Owning dogs is undoubtedly a beautiful, fun-filled experience. But in certain cases, some behaviors of your dog can upset or confuse you. One such behavior is peeing on you.
Being peed on by your closest buddy is ideally the worst thing you can face. It’s embarrassing. Like many other dog parents, you can even get tempted to punish or shout at your dog for this behavior. But this won’t solve the problem.
Dogs have different modes of communication. Eventually, it’s often confusing to understand some of their actions and behaviors, causing misinterpretation. Punishing or yelling at them will only make the situation worse.
So what does it mean if your dog pees on you? Peeing is a dog’s instinctive nature. But it doesn’t mean that they would pee on you or other people every time.
Your dog can pee on you suddenly because of fear, illness, or excitement. There are many other legitimate reasons behind this behavior. However, if it’s a behavioral problem, you can change it through proper training.
This article will discuss all the possible reasons why your dog pees on you and what you can do to stop it. Keep scrolling down!
7 Possible Reasons Why Your Dog Pees On You
A dog can pee on their parents for various reasons. But one thing you can rest assured of is that your dog isn’t trying to be rude or naughty by peeing on you willingly. Dogs can’t differentiate between good and bad actions.
There must be some legitimate reasons that are causing your buddy to do this mishap. Let’s find the real cause!
1. Marking you with their scent
The first possibility you can think of if your dog suddenly pees on you is the scent or territorial marking. This behavior is an inherent quality of mostly all animals. One day you woke up in the morning and saw your buddy had committed this mishap while sleeping. Either he wants your attention, or his scent is marking you.
Dogs are popular for territorial marking. And one of their most common ways is to lift their leg and urinate a small amount. It’s a relatively easier way to leave their body odor.
These marking behaviors usually start after you bring them home as a new pet or move them to a new place. Dogs can even mark you with pee if they feel something that makes them anxious or uneasy, like meeting new people or encountering unfamiliar dogs.
What can you do to stop it?
Although they aren’t trying to be rude, peeing on you is indeed bad manners.
You can correct or control this behavior through consistent training. Training helps strengthen your bond with your dog. And simultaneously, it instills good manners and habits.
The next time you see your buddy lifting their leg to pee, use firm commands like “No” or “Don’t” and move away from the place. You should be a bit louder and clearer to make your command audible to your dog.
With repeated verbal commands and actions, you can break this habit. However, patience will be highly appreciated!
But if your dog still ignores your commands and pees on you, talk to your vet or trainer about how to deal with this bad behavior.
2. Nervousness or stressed
Your dog can pee due to nervousness or anxiety. Most animals, including humans, pee out of fear, anxiety, or distress. Peeing is natural if someone is too scared.
Another possibility is that your buddy is very stressed. So it can cause them to scent-mark more often by peeing on you.
However, you can tell if it’s nervous peeing by looking at the volume. It tends to be lower than a full release during nervous peeing. Other symptoms associated with anxiety or stress include:
- Drawn back ears
- Shaking
- Panting extremely
- Hanging their heads
- Tail between the legs
What can you do to stop it?
Unfortunately, you can’t do much to deal with this condition. If your dog has peed on you out of anxiety or fear, don’t yell or scold them. They haven’t done it intentionally. A stressful condition caused a bodily reaction that they couldn’t control.
What you can do is take your buddy away from the anxiety situation. Or instead of scolding them, cuddle them to ensure that you love them and there’s nothing for them to fear.
3. Too much excitement
Your dog is simply very excited! And out of that excitement, they peed on you unintentionally.
Peeing in excitement is common in many dogs. For example: your dog can pee on you after you get back from work. Or he can pee if guests turn up at home or he sees anything interesting to eat.
Dogs generally get most excited when they perceive that they will go out for a walk. They may leave lots of pee on the floor or pee a bit on you.
When a dog pees out of excitement, it won’t empty its bladder completely but instead pee a little bit. Other associated signs of excitement include panting, spinning in circles, and wagging the tail.
What can you do to stop it?
First of all, never scold if your dog has accidentally peed on you because he is excited. It’s an instinctive action. However, don’t even praise them for it. Try out different ways to calm down your dog. If your pooch is a pup, peeing in excitement will gradually become less of a habit as they grow older.
4. Sickness
It’s the most unfortunate cause. Peeing can also indicate the inception of an illness. When sick, dogs can lose a bit of control over their bladder.
This usually occurs when dogs are in their old age. They start losing their faculties or can’t move quickly. So while they can’t move out to pee, they unwillingly pee on your lap or where they are resting.
On the contrary, peeing on you can also indicate a rapid onset of a new illness. In these conditions, you will naturally understand that your canine is peeing on you because something is wrong with their health.
Here are some of the common illnesses that lead to loss of bladder functionality:
- Urinary tract infections
- Kidney stones
- Kidney disease
- Hormone imbalance
- Prostate disorders
- Dementia
- Spinal injuries.
What can you do to stop it?
If your dog is peeing due to an illness, your vet is just the one who can help. Take your dog to the vet to detect the underlying health issue and start immediate treatment.
5. Not neutered or spayed
Neutering or spaying your canine can help them settle more during their daily lifestyle. More significantly, it makes dogs less likely to urinate on you and the house.
Unspayed dogs are known to be more territorial in nature than neutered ones. These canines pee on places to mark their territory or things that are theirs.
And if they pee on you, dear parent, you are only theirs. The tendency to scent-mark increases in non-neutered or spayed dogs.
What can you do to stop it?
Neutering or spaying your dog can be beneficial. It can cause behavioral changes. However, it won’t completely eliminate the urge to mark with scent.
Below are some benefits of neutering or spaying dogs:
- Reduces aggression in both genders
- Minimizes wandering
- Decreases clingy tendencies
- Minimizes humping and mounting habits
- Reduces the possibility of unwanted pregnancies.
- Well, it’s better to consult your vet to make the best decision.
Unwanted pee on you and in the home can indicate your dog isn’t properly trained at home. Or your dog might be new to the place. Thus, they aren’t aware of your home rules, like where to urinate or how to let you know that they want to pee.
What can you do to stop it?
You must take your furry buddy outside daily soon after waking up. Take them more to grassy areas. However, puppies would need to make more outdoor visits to pee and poop.
The next thing you must do is avoid talking to your dog while they are about to go to the toilet. Otherwise, they might not get easily accustomed to the habit you want them to learn.
Moreover, while peeing or pooping outside, praise a lot. You can also praise them with treats to keep up their interest in going outside to pee.
However, if your dog accidentally causes the mishap, it can encourage anxiety and fear.
7. Submissive peeing
If you greet or pick up an extremely submissive and nervous dog, they can pee on us. They urinate accidentally while trying to ensure or appease you that you are amiable to them.
Check out the symptoms of submissive peeing below:
- Roll over onto the side or belly
- Ducking head low
- The tail is kept low or tucked low and wagging tightly at the end
- Shaking or shivering
- Nose or lip licking
- Trying to lick your face.
What can you do to stop it?
These dogs need proper training and socialization to boost their confidence around people. Don’t punish or scold them for submissive peeing! This will just aggravate the problem, increasing their fear.
Things to Do If Your Dog Urinates On You
If your dog keeps peeing on you, take them to your vet to detect any underlying health issues. They can be suffering from diabetes or a UTI. More significantly, stop your buddy from getting on your lap or the places where they tend to pee.
On the contrary, you can try to stop your dog from rushing at the door when you or your guests arrive. They can pee on you out of excitement. Thus, it’s better to use crate or place training to stop them from greeting you when excited. You can put a leash on your pooch to prevent them from greeting you or others freely.
Never shout at or scold them for accidentally peeing on you, as it can make things worse. It can impact the bond between you and your dog. With positive reinforcement and obedience training, teach your canine to control its excitement and to sit politely in a place.
If you still haven’t, spay or neuter your dog. Another possibility is that your dog is suffering from separation anxiety. Address these problems immediately.
Train your dog with commands like “sit” and “don’t,” and teach them not to run ahead of you through the doors.
FAQ’s
How do you stop your dog from peeing?
Try to stop your dog from getting on your lap frequently, especially when they are too excited. In addition, train them to prevent them from rushing the doors on your arrival. Dogs can pee accidentally out of extreme excitement.
How can you treat submissive urination?
Firstly, you should avoid looking straight into your dog’s eyes. Then, get closer to them from the side and kneel down to their level.
In the case of puppies, crouch down to their chin instead of their head’s top. In addition, you should maintain low-key greetings. You can consider taking your furry buddy outside immediately to relieve themselves after you return home.
Why did your dog pee on your foot?
Your dog can urinate on your foot because you might be standing close to a place they want to make a part of their territory. However, some dogs make territorial markings if they feel threatened. So if new people enter their territory, they are likely to confront “friendly fire” as peeing.
The Takeaways
If your dog pees on you or your guests, it’s undoubtedly embarrassing. But remember that they aren’t trying to be rude or doing it willingly. And it’s a complete myth that dogs show dominance by peeing on people.
Dogs have some inherent behaviors that they express to show dominance or aggression toward someone. On the contrary, if they pee while greeting someone, it indicates their submissive nature.
Overall, dogs peeing on you or other people isn’t normal behavior. This behavior can be a sign of behavioral issues like anxiety and fear. In reverse, it can also be a sign of a serious medical condition. You must take your canine buddy to the vet for a proper checkup and diagnosis.
Elena Gherman is a highly skilled and knowledgeable animal care expert. At the start of her career, she gained practical expertise with multiple animals. In addition to that, she works as a DVM veterinary editor for Joy Pet Products, which focuses on offering reliable information on pet health and wellbeing. She meticulously reviews each piece of writing before it is published to make sure pet owners get the most precise and updated information possible.