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Canine Behavior/My dogs won't lift their legs

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Expert: Lee Charles Kelley - 1/12/2008


Question
QUESTION: Hi~
I had my rescued dogs neutered (one a male doberman/shepard and the other a male lab/pit bull) at 6 and 5 months old respectively.  They are now 18 and 15 months old and still do not lift their leg to urinate.  The vet said that they would; but they haven't.  They are very beautiful masculine looking dogs and it is  embarrassing that they go like puppies.  Is there anything that I can do?


ANSWER: Hi, Dianne,

Thanks for the question. Has your vet checked them for problems with their hip joints? It would be highly unlikely for both of them to have joint problems, but it could be one reason for a dog to not want to lift his leg to pee. And if one doesn't do it, sometimes the other dog won't either.

As for there being anything you can do to change the situation, there probably IS something, but I personally wouldn't know what it is, or how to go about "teaching" them to do lift their legs. (Many movie and TV dogs have to learn to lift their legs on cue, but they don't actually pee when they do it; in fact they don't really look like they're lifting their legs in the same a way real dog would when he pees.)

Do they spend any time playing with (or ever go on walks with) other males who DO lift their legs? If these two were my dogs, and I were concerned about them not lifting their legs to pee, I'd let them spend a lot of time around other males to see if they could learn this behavior from them.

Personally, I don't think there's anything to be embarrassed about. If they love you, that's all that matters.

I hope this helps,

LCK

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thanks for your answer. My follow-up is this: Is there a time limit for altered dogs to begin the function that is normal for male dogs, afterwhich I would contact the vet; or will it just start eventually?

Answer
Hi again.

I don't know that they WILL start lifting their legs. That normally happens during puberty (6-9 mos.).

Again, I'd take them to the dog park, or a socialization class, or just set up some puppy play dates with friends who have dogs, so that they can spend time playing, particularly with other male dogs.

I hope this helps

LCK

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Lee Charles Kelley

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I've been training dogs in New York City for nearly 20 years. My training approach and philosophy are based on the way police dogs, search-and-rescue dogs, and detection dogs are trained--through the prey drive, inherited from the wolf. It's true that there's been a shift away from using the "wolf model" in dog training recently, and to some extent, there's a good reason. That's because trainers have been using the wrong model, the one that says you have to be the "alpha" or the pack leader in order to control your dog's behavior. This simply isn't true. In wild wolves there is no dominance hierarchy, no "alpha" wolf, and no pack leader (not in the traditional sense). The pack instinct only exists to enable wolves to hunt large prey by working in harmony. (Wolves who live near garbage dumps, for example, and who don't hunt together, don't form packs.) So if wolves don't have an instinct to "follow the pack leader" or "obey the alpha wolf," how could dogs have inherited it from them?

Years ago, before I became a dog trainer, I noticed that the happiest, most obedient, and best-behaved dogs I met weren't the ones who'd been to a dog trainer or behaviorist; they were the dogs whose owners always had Frisbees and tennis balls on hand. And while it might seem that my approach would only be relevant to high-drive dogs who love fetch and tug-of-war, it isn't. Even something as seemingly unrelated as a housebreaking issue or greeting behavior are often the direct result of a dog's predatory energy not having an acceptable outlet.

All behavior is an expression of energy. So when a dog's energy isn't utilized in a way that feels satisfying to his or her instincts and emotions, that's when behavioral problems develop. Giving the dog an acceptable outlet for its energy will almost always bring the dog's behavior back into alignment with its instincts

Feel free to ask me questions about any training/behavioral issue.

LCK

Experience

20 years as a dog trainer. I'm also a bestselling author, writing a series of dog-related mystery novels for Avon.

Organizations
Dog Writers Association of America

Education/Credentials
Just a natural gift I have for understanding and training dogs

Past/Present Clients
Too numerous to mention.

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