him away on my terms. This particular evening he was persistent. As I understand, I should be the one in control always, and things get done my way (not his). So as usual I denied his wishes to get off the bed into the kennel. I'm thinking at this point I should have diverted his desires to something else like a little marker training or another activity that I determine. He urinated on the bed right in front of me. I scolded him in the act and took him outside. I was upset, I moved his crate to another room for the night and put him inside and I've decided no more on the bed for him.
I should also point out that he is not yet potty trained and still has accidents on rare occasions. He never is unsupervised in my house. When something like this happens I take him outside Immediately but he never finishes so, I don't get to praise him. He spends lots of time in the yard and every time I see him eliminate outside I give him plenty of praise.


Tonight we were sitting on the floor in front of the TV and he loves to sit on my lap while chewing on a rawhide as I hold it in my hand. He doesn’t do much to the rawhide in fact it takes him about a week or two just to finish one small one. Well, after about 30 minutes I decided that was enough for him and placed it on the coffee table. He wanted more and went to get it about 3 times. I pulled him away with his leash (he always has one on) and told him "No". I wanted him to know that it was my rawhide not his. He urinated right there in front of me.
This is only the second time this has happened but I don't want it to happen again.
BTW, I‘m thinking I may be saying "no" a little too loud when he has an accident and I catch him like this. One source said I should try to startle him when I catch him so that he'll stop at that moment.

I’m convinced that these two actions were his way of complaining about not getting his way. I’m concerned that this could lead to a serious problem so I want to make sure that my next step is correct. My only thought at this time is to divert his requests to another mutually acceptable activity. What do you think I should do?

I don't think your pup is 'pissed off' at you so he's peeing. It sounds like he may be reacting to your assertive/angry body language and or voice tone and may be submissivly urinating. Does he look nervous before or as he's urinating? Are you over reacting to his behavior? Does he give you very submissive body language as you approach him?

The other thing is you may just be missing the clues he's giving you that he needs to go outside to do his duty, after all he is just a baby and still needs to be reminded where to go often with positive rewards for getting it right.

Actually I was sitting, and when I say "no" I say it in a firm but conversational tone unless he is in the act of peeing, and I'm re-thinking that as well. I'm certain its not submissive urination. Its never happened with him. In fact the first time when he peed on the bed I was singing to him. Maybe I could use some singing lessons.
No nervousness and no submissive language no ears back.
I honestly hope that I've only misread his clues. The first night I thought I may have, but, the second time when he was trying to get at the item I was pretty convinced that he was only interested in chewing on it more.

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This particular evening he was persistent. As I understand, I should be the one in control always, and things get done my way (not his). So as usual I denied his wishes to get off the bed into the kennel.

In the above instance, I think he may have been trying to get to the floor to pee (since he's not fully potty trained yet), at least he was trying to give a signal that he needed to pee (on his way to being potty trained!), not necessarily get to his crate.

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...after about 30 minutes I decided that was enough for him and placed it on the coffee table. He wanted more and went to get it about 3 times.

In this case, he was probably holding his pee for a time while he was on your lap with the rawhide. When he wasn't able to get the rawhide, he "remembered" he needed to pee and just let his pee go.

I don't believe he was complaining about not getting his way either time. This would involve complex thinking about "revenge", too complex for a puppy. This type of thinking (revenge) is more human in nature than dog-like. His is instinct. When ya gotta go, ya gotta go (especially a puppy). You just missed the signals.

It sounds like you have a great relationship with him, and he enjoys being with you. Sometimes what looks like a puppy's insistance for something in particular is really restlessness for a potty break, he just doesn't even know it yet, being caught up with playing.

I hope you're right. I may be biased but he is extremely intelligent; He "stays" great he can already do basic tricks like shake and crawl and at only 14 weeks he has already escaped from his kennel!! (and eliminated inside but I didn't catch him).
I'll keep on watching him like a hawk and repeat the situation after he's been taken out and see if he tries it again. I still believe that the "My toys" philosophy will work, Even if he doesn't like it.

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I hope you're right. I may be biased but he is extremely intelligent; He "stays" great he can already do basic tricks like shake and crawl and at only 14 weeks he has already escaped from his kennel!! (and eliminated inside but I didn't catch him).
I'll keep on watching him like a hawk and repeat the situation after he's been taken out and see if he tries it again. I still believe that the "My toys" philosophy will work, Even if he doesn't like it.

An escape artist! (Just a side note: watch him carefully outside as he grows, don't want him to practice his escape techniques when outside!)

It's fine to be bias, comes from love <img src="http://www.leerburg.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />. He does sound smart, willing to please, and having fun learning from you.

I once had a labrador/shorthaired pointer/weimaraner mix, a great and sweet girl. Absolutely loved the forest and mountains where we used to live, loved hiking and carrying her own pack. Never daunted by anything. But found her a bit tough to train, probably due to her independence and inability to focus for too long until she was about 1 yr. After that she just "turned on" and began to be more in tune with us <img src="http://www.leerburg.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />. She was the independent one of the litter.

Your plan sounds good and I agree with the toys being yours.

Don't forget, activity can sometimes stimulate a dog to urinate. After play sessions you should be taking the dog outside.
While you were on the bed playing I am sure the urge came on him to go to the bathroom and thats why he was trying to get off the bed. As someone else pointed out.
And i think the same thing happened concerning the rawhide. He was lying quietly chewing, then was moving around, possibly jumping a bit and it more than likely gave him the urge to urinate.
My dog is 2 years old, and playing or running around still stimulates him to go to the bathroom. Its gets things moving inside the dog, and generally gives them the urge to go to the bathroom. Make sure to take the little guy right outside after any playing inside, and right after he gets up from quiet time...even if it is just him lying chewing on the rawhide.
It will help, trust me.
Good luck!

Aric, I read or heard that taking the pup out equal to the age helps to keep us/the handlers from missing signals or just waiting too long:

2 months - take out every 2 hours
3 months - take out every 3 hours
4 months - take out every 4 hours
etc., etc.

I followed this advice and my dog (took him home at 8 weeks) had an "accident" in the house only twice and it was solely due to my accidental straying from that schedule.

BTW, I've also heard that if you catch him peeing in the house that, ideally, the scarey/startling sound should come from something other than you. For example, he pees, you see it, you have a can of pennies and drop it to startle him but he doesn't know it's you that's done it. So the pup connects his peeing in the house with, I don't know, angry Gods in the heavens or some powerful force that doesn't accept peeing in the house <img src="http://www.leerburg.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" /> . I guess the idea is, especially if he's a smart cookie, he shouldn't attribute the "NO" or startling sound to you because he'll soon figure out that he can pee whenever you're not there.

But, this part may not even be necessary as long as you're able to take him out as he needs, there probably won't be any accidents to worry about <img src="http://www.leerburg.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> .