# lifting leg to pee?



## cinnamonteal (May 16, 2008)

When do dogs start lifting their leg to pee? Caleb is about 9 1/2 months and he still squats and pees like a girl. He's big enough that pees a veritable river and it gets all over his paws. :yuck:


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## dannyra (Aug 5, 2008)

My mother-in-law had a great pyranese that never lifted his leg to pee.


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## jwemt81 (Aug 20, 2008)

Is he neutered? Some dogs that were neutered early never lift their leg. That's what our vet told us. If he wasn't neutered too early, then he could start lifting his leg by the time he's 12 months.


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## Oaklys Dad (Dec 28, 2005)

My two started at about 1 year though Oakly still squats once in a while.


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## spruce (Mar 13, 2008)

Bridger: 1 y/o, neutered at 7 months squats -- Hope he always does!! He has a great teacher in leg lifting in Obi (almost 13) who pees 50 times every mile we walk. However, his bestest friend is Sadie, female lab.


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## paula bedard (Feb 5, 2008)

Hi....not all males will lift their leg. My Sam never did and my Husband swore it was because We neutered him too early. When we got Ike I asked the Breeder about this. She said that one of her Breeding Males, Ike's Daddy, still does not lift his leg. He's 5 now. Ike's not a lifter either.


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## GoldenJoyx'stwo (Feb 25, 2007)

I have two almost six year old males and there is no leg lifting in our home! It was the one thing I was a bit uncomfortable about when we got a male. I always had females. LOL

When I was at an event in Albany I was walking a Sunshine Rescue. I forgot male dogs lifted their legs to go. If anyone ever had a video camera pointed towards me at the moment he lifted his leg they could have won a prize filming my sudden surprise!


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## Debles (Sep 6, 2007)

My boys were both neutered after one year. Selka always squats .When he has tried to lift his leg, he falls over! Gunner is a macho guy who always lifts his leg, usually on Selka!


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## Sadiesdream (Jul 11, 2008)

Theres alot of rumors and speculation as to why they squat like girls. I've had alot of contacts always confirm that alot of more dominant males will squat because thats how they cover female urine better. Females don't lift their legs to pee on objects so the male isn't required to do so to cover her scent as a marking. Just something I've been told ALOT.


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## GoldenJoyx'stwo (Feb 25, 2007)

Sadiesdream said:


> Theres alot of rumors and speculation as to why they squat like girls. I've had alot of contacts always confirm that alot of more dominant males will squat because thats how they cover female urine better. Females don't lift their legs to pee on objects so the male isn't required to do so to cover her scent as a marking. Just something I've been told ALOT.


I'm the only female in my house and I don't pee outdoors! :no:: I must be tired. I'm getting silly. Good night Gracie!


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## Ljilly28 (Jan 22, 2008)

Finn started lifting his leg at almost two, and Tally halfheartedly tried it out for the first time last week(14 months).


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## Heidi36oh (Feb 27, 2007)

Chewie is gonna be 2 years old in December and never lifted his leg.
Jack hits every grassblade.


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## jnmarr (Mar 7, 2008)

Deb and Kimm.. I don't know if it is me or you tonight, but the 2 of you are cracking me up! :bowl:
Rusty was 2 in February and still squats.. kind of bowl legged.. he doesn't want to pee on himself. About a month ago he started scent marking.. and will just do it once ( after the initial pee ) while on a walk. He is not alpha or dominant in any way.. he is a mama's boy. My bridge boys were neutered the same age as Rusty was and would lift and pee and pee and pee.. most irratating while on a walk. I love the fact that Rusty and Penny don't do this.


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## Lucky's mom (Nov 4, 2005)

Lucky started lifing at 9 months. Now that he is nuetered...sometimes he lifts and sometimes he doesn't bother. But on a walk he's still a marker.


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## fostermom (Sep 6, 2007)

Jasper and Danny were both neutered under 1 year old. Neither lift their legs and neither is a dominant dog.

Jasper is 3 1/2 years old and Danny will be 2 in two days.


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## cham (Feb 21, 2008)

My Mitchman lifts his leg most of the time, but he also semi squats to pee at times. I think it depends of whether or not I'm paying attention. He isnt much of a marker either. But he does manage to kill quite a few of my plants, he totally got the while azalea, and is working on the hosta(which is ok by me, I have been trying to kill that darned thing for years).


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## boomers mom (Sep 17, 2008)

Boomer has never lifeted his leg and i hope as others it stays that way!!! he will actually watch a dog lift and then he will squat in front of them and everyone thinks its hilarious! We neuterd Boomer at 7 month and the vet said if he hasnt started then, then when we nueter him theres a high probability he wont ever do it....hes coming up on his 1st birthday so we shall see if its true!


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## Bock (Jun 23, 2008)

Tysen is neutered and if he is just peeing he will still squat. However, if he smells other dog pee and poop he will lift his leg to mark. He is coming up on 2 years


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## MurphyTeller (Sep 28, 2008)

It may sound odd...but I've taught my dogs - and reinforced them for squating (not lifting). I have an intact male and we show in obedience, rally, agility and conformation (training for field work) - I do not tolerate marking behavior. If they're out in the yard or on a hike they are free to do as they please (and they will occaisionally lift their legs there) but if we are at a show and I ask them to pee they had better squat. I also don't let them mark when we go on leash walks. I find that squatters empty more of their bladders and marking is just one of my pet peeves...

Just my opinion but I wouldn't worry about the squatting at your puppy's age - they will eventually figure out how not to pee on themselves too 

Erica


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## cinnamonteal (May 16, 2008)

jwemt81 said:


> Is he neutered? Some dogs that were neutered early never lift their leg. That's what our vet told us. If he wasn't neutered too early, then he could start lifting his leg by the time he's 12 months.


Nope, Caleb still has his nuts. We're planning to wait til he's about a year to a year and a half.


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## cinnamonteal (May 16, 2008)

That's interesting. Is there a reason that you discourage marking so strongly? Other than it being a pet peeve?

Caleb is my first dog ever and DH's golden/lab mix growing up always squatted, so we've never experienced a marking dog. Is it really that obnoxious? 



MurphyTeller said:


> It may sound odd...but I've taught my dogs - and reinforced them for squating (not lifting). I have an intact male and we show in obedience, rally, agility and conformation (training for field work) - I do not tolerate marking behavior. If they're out in the yard or on a hike they are free to do as they please (and they will occaisionally lift their legs there) but if we are at a show and I ask them to pee they had better squat. I also don't let them mark when we go on leash walks. I find that squatters empty more of their bladders and marking is just one of my pet peeves...
> 
> Just my opinion but I wouldn't worry about the squatting at your puppy's age - they will eventually figure out how not to pee on themselves too
> 
> Erica


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## GRyan (Sep 13, 2008)

Interesting thread as I was just talking to a friend about this. Griffin is almost four months old and is still a squatter. My friend said it had something to do with dominance....that the dominant male will lift his leg higher to pee over submissive males markings. 

My 7 lb YorkiePoo is a leg lifter and I just can't stand it when he pees on Griffin. I have to watch him very closely bc he likes to do it as Griff is squatting.


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## elliejon11 (Feb 3, 2008)

Gunner @ 9.5 mos. still squats but one funny thing is Gunners friend Abagail is female(spayed) and fromwhat we have been told she has always lifted her leg to pee


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## Tanyac (Jun 18, 2008)

We had Obi castrated at 18 months and he used to mark all the time when we were out. After castration, this stopped immediately, and only occasionally lifts his leg now. The big difference is that he pees because he needs to and doesn't feel the need to scent mark over every standing thing!!! Mind you, he still covers Izzies scent, so maybe not all the maleness is out of him.

The first time he ever lifted his leg he was about 8 months, and it was a shock!!!! Kind of like he had grown up..


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## chester vt (Sep 28, 2008)

Chester is 7 months old and very precocious...he already lifts his leg when he pees. It just that it is his right front leg!!


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## kwhit (Apr 7, 2008)

"... Females don't lift their legs to pee on objects so the male isn't required to do so to cover her scent as a marking..."

This is soooo not true. My FEMALE Terrier/Chihuahua, Lucy, always lifts her leg and urinates on top of where ever Chance, my 4 yr. old MALE, (who still squats, BTW), urinates. She also tries to mark in the house and at my work, yes...by lifting her leg, so females mark territory also. My friend's female Terrier also marks over her other dog's, who is a male, urine all the time. I bet it's pretty common. 

Wanted to add that Chance was neutered late.


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## Phillyfisher (Jan 9, 2008)

Tucker started lifting his leg at 7 months, to our great surprise. He will mark like crazy on our walks, if we let him. He switches back and forth between squatting and lifting his leg. It will be interesting to see what happens when he gets fixed around 15 months.


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## Bob-N-Tash (Feb 24, 2008)

Bob was a year old 4 weeks ago. And that's roughly when he began lifting is leg. So now he is squatting about 60% of the time and lifting about 40% of the time.


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## Lisa_and_Willow. (Dec 18, 2007)

Diesel is 2 and has lifted his leg twice in his life. I think he shocked himself both times!!


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## tintallie (May 31, 2006)

About 7-8 months, Wiggs started to lift the leg to pee but he was unsteady for awhile. He now almost always lifts his leg to pee unless it's a long one and he still squats. However, he learned to lift his leg after watching the neighbour's dog pee.


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## mm03gn (Sep 24, 2008)

chester vt said:


> Chester is 7 months old and very precocious...he already lifts his leg when he pees. It just that it is his right front leg!!


...this made me laugh out loud...pleeeease try to get this on video!!!


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## goldensmum (Oct 23, 2007)

Ralph was 6 years old when we got him and he was uncastrated and he never lifted his leg.


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## MurphyTeller (Sep 28, 2008)

cinnamonteal said:


> That's interesting. Is there a reason that you discourage marking so strongly? Other than it being a pet peeve?
> 
> Caleb is my first dog ever and DH's golden/lab mix growing up always squatted, so we've never experienced a marking dog. Is it really that obnoxious?


It is mostly to do with "my" time vs. "Their" time. If they are on leash with me on a walk around the block I do not want to stop every 5-15 feet to let them "smell the newspaper" and mark - not my idea of a pleasant walk.

One of my dogs is a therapy dog - the other one will eventually do therapy work as well (in addition to the other stuff we do) - I can't have him thinking that he is entitled to pee anywhere he pleases - it's entirely possible that he may be "working" outside where there are trees and other dog scents. I don't want him to ever think it's remotely acceptable to pee in the obedience or agility rings - or when we're out tracking in a field or at a hunt test. I've seen dogs who mark in hotel rooms and when they're guests in other people's houses.

I haven't ever had a marking problem because from day one it wasn't tolerated - granted, it varies from dog to dog - but I've seen people who have had serious marking issues and it's not limited to intact dogs either - one classic example (and sort of solidified my desire not to ever tolerate marking) was a friend's little fluffy white neutered Maltese - he failed his CGC numerous times because he marked inside on both the separation and the "out for a walk". When he finally passed his CGC and went for a therapy certification he failed twice for marking on the evaluator and a wheelchair....she spent a year working the marking problem and he's finally worked things out in a positive way - but she can't take her eyes off him for a second ever. One of the reasons I cringe when I see conformation dogs at indoor trials walked over to the closest garbage can and allowed to mark - dogs should never pee on things that people have to touch later...

Erica


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## marshmellow (Apr 14, 2008)

Garcia started to lift his leg to pee at about 9 months old. He only does it when out for a walk. He learned this from our friend's dog. Garcia then taught my mom's dog to do this, he is over 2yrs old.


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