Why Does a Dog Pee Over Where Another Dog Just Peed?

Dogs are orderly creatures, regardless of the evidence to the contrary on your playroom floor. They live according to structure, hierarchy and territory. When you take Buster on his daily walk or pass time with him in the dog park, you've seen him ritually peeing here-there-and-everywhere, long after you'd think he'd have nothing left to squirt. He's "marking" to communicate with other dogs and other animal species.

  1. Countermarking

    • When Pal lifts his leg and deposits a bit of pee right where another dog just peed, it's not because he's suddenly decided he's got to go. He's engaging in the old-fashioned dog behavior of urine-marking. If Pal pees directly on the spot another dog peed, he's overmarking. Adjacent marking, meanwhile, is peeing very close to an existing mark but not on it. Both types of marking are referred to as countermarking.

    Equal Opportunity Marking

    • A marking dog doesn't have to be male, though marking is often associated with unneutered male dogs. Male and female dogs mark, and it makes no different who countermarks -- a female will happily pee where a male has left his mark. Though both will mark, marking behavior is different between genders. Dr. Karen Becker of Healthy Pets.com notes a 2011 study in "Animal Behavior" that found males are more likely to mark than females and that males are more likely to continue to mark -- they don't necessarily stop after marking just once or twice.

    Status Matters

    • The study ̶0;Effects of Sex, Social Status and Gonadectomy on Countermarking by Domestic Dogs, Canis Familiaris̶1; by Anneke Lisberg found a dog's status matters in his tendency to mark. A dog's tail position can indicate his status. A dog with a high tail position is considered high status, and a dog with a low tail position is considered lower status and tends to be more submissive. The "Animal Behavior" study found dogs with low tail position usually didn't countermark in dog parks.

    Social Networking

    • Pal's nose is a powerful tool in providing him information about his environment. When he marks, he's sniffing out information about who's been there before him. To you, it just smells like dog urine, but to Pal, it's valuable data about another dog's health, diet and reproductive status. When he leaves his mark behind, he's conveying similar information for other dogs to learn about him.

    Marking or Not Marking

    • Basic marking behavior can occur for a variety of reasons. Intact dogs are more likely to mark to advertise their breeding availability. A change in environment or anxiety may cause Pal to mark. Urinating erratically because of medical issues such as incontinence or urinary tract infections is not considered marking behavior. Marking is considered inappropriate if Pal's healthy and housebroken yet pees in unacceptable places such as on the living room carpet.

    No More Marks

    • Spaying or neutering a dog will help minimize inappropriate marking. If Pal's behavior is new, it's wise to have the vet give him a clean bill of health to make sure the issue isn't a medical one. Use enzymatic cleaners to clean up accidents; it will help keep your pup from returning to the scene of the crime. If you bring a new object into the house, wait until he's used to it before you put it in his reach. When he marks an appropriate object, such as the fire hydrant on the sidewalk outside, reward his good behavior. Don't punish him when you catch him marking inappropriately, though, as it may encourage him to mark on the sly.