When do male dogs learn to 'cock a leg'?

[GnomeDePlume]

Probably a daft question but this is the first dog I have ever owned.

We have a six month old black lab/border collie cross. He still squats to wee. Is this normal? My only concern is that he is a fair degree of force. The wee shoots through between (and over) his front legs! He is bathed regularly.

Will he grow up to be a 'stand up' wee-er or will he always sit down?

[Stinkle]

My nearly 6 year old Springer always squats to wee

Unless it's marking his territory-weeing on a lamppost, then he cocks his leg

[murphys]

My 8 year old black lab doesn't cock his leg at all. He wees like a girl .

[lepetitchienbrun]

How often should a pup of about 5 months be weeing? Mine seems to go very often still, although touch wood he does go to the door when he needs to and runs outside to do it.
I'd say he goes very hour sometimes more still. Thought it would have reduced by now?

[lainiekazan]

I had my dog neutered at 12 months. I read that it's best to start one month after they start cocking leg.

Dog cocked his leg and he was suddenly a rampant male - howling at certain gates, mooning at lady dogs and marking his territory every three inches.

After neutering - has never cocked his leg since and is a pleasure to walk.

[AdoraBell]

One of my girls does that Castilian, I'd never seen it before.

[CastilianHhhhidalgo]

My 14 year old, who I lost last year, never bothered cocking his leg. He didn't even squat, he's just take a couple of steps forward with his front feet then go.

My two boys who are 3 years and 18 months mostly cock their legs, although the older one will sometimes just squat if he's feeling lazy.

The youngest is 7 months and he's mostly still squatting and weeing all over the back of his front legs

My bitch has perfected a combo squat-and-cock which she uses on walks. It involves squatting like normal but holding one hind leg as high in the air as she can. She's pretty masterful and has better aim than the boys

[AdoraBell]

Betty mine are snipped and it hasn't stopped them marking.
Teddy would mark every inch of the garden and surrounding área if I had the partience to stop every 2 seconds.

[AdoraBell]

My nearly 5 yr old still squats To pee. He does cock his leg to mark territorio though. The younger one also squats, nearly 2 yrs

[barleysugar]

Our spaniel never did and he lived till he was 8!

[Best1sWest]

Mine cocks his leg to poo. No idea why and not much help to you OP.

[BETTYBOOP77]

My dog is 18 months and still squats, I had him castrated a year ago, was a little worried there was something wrong with him, until reading other messages on here. Maybe having them snipped stops them being dominant as lack of testosterone drops seems like one of the causes. Good to know he's not on his own puts my mind at ease. At least he wont be stopping every 2 minutes to cock his leg up...

[MrsLindor]

Our cocker was about a year old, but often just leans forward to wee. Sometimes he'll cock his leg half way through like he's just remembered he's supposed to :)

[iseenodust]

I can't quite remember as our lab is now 14. He has only ever cocked his leg on walks though, always squats in the garden. Arthritis means it has to be a prime spot to merit the effort of cocking his leg now.

[ErrolTheDragon]

My 8 yo dachshund has never cocked. The previous one rarely did.

[marne2]

My lab x started cocking his leg at 18 months ( a few weeks ago) but will still squat if he is in a hurry .

[SistersOfPercy]

6 month old scottie amazed me last week and cocked his leg in the garden. It's still a mix of squat and cock though.

Mum's 12 month old shih tzu still squats, she was most put out when I told her mine had cocked... leg envy. Weird.

[punter]

My male lab did it squatting until he went to doggy daycare , around 6 months old, and came back and very proudly cocked his leg against the tree in the front garden. But in the morning or evening (big wees?) he usually squats in the garden. On walks though he always cocks his leg- many times. He was neutered at 12 months. I think it depends if they are over scenting or just letting it all out!

[bakewelltartandcustard]

My boy (small) was just 4 months old. He was very macho. Had him neutered 6 months later which calmed him down.

[PotatoPolly]

my DPs had a male 12 yr old and a female 5 year old Jack Russell and she copied him and always cocks her leg- in fact sometimes she'll lift both back legs!

[GnomeDePlume]

Many thanks all. This is one of those questions you dont really like to ask out loud!

We will be neutering him but will probably wait until he is around 12 months. Hopefully he will have had time to learn by then!

[SpicyPear]

What tabulah says re accidents, but before he was properly housetrained (when I thought he was housetrained but he wasn't quite there) he did a lovely big wee right up my new floor length curtains.

[Owllady]

It used to be up trees, in undergrowth sort of places but my oldestc girl used to do it up lamppotts
Mind you, she did a good line in looking on steps too

[tabulahrasa]

Oh - yes, I know a bitch who cocks her leg sometimes

[Owllady]

I have had two females that have done it too occasionally! I have not see this girl cock her leg yet though

[tabulahrasa]

I've found that housetrained dogs only have accidents indoors if they're ill or something's happened so they can't get out...and so they just go where they're standing, not taking the time tofinding somewhere they want to cock their legs at, so no...

But, some dogs will scentmark if they're stressed or somewhere strange or there's another dog - and then, yep, walls or doors with pee on.