Strange Question...

I know that this is probably a strange question, but I have to ask anyway. I have never owned a male pup before (all the males I've ever owned were older dogs when I got them) and I notice that he doesn't lift his leg to pee. Do male puppies learn this from watching other male dogs? Or is it something that he will do naturally as he gets older? Not that it would bother me if he never lifts his leg, but I was just wondering... :o Thanks!

My male dog rarely lifts his leg either - someone told me it is something they learn from other male dogs but who knows? The first time he lifted his leg was at 7 months, right outside the vet's - on his way in to be neutered. He has only lifted it a few times since and always in the same place. But like the true ballerina he is, he has to lift his leg to a true 90 degree angle which requires a perfectly flat place to stand and balance himself - and there is such a spot next to a tree. People laugh when they see him do this - the balancing on those long Eskie legs. I wish he would lift his leg though so that I didn't feel such a pervert watching to see if something is coming out so that I can go back in when it is freezing.

My dog is almost 10 months and has just started to lift his leg sometimes. And it was only after he started living close to an older male dog (before he lived with a female) that he occationally started doing it, so he must have watched the other dog do it and decided that it looked like fun. I guess pups need that male presence in their lives just like humans :)

"Leg lifting" can take a real long time to master! Some males dogs never get it...and always pee like a female.

:D feel such a pervert watching to see if something is coming out

LOL! I do the same thing and feel the same way! Parker gets treats for pottying outside (he is still in training) and sometimes I wonder if he actually goes or if he has figured out that if he squats for a second, he gets a treat, so I try to see if he's actually peeing!! :D As soon as he comes back inside, he sits in front of the cupboard that his treats are in and waits for you to get him one. :rolleyes:

My males started lifting thier leg at about 4 1/2 months of age.As soon as I took them out for thier walk,they would sniff the hydro pole out front,lift their leg and pee.....LOL...And to be honest,they never actually watched a male lift it's leg.

I have two females and both lift their legs :confused: I dont know where they learned that from but everyone always comments on by good looking boys!!!!

(Next collars will be pink!)

My 3-1/2 months old male puppy Diego never lifts his legs to pee.

Sammie lifts his leg sometimes. If he is in a real hurry though, he just stands where he is and goes. He dosen't lift or squat!! It is the funniest thing. It looks like he is just standing in the middle of the yard looking around. You usually see him sniffing the air or whatever.

My in-law's bull terrier does a half squat. I've only seen him lift his leg a few times and always just an inch or so off the ground. It might the case with most muscular/heavily built dogs, they're less flexible than other dogs. I could be wrong but it's just what I notice.

Thanks for the replies. I know that baby horses won't learn to buck unless they see an adult do it, and from the thread about the "smelly cat" I've learned that kittens won't learn to clean themselves unless another cat teaches them how, so I was thinking that maybe he needed an example. Of course, it won't be a bad thing if he never lifts his leg - I won't have to worry about him peeing on coolers, tents, etc - he'll just pee next to them! :D

Anyway, thanks for making me feel like my puppy isn't alone in this behavior!!

Blaze is 14mths and had never lifted his leg to pee, he does watch Jordie (male) but never has tried. Really don't mind if he never does it, another strange thing about BLaze... he will not go pee anywhere but at home, not on walks or even if we go out of town. We went to my sisters we were gone 6 years and he held it the whole time...weird.

hi kandy! I have 2 males and my demon didn't lift his leg till he was about 8 months old (hes almost 2 now) and casper is 10 1/2 months and he just stands there and pees. Last week we were at the vets and I asked them about casper lifting his leg and they told me he may never lift his leg because of demon being a dominant male. Demon lift his leg on everything outside, he pees everywhere outside even over the other dogs pee. Last week I was standing outside with him and playing with him and he had the nerve to lift his leg and pee on my leg.
LOL i know
____________________
I LOVE SIBES

sam doesnt lift his leg, I had a springer spaniel once tho that had horrid balance, and every time he lifted he would fall over.

needless to say he chose not to lift very often


Eleni

I think they start when they get a little older and start wanting to mark their territory by peeing on trees, fences, tires, etc... If you have him neutered he may not do it.

We went to my sisters we were gone 6 years and he held it the whole time...weird.

Man, 6 years? That is weird! LOL :p

we were gone 6 years and he held it the whole time

WOW! Talk about an iron bladder! LOL

Dodger didn't lift his leg until after his neutering surgery! If he needs to pee desperately then he will just let it all out (he'll usually lift his left leg about an inch off the ground). Otheriwse he will mark on his favourite thing - cedar hedges! He's 10 1/2 months old now and his "marking" still confuses me. He raraly marks in the same places and from my observation he's not doing it to mark out his territory. He seems to be marking without knowing the "why" behind it.

Oh well, puppies will be puppies!!

Melissa

Last week we were at the vets and I asked them about casper lifting his leg and they told me he may never lift his leg because of demon being a dominant male. Demon lift his leg on everything outside, he pees everywhere outside even over the other dogs pee. Last week I was standing outside with him and playing with him and he had the nerve to lift his leg and pee on my leg.
LOL i know
____________________
I LOVE SIBES


Thanks for posting that, I really get it now. :o This is so much the case with my dogs. Blaze is so laid back with all dogs M/F yes even Jordie all 15 lbs of him. :D

Both my dogs are males and they do not lift their leg. We laugh at them all the time. But I would rather tham not because than you do not have to worry about them lifting their leg in a place you do not want them to. :D

Den-Den was 4yo before he started lifting his leg. Corky learned from watching Den-Den when he was about 4mos.

Chewie loves to lift his leg but he can only do it if he can find something to balance against and he has to be facing the right way. :crazy: More than once he has done a face plant by not balancing the right way or whatever he has leaned against has given out. We try not to laugh :rolleyes:

Some of these answers are so funny :p I have been sitting and chuckling while reading them. I just had to ask because I have never seen a male squat like that! Glad to know that it seems to be pretty common. :D

It has to do with your dog's confidence level- the more confident, or more dominant dogs pee as high as they can to tell others how tall they are. More submissive doggies can take a while to learn to pee with a leg up. Some have a hard time claiming territory.

Boo took almost a year. The day we went for his surgery was the first time he tried, and even then we had to help him stay up. Now he always goes with a leg up but he is VERY selective of his spot (he's pretty submissive to other dogs).

It's funny the things we talk about and the things we take pics of here's Blaze. :D

I didn't realize that dog's lifting their leg was a dominance thing, although I did watch a 'pissing contest' once between two dogs. We were at the lake and some people pitched their tent not 20 feet from our camper (pretty rude since there is about 60 miles of shore line to choose from) and when they went out on their boat, they left their two dogs tied up in their camp. Both of the dogs were tied pretty close to the tent and we watched the German shepard pee on the corner of the tent, then the little one (don't know what breed he was) went over and peed in the exact same spot. They went back and forth until I know that neither one of them had anything left to pee. I am sure that everything inside that corner of the tent was soaked and stinky! Served 'em right for camping right on top of us! :evil: My husband and I laughed so hard I thought I was going to pee! :p

I don't think Blaze would appreciate that.. SOMEBODY's gotta defend him.. Here I gave him some privacy... :p

Prin: Too Funny!!! Now I really am going to pee!

Blaze will pee two feet from you, he doesn't mind...honest :D
But very cute :thumbs up

Yukon is about a year old now and he still squats... I'd rather him squat so he can't lift his leg on the kid's toys and such, but when he squats he sometimes pees on his front paw! He can't even do that right! :rolleyes:

Poor Blaze no privacy man. Mean ol mom post pictures of your girly pee break! LOL :D :eek: Don't worry baby my puppies pee like girls as well. I will get on mom for posting that. LOL :D

Poor Blaze no privacy man. Mean ol mom post pictures of your girly pee break! LOL :D :eek: Don't worry baby my puppies pee like girls as well. I will get on mom for posting that. LOL :D

It's actually funny, Blaze doesn't mind peeing right in front of anyone, he will bring the ball drop it pee and wait for me to pick it up like nothing. :D Everything about the boys are cute.

He is cute whether he is peeing or playing. That is how Meater will do he does not care who is there or who is watching if he has to pee than he pees. Now Chino will go behind the shed everytime. LOL :D