[Canyx]

Does anyone else have this issue? For a few months now, Brae will consistently pee on his own foot when squatting. He does lift his leg a lot now. But for major potty breaks he will almost always squat in a way where his pee hits his front left paw. It drives me crazy because my entire rental is carpet and I am very perceptive of urine odors. So if I'm doing a quick potty break, there's no way he just is coming inside after peeing down his leg. Right now I am hosing his paw down before letting him in. But in a few months when the water is off, that won't be a possibility anymore.

I suppose if this is a behavior I can't change, then I'll just have to have a moist towel ready at the door. But as it stands, I think I'm going to try some forcing and loop a leash around his paw before sending him out and gently maneuver it so that his pee doesn't hit his paw. He has no issue with handling or having the leash looped around him.
Anyone else have brilliant ideas? I am already rewarding when he pees and it doesn't hit is paw. And he potties on cue in general but I can't cue him to hike his leg during the big potty breaks.

I swear, the issues I'm having with this dog have absolutely nothing to do with 'high drive working dog' things. It's all 'he is kind of gross and weird' things (diarrhea and bowel issues, UTI in past, pees on himself, sometimes not aware and steps in his own poop, eats inedible things).

 

[Marvel]

Quill did this for a long time when he was a puppy. I didn't really know how to stop it, so I just bought some doggy wipes and wiped down his paw whenever it happened. I tried to shift his body with the leash at first, then I gave up.

I always attributed it to his long, gangly frame just making it awkward for him if he didn't lift high enough or just squatted. When he started hiking up his leg, it stopped for the most part. Now I just make sure he has something to mark if he's on leash (a tree, a shrub, etc) and if he's off leash, he generally finds something to mark when he pees vs just peeing in the middle of the yard. If he doesn't lift his leg or get it quite high enough, he'll still sometimes hit his front paw, but not nearly as frequently as he did when he was younger! And he's still a fairly leggy, long dog at two.

Anyway, I know that isn't offering any advice because we just waited it out -- but if Brae is anything like Quill, it will become a thing of the past when he gets older! I want to say around one or so is when I started to see Quill do this less. And you aren't alone!

 

[CptJack]

Really common in boy dogs as they get older but haven't yet really started lifting their leg. Thud was the worst because he was FLUFFY so pee would soak into the fur - and, actually, he'd hit the feathers at the back of his front legs. It was just disgusting and I am both hoping Kiran is one of the one that skips it and bracing.

 

[Canyx]

So what I should be doing is... Waiting a few months?

 

[Lillith]

Lol, Ralphie did and still does do that...and then licks it off because he hates other dogs' and his own poop/pee on him. He will often then run back to me and try to lick me. But once he started lifting his leg to pee that pretty much ended it. If he has to really really pee he still squats and sometimes dribbles on himself as he's standing up but...whatever I guess. He typically cleans himself up or I wipe it off.

 

[Hiraeth]

Zephyr and Titan both peed on their legs when they were younger. Titan now lifts his leg and it's not really a problem unless he is off balance. Zephyr still squats and hits his legs occasionally, but far less now than he used to.

I think waiting it out would be your best bet. As soon as he starts lifting his leg, it likely won't be a problem.

 

[Canyx]

He lifts his leg in general but still squats for, say, the first potty break in the morning or the last one at night.

 

[SnarkHunter66]

It took Riley lifting his leg to stop that completely, although he didn't hit himself that often when squatting. Still, that was better than Mick and Murph's routine of peeing on each other's head when we were out walking. Both would find an interesting scent, then one would cock a leg to mark the spot before the other could get out of the way. Murph is the only male now, and luckily can't lift his leg high enough anymore to nail Michaela.

 

[PatriciafromCO]

my guys have to learn not to pee the wrong way into the wind that we get... at 8 months my guy is not lifting his leg every time.. he stands and pees sometimes... think it is just time and maturity

 

[Lillith]

my guys have to learn not to pee the wrong way into the wind that we get... at 8 months my guy is not lifting his leg every time.. he stands and pees sometimes... think it is just time and maturity

Lol, Ralphie peed into the wind once. Blew in his face because he lifts his leg just enormously high and he was watching something kind of off to the side and behind him. He was horrified, lol, and I just laughed and laughed. I still don't know how he managed that, but whatever, dog.

 

[Jen2010]

He lifts his leg in general but still squats for, say, the first potty break in the morning or the last one at night.

Kane is the same. And sometimes he does pee on his own foot or leg. Maybe it's a big dog thing - just the way they're structured. It was definitely worse when he was younger though. Maybe because he was squatting more or maybe because his aim just wasn't as good - I'm not sure.

 

[3GSD4IPO]

My puppy does this too, but I never worried about it. They (typically) out grow it but not always. THEN there are those "lovely" males who mark in the house.

A funny thing this puppy does is stop and pee (sometimes lifting a leg in the air) and then look under himself AT the stream as if in wonderment as to "where it all comes from."

 

[Canyx]

It sounds like the problem is I thought it was abnormal when actually it is quite normal

 

[AsherLove]

My boy is getting better about not hitting his legs when he's staying still and peeing, but he very often doesn't finish peeing before he trots off and gets it all over, including on my feet sometimes!

 

[hanksimon]

Yeah, it's comparatively common as male dogs learn to aim better. Exposure to other male dogs that lift their leg may also help. Also, if he continues to squat for the big pee, if he gets a little taller, the angle will change.

Mikee lifts his leg low when he's emptying and fairly high when he's marking ... and his aim is getting pretty good.

 

[ForTheLoveOfDogs]

My foster boy peed on his feet quite a bit. I see it happen a lot in males. Boys are icky.

This is why I have girls. Haha.

 

[Canyx]

My foster boy peed on his feet quite a bit. I see it happen a lot in males. Boys are icky.

This is why I have girls. Haha.

Ohhh but I love boy-dog personalities