Male Dogs lift their legs to urinate
Male dogs lift their legs to urinate and there is a reason for it. Legend has it that one time, this dog went to urinate next to a wall in full four paws. While he was at it, the wall suddenly fell over him. Since then, dogs lift their legs to hold the wall in case it falls over them again.
Obviously, this is just a word of mouth story parents would tell kids. You have noticed that, ever since your male dog is a 6-12-month-old puppy, he usually lifts their legs when they urinate. Whenever he sees a tree, a hydrant, a post, or anything else standing vertically he feels the urgent call to go and mark it with his leg up.
The reason why male dogs lift their legs to urinate
Dogs use urination for more than relieving themselves. You actually wonder how is he capable of holding little squirts for so many spots along the way. Usually, when a human needs to go, he will completely relieve himself and is incapable of holding it for periods of time.
Dogs also use urine to leave their mark. With their almost 300 million odor receptors (compare that to mere 6 million in humans) they have learned that their pee is unique enough and they want to leave a mark that “they were there”.
Just like a human wants to post the perfect Instagram, a dog wants to make sure he does his marking well. The height at which he leaves his urine mark is usually a status symbol, so he will do what it takes to make it right. Male dogs lift their legs when they urinate to help spray at a higher altitude on that post.
What to do
This is not a negative condition, it is perfectly normal and is not something you need to modify or worry about. Unless your dog is peeing on unwanted places or on people, there should not be a problem at all.
In Dogalize we have lost of tips and tricks to help you make the best out of your dog. Follow us and check out all the amazing resources in store for you.