Why Does My Dog Try to Pee on a Person's Leg?

If you knew your dog had or would develop a tendency to treat human legs like fire hydrants, you may have thought twice about bringing him home with you. As appalling as this behavior is, remember it̵7;s not personal: He̵7;s not doing it to get back at you, your mother-in-law or the good-looking woman at the dog park. Punishing him can exacerbate the behavior, further making you the most unpopular human-canine couple in any public place. As always, confer with your veterinarian to rule out a physical cause for your dog's excessive urination.

  1. Dominance

    • One reason your dog pees on objects -- inanimate and, in the case of human legs, animate -- or in specific spots is to communicate that he̵7;s dominant within an identifiable territory. He marks the territorial boundaries with urine to let other dogs know through the odor that he̵7;s claiming the area as his, and will defend it if challenged. This deters confrontations as other dogs get the odorous message. Don̵7;t scold your dog for this behavior, but you should discourage it in public places by not allowing him to stop and mark. Establish your dominant role by selecting a point during your walk for your dog to have a full bathroom break -- away from possible human leg targets.

    Confidence Issues

    • If your dog has confidence issues he is more likely to mark a person̵7;s leg than a dog who is comfortable with his relationships and his environment. It̵7;s similar to a schoolyard bully who overcompensates by declaring a piece of playground equipment as ̶0;his̶1; through intimidation because he lacks proper socialization skills to give him confidence. The confident canine, conversely, has no reason to worry about protecting his territory from potential invaders. Either dog may readily mark a new object that enters the household, but the least confident one is more likely to mark a visitor̵7;s leg while the more confident one is satisfied with marking his car tire.

    Intact Dogs

    • Intact dogs of either sex -- meaning an unspayed female or unneutered male -- are more likely to mark than spayed and neutered dogs. This means you are more likely to encounter incidences of inappropriate marking, such as on a person̵7;s leg. When the female is in heat, her pheromones in her urine communicate to male dogs that she is ready for breeding. Similarly, a male dog will pick up that scent and enthusiastically embark on his own marking spree to impress her. He also will mark more if there are other male dogs around, as he will consider them to be rivals for the female dog̵7;s affection. An intact dog has more male hormones so he will mark more, as his scent carries a stronger message to potential invaders. If you have a good reason to keep your dog intact, using a band or wrap that prevents marking will make your life easier and cleaner.

    Anxiety and Stimulation

    • Your dog may be reacting to excessive stimulation, which can make him anxious, or he̵7;s just a naturally anxious dog. For example, if several strange people suddenly descend on the household and there is a lot of commotion, he may react to the unusual events by marking prolifically -- almost as though he̵7;s unaware of what he̵7;s doing. This isn̵7;t abnormal behavior but it is inconvenient when he has easy access to many human leg targets. Other anxiety-causing moments such as a new pet or human baby also can trigger this response -- even a new piece of furniture. If you can predict stimulating events such as an unusually full household that may cause your dog to go on a marking spree, your guests will appreciate you placing your dog in a separate, more quiet room or in a crate.