Why Dogs Pee on Other Dogs? 7 Reasons & How to Stop It
Updated on
If your dog is guilty of peeing on other dogs, your first reaction might be embarrassment and disgust right before you wonder how to stop the behavior. To determine how to prevent it from happening again, you first need to understand the reason behind it. While it seems random, there is typically a logical explanation for the behavior. However, there are also many potential explanations, so let’s look at why your dog might be peeing on other dogs and what steps you can take to stop it from happening.
The 7 Reasons Dogs Pee on Other Dogs
1. Accidental Peeing
Accidents happen to the best of us; proximity and lack of attention can result in your dog accidentally peeing on another dog. If your dog has peed on another by accident, thankfully, there’s nothing you need to do about it—except maybe apologize to the other pet parent!
2. Marking Their Territory
You might be familiar with your dog stopping to pee on a wall to mark their territory; if your dog is feeling particularly threatened, they might pee on another dog in a show of dominance. This lets the newcomer know they’ve entered their territory and they’re showing who’s boss. You might also notice this occurring when you introduce a new pet to a home with a dog.
Neutering your dog can help with this behavior, but the best option is training; leash training is an excellent way to prevent your dog from asserting dominance. Not only should you remove your dog from the situation when they’re being territorial, but you should also reward them when they are not displaying territorial behavior.
3. Not Spayed or Neutered
This point is connected to the previous one; while it isn’t particularly common, males have been known to pee on females when they’re in heat. This lets other males know that this female is his.
Females generally mark areas before they go into heat, and they might urinate on males to repel or find mates. Again, spaying or neutering your dog will help with this behavior.
4. They’re Anxious
Anxiety can sometimes be so overwhelming that dogs can’t control their bladder when another dog sniffs them. Socialization is vital for a dog, especially one suffering from anxiety. It involves exposing your dog to other pets, people, and environments to prevent fearful reactions to unfamiliar stimuli. If you are unsure how to proceed, contact your vet for advice.
5. Medical Problem
Your dog might pee on another dog inadvertently because they don’t have the energy to do it away from them. If you notice your dog peeing more or having more accidents, there could be a medical issue involved, such as:
- Bladder infections
- Bladder/urethral stones/crystals in the urine
- Cancer
- Cushing’s disease
- Diabetes
- Electrolyte imbalances
- Hypercalcemia
- Hyperthyroidism
- Kidney infection/failure
- Liver infection
- Medication side effect
- Problems with the prostate
- Psychogenic Polydipsia (increased thirst)
- Pyometra (infection of the womb)
Contact your vet immediately if your dog experiences issues with going to the bathroom or displays any of the previous signs.
6. Drinking More for Non-Medical Reasons
Your dog might have more accidents because they are drinking more, which doesn’t always occur due to a health problem. A few other factors affect how much your dog needs to pee.
- Age: It’s common for puppies and seniors to urinate more often.
- Diet: High sodium or low protein diets can result in your dog urinating more frequently.
- Increased activity: If you have taken up running and decide to bring your dog with you, your dog might be more thirsty than usual and drink more often.
- Weather: If it’s warm, your dog will drink more, and having to pee might catch them off guard. Bad weather can also have an effect; a thunderstorm might frighten them, or rain might make them reluctant to pee outside, in which case they’ll have an accident later on.
It might feel like we’re pointing out the obvious here, but sometimes the most obvious explanation is one that we don’t consider. So, something as small as a lifestyle change or a change in the brand of food you’re buying might change your dog’s urination schedule.
In these cases, the way to stop this behavior is to be proactive instead of reactive. For example, make sure you take your dog outside to go potty more often if you’ve noticed a pattern of accidents, whether they’re getting older or drinking more often. If their diet isn’t working for them, your vet can help select a healthy brand if you’re unsure where to start. And when it comes to the bad weather interrupting their peeing schedule, be sure to take them to the bathroom when the weather improves, and be patient if they’re frightened since harsh words will only scare them more.
7. They’re Excited
Anxiety isn’t the only reason your dog might be unable to control their bladder; excitement can also lead to accidents. If you notice your dog getting excited when you have guests around, try to take them out to the yard or for a walk to empty their bladder before they arrive. Socialization can also help, as introducing them to new people, places, and scenarios will make having guests a more familiar occurrence than a novelty to get overexcited about.
Final Thoughts
There are various reasons why your pet might pee on another dog. Sometimes the reason behind this behavior is simple: they’re drinking more on a hot day and get a little overexcited, while other times, there is something more sinister at play that requires a trip to the vet.
Whatever the reason, your pet’s new behavior should be taken seriously. When dogs change their routine or display new behavior, they’re often trying to communicate something to their owners. If you address the problem with help from your vet, you can resolve the issue, and you won’t need to leave the dog park feeling embarrassed again!
Featured Image Credit: saclorine, Shutterstock
