Female Dogs' Pee Postures “Females usually squat to urinate because they can stay cleaner than if they lifted a leg,” Burch says. “Males try to point the pee away from their legs to keep them clean.” Other female dogs lift their legs to pee. They will assume this position for several reasons.
The researchers found that females squatted most of the time but that the squat-raise was also quite popular. Females used most of the other positions too, albeit on a limited basis.
Most of the time, squatting to urinate is normal — and not a sign of a health problem. “I wouldn't worry unless it's a change,” says board-certified veterinary behaviorist Dr. Karen Sueda, DVM, of the VCA West Los Angeles Animal Hospital.
Your dog may be fearfully urinating if:
He is a somewhat shy, anxious or timid dog (doesn't settle down or is easily scared). He has a history of rough treatment or punishment after the fact. The urination is accompanied by appeasing postures, such as crouching or rolling over to expose his belly.
While urination clearly functions in elimination for both sexes, its role in scent marking is thought to be larger in male dogs than in female dogs (Martins and Valle, 1948, Bekoff, 1979a, Pal, 2003). Indeed, Kleiman (1966) suggested that female dogs mark with urine only around the time they are in estrus.
The most common causes of urinary obstructions in male and female dogs are bladder stones, urethral stones and cancer. Additionally, disease of the prostate gland can cause urinary obstruction in males only, as females do not have a prostate gland. Also, spinal cord injuries can render a pet unable to urinate.
Urination accompanied by submissive behavior is known as submissive urination. The underlying cause of submissive urination is fear. A number of triggers such as a person approaching, punishment, scolding, and a deep and loud voice can cause dogs of any age to urinate submissively.
So, while male dogs are more likely to urinate to mark their territory, it is not uncommon for female dogs to lift their leg to leave a message for the next pup who comes along.
Some signs of a female dog going into heat may include lower energy levels, more aggressive behavior, differences in leg-raising while urinating, urinating more often than usual, and even running away from home. This is unlike male dogs, who do not experience heat cycles.
Because leg lifting can be associated with dominance and territorial marking, dogs who are submissive may not show this behavior. Other dogs simply don't find it comfortable and don't want to do it, or feel no territorial drive.
Urine marking is most common in intact males, but many neutered males and spayed females also mark their territory. Male dogs and some female dogs often lift a leg when they urine mark. Most urine marks contain only a small volume of urine.
Urinary system in female dogs
The urinary system or tract includes the kidneys, the ureters (tubes that connect the kidneys to the bladder), the bladder, and the urethra (the tube through which urine exits the body).
Why is my dog leaking urine while lying down? Dogs leak urine when lying down when their muscles relax so much that the bladder urethra loosens and fails to hold in the pee. This is usually a sign of losing muscle tone due to age or hormonal problems. But it could also be from diabetes, UTIs, or anatomic abnormalities.
Adult dogs that are one year or older should be able to hold their pee in for up to 6-8 hours. However, 8 hours is a bit of a stretch, and ideally, you should not expect your dog to hold their urine for longer than 6 hours.
Incontinence is quite common in dogs but is usually more of a nuisance to the owners, than a cause of distress to their pet. Urinary incontinence is more common in females than males because of the anatomical differences in the urinary tract - especially the shorter urethra in the female.
Submissive urination typically happens whenever a dog feels excited, shy, anxious, or scared. It also happens when a dog wants to acknowledge another's dominance — like recognizing you as their owner. Submissive urination is equally common in female and male dogs, especially if they're puppies.
The dog estrous cycle is made up of four stages. These are the proestrus, estrus, diestrus, and anestrus. The proestrus is the most obvious stage, while the other stages are more subtle.
Female dogs cycle into heat on average every six months. But this can vary, especially in the beginning, so it's a good idea to keep track. It can take some dogs 18-24 months to develop regular cycles. Small dogs will tend to go into heat more frequently, as much as three or four times a year.
Male dogs have homosexual sex under a variety of circumstances. They mount each other in dominance displays, and that mounting can involve anal penetration. (This is probably what happened in Tennessee if, in fact, there was even sex involved.)
Licking is a natural and instinctive behaviour to dogs. For them it's a way of grooming, bonding, and expressing themselves. Your dog may lick you to say they love you, to get your attention, to help soothe themselves if they're stressed, to show empathy or because you taste good to them!
Female dogs also engage in urine-marking. However, the behavior could be an indication of anxiety. You may be surprised to know marking behavior is not solely in the male province.
Your puppy is likely to grow out of submissive urination by the time they reach one year of age, even if you do nothing about it. However, it can be messy and unpleasant, and some dogs never grow out of it.
Most puppies outgrow submissive urination before one year of age. Unfortunately, some owners inadvertently encourage the behavior by coddling their nervous youngster.
Urinary tract infections, cystitis (bladder inflammation), bladder stones, kidney disease, or arthritis or age-related incontinence could all be causes of house soiling in dogs. In addition, pets with diarrhea or other intestinal illnesses may not be able to make it outside fast enough.