What Does It Mean When a Dog Pees On You

What Does It Mean When a Dog Pees On You

Author WDF Staff | Last updated: Apr 11 2023

11.04.2023.


Dogs are our best friends, and we love and adore them no matter what they do. However, sometimes your dog could exhibit strange and weird behavior, and you will probably not know why is this happening. One of that behavior is peeing on people. We have witnessed dogs a few times in our life that started to pee on people – and the strange part about it was that they were always strangers included.

One time we noticed that the dog started peeing on his owner's leg, and it left the owner and us stunned. To better understand this dog behavior, or better said, misbehavior, we talked to our vet expert, and she helped us better understand why this is happening.

She quickly sorted this behavior into three groups:

  1. Communication and marking territory
  2. Medical and behavioral problems
  3. Puppy development

If you notice your dog starting to show this behavior, we will explain every group in detail to help you stop it.

1. Communication and marking territory

Most dogs will mark what they think is theirs, and the same could apply to you. In this group, there are two possible reasons for such behavior.

  • Scent marking
  • Asserting dominance

1. Scent marking

As we all know, dogs are driven by smell, and they heavily rely on their scent abilities to gather all the important information about the environment. This is also one way of communicating with other animals.

By peeing on you, your dog will want to make a scent that will indicate you are his property and to let other dogs and animals learn this "message. "

This type of peeing on people is extremely rare, and it doesn't happen that much, but for certain, it could happen.

2. Asserting dominance

Dogs are packed animals with a social hierarchy in their group. If you catch your dog pee on you, he could assert dominance over you and, in a way, want to take the lead. People often don't realize that asserting dominance could be only a temporary thing.

For instance, your dog could assert dominance in one moment, while in the other, he will be submissive towards you. You must understand your dog and what he is trying to communicate to stop this from happening in the future.

In some cases you can even find your dog pee on other dogs, and to better understand why is this happening and how you can stop this behavior make sure to check this article - 5 Reasons Why Do Dogs Pee on Other Dogs

2. Medical and behavioral issues

Dogs can suffer from many different health-related issues, just like humans. There could be a situation where you catch your dog peeing on you only to realize later that some medical issue is bothering him. Because of this, you must check your dog regularly to prevent health problems from happening.

1. UTI

UTI or urinary tract infection can cause a loose bladder in your dog, resulting in unexpected and inappropriate urination. If you suspect that your dog might have UTI, you must take your dog to the clinic as soon as possible.

If you want to learn what home remedies can help your dog with UTI, you can check this article - Home Remedies for UTI in Dogs

2. Incontinence

Incontinence is a very common problem in older dogs, and this could happen for various reasons. Incontinence could also be a symptom of some other underlying health issue that is bothering your dog, and it would be best if your vet could examine your dog to better understand what is bothering him,

3. Anxiety and stress

In this modern world, more and more dogs are affected by anxiety and stress. These emotional states can result in inappropriate urination. Your dog could start peeing on you if he finds himself in some stressful situation. For example, when you take your dog to a new environment when loud noises or strange people surround him.

Anxiety and stress will also cause your dog to show some other symptoms that you could notice and quickly realize that this peeing is not something your dog does on purpose.

Antoher strange behavior that many dog owners notice is their dog pee on their bed. If this also happens with your dog, here you can find an answer why your dog does it - Why Is My Dog Peeing On My Bed? How To Stop It?

3. Puppy development

We have all been there; we bring home a puppy only to catch him pee in the house. There is nothing strange about that. Young puppies will have to learn where they can and cannot pee, so you will have to properly train them.

When it comes to puppies peeing on you, there are two main reasons why this happens.

  • Incomplete training
  • Excitement urination

1. Incomplete training

You must devote time to proper training when you bring your puppy home. Your puppy will learn all the important information and proper behaviors only by doing so. If you house-train your puppy, but he still pees on you, maybe you should start again because your puppy didn't quite catch that.

2. Excitement urination

There are many reported cases where young dogs and puppies will pee on their owners out of pure excitement. This is a normal part of a dog's development, but you must sort this behavior out before this turns into something your dog regularly does.

Take note that you should not punish your puppy for this because this isn't something that they do on purpose. Rather, you should find a proper way to redirect their excitement into calm activities where they will not be overexcited to start peeing.

Even adult dogs could pee out of excitement and here you can learn how to stop this from happening in the future - Why Does My Dog Pee When Excited & How To Help Him?

How to prevent peeing on people?

If your dog constantly pees on you or other people, you must find a proper solution for this problem. If left untreated, this problem will only worsen, and you will have even more problems. Here is what you should do

1. Rule out medical problems

If your dog likes to pee on people, you should first eliminate the medical issue. Consult with your vet about your concerns, and your vet could determine if some medical problem is bothering your dog.

2. Proper training

If your dog's inappropriate urination is not caused by medical problems, proper training should be enough for him to remove this behavior from his life. Make sure not to punish your dog if he pee on people; rather, you should find a way to properly train him. Make sure to use a lot of praise and treats.

3. Create a calm environment for him

Removing stress or anxiety from your dog's life could go a long run and help your dog with inappropriate urination. Create a calm environment where your dog will be safe and solely introduce him to new things, places, and people.

4. Neuter or spay

Neutering and spaying your dog could help reduce territorial behaviors and displays of dominance. You should consult your vet, who will explain everything about neutering and spaying to you.

5. Seek profesional help

If nothing above seems to work, it is time to seek professional help. Seek assistance from a dog trainer or behaviorist; they could help you address this problem and remove it from your dog's life.

World Dog Finder team

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