How do I stop him lifting his leg every two minutes?

[gymmummy64]

It's always seemed to me that Gymdog (adult rescue, had him 5.5 months now) is a bit ott with lifting his leg at every opportunity. Several people have told me i should stop him but I've never been really clear on why or how.

I posted on here a couple of months ago and was told the behaviour wasn't marking as I had thought, but stress relief. He has had a period of being highly dog reactive, so the stress comment made some sense. However, given Gymdog is largely walked by arriving at walk location by car it wasn't a huge issue and I've concentrated on our (many) larger issues instead.

However, we've just spent a week in Cornwall where we've done some very different kinds of walking, usually to get from car park to walk location or walk location to dog-friendly pub etc. Along crowded and narrow high streets with lots of people and other dogs and front gardens and, worst of all, shops with baskets of goods laid out on the pavements.

Gymdog happily started lifting his leg at every basket of kids toys, every ornamental front garden, every pavement shop sign, every shop doorway and I very very quickly realised why this incessant leg lifting was indeed something I needed to stop. I started pulling him away the moment I saw even a twitch of a hind leg and walking in the road wherever I could, but this was far from a perfect solution and not always possible.

On the plus side, Gymdog has never been in such close proximity with so many other dogs and people and I have to say, for a founder member of the bastard dog club, he coped brilliantly. He may well have been stressed (situation all very new) but he certainly seemed quite cheerful about it - minimal barky behaviour, ears and tail up but relaxed with no lunging or staring at other dogs apart from the odd labrador

So, what do I do about the leg lifting? He doesn't seem very bothered when I drag him away, but I can't help feeling I need a more effective tactic and in many situations (think basket of beach toys outside a shop) even one drop is clearly a drop too many. Any thoughts?

Difficult
I would avoid taking him to such places. I always had females, but we never took them into towns. DH and I preferred the country and disliked towns anyway. Should I say we never took our dogs into towns after taking one and she pooed on the pavement to our horror and embarrassment.
You could try a very sharp NO

Just got back from walking my little dog - along a canal bank with just trees fields behind- and had a thought .
If it is a pavement with a road on one side, walk him on the road side and not the shops side? He might cock his leg up any parked car tyres on that side- but that doesn't matter imo. Does he cock just his right leg or left as well. > not at the same time, I mean>. .

I thought this thread title was in 'relationships' so couldn't wait to read it

neuter?

Merle
You thought it meant wanting a leg over every 2 minutes? .

Bran
He's a rescue adult dog, so will be neutered.

Being neutered is irrelevant as mine is and also cocks his leg at every opportunity. TBH once I know he's had his 'proper' wee I just keep walking so he barely gets a chance , also I agree with the poster who said walk him on the roadside in towns. Mine also does it a lot when he's off lead and its not something that bothers me , I don't think its stress with mine I think its habit ,as he's the least stressed animal I know.

I have had females and they always have done a wee only once while on a walk.
I now have a 2 year old of the same breed as one before, and she has amazed me at weeing up to 21 times or more on a dog walk of 30 minutes. And cocking her right leg slightly up while crouching. She stops every few minutes to sniff around and some she decides to wee over and others not.
It is a dog walk with many different smells.

Our female (neutured terrier mutt) has always wee'd every few yards during a walk and cocked her leg to pee.

Our male (neutured BC) dog is nearly 2 and has only recently started to like weeing every few minutes when walking, he doesn't really wee when he is running about on a field though (it seems to take him by surprise - he lies down for a minute then gets up while weeing and gradually his leg goes up but he always seems surprised by it )

hehe merlottits, sorry to disappoint you. It did run through my mind that leg up was not so different to leg over so I did try to word my title carefully!

Now I know the problem, I will be very careful to avoid it in future by walking on the road side etc. It just took me rather by surprise as it's not the sort of walking we usually do and I was horribly conscious of leaving yellow trickles of shame all the way up the high street which was very narrow and very crowded and not so easy to take evasive action.

Gymdog is right legged rather than ambidextrous and such is his commitment to the incessant cocking he will frequently topple over if he's standing on a hill rather than give it a miss. I'm with you FLoral, I do think a lot of it is habitual and Digerd 21+ times over 30 mins is very much par for the course, probably more often if we're somewhere new and interesting.

I'll never forget seeing a tiny Yorkie doing a handstand - he could lift both legs at once- to enable him to scent mark as high as possible up the post/tree trunk. So funny and cute. But have noticed males tend to cock their right leg, and my female is the same.
I have always liked females for various reasons, but the main one was not stopping every few minutes to wee like males. Oh well, love her anyway.