# Leg Lifting to Pee?



## Lins (Jan 5, 2009)

Our dog Gunnar, now 12 months, was neutered at 7 months of age. Will he ever lift his leg to pee or is that a behavior a dog must learn before being altered? Thanks, Dan


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## kaitrinn7 (Aug 14, 2009)

I was told by a vet tech that if a male dog was neutered before he started to lift his leg to pee, he would most likely never lift his leg to pee after being altered.

I don't know from experience though, just passing on what I was told.


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## WiscTiger (Sep 25, 2002)

My male lifts his leg when he wants to mark, but squats a little to pee.

I have hand a male that was neutered at 4 months old and he lifted his leg to pee. 

Edited to add: I have two females that lift there leg to mark things, gggrrr.

Val


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## windwalker718 (Oct 9, 2008)

Ikon is now 5 months old, he's been lifting for a month now except 1st thing in the Morning when he's really got to empty the tank. Then he starts out that way, and ends up on all 4 before he's done. I find that alpha bitches also tend to lift to pee... have had several who were spayed and still marked over everyone else to show they were the top.


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## mahhi22 (Jul 14, 2009)

When I got my boy Dakota, he was 3.5yr old. He didn't lift his leg to pee. He peed like a boy puppy. He started to lift his leg after being in my home a few days and seeing my other boy do it. This dog passed away several years ago. At 9yr Dakota will still pee like a puppy @ times, lift his leg @ others. Doesn't seem to have a reason why he does one over the other.


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## Fodder (Oct 21, 2007)

Tilden was neutered at 10 months. Began lifting his leg a bit before 2yrs. he'd occasionally do it prior to that, but not in a marking way - he'd squat then just barely pick up one foot.


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## BowWowMeow (May 7, 2007)

Rafi was neutered at a year old and started lifting his leg to pee at 2 years old.


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## JazzyGirl (May 25, 2009)

I once heard that leg lifting was a dominance thing. Not sure about the validity to that, but certainly with a female lifting her leg that sounds right.


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## Quinnsmom (Dec 27, 2008)

Quinn was neutered at 14 mos. He's 2.5 years now and has never lifted his leg, just drops his belly and lets fly, sometimes on the front feet (Blechhhh!) He is somewhat submissive in temperament and has mostly hung out with females to this point. I was told that he probably never will lift the leg now.


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## Raziel (Sep 29, 2009)

Kilo only lifts his leg when we are out.
He JUST started doing this...(1 yr old, not neutered)
and he only does it around the perimeter of the yard. Not in the middle


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## bigboy (Sep 21, 2009)

male dogs must learn by watching other male dogs do it to learn it so has for being altered i don't know your dog might learn but that is if he sees other male dogs do it


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## BowWowMeow (May 7, 2007)

> Originally Posted By: huntermale dogs must learn by watching other male dogs do it to learn it so has for being altered i don't know your dog might learn but that is if he sees other male dogs do it


Rafi learned it from my female dog, Chama. Chama learned it from my female dog, Massie.


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## KCandMace (Apr 8, 2008)

Actually Hunter I disagree.
My boys are not neutered and have always been around other males that mark/lift. I have one that has lifted his leg twice and the other never.
So if they were to learn, they surely would have in a year and a half.


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## sagelfn (Aug 13, 2009)

my pup is almost 5 months old he will lift his left leg start to pee and then put his leg down lift his right leg while still peeing and then just start walking while peeing....if he would stand still I wouldn't care if he was squatting or hiking a leg up


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## Elaine (Sep 10, 2006)

None of my current dogs lift their legs. The two eleven year olds were neutered late, one at 3 years and the other at 5 years, and were kept with large numbers of other unneutered dogs. My 2.5 year old is intact and he still doesn't lift either and I have fosters through here all the time that mark and lift. 

I have no idea why some dogs lift and others don't.


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## triordan (Dec 5, 2008)

no lift here~


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## Deux (Aug 16, 2009)

Ummm My wife would run out and lift our 2 year old rescues leg when he peed. He caught on quick. They almost have *SEE* a dog do it.


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## Castlemaid (Jun 29, 2006)

Well, my rescued female started lifting her leg and marking shortly after I adopted her. Have no idea where she learned that from - but some dominant females will lift and mark like a male. 

When I got Gryffon at six months he was already lifting his leg to pee, but isn't marking on anything yet. Marking behaviour normally comes out around 1 or 2 years old, though some dogs will start earlier. 

I think "normal" development is for a male dog to start marking around 18 to 24 months old - but there is a lot of variation in individual dogs.


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## GSD07 (Feb 23, 2007)

Anton lifted his leg to pee the day we brought him home at 8 weeks and ever since. Marking started around 10 months I believe.


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## mjbgsd (Jun 29, 2004)

Cody was neutered at 8 months but didn't start lifting his leg until 4 years. Started marking soon after that and he never learned it from any dog. 

Akbar has started to lift his leg when he's next to things outside but still squats(sp?) when he's in open grass.


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## Raziel (Sep 29, 2009)

> Originally Posted By: mjbgsd
> Akbar has started to lift his leg when he's next to things outside but still squats(sp?) when he's in open grass.


My dog does the same!


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## elisabeth_00117 (May 17, 2009)

Stark is 7 months old and has NEVER lifted his leg to pee, he also hasn't marked. I think it is because I never give him the opportunity too and when he is off leash he is too busy playing to even think about it.

He will pee in his spot at home and won't pee for the rest of the time we are out. If we are out in the bush for a good length of time he will pee, but usually I have to mention it to him, "Stark, do you have to pee? Go pee Stark.".

My boy is strange.. haha..


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## Liesje (Mar 4, 2007)

Nikon started at 13 months. In our yard and most places he still squats. He only lifts his leg if it's for a tree or to mark on top of someone else's spot. If I'm pottying him at Schutzhund, I let him mark maybe once but not excessively.

Coke is neutered, 3 years old, has never lifted his leg.


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## ShatteringGlass (Jun 1, 2006)

Shane started lifting his leg at 6 months (he will be 7 months tomorrow), but he doesnt do it often. Usually he does the stretch to pee. When he has lifted his leg, hes only done it in the yard at home, out and about he's only done the stretch n pee.


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## 3K9Mom (Jun 12, 2006)

> Originally Posted By: KCandMaceActually Hunter I disagree.
> My boys are not neutered and have always been around other males that mark/lift. I have one that has lifted his leg twice and the other never.
> So if they were to learn, they surely would have in a year and a half.


I disagree as well. My male is 5 months old. Other than his short time at his breeder's, he hasn't spent much time around other male dogs. But about a month ago, he'd start to lift a leg mid-stream. It's like he didn't know why, but the leg just came up, and he stood there tripod. About 75% of the time, he lifts a rear leg, the other 25%, not. But he's not marking or aiming at anything. He's just standing in the middle of the yard.

My other male GSD (now deceased) would lift his leg to pee outside the yard, but in our yard, he just leaned over to pee. He was a very confident dog and he probably just figured there was no need to mark his own yard.







He, also, was never around males that lifted their legs. 

I think that leg-lifting and marking by males are just one of those personality things (that has very little, if anything to do with neutering, imprinting by other dogs or other such factors). If I could choose, I prefer dogs that don't mark and don't *need* to lift their legs. They're just easier to work with. When my male had to pee, no matter where we were, he just went. We didn't have to find him a vertical surface that was *appropriate* to urinate on. And there was no splashing.


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## kelso (Jan 22, 2007)

Kelso is three years old and not neutered and rarely lifts his leg. The first time I saw him really do it was around a year old. Since then he does it only sometimes... to mark over our females pee (she is spayed) but even so it is only about 50% of the time. 

He still "stands" to pee in public most of the time as well, again, occasionally will lift his leg but not that often. He has never marked in the house ever. He is a super confident guy...guess he just doesnt feel the need!







I like that!


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## London's Mom (Aug 19, 2009)

London is the same way at 9.5 months old. He is pretty casual about peeing. And he never "marks" areas like my last male. He is super confident as well so I don't concern myself with it.


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## spiritsmom (Mar 1, 2003)

I believe the act of lifting a leg to pee is a learned behavior. My Kaiser was neutered at 4 yrs and never lifted till he saw my mom's dog (who was neutered at 6 mos) lift his leg - now he sometimes will lift. So get your dog around other males that lift and maybe he'll figure out that he can do that too!


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## JeanKBBMMMAAN (May 11, 2005)

> Originally Posted By: CKUmmm My wife would run out and lift our 2 year old rescues leg when he peed. He caught on quick. They almost have *SEE* a dog do it.


Why? The first part-why would your wife do that? Just curious! 

Rocco, the leg lifting prodigy-watch for us on Oprah someday







did it from the first week he got here-maybe 7 weeks old. One day he peed right into his food bowl-and also if he had to potty while in his crate, he would lift his leg and do it right out on to the floor. No need to worry me none with taking him outside, right! He was saving me time.
















I certainly didn't show him and he wasn't around my dogs yet then. If he had been he'd have learned from the girls as well as the boys. Always the ladies, Ava and Bella run around the yard marking over everyone's pee. They even try to sneak so that the other one doesn't know.









I wonder how many posts there would be on this board if we took out the pee and







ones!


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## Woodreb (Oct 27, 2008)

I don't think it is necessarily a learned behavior either. My old boy, Max, was my first dog, no one else in the pack. Although he was well socialized he didn't really spend a enough time around other males to learn to lift his leg from other dogs. He just started doing it. I think he was a little over a year old when he started.
Caleb, at 7 months, is not lifting his leg. But he points his tail







. It's really a little comical to watch. You'll see him go into a little squat and then his tail curls over either right or left. Occasionally it just curls straight up.


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## JKlatsky (Apr 21, 2007)

My 2.5 year old intact male will lift his leg when he wants to mark, but to just pee his tail curls up and he just sort of leans into it like a horse.


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## selzer (May 7, 2005)

Interesting to hear that about Rocco. Redd has been doing it for several weeks now too. I have never seen such young puppies lifting their legs.


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## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

Karlo started it early about 12 weeks, I think he pee'd on his foot, lifted it, and it just became habit. He hasn't done it in awhile, though (he has pano in his rear leg, so maybe that is why).


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## lovemybeast (Nov 23, 2009)

Squatters here.  Both my boys were/are. Actually, Tank is not all that good and pees on his foot a lot. What I find more amazing is that he will walk away, then come back and take a sniff. Then he will cover his pee with the bark. First buddy never did that, he just peed and ran. But then again, first one never went back and sampled a freshie either.


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## Jagers_Dad (Nov 23, 2009)

Duke (my lab) will normally lift his leg, although some days he will just squat.

I've noticed Jager attempt to do it a few times already, but the poor guy can't maintain balance and either ends up falling or just realizes he can't and puts it back down.


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## L2druid (Nov 24, 2009)

Bliz my white shepherd is over a year old and still squats when he pees. Haven't seen one time where he has even thought about lifting his leg.

I wish he would already..He never fails to pee all over at least one front leg every time he goes. Sometimes he just soaks it...and since he is white...well, it's noticeable all the time. 

He doesn't mind at all though! Just happily runs off to do his "I just 'went outside' dance" he does right after he poops/pees.


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## Raziel (Sep 29, 2009)

> Originally Posted By: L2druid\
> I wish he would already..He never fails to pee all over at least one front leg every time he goes. Sometimes he just soaks it...and since he is white...well, it's noticeable all the time.


HAHAHAH! My male does the same! EW! Then he wants to jump on my pillow! NO WAY!







!


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## doggiedad (Dec 2, 2007)

my dog started lifting his leg at 15 months
or 18 months.


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## phgsd (Jun 6, 2004)

Growing up we had 2 neutered males, neither one ever lifted their leg to pee.
My JRT (intact) started lifting his leg at around 6 months old. I have only females here so he didn't pick it up from anyone. He will also pee out the front door of his crate if he has to go (which made crate training difficult) - and will also lift his whole back end to poop. He backs up to a bush, tree, mailbox, whatever...lifts his back end as high as he can, so he's only standing on his front 2 feet, and poops. It's so funny to watch (not to mention awkward because he's half falling down the whole time).


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## Sheila (May 14, 2009)

I was starting to wonder about this the other day. Kerchak is 9 months and hasn't made any attempt to lift his leg yet.
Our other dog lifts his leg, so Kerchak has someone to watch, but still squats.
He doesn't seem strongly territorial at the moment though. He'll sniff where Dusty has been, but doesnt attempt to re mark the area.


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## mjbgsd (Jun 29, 2004)

Akbar is now a leg lifter 24/7, lol.


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