# Do male dogs need to be taught to lift their leg to pee by another male dog?



## becksterorange (Nov 13, 2010)

Or do they just eventually do it? My puppy is nearly 7 months old, and he still squats when he pees. I friend told me that he needs to be around other male dogs to learn how to lift his leg. Is this true?


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## lil_fuzzy (Aug 16, 2010)

I have heard the same thing, but I don't know if it's true. I do know that my 5.5 month old puppy was in a boarding kennel for a week, and after we picked him up he has started to lift his leg when peeing. I don't know if he suddenly matured or if he saw another dog do it tho.


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## ThoseWordsAtBest (Mar 18, 2009)

Mine do both and are 5+ years old. Either way, I don't care as long as they're peeing outside.


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## Darkmoon (Mar 12, 2007)

The first time Nubs lifted his leg to pee he was 1 1/2 years old. To this day he'll squat more to pee then lift his leg.

It's completely up to them, and not all males life their legs to pee. Bet your buck that they lift their leg to MARK, but to pee, it's a 50/50 chance. And I tell you this, enjoy the days before marking, because once that is gone, it gets annoying while trying to get your dog to walk a new path without stopping for every tree.


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## 5 s corral (Dec 31, 2007)

I have two male shelties 11 and 12 they have never ifted there legs
i feel the same as thosewordsat best lol


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## Shaina (Oct 28, 2007)

Probably depends on the dog...?

Webster was 10 months old when I got him and wasn't a leg-lifter...at 14 months or so he suddenly started leg-lifting for no particular reason I can discern. Just one time he lifted a leg, and he never went back. He wasn't around any males as I was visiting my family at the time and their dog, my sister's dog, and my other dog were all spayed female, and none were leg-lifters.

I prefer he leg-lift simply because he's one of those dogs who tends to get a bit of urine on his front paws if he doesn't. Which is, frankly, gross. So I'm glad he learned and stuck with it.


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## Jare (Aug 12, 2009)

I would prefer my one and only male dog squatted, because when he does, it's rather low to the ground, so his urine hits the ground, but when he leg lifts (more often than not) It gets all over the back of his front legs, not just his paws, I'm talking almost to his little elbows. He cannot control that thing in a leg lift.

On the other hand one of my females, Nellie, lifts her left rear foot about three inches off the ground every time she pees. Never a full on leg lift, but her left foot rarely touches the ground while she pees for whatever reason.


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## Curbside Prophet (Apr 28, 2006)

Elsa will teach him.


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## Bones (Sep 11, 2009)

Bones squats, though I think they can learn from other dogs. He didn't kick his back legs after defecating until I got Halo (it's kind of funny to watch, he is every timid when doing it as if he is unsure and does more of a jig then kicking the legs). Halo squats and lifts but mainly lifts.


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## ThoseWordsAtBest (Mar 18, 2009)

Smalls will sometimes lift a leg to poop.


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## Jare (Aug 12, 2009)

ThoseWordsAtBest said:


> Smalls will sometimes lift a leg to poop.


HAHA of course out of your crew its Smalls to lift her leg to poop  Silly.


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## ThoseWordsAtBest (Mar 18, 2009)

Jare said:


> HAHA of course out of your crew its Smalls to lift her leg to poop  Silly.


Sometimes when they do these things I wonder if they're even real.


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## spotted nikes (Feb 7, 2008)

I had a sweet, dumb as a box of rocks, Cocker Spaniel, that when he was a puppy, would walk up to a tree/fire hydrant and know that he was supposed to lift his leg...but he'd lift the outside hind leg. Not very bright, that boy. He eventually figured it out after having all of the other dogs in the neighborhood laugh at him, I guess.

Snickers, my Cocker mix, didn't lift his leg until he was a year or so old. Now he will lift it if he is near a vertical object, or squat if in the middle of the yard.

Christy, my Female GSD/Boxer mix, will squat AND lift a hind leg at the same time, to pee.

Rusty always lifts his leg.


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## KBLover (Sep 9, 2008)

ThoseWordsAtBest said:


> Smalls will sometimes lift a leg to poop.


LOL

Smalls and Mia need to meet. I'd love to know how that would go down.


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## ThoseWordsAtBest (Mar 18, 2009)

KBLover said:


> LOL
> 
> Smalls and Mia need to meet. I'd love to know how that would go down.


One of two things. Nothing, because Smalls is wholly uninterested in other dogs, especially bitches. Or apocalypse.


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## wentouch (Aug 22, 2010)

My small/medium sized male pup at 8 months still pees crouching. He has been with many other male adult dogs at the dog park that pee lifting their leg. Hopefully he learns soon. Don't want him to pee on himself.


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## MoosMom (Sep 15, 2009)

Males typically start lifting their legs around the time of sexual maturity. It marks their territory. Larger dogs mature later then smaller ones and if you neutered your dog before maturity, he may never lift his leg. Yoshi did not lift his leg until he was almost a year, but he is not altered yet. 

It's not a behavior they learn from watching other dogs.


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## becksterorange (Nov 13, 2010)

I just had my dog neutered 2 days ago. I would like him to lift his leg. But, if he doesn't I'm not going to love him any less. I just think it makes them look more "masculine".


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