Why does my dog pee without lifting his leg?

Why does my dog pee without lifting his leg?

Why does my dog pee without lifting his leg? This is a question that have been baffling me as I observed that other dogs peed with one of their leg lifted up. My dog however peed with all four legs on the ground. As a result, he would always be stepping on his own pee and this bothers me a lot; thus, I did some research in hope to understand the reasons why does my dog pee without lifting his leg and if there is anything I could do to correct this habit.

Why does my dog pee without lifting his leg?

According to my research, I learned that all dogs squat to pee when they are puppies. Male dogs, as compared to females, have a higher tendency to learn how to lift their legs while peeing. This usually happens between the age of 6 to 12 months old. Some dogs learn from other dogs how to pee with their legs lifted, some learn by themselves, and some never learn. All dogs are different. However, there are several factors which could influences whether your dog ends up peeing with his leg lifted or remains squatting while peeing.

Act of marking

Why does my dog pee without lifting his leg?An interesting finding indicates that male dogs’ pee with their legs lifted in time when they want to claim a certain territory – a.k.a. marking. For a male dog, peeing isn’t only about getting rid of his liquid waste, it’s also a form of declaration to other dogs that this is their territory by marking with his scent. You may be wondering why have marking got to do with the need to pee with his leg lifted. Lifting the leg allows dog to aim better and spray their pee higher up. Dogs prefer to aim higher up and on an object – such as a lamp post – so that their urine scent can be carried by the wind and disseminate more easily such that it is easier for other dogs to notice it.

Circles of influences

The environment your dog grew up in also plays a part in determining whether a dog learns how to pee with his leg lifted. If your male dog grew up with a group of females, he might not learn how to pee with his leg lifted. Similarly, female dogs that grew up with a group of males might pee with her leg lifted. I came to know from a dog breeder friend that not lifting the leg was a desirable quality they advocate when breeding field dogs. They pointed out that lifting a leg increase marking which would be a distraction while other dogs are at work.

Castrate Males

If you castrate your male dog early, they usually pee withing lifting their leg. This means when marking, they would most like not lift their leg as well. As such, castrated males are more likely to squat to urinate than intact males.

As explained above, lifting the leg while peeing is a learned behavior, it is thus normal for male dogs to squat while peeing. Having said so, we ought to be wary in case the act of squatting is an abnormal situation. This means that if your dog used to pee lifting his leg but suddenly begin to squat while peeing, it might be a sign something is wrong. Potential health problem in this case could be urinary incontinence, or a bladder- or kidney-related issue. In this case, it would be advisable to bring your dog for a check-up.