# Male squatting to pee



## C4Dante (Jan 22, 2009)

My 5 month old male will only squat to pee and will only go at home in the yard. Is there a way to teach him to lift one leg or is it a time thing? And do I just wait him out when away from home to go?


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## DSudd (Sep 22, 2006)

You cant teach them to lift a leg, sometimes they do it sometimes they dont. Until about 6 months ago Rocky would not go anywhere but our yard, but that has changed for some reason.

Rocky is 3-1/2 and he has probably lifted his leg 5 times. Not sure what makes them do it


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## Zisso (Mar 20, 2009)

Z lifts his leg once in awhile but not always and sometimes only hikes it up a little but mostly he just stands with his tail up high and goes, not even squatting- he is 1.5 years old.


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## Laura H. (Feb 23, 2009)

Both of my boys were neutered at six months. I had heard a long time ago if the male was neutered he wouldn't lift his leg. Have found out that does not really matter.

Brody lifts his leg, Harley does not, have no clue what makes the difference.


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## sgtmom52 (Aug 30, 2008)

I think that it all depends on the dog. Chance started lifting his leg at about 12 weeks. He doesn't actually mark anything ~ he just stands there and lifts his hind leg ~ then usually pees on his front leg!!







He is 8 months old today and still intact.


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## JeffM (Dec 19, 2005)

Thor always squatted to pee. Only recently (6 months ago) at age 3.5 did he start to life his left and only when he goes to mark over his brother.


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## hecarleton (Aug 14, 2005)

Cosmo almost always squats. Sometimes he will lift, if another dog has marked a tree, post etc. Also, it took quite awhile for him to go in strange spots on his own. If Chloe goes first in a strange place Cosmo will go right after her in the same spot. 
Funny dogs aren't they.


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## Jessica H (Mar 14, 2009)

Dozer is 6 months old and squats. Scooter (my Cairn) is 5 years old. He never lifted his leg until he was 2 and I went on vacation. I boarded him at a kennel and he must have learned it then. I wish he never learned because he lifts his leg on EVERYTHING now and recently every thing in the house that belongs to Dozer and yes this includes actually on Dozer. I think he is a little jealous and I am trying to break this now.


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## doggiedad (Dec 2, 2007)

don't worry about your dog squatting. nature will take care 
of it. my dog squatted for a while then he kind of stood
up but he was tucked under. then at 18 months he started lifting his leg.

when did you get your dog? is he out and about for walks or 
whatever? how about in the morning don't let him in
the yard? when it's time for morning duty get him away
from the house. just wait him out.

you could collect some urine from him when he's going
in the yard. put the urine in a spray bottle. before you bring him
out walk down the street and spray some places. then bring your dog out and walk him past the sprayed areas. now this probably won't work but if you did it and told us about it, it would
provide some hardy laughter. on second thought it might work.


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## kleinenHain (Sep 20, 2007)

Drake will be a year old in just a few days. I've seen him lift his leg a few times, but most times not. Max his sire started lifting his leg at 11 or 12 weeks. first time he did he lifted his leg so fast he flipped over and pissed all over himself LOL

He still wets his front leg when he pees if he's not close to a tree or something to aim on.


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## Jessica H (Mar 14, 2009)

Oh I forgot. Dozer will hold it for a long time if we are in out. At home I tell him to go potty and sometimes when we are out I will keep saying go potty and he will go. The other day he help it from 9am until I got home at 1pm. We went to obedience class and Petsmart and a few other places and he would not go. When we got home it was a marathon pee.

I have also noticed that he will really only pee on patches of snow, so now that it is melting when we are out he would look for a small patch of snow and pee on that. I got him in November so he doesn't really know anything other than snow to go potty on. He better learn fast, lol.


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## SunCzarina (Nov 24, 2000)

Max! Otto is 10 months, not neutered yet and still doesn't lift yet. He's nasty, sometimes he goes and it puddles up between his front legs and he drinks it. Nasty disgusting boy dog.

He hasn't shown any interest in sniffing the high marks on telephone poles yet.

Funniest thing I've seen in a long time, driving the kids to school last week, there's this little terrier, maybe 10lbs if he's lucky, tilting his little self as high as he can but he was still only like 6" off the ground. I was like High hopes, little one, high hopes.


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## BucksMom (Aug 13, 2007)

LOL, all my boys lift their legs, 2 are neutered and 1 is not. 
They can pee on about anything but our house or in the house
and my truck tires.









We need some boy dog peeing pictures....


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## littledmc17 (Apr 9, 2008)

Brady didn't really start lifting his leg until he was 9 months 
doesn't help having Missy always squatting 
My dh tried to show him finally he did
when he is lazy he squats he is still intact


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## pjindy00 (Feb 19, 2007)

First off, it's fine if they don't - do you really want your dog lifting his leg on everything? 

And it really depends on the dog - my old male husky (RIP) usually squatted his entire life (16 years) and was never neutered. I've seen neutered dogs lift every single time.

Depends on the dog, doesn't hurt anything if they don't.


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## Laura H. (Feb 23, 2009)

> Originally Posted By: sgtmom52 ~ then usually pees on his front leg!!


OMG, that reminded me when we lived in NC, Rocky GSD was dominant dog over Dakota Lab. So many times I'd see Dakota pee, just standing, then Rocky would go over & pee right over his back leg, Yuck.

I'd always think "I wish I hadn't seen that", because I was forever wiping Cotsie's back legs when he came in, just in case LOL


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## C4Dante (Jan 22, 2009)

Thanks for the replies. Got him at 11 weeks, still intact for about another month or so. I don't want him to mark everything, just stop marking his front leg! He has more patience than me for holding it when we're out. He went 1 time when I took him to work and his eyes were floating he had to go so bad. That was the 1 time away from home. I need to get him out for longer periods and get him used to it.


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## BJDimock (Sep 14, 2008)

Lifting can defiantly be a learned behavior. Frodo will lift only if his bad leg is on an unstable or uncomfortable spot.
On that note, one of my fosters, Sika, spent at lot of time outside at my work with the clinic dog. He was a pound rescue who was brought in for euthanasia because of house training issues. He found a very happy home at our vet clinic living in the outdoor kennels, and babysat all of our dogs while we were working.
Imagine how I felt when I took Sika out to pee one morning and my female Fidelco foster lifted her leg to pee on a tree!


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## Sean Rescue Mom (Jan 24, 2004)

Sean will squat in our yard but lifts his leg everywhere else on walks. Once he lifted it on a bush that was shading a construction worker's lunchbox - oops.


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## Laura H. (Feb 23, 2009)

> Originally Posted By: JeffM Only recently (6 months ago) at age 3.5 did he start to life his left and only when he goes to mark over his brother.


My boys are brothers, sure hope I don't have THAT to look forward to, they've surprised me enough for a lifetime already, LOL
(bringing in poopsicles, eating drywall, digging to China in the yard, etc.)


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## weber1b (Nov 30, 2008)

Our girl Clover tried to lift her leg after watching all the boys in her play group do it. Quite comical to watch at times. Now she settles for backing up to the trees and marking where they do.


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## Lauri & The Gang (Jun 28, 2001)

I've had males that NEVER lifted a leg - always squatted to pee. And I've had females that lifted their leg to pee (have two now that do it).

As for going elsewhere - get up first thing in the morning, throw on your coat, toss the pup in the car and drive to the park. Take him out, put him on leash and do NOT leave the park until he pees.


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## JeffM (Dec 19, 2005)

> Originally Posted By: LaraMy boys are brothers, sure hope I don't have THAT to look forward to, they've surprised me enough for a lifetime already, LOL
> (bringing in poopsicles, eating drywall, digging to China in the yard, etc.)


Wait for it; they feed off each other


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## lonewolf1977 (Feb 11, 2009)

Our male GSD squats to pee. He rarely lifts his leg. He does it once in a blue moon & it always catches me off guard. I'm just so used to seeing him squat.


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## UConnGSD (May 19, 2008)

I agree, I don't think you can teach them to lift a leg (they might wonder "what the heck is he trying to do, interfering in my business?") Sometimes, it's just a timing issue. Wolfie, for the longest time, walked and peed at the same time. Then, probably around the 6 month age, he lifted his leg properly for the entire time that he peed. But even now, he gets impatient with that process and start walking halfway through his business and will walk and sniff and pee all the same time.

Also, previously Wolfie didn't pee anywhere but our yard. Around the 7 month age, he took to vigorously marking the entire neighborhood.


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## C4Dante (Jan 22, 2009)

Thanks again for the replies. I guess I'm a a little impatient, got to work on that.


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## bmass01 (Apr 7, 2005)

Yes, do not be in a hurry! Dakota is also 5 months, tried to lift his leg this morning for whatever reason and peed all over his front leg!







Dallas only lifts when off our property.


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## doggiedad (Dec 2, 2007)

you might want to reconsider getting nuetered at
4 months old. i've only had males and i've never
had a problem with marking. i've never had my
dogs neutered.

sounds like you're neutering because of concerns
about marking. how do you know your dog is going to mark?
does neutering stop a dog from marking?


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## pupresq (Dec 2, 2005)

Not every unneutered male marks and training certainly plays into the equation but looked at over large groups, neutered males do seem to be less likely to mark than those who are not neutered or were neutered after sexual maturity.


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## doggiedad (Dec 2, 2007)

i've never had a dog neutered and i've never
had a problem with marking. my dogs have never marked in the house. i don't care if they mark outside. 



> Originally Posted By: pupresqNot every unneutered male marks and training certainly plays into the equation but looked at over large groups, neutered males do seem to be less likely to mark than those who are not neutered or were neutered after sexual maturity.


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## darga19 (Mar 4, 2009)

I don't think the dog lifting his leg has anything to do with only going in your yard. Some dogs lift, some don't. Marshall rarely lifts (maybe once or twice he has). My pup Jack sticks his left rear leg straight out (backwards)...it's actually pretty funny. Personally I could care less if my dogs left their leg or not...however they want to handle it is OK with me.

I wouldn't be concerned about neutering to prevent marking...if anything...neuter to prevent cancer!


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## adas (Nov 22, 2008)

Aloha, My female, Mecca, used to lift her leg like a male. I had her as a rescue at 4 yr old and she squatted for 2 years, then she started to lift for the last 3 years of her life. 
go figure.
frank


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