Is it normal for a dog to walk while peeing? Usually, dogs have numerous ways of communicating, one of which is through urination. However, when this happens as the dog walks, it can be overwhelming.
Some of the reasons your dog walks while peeing include submissive urination, marking, excitement, and urinary tract infection. Most of the issues are nothing to worry about, but sometimes consulting a veterinarian can help solve the problem.
This article will examine these reasons and other unusual peeing behavior that might manifest in your dog. Thus, continue reading to the end and discover this and much more.
Why does my dog walk while peeing?
Submissive urination
This is common and normal behavior, especially among puppies. With time, they tend to outgrow this behavior. However, some continue till adulthood.
How do you know it is submissive urination and nothing to worry about? If your dog urinates when being scolded, it is a sign of submissive urination when excited, shy or anxious. Similarly, this behavior can happen as a way of acknowledging that you are happy about you being his master.
How can you help your dog to stop this behavior? Instead of scolding and punishing it, it is best to offer training and be patient. Also, reward it whenever it does something remarkable.
Signs of submissive urination
· If it pees while being scolded
· When someone tries to greet it
· Presence of noise disturbance
Urinary incontinence
How old is your dog? Urinary incontinence is a common behavior among puppies as their bladder is not fully developed. As such, they are unable to hold urine for a long time. Thus, your dog does not want to be left behind during the walk, nor can it hold its bladder. As a result, it will end up peeing while walking.
However, if your dog is an adult and has this issue, it is best to have it examined by a veterinarian. A weak bladder can be resolved through simple antibiotics.
Urinary tract infection
UTI is another health issue that could cause your dog to urinate while walking unknowingly. If you notice that the dog is passing urine during the walk without stopping for a minute, it can be a sign of a UTI.
Urinary tract infection is a common problem among many dogs. However, there is nothing to be worried about as it can be treated. Visit the veterinarian for a proper diagnosis. The vet will prescribe some antibiotics that will be effective in treating this issue.
Excitement
Is it possible that your dog’s behavior is a result of excitement? Are there factors that could contribute to its excitement? If your dog has spent the whole day locked in a cage when it gets out for a walk, it is likely to become overly excited. This can result in it peeing while walking as a way of communicating its excitement to you.
How can you solve this behavior? Training is the best solution. Teach your dog to obey the command. This will help in ensuring that it listens to you whenever you reprimand its behavior.
Marking
Dogs are territorial, and marking is a common behavior among most dogs. It is a sign of dominance in the area. But why pee as it walks? The reason why it pees as it walks is that it wants to mark a large extent. It wants to let other dogs that pass the same route know of its existence. In this case, avoid punishing the dog and let it be a dog.
It is in heat
What gender is your dog? When you notice this behavior before worrying too much, consider its gender and age. If your dog is a female and is an adult, it may be in heat. When a female dog wants the attention of the male dog, it is likely to pee during the walk to let the world know.
Why pee while walking? It wants to ensure it has left enough scent along the way to increase its chances of being found.
Why is my dog suddenly peeing while walking?
When your dog was not peeing before walking, the sudden change of behavior can be very heartbreaking. Some of the common triggers can be excitement, health issues, or aging. In this section, we will examine some common factors that could facilitate a sudden change of behavior.
Excitement
Could it be that your dog has suddenly become overly excited over something? Are there triggers that could have resulted in its excitement? When a dog becomes suddenly excited, it can result in an unexpected behavior change like peeing while walking.
How do you know it is exciting and nothing to be worried about? Look for triggers that could cause excitement, like meeting other dogs or pets. Also, consider how often it happens? Is it an occasional behavior, or has it become a new norm?
Identify the triggers and avoid them during the walk. Also, you can solve this issue by teaching your dog to obey commands. This will ensure that it does not get overly excited during the walk, resulting in peeing.
Aging
How old is your dog? Old age can be the cause of sudden peeing while walking. This is because as it ages, muscles controlling the urethra become loose, resulting in leakage. Also, some become senile as they age and do not realize they are urinating.
If aging is the cause of the sudden change in peeing behavior, your dog will take a pee while walking and is likely to experience leakage while sleeping or relaxing in the house. If your dog is old, aging could be the cause of peeing while walking.
Health issue
Numerous health problems could cause your dog to start peeing while walking suddenly. Some of which include urinary tract infection and ectopic ureters.
Urinary tract infection
UTI is a health problem resulting from bacterial infection. It is a common health problem among aged dogs whose immune system is not able to fight infection. However, it can also affect the health and young dogs.
If you observe a sudden behavior change, it is recommended that you visit the vet for proper diagnosis and treatment. The beauty of this issue is that it is treatable with antibiotics.
Ectopic Ureters
This is a physical defect that is a more serious condition. It can affect one or both ureters. When the ureter fails to connect the kidneys to the bladder, urine will start leaking to the uterus or vagina.
The urine will then be released uncontrollably as only the bladder is capable of controlling it. This could be the reason why your dog suddenly started peeing while walking.
What should I do about my dog walking and peeing?
Seek medical attention
Since some of the causes are medical-related, it is essential to visit the veterinarian for a proper diagnosis. The vet will conduct an appropriate examination and make an informed diagnosis on how to treat the issue. Some of these health problems like UTI are treatable through the use of antibiotics.
However, in some cases, like where the dog has ectopic ureters, surgery is recommended. Irrespective of the health problem, there is a solution in each situation.
Stop and allow your dog to pee.
When you realize that your dog pees as it walks, it is possible that it cannot control its urine. In such a case, stand for a moment and allow your dog to finish its business peacefully without having to keep up with you.
This should be more so for young and aged dogs whose bladder is still fully developed or has become loose over time. This issue will stop as it reaches adulthood and fully develops a large bladder enough to hold the urine for a puppy. However, if your dog is aged and continues aging, the problem cannot be resolved. It can only be managed through medication and stopping during walks to provide ample time for it to pee.
Train your dog
Could it be that this is a behavior that has developed due to a lack of proper training? If so, start training your dog or hire a competent dog trainer. Most importantly, teach your dog to obey commands. This will be very impactful when directing your dog to stop and go peeing.
Also, you can include a reward system while training. Rewarding your dog whenever it obeys your command will always follow your command as it expects to receive a gift.
Avoid or eliminate excitement triggers.
Avoid all possible triggers that make your dog overly excited during walks. Before avoiding it, determine what causes your dog excitement. Are there other dogs along the way? Is it a large crowd of people that causes it to be overly exciting?
If this is the case, avoid following that route every other time to minimize these triggers’ effects. If the dog is not exposed to excitement triggers, there will be nothing causing it to pee while walking.
Establish a routine
Dogs are very good at following routines. Decide that before the walk, the dog should go potting. This will allow your dog to release itself and be ready for the walk completely. Also, ensure it does not drink a lot of fluid before the walk, as it can become challenging to hold it until you come back.
This will ensure the dog has completely emptied its bladder, eliminating the possibility of peeing while walking.
Why does my dog poop while peeing?
Does your dog poo while peeing? Should you be worried about behavior? While it can be a medical cause in rare cases, most of the time, it is nothing to be concerned about. In this section, we will examine the causes and possible solutions to the problem.
It had been locked inside for a long time.
For how long do you leave your dog locked in its cage or in the house without leaving room for potting? If you have trained your dog not to potty in the house, it will hold in its waste until it gets a chance to get out. Once it goes out, it will poop and pee simultaneously as a result of holding it for too long.
Does not have enough potting time
While outside, for how long do you allow your dog to go potting? If you are always in a hurry to get inside, it might go into the house before finishing its business. The moment you get a chance to be out, you will realize it is peeing and pooping simultaneously.
Loose bladder
Is it possible that your dog has a loose bladder? How old is he? An old dog is likely to have its bladder loose as the muscles surrounding it become loose and hence unable to hold the contents. There are other health issues like UTI that might cause involuntary peeing while pooping.
How do you stop your dog from peeing while pooping?
Let it out a few times a day.
After how many hours is the dog supposed to go potting? Usually, an adult dog can hold potting for a maximum of eight hours if it has no health issues. However, puppies are supposed to go potting every two to three hours. If your dog is supposed to go potting twice during the day, ensure it can let itself out of the house or have a dog setter around if you are not. This will ensure it has time for peeing and later for poo.
Increase outdoor time
After a long day being locked in the house, how many hours of being outdoors do you allow your dog? Is it enough to play and go potting? It is essential to consider increasing the amount of time for potting. This will ensure the dog releases itself fully.
Medical check-up
If your dog’s behavior is a result of a medical issue, it is essential to consult with the vet for proper diagnosis and treatment. Some health issues will be treated with antibiotics, while others might require surgery. Irrespective of the procedure, your dog will be treated and the problem eliminated.