During the summer holidays, Janai our darling niece came to visit for a week to spend her summer vacation with our family.
During the summer holidays, Janai our darling niece came to visit for a week to spend her summer vacation with our family.
She has always adored animals but never had one due to her family’s strict no-pet policy.
I tried several times to convince her parents to fulfill her long-standing wish for a pet.
Our conversations covered the joys of having a pet, the valuable lessons in responsibility it could teach her, and the protective benefits of having a loyal companion.
Her parents were not indulging, which left her feeling disappointed.
It was only natural that she chose to spend a week of her summer vacation with us.
When she arrived, her excitement was palpable- not only because she was going to spend a memorable time with us, but for the opportunity to finally take care of her favorite pet animal, a dog.
Janai spent so many happy hours each day interacting and playing with our dogs.
She was fascinated by their high level of energy, friendly gestures, and desire for attention which was the only companionship she had always craved.
During one of these interactions, she was puzzled by a behavior she observed in our dogs, prompting her to ask over dinner, “Why do dogs lick other dogs’ pee?”
If you are like Janai our niece, and you have always wondered “Why Do Dogs Lick Other Dogs Pee”
Here are the reasons why most dogs exhibit such behavior that we might find odd or disturbing.
Communication and Information Gathering:
Dogs have a unique and strong sense of smell, more than other domesticated pet animals and even humans.
In contrast, they have 22o olfactory receptors, while humans have 5 million.
They also have specialized and more efficient Jacobson’s organ, olfactory bulb size, and scent memory.
Their specialized and more efficient sense of smell is used to gather information about other dogs’ sex status, health, heat period, etc.
For example, the female bitch, when on heat period and ready to have sexual intercourse, releases a certain type of smell in her urine, when licked by the male, sends a signal about readiness to mate.
In humans, we use our specialized and efficient brains while dogs use their specialized and efficient sense of smell.
Marking of Territory:
Humans have the knowledge, expertise, and technical know-how to mark/fence their properties/territory but not dogs.
The only way they can mark and protect themselves is by using urine.
When other dogs lick the urine, the smell of the urine communicates the message.
Curiosity and Exploration:
This behavior is mostly exhibited in puppies or newly introduced dogs.
They do it out of curiosity or as part of their learning process in their new environment.
Dehydration:
If a dog is thirsty, their instinct is to drink from any available liquid that does not taste bitter or appear harmful, and in most cases, they will likely drink their urine or that of other dogs.
Even some humans in war crime areas have been reported to drink to drink their urines to quench taste.
It is a means of survival in dogs.
Other reasons why a dog will lick another dog’s pee are because of the taste and texture and establishing hierarchies in a pack.
Is it Bad for a Dog To Be Licking Others Pee:
While licking is a harmless and natural behavior for most dogs to communicate, it can also lead to the spread of diseases from contaminated pee.
This can be directly from sick dogs or contamination of the environment where the dog must have licked the urine.
There are also hygiene and behavioral concerns, as well as digestive upset it might cause.
Should I Stop My Dog From Licking Pee:
This is subjective because it has to do with their reasons for licking the pee of other dogs.
If it is a medical or behavioral issue then you will have to find solutions.
You might also have concerns about the health, and hygiene status of other dogs that are not yours and the environment.
Other than that, it shouldn’t be a problem.
Here are steps to take if you find their behaviors/ actions problematic or concerning.
Contact a Vet:
Urinary tract infections, crushing diseases pica, etc can cause a dog to lick pee and they can also contract other diseases from licking other dogs pee.
It is best advised to consult with a vet to have them check to rule out the possibility of any underlying illnesses.
Trainings:
If it has been confirmed by the vet that it’s, not a medical issue, you should consider training or re-training your dog if it’s a puppy or adult dog.
Training can involve the use of basic commands such as “Stop it”, “Drop it”, and “Leave there”.
This should be enforced when they are attempting to lick the pee of other dogs.
Continuous practice of this especially when they are in uncontrolled environments such as dog parks, you should consider using a leach to control your dog.
You should observe them closely so they don’t lick the pee of other dogs and in any attempt to do so, make sure to enforce the basic training which was earlier said.
Lastly, always take precautionary measures such as avoiding or limiting their interactions with unhealthy dogs and environments where it is difficult for you to effectively control or look after them.
Read here if you are a first-time dog owner on everything you need to know especially on how to train your dog.