Pseudo-urination in Dogs

While walking both of my dogs, Hugo the male Chinese crested stops at nearly every prominent vertical object to life his leg on it. Sometimes he even lifts his leg on Pony, my female mongrel. Pony has two speeds '" stop and warp drive. Since Pony is at least 50 pounds heavier than Hugo, if she wants to keep on walking, Hugo is knocked off balance when he tries to pee. After witnessing hundreds of Hugo's leg-lifts, I noticed that he only released urine about half of the time.

What is going on here? It could be that Hugo is stupid. He's over a year old and still barks at his reflection. But actually, there's something more complex going on here. When a dog goes into a urinating position but does not actually release any drops of urine, he is said to be pseudo-urinating. ("Pseudo" means "false" in Greek.) How many times can a dog pseudo-urinate. In 1973, one poor scientist counted 80 leg-lifts in four hours (with and without urine), notes "Handbook of Applied Dog Behavior and Training" (Wiley-Blackwell; 2000).

Why Dogs Pee on Just About Everything

It used to be thought that male dogs lifted their legs on just about everything because they were marking territory. They aren't, points out scientist, author and dog owner Alexandra Horowitz, PhD in "Inside of a Dog: What Dogs See, Smell and Know" (Scribner; 2009.) Just watch your dog when he's in the yard and he will not pee just on the yard's boundaries.

Urine is a highly effective form of communication between dogs. Urine can describe a dog's sex, health, age, fertility, diet, how long ago he or she deposited the urine and possibly a lot more details we do not yet know. Dogs use urine like calling cards or a Facebook wall. Dogs tend to pick the same spots to pee on again and again in order to sniff out any new postings and leave their own.

The Dog's Bladder

Dogs possess unusual bladders in that a dog can release a few drops or a small spray at a time. This may make the bladders seem to be never-ending, but they do hold a finite amount of urine. Healthy dogs are capable of controlling how much urine they release. Dogs with urinary tract infections or other ailments strain to produce a few drops or become incontinent.

Since urine is useful for communication, dogs often hold onto a reserve just in case they come across another canine urine message board. Male dogs will go through the motions of urinating without actually releasing urine. The theory is that if a dog smells that other dogs are nearby, they assume they are being watched and so pseudo-urinate. Adult male coyotes have also been observed pseudo-urinating.

What About Hugo?

Surprisingly little research has been done on dog behavior and even fewer studies on dog urination. Although Hugo is neutered, he sure likes to announce his presence in the entire neighborhood. I'm not entirely convinced that Hugo is showing off to other dogs, but it certainly keeps in with this Napoleonic complex.

Resources

"Handbook of Applied Dog Behavior and Training." Stephen R. Lindsay. Wiley-Blackwell; 2000.

"Inside of a Dog: What Dogs See, Smell and Know." Alexandra Horowitz, PhD. Scribner; 2009

"Pseudo-urination By Coyotes." FH Harrington. Journal of Mammology. August 1982.

Author's personal experience