# When do male pups start to leg lift?



## Gates1026 (Mar 14, 2007)

This is going to sound like a strange question, but when do male pups start to leg lift? I have a 10 week old male Papillon puppy and I am having a heck of a time telling when he is urinating outside. This doesnt sound like a problem, but I am sure that I am missing giving praise and treats when he does what I want outside. I dont want to confuse the little guy.


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## all4thedogs (Sep 25, 2006)

It depends on the dog, if/when he was neutered, and if he is around other males. 

Ryder my Great Dane still squats (although we dont have a problem telling when he is going LOL). He will be 3 in November. He was neutered at 11 months. 

Kaiden my GSD has lifted his leg since I got him at 6 months. He was intact (neutered immediatly). But lived with 100s of other dogs.


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## Cooper's Mama (Sep 23, 2007)

Cooper does both. He was neutered at 6 months. On our walks, he lifts his leg, usually because he's peeing on a tree or fire hydrant. If he goes in the backyard, he squats.


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## TooneyDogs (Aug 6, 2007)

Usually when they are ready to announce to the world of their manhood. Both male and female can/do raise their legs as well as squat. My 10 year old male usually raises his leg but will squat at times, especially on uneven ground.


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## Anela (Sep 8, 2007)

I've seen males intact (and not) do both.

Aneal


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## Gates1026 (Mar 14, 2007)

Well hopefully something will change in the next few months. When I have been able to identify when this happens, his body posture doesn't change. He just stands straight and looks forward. The problem there is that he does the same thing when looking at a leaf blowing by, sees another dog, or hears someone else.....pretty much all of the time!


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## Fizbot (Sep 25, 2007)

my 5 1/2 month old doesn't leg lift yet. He doesn't squat either, he just kinda stretches out and lets 'er rip.

My sister's 7 month old pit bull/boxer still squats. I don't know when they're gonna start leg lifting, but as long as my little guy pees outside, i don't care!


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## Ella'sMom (Jul 23, 2007)

My lab Bailey never lifted his leg. Ever.


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## onyxdaily (Apr 3, 2007)

I think my lab was 5 or 6 months when he started lifting his leg. My saint bernard is 11 months and still squats, well, not really squats, but rather, he leans forward and slightly lowers his hind end. I thought maybe because of him being a giant, that he may never lift his leg, but like a previous poster, as long as he's doing it outside, I don't care how he does it.


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## SFury (Apr 12, 2007)

My boys started to lift their legs occassionally at 5-6 months of age. They are fixed, but learned that behavior from being around my parents intact male golden retriever. Now they almost always run to their spot, lift their leg and pee away. Sometimes they squat, but not so much anymore. They are both nearing 18 months of age now.

Thankfully they don't mark everything like intact males do.


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## starry15 (Jan 20, 2007)

I think its females that lift there leg and males that squat. Star squats when he has to go. 

But looking at all the replies, all male dogs are differnt. Some lift there legs others dont. Star don't.


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## cockapoo (Sep 24, 2007)

My 11 week cockapoo does not lift his leg and just squats down. It is hard to tell whether he is going number 2 or 1.


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## SFury (Apr 12, 2007)

starry15 said:


> I think its females that lift there leg and males that squat. Star squats when he has to go.
> 
> But looking at all the replies, all male dogs are differnt. Some lift there legs others dont. Star don't.


Nope, the males generally lift their legs. The leg lifting is a testosterone based response from males. As they start to mature, and as a territorial measure they lift their legs and pee on various "marking" spots. If fixed soon enough, many male dogs won't lift their legs, or mark their territory.

I have yet to meet an intact male dog that doesn't mark their territory without some serious training to prevent the behavior.

I have not known any female dogs that lift their legs. They just squat and go. Way more efficient that way. One stop and done, unlike the males who make a few mini-stops before being done.


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## tsorcus (Aug 24, 2007)

Jasper didn't lift his leg when I got him at six months (at which age he was also neutered), but he started about six weeks later - he stretches out to pee when he really has to go, the leg lifting is merely a marking thing.

He wasn't with any intact male dog when the behaviour started, so I'd guess it's instinct.


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## lovemygreys (Jan 20, 2007)

Most of our greyhounds - neutered at 2+ years of age - leg lift and squat to pee. Marco, unneutered, had never lifted his leg...a few months past his first birthday. He also doesn't mark. Our neutered greyhounds, OTOH, mark everything...even the other dogs 



> I have yet to meet an intact male dog that doesn't mark their territory without some serious training to prevent the behavior.


Our Marco doesn't. I board an unneutered golden who doesn't mark all over the place either. OTOH, we board an intact lab that pee's constantly the entire time he's outside.


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## DobManiac (Aug 12, 2007)

Dusk didn't lift his leg until he was 9 months old. I swear I thought he was sterile. I now find it easier. Dawn has to look for just the right spot since she only has one shot. When I take Dusk to shows he picks a tree or bush. This becomes his spot for the remainder of the cometipition and we will challenge any dog that is man enough to take it.


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## starry15 (Jan 20, 2007)

hmm... Well star musta been nutered early, a year old when he was. He never once lifted his leg.


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## chul3l3ies1126 (Aug 13, 2007)

Guera my mutt Schnauzer mix is a FEMALE and she will lift her let and pee on mail boxes, trees, tires, fire hydrants and all. I have seen her pee on top of the pee left by my male Dachshund and my friends male Chihuahua. I really thought it was odd at first, but now its just a common thing to see. My friends think that she is confused lol, i just say that is what she likes to do.
She will squat more often than not, but not a day goes by that I dont see her lift her leg like a BOYYY!
nessa - guera


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## Rowdy (Sep 2, 2007)

Toby learned to lift his leg about 11 months. Cameron, who had Toby to learn from, started lifting his about 10 months.

I've seen a lot of Husky females lift their legs like the boys.


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## Durbkat (Jun 26, 2007)

Fizbot said:


> my 5 1/2 month old doesn't leg lift yet. He doesn't squat either, he just kinda stretches out and lets 'er rip.


Thats what my dog does as well.  It's hard for me to tell as well so I have to lean over to see if he is going but if its a big pee I can see a river of pee trailing out from under him. lol


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## FriendsOfZoe (Aug 7, 2007)

cockapoo said:


> My 11 week cockapoo does not lift his leg and just squats down. It is hard to tell whether he is going number 2 or 1.


Easy way to tell...go look and see if there's a poo on the ground. 

Zoe has very different looking squats for poo and pee, but maybe I'm just more in tune to that because I don't have a yard so I take her out on leash every time she potties, and learn to look for (and LOVE) the positions, because once she's done we can go back inside!


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## Gates1026 (Mar 14, 2007)

I can easily tell when the little guy is going #1 or #2, that is no problem. My problem is that he is pretty short, the grass is somewhat tall, and there is a lot of dew on the ground in morning and night.

That could make things interesting, I guess I will just have to give it my best guess until he gets bigger.


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## Durbkat (Jun 26, 2007)

Yep, that can be a problem but my dog goes on concrete so its easy to tell with him. lol


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## Dogstar (May 11, 2007)

Totally depends on the dog! Mal - at 14 months!- doesn't consistantly lift his leg to pee. Indy did by 4 months. (Should add, Mal is intact, Indy was intact until 9/05)


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## Inga (Jun 16, 2007)

I have had males that do both depending on the circumstances. Showing off or just going. Oddly enough, I have had a very dominant female that lifted her let most of the time and tried to shoot it up onto trees bushes etc. Great dog, just very dominant.


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## chul3l3ies1126 (Aug 13, 2007)

Inga said:


> I have had males that do both depending on the circumstances. Showing off or just going. Oddly enough, I have had a very dominant female that lifted her let most of the time and tried to shoot it up onto trees bushes etc. Great dog, _*just very dominant*_.



I guess that is how my girl Guera is then...


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## Kaida (Mar 13, 2007)

Zack, my cavalier, is 7 months old now and generally squats. It's a very different squat for #1 and #2 though. To pee, he stretches his body out and lowers his lower back, to poop he like... hunches his back. Sorry if that's TMI!

He has lifted his leg once or twice from the squatting position, then looked confused and lowered it again! T'was hilarious to watch!


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## bluesbarby (Apr 10, 2007)

Gosh I hope Riley never learns to lift his leg. He's almost 11 months and just stands. When he was little it was difficult to tell when he was going but eventually you learn to spot the "look". Then of course Riley does this little dance where he kicks his back legs and stretches after.


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## Renoman (Mar 20, 2007)

I was told by my vet that it depends on the dog's level of maturity.

I've had male dogs that never lifted their leg, only lifted when they knew they were being watched, lifted their leg from a very early age. 

Chazz is 7 1/2, Buck is 2 1/2. Both are neutered. Sometimes they will... and sometimes they won't. 

As long as they go, does it matter?


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## RonE (Feb 3, 2007)

Ah, one of my favorite topics.

Our big lab would lift his leg and pee for so long that he'd get tired, put his leg down and lift the other one. That guy had a tank like a fuel truck.

When Zeke, the mini schanuzer, starting lifting his leg, I was oddly proud of him, even though he was a bit unsteady and would sometimes lean on the clothesline pole while he did it.


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## patrickandduncan'smom (Aug 6, 2007)

Patrick just turned 1 in July and he has just started lifting his leg periodically (to mark his territory after another dog has just went).

Duncan was over 2yrs old when he started lifting his leg-he squats and lifts his leg. I mentioned this in passing to my vet at the time and he said that Duncan must have seen it on TV .


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## shell07 (May 20, 2007)

I think they "know" when you are watching,and they won't do it-on purpose 
Junior is 7 months,and he has lifted his leg every once in a while since he was 3 months, but he now will do it most of the time. Funniest thing is he will be half way finished and realize that he is big, and will then lift as an after thought..goofy. He also will just kind of stand there and potty and sometimes I am not sure if he did or not, but when in doubt get down on his level, or feel with the ol' hand and see if he is wet. Junior is trained now that when he HAS to go out he will bark at the door and the only way I know for sure if he goes is he will come inside and look at me then look at the treat jar, so that is a dead giveaway


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## DobManiac (Aug 12, 2007)

Dusk posts most of the time, but it is not a requirement. We go to the humane society for an obedience class occasionally. They have a fenced in play yard, that we hang out in while the advanced class is going on. We went this morning and Dusk felt the need to mark everything in his path. It was funny because after about five minutes he ran out of urine. Dusk kept drinking a little water and then returning to this one barrel that he was determined to mark as his own. I could see the frustration all over his face when he repeatedly smelled another dogs scent.


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## lurcherloopy (Feb 11, 2007)

RonE said:


> Ah, one of my favorite topics.
> 
> Our big lab would lift his leg and pee for so long that he'd get tired, put his leg down and lift the other one. That guy had a tank like a fuel truck.
> 
> When Zeke, the mini schanuzer, starting lifting his leg, I was oddly proud of him, even though he was a bit unsteady and would sometimes lean on the clothesline pole while he did it.


 When my zoi first lifted his leg I posted it on a forum!! He did the stretch out a bit thing until then.

Ive also known a few greyhound girls lift their legs


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## tsorcus (Aug 24, 2007)

yes, one does feel an insane amount of pride when ones dog lifts his leg for the first time - "aww, he's a big guy now"!


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