Mamas & Papas-
Our dog, a 80 lb approximately 10 y.o. lab possibly terrier mix, we got at the pound is a female who habitually raises her leg to pee. Also, she eems rather interested in pee-mail, sniffing, and marking too. I did not grow up with dogs, and have never met another girl dog with this inclination. She can't manage to do this as well now that she's older and her hips are giving her some grief, but she still tries.
We adoped her at approx 9 months old. She was thin, but not in poor condition, and though not spayed or chipped, was potty trained which suggests she might have been lost/ run away/ abandoned.
Have you known a female dog of this ilk? Any ideas as to what might have led to this?
Thanks,
F. B.
Thanks for your feedback. She was spayed before being released to us at the shelter some 10 years back. She has lifted and marked, and done the kick for as long as we have had her. She even make a point of topping up her tank and taking in extra water before a walk. She manages to mark, even if its just a few drops at the end of an extra long walk. Thanks for your thoughts and insights. Thanks too for sharing that it isn't common, but not unheard of.
I'll be giving our mush some extra cuddles for sure.
Best,
F. B.
Most dogs are keenly interested in the pee-mail. Also marking. It's a dominance and communication thing. Not unusual at all.
As for the leg lifting... that is more unusual, but not unheard of. Some girls do it that way. Mine doesn't, but it's not totally unheard of. Just like some boy dogs squat. And most boy dogs squat as puppies and later "learn" to lift their leg.
ETA: I've thought more about my previous answer but could it have been her hip all along that caused her to learn to lift a leg to pee? Maybe squatting hurt so she learned another way? Just an idea.... My dog also has hip issues and cannot sit for more than a few seconds. She either stands or lays down. We give her Dasuquin tabs which we buy at the Vet and it helps a lot.
We adopted our Lab/ German Shepherd mix from a shelter. All we were told was she had been picked up as a stray. She wasn't spayed and knew no commands so we assumed she'd never had a family before.
She marks constantly whenever we walk. And she knows exactly where she's marked before and will "refresh" the spot as we go by. It's annoying but we've gotten used to it.
I always just assumed the marking was because she was a stray and needed to keep track of her surroundings.
Very common. We had a female dog that used to do a half-hearted, O. legged, half leg lift occasionally upon peeing.
And I've seen other females do the same.
No biggie.
My little 10-lb female does the same thing! She has this dainty way of squatting with one leg raised that cracks me up. She never met a pole or fence post that she didn't want to mark.
She also loves pee-mail (I thought I was the only one who used that term LOL!). Sometimes she will get absolutely fixated on one blade of grass and stand there for 10 minutes sniffing it to death.
I always thought she marked more because she's not spayed. Maybe I'm wrong about that though.
You've had the dog almost 10 years and you just noticed this behavior? Or is it a slow news day?
B.,
My girlfriends chocolate lab did this...and would walk and poop at the same time...just drop it like a horse...
All dogs mark - my baby LOVES to check his pee-mail and respond! Sometimes he goes back and re-reads his pee-mail and double checks his response was sent! LOL!!
The only female dog we had growing up was a Pit Bull and she squatted. I HAVE seen females lift their leg - just not as often as boys...it's possible that she was raised with male dogs and just followed their lead!
B., while we all think of marking as male behavior, the girls do it too! They just don't usually do the leg lift, although that is not unheard of. It tends to express in a more dominant personality.
The marking behavior is more common in intact dogs, and while neutering can decrease this activity, it is not a guarantee (only 50-60%).
As a breeder, I have had many intact dogs. I've never had any of my girls urine mark, but my males will, one of them has since he was 4 months old, & my other one not until he was 2yrs, & then only when someone is in season (& luckily for them they don't mark inside!) A friend of mine had a girl that would not only lift her leg, but also "kick" on the spot she marked to spread it!
Here's a well-written article on urine marking, causes & concerns as well as "normals" if you are looking for more info.
http://www.aspca.org/pet-care/virtual-pet-behaviorist/dog...
Give your pooch a smooch! T.
My dog, a Chihuahua/Boston terrier mix has always lifted her leg to pee. People will stop me & ask after they see her pee--is that a girl dog? She is always in pink or purple harasses. And tell me that they haven't seen that before. She was a stray we found on our street after a bunch of really bad storms & she had gotten out of her yard. We found the neighbor she had belonged to & he asked us to keep her because he was a full time student & his parents really weren't able to care for her. She had been raised with her brother & unfortunately, he was never found after they got out.
I have never had a small dog before & some of her behavior freaked me out when I walked her, like the fact she would take on EVERY dog we walked past, no matter how big! We went to a trainer & found out how to deal with that & the trainer also told us that the leg lifting was because she was a dominant dog. After we had her spayed, I thought she might stop that, but she didn't. She did mellow out toward the other dogs, but the trainer also told me to NEVER, ever pick her up when walking her. Instead I hold her closer to me by her leash & either we keep right on walking or if the other dog/people are agreeable, we let the dogs sniff, etc while we talk & then move on. And she will pee on that dogs spot. Every time!
BTW, when she is in our back yard, she just pees normally. But on our walks, every bush is sniffed & peed on. So your dog is a dominant dog, showing her dominance to every other dog that is out there. Rare, but not unheard of. And she was probably kicking butt in the shelter before you found her!
Wow, always wondered why my dog did that kick after she peed!
I know the other side of it.. I know a male dog that does not lift his leg. He has an "older" dog sister. Not sure if that is why or not?
Very common, and yes, female dogs will also mark their territory.
Some female dogs hike a leg to pee. It's unusual, but not abnormal.
Yes, I know a female dog who does this...my dog! I got her when she was 2 months old and my only guess is our older dog who "raised" her was her role model in life. Since he peed this way, she grew up doing it too. I have heard it is an alpha trait. But since she is not at all alpha I know this is not always the case! I think it's pretty normal with some female dogs.
I've had 2 terriers (one purebred, one mix) and both lift one leg slightly to pee. I always thought it might have to do with being short - if they squat evenly, their long undercoat gets right in the wet grass, mulch, and pee. One we got as a puppy, and one was a rescue (abandoned at least twice and possibly abused). But I don't think the behavior is related to their past because both our dogs did it.
Maybe it's common in other breeds as well, or maybe your mutt has some terrier thoughts in her brain. None of the female labs in our neighborhood do it, but other responders have mentioned it so it's probably more common than you think.
Sorry to be dumb, but I never heard the term pee-mail. Would love to have someone expand on this!!
Well, none of my female dogs have ever done that, but our male puppy (8 months old) squats to pee. He shows no signs of lifting his leg, and has zero interest in marking. I've never owned a male dog like this before. I guess it takes all kinds, right? ;)
wow, big girl!
yes, i know girl dogs who lift their legs to pee, and my boy dog often just squats. and i don't know ANY dogs who aren't fascinated by pee-mail.
she sounds very doggy to me.
khairete
S.
