— Why does my dog pee where I pee? Different dogs do this for different reasons, so we looked into it and here’s what we found —
Does your dog have a peculiar urination pattern? Like going to the bathroom in the same spot where you just went? Dog owners are often left perplexed as to the cause of this behavior.
Why does my dog pee where I pee?
There could be a number of causes for the dog’s behavior. However, if this is something you and your furry buddy are now experiencing, you need not worry; this is not some type of doggy ritual or jinx.
Dogs can decide to take a pee on the exact same spot you peed if they’re trying to mark their presence, show dominance, or in some cases, trying to be a copycat.
However, it can often be difficult figuring out the exact reason why dogs do this. Thankfully, we’ve documented the specific reasons that dogs urinate in people’s puddles (often their caregiver). Keep reading to learn the cause of this weird behavior.
Your dog is simply marking his presence
The number one rule in dog marking is to establish presence. Dogs do it every time when they’re in new grounds and even places they’re familiar with. It’s like “doggy mail.”
A dog can tell a whole lot by sniffing another dog’s urine. Consequently, dogs can unearth information about dogs such as gender, status, health and stress level. A dog can as well tell if the dog who’s urine they’re sniffing is on heat as well as if the dog is spayed or neutered.
You can see why dogs take more time to mark their presence. So, if your dog pees on your pee, he could be marking his presence as well.
Your dog is well bonded to you
In order to show their human friends how much they care, dogs will do almost anything. Dogs that are particularly attached to their owners may exhibit some unusual behavior.
One such method is urinating in the same spot as their human pal. You and your dog go for walks, run, swim, eat, play, and do just about everything else together, so it only makes sense that you two would urinate together, and on the same spot too!
Fido is just trying to be the big dog on the block
Dogs mark a lot, and while it can often get weird (like peeing where you pee), it’s just a natural instinct in play.
If your dog pees on the exact same spot you peed, he’s trying to show dominance by replacing your scent with his. While this comes off a little bizarre, there’s a psychology behind it.
In most cases, your dog is just trying to be dominant as a way of showing that he’s the big dog in the block. Hence, his urine scent should be the one up top.
However, there’s more negative to this than positive. When dogs mark to exercise dominance, it therefore shows that your dog doesn’t see you as the Alpha of the park. Hence this should be discouraged once noticed.
It can be a group thing too
Your dog peeing on the exact same spot you peed is your dog’s way of enlisting his scent in the “habitant register.”
Knowing fully well that another dog can tell the information about each urine, so he’s putting down his name as well. Just like humans do on walls to show that they were present at an exact location.
What your dog is basically saying is, “we live here, this is all of us ( you and fido’s urine scent), we are around! etc.”
He’s reestablishing your territorial claim by “co-signing.”
When dogs mark with urine, they’re mostly doing that to show dominance over their territory. It’s more like a dog saying, “hey, this is my territory now, I’m here! And territorial violations will not be accepted!”
In the same vein, if you’ve previously peed on the lawn or outside your backyard, your dog may see this as marking behavior, more like a territory claim.
Hence, he will try to reinforce that claim by peeing on that exact same spot. This way he’s saying that violations will be addressed by the both of you.
He’s just being a copycat
We’ve received stories from dog owners reporting how dogs tend to copy human behaviors as well as behavior from other canines. For Instance, a dog owner once reported that his 2 year old welsh corgi had learnt to take a leg up while peeing from other dogs in the park.
This could be a similar situation in play, your dog may just get a little naughty and decide to pee at the exact same spot as its caregiver. In this case, your dog is simply being a copycat.
A simple way to solve this is to avoid peeing where your dog has access to. Better still, stick to peeing in the toilet in your house. This way, your furry companion can’t see when or where you’re doing it.
Suggested reading: My Dog Peed on Someone at the Dog Park? (Here’s Why!)
A sign of support
Does your dog pee on the exact same spot you previously peed on? it could also be a sign of support! If you are super-alpha for instance, and your dog is a male, he’s basically sending a strong message that you’ve got a back-up.
This way, when other dogs perceive this scent, they can immediately get the message that you’re not alone, and he’s not going to hesitate to pounce on any trespasser.
Your dog could be staking a claim on you
We’ve seen dogs do this very often to female dogs—dogs marking on other dogs to show claim. When dogs mark, they’re essentially declaring ownership on what they’re marking.
In some cases, this can be a wall, a bush, a piece of the lawn or even another dog of the opposite sex. In like regards, dogs may choose to urinate on the same spot as their human owners if they’re male and their caregiver is female and vice versa.
They’re basically saying that they own you and no other dog should come close to you.
It’s just a coincidence
If you’ve probably noticed or seen your dog actually take a pee on the exact same spot like you did, then it may just be a mere coincidence.
More like a right-place, right-time scenario. It’s probably not deep-seated like you thought. Your dog may have just been running along and feels the need to pee, and it just happens that it landed on the exact same spot you peed on.
Final thoughts
Many dog owners are constantly surprised by their dog’s occasional antics. Does your dog pee on your pee? Regardless of how strange a dog’s actions may seem, they almost always make sense when you try to investigate.
Therefore, if your dog urinates in the same spot as you, he likely does it for his own reasons. However, understanding their motivations for doing so can equip you to put a stop to it should the time come.
