Why Do Dogs Urinate On The Road?

Dogs urinate on roads because they mark their territory by urinating here and there. Urine marking in dogs is a form of communication. Dogs, when walking on the road, tend to leave their urine mark on the road. This way, they let other dogs know of their presence.

Both male and female dogs’ urine marks. However, male dogs show this marking behaviour more frequently as compared to female dogs. Your dog’s pee let other dogs know about your dog’s sex, identity, and reproductive status.

When your dog goes out on the road, it marks the road with its urine reflecting it as its territory. Urine marking can be done either on the poles, road bumps, car tires,s or particular roadside walls.

Related Reading: Reasons Your Puppy Peeing So Much

Urine marking on the road

Usually, dogs can begin urine marking at 3 months old. Some dogs urinate on objects while raising a leg to mark their territory and leave a message to other dogs. Other times, dogs may urinate on the road for medical reasons. 

You should consult a veterinarian before treating a dog for urine marking. Dogs typically urine mark for specific reasons, like:

• Reproductively intact dog: Unneutered males and unspayed females are more likely to urinate on the road.

• Female in heat: Female dogs’ marking occurs slightly before and while they are in heat. This behaviour is not typical for neutered or spayed dogs. 

• Environmental changes: When your dog’s environment changes, they might feel the need to mark their territory. If a new dog appears, the resident dogs may urinate on the road to indicate their territory.

• Social stimulation: Some male dogs urinate on the road when they encounter females. Many dogs urinate on the road when they come close to homes other dogs visit. If a rival dog is nearby, your dog might become overstimulated, resulting in urine marking.

• Anxiety: When dogs become anxious, they may deposit more urine than dogs marking for a different purpose. Some things that can trigger a dog’s anxiety are loud noises, new people in the home, or a person leaving the dog’s home.

Pet parent tip: Avoid scolding your dog for urinating on the road. If you punish or yell at your dog, behavior change is less likely to work out. They will only remember feeling embarrassed and not connect the yelling with the urine marking.

Medical causes of urine marking

Here are some of the medical causes of urine marking:

• Urinary tract infection(UTI): A dog with a urinary tract infection can frequently pass small amounts of urine. Dogs with UTI may also excessively lick their genitalia. 

• Involuntary urination: Some dogs experience urinary incontinence. For these dogs, the bladder becomes faulty and involuntarily passes urine. Dogs with this condition might urinate while asleep without being aware they are doing so.

• Medical complications: Sometimes urine markings are due to genitalia abnormalities. The abnormality can cause incontinence and leads to frequent urination. 

How can I stop my dog from urine marking? 

Urine marking can be a normal form of communication in dogs. However, if you are concerned that your dog needs specialized treatment, consider the following options:

By spaying or neutering your dog, you can reduce urine marking by 50 to 60 percent. 

If you don’t want to spay or neuter, you can try the suggestions below for reducing urine markings.

• Keep your dog away from things it is likely to mark. 
• Try a dog diaper as a temporary fix. This can be especially helpful when visiting new places.
• Clean the previously marked areas with enzymatic cleaners. This can reduce smells that may cause your dog to urine mark the same area again.
• Distract your dog with a different urine marking target. This target could be a tree trunk or another dog’s urine.

Pet parent tip: Don’t use an ammonia-based cleaner to wash the marked areas. Since urine contains ammonia, it may attract the dog back to the same location.

Don’t discourage your dog from urine marking during walks. This may cause the dog to begin marking at home. 

Why do dogs pee on tires

Your dog might have tried to pee on many different surfaces. Dogs urinate to mark their territory and tires are a prime marking spot. Usually, dogs prefer to pee on vertical things like poles, fire hydrants, and tire wheels. A vertical object, like tires, will also hold a scent longer than the ground.

Your dog loves to sniff the tire because it contains different scents. The tire could have been on different roads, grass, in a huge puddle, or markings from neighborhood dogs. 

That’s a lot of information for a dog to get through its nose and a tire has a ton of this type of information. 

Urine shares a lot of information with dogs and a dog can learn a lot from another dog’s urine mark.

• A dog can determine the gender
• A dog can determine if the other dogs are spayed or neutered. 
• It can also distinguish if a female is in heat.
• A urine mark can indicate if a dog is healthy or if it’s stressed.
• Urine mark can also indicate if the dog is an adult or a puppy. 

A tire already has a lot of scents and your dog is just joining a party for a dog’s senses.

Can I pee on my dog to show dominance?

Dominance is essential when it comes to a relationship with your dog. However, urinating on your dog isn’t the way to show dominance. Keep in mind that dominance isn’t going to involve peeing on the dog or using aggression. It’s about being strategic. It’s essential to understand the psyche of your dog and to stick to simpler tactics.

• Use a high-quality dog collar.
• It’s essential to not follow the dog. They will take over as a pack leader if you continue to follow their lead.
• Set clear boundaries with your dog and watch as it understands your dominance in the relationship.
• You can improve your dog’s general behavior with the use of training.

Final thoughts 

Urine marking is an intuitive exercise followed by dogs. The way you see a road and your dog sees a road are entirely different. No matter how hard you try, your fur buddy is still going to do it. There is no stopping to this!