Dog weeing on our path

[SinkGirl]

We live in a small terrace, there’s a thin hedge between our house and our neighbours on one side.

Every morning a guy walks his dog past our house, and every morning his dog cocks leg at the hedge and pees all over our path. This is about 10 minutes before we have to take our twins to nursery - they’re nearly 3, both autistic, one is visually impaired and so sitting down on the path, picking up stones etc and trying to eat them are not uncommon occurrences. We spend each morning they go to nursery having to wrangle them around a big patch of fresh dog pee.

What’s even more annoying is that less than 20m up the road is a big patch of overgrown grass where the dog could stop and pee.

The owner clearly doesn’t see anything wrong with it - DH once made eye contact with him while his dog was peeing on our path and the guy just said good morning. He was carrying one of the twins at the time so didn’t want a confrontation.

I’ve never had a dog so I don’t know if this is just what happens when walking a dog. DH has dogs growing up and reckons its out of order - he wants to go out and say something next time but I don’t want there to be any aggression (DH isn’t aggressive but this guy might be, who knows). We’ve had dog poos at the end of the path too but I don’t think it was this guy as I’ve seen him carrying bags of poo.

So AIBU to think that you shouldn’t let your dog wee on random paths like this?

I think when people are saying you are being unreasonable, it is more that you are unreasonable to expect him not to let his dog pee without asking him not to, rather than that it is an unreasonable request to make. Ask him in a pleasant tone and hopefully that will sort it all out.

Probably - I just think that if i we’re walking a dog I’d at least try not to let them pee on someone else’s property, even if I weren’t successful!

I try not to let my dog pee where other people might not like it. However, he does go multiple times each walk, so you have to be persistent in preventing it. Basically, I have to speed march until we get to a suitable space. If I pause to look at anything, chat etc, then puddles appear.

I expect all the neighbourhood wildlife and dogs pee there. He’s just adding his mark. I’m not sure how the dog is peeing up a hedge yet soaking your path. Can you place something that stops this happening?

If you approached me and explained I would very happily cross the road with my dog. I can't stop him peeing but I could move.

Dogs do tend to stop at regular intervals and pee on their favourite places, usually frequent small bursts to mark their spot. They will smell all the other dogs that have left their mark since the previous walk. It’s obviously become part of their morning walk routine.

You wouldn’t be unreasonable to pop out and explain politely to him the trouble it’s causing you. You’d be unreasonable to expect him to stop the dog when he doesn’t know it’s an issue. I personally don’t have a problem with dogs peeing on our hedge, bins or drive etc. I do hate cats peeing or pooing though as it stinks and most dog owners do pick up their dog’s poo.

Are both you and DH there in the mornings with your twins? I know you’ll be having a hard enough time getting sorted in the morning but if you or your DH can have a polite word it’s only once and might solve your problem.

I don't allow my dog to pee on other people's property, it really isn't hard to stop it, a quick tug on the lead soon moves them on. I actually think it's very disrespectful and entitled to allow your dog to pee on people's property.

I agree if you ask in a polite manner I'm hopeful he will be receptive to your request, however if he is just an ass and refuses I don't know what the answer is then. Maybe stand by the hedge/path so he can't go in his usual spot?

Dogs peeing is how they communicate with other dogs. It wouldn't occur to me that a dog peeing on the outside of the hedge would cause any problems. Speak to him.
Don't use Jeyes Fluid - as already pointed out it is toxic.

I seriously can't believe the sheer ignorance and entitlement of some pet owners. Who in their right mind would think it was acceptable to allow their animal to urinate all over someone else's garden path, that clearly they would need to walk on? What a pig. Just tell him to stop being so disgusting.

Just ask him. I am dog owner and if someone asked me that, I would make sure my dog didn't pee there in future. But I wouldn´t know you wanted me to do that without you asking me

This ^^

So where exactly do rabbits, hedgehogs, cats, foxes, birds, mice and rats etc pee that is acceptable. I think you are unreasonable to expect out doors to be sanitary to be honest. By all means put a sign up and people may try to avoid it but frankly its just nature

oh yeah and if its a quick stop its more about territory marking than peeing.

If you explained politely I’d cross over and walk my dog down the other side of the street in future. He pees on any sticky up tuft if grass or bush so that would be the only way to prevent it!

So where exactly do rabbits, hedgehogs, cats, foxes, birds, mice and rats etc pee that is acceptable. I think you are unreasonable to expect out doors to be sanitary to be honest. By all means put a sign up and people may try to avoid it but frankly its just nature

It isn't a wild animal, it's a dog, with an owner, who should be perfectly capable of reasoning that no one would want to come out of their house and find a pool of dog piss on their garden path every morning. He can walk his dog where it doesn't create offence to others.

FFS. I don’t expect outside to be sanitary. I think it’s bloody rude to let your dog do a large volume of wee on someone else’s path on a regular basis. There’s quite a difference between passing mice whizzing on our path and having to navigate contrary toddlers around a large puddle of fresh piss three mornings a week. There’s also a difference between sitting down on a pavement that’s grubby and sitting down in a puddle of wee.

It’s a very narrow hedge, of the sort you often get dividing terraced houses. Can’t remember the name of the type of hedge - is it privet? I’m sure you know the type I mean. It’s maybe 12” wide.

The dog cocks his leg at the hedge, but doesn’t wee on the hedge - he wees in a giant puddle on our path. Not on the pavement, the very narrow path from our front door to the street.

Given that a) we live on a typical residential road with multiple hedges up and down it and b) I spend a lot of time in our lounge with a bay window overlooking out front garden and I don’t see any other passing dogs peeing there, I don’t think our hedge is somehow the universal communal wildlife toilet for the entire neighbourhood.

I’m surprised by the number of people who would let their dogs wee on someone’s property unless they were asked not to, but there we are.

Like I say, a very short distance up the road is a big patch of grass. Before you get to that there are two smaller patches of grass with a tree in the middle. Directly opposite our house is a community centre set back from the road with a long wall running in front of it. Plenty of other places to stop for a wee.

What is unreasonable is your DH , or his inactive response at the time.
If he sees the guy walking the dog, and the dog pees, he should say something at the time.
Not only did he not, he made eye contact to confirm it.
The guy probably now thinks for sure you guys don't mind, as if you did , you'd have said something then!

just ask, I walk my dog, he stops and pees where he likes, but he took to peeing against someone's gate, and after a couple of days I thought hmm, that is a bit antisocial, so when he stops there to pee I tug him along to the next lampost.

perfectly reasonable

I have a male dog, I wouldn't let him do this.
But you will need to both clean the area regularly to get rid of the smell and talk to the owner of the dog.

He should have said something - I think he was a bit taken aback, plus carrying a sleeping toddler, looking back he realises he should have addressed it but he’s not very good at confrontation either.

That sounds very reasonable steppe

Exactly the same happened to me - everyday, same dog, same time. I bought some dog repellent spray from the local supermarket and sprayed the gate posts. It stopped immediately and has never restarted.

YANBU but YABU to not just ask talk to him.

Most dog owners tend to be quite reasonable if approached in a civilised way. I’d advise you not to take Naturalbornwoman’s stance - being told not to be so disgusting is liable to be fairly counterproductive.

Its is quite hard to stop a dog weeing outside, it usually happens with no warning. - as PP have said you could try and get rid of the smell with vinegar to stop the dog effectively rescenting every morning. I guess the other option is to wash it down with warm soapy water.

It's horrible. I was sitting in a playing field a few evenings ago and a dog ran up and literally pooed right by me. It was a few feet from where I was sitting. I hate the fact they've shit and weed all over the floor, it makes it kind of unusable for a lot of people. I'm not going to let it spoil my summer so I just sit down, but not very pleasant really. They could stick to the edges of the field or in the flower beds.

Buy dog repellent stuff and spray it all over the area it usually pees in. Next time you see the owner, mention it to him. He should really know not to let his dog pee in someone else’s garden but sadly common sense ain’t so common...