My dogs wont lift their legs

Question
QUESTION: Hi~
I had my rescued dogs neutered (one a male doberman/shepard and the other a male lab/pit bull) at 6 and 5 months old respectively.  They are now 18 and 15 months old and still do not lift their leg to urinate.  The vet said that they would; but they haven't.  They are very beautiful masculine looking dogs and it is  embarrassing that they go like puppies.  Is there anything that I can do?


ANSWER: Hi, Dianne,

Thanks for the question. Has your vet checked them for problems with their hip joints? It would be highly unlikely for both of them to have joint problems, but it could be one reason for a dog to not want to lift his leg to pee. And if one doesn't do it, sometimes the other dog won't either.

As for there being anything you can do to change the situation, there probably IS something, but I personally wouldn't know what it is, or how to go about "teaching" them to do lift their legs. (Many movie and TV dogs have to learn to lift their legs on cue, but they don't actually pee when they do it; in fact they don't really look like they're lifting their legs in the same a way real dog would when he pees.)

Do they spend any time playing with (or ever go on walks with) other males who DO lift their legs? If these two were my dogs, and I were concerned about them not lifting their legs to pee, I'd let them spend a lot of time around other males to see if they could learn this behavior from them.

Personally, I don't think there's anything to be embarrassed about. If they love you, that's all that matters.

I hope this helps,

LCK

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thanks for your answer. My follow-up is this: Is there a time limit for altered dogs to begin the function that is normal for male dogs, afterwhich I would contact the vet; or will it just start eventually?

Answer
Hi again.

I don't know that they WILL start lifting their legs. That normally happens during puberty (6-9 mos.).

Again, I'd take them to the dog park, or a socialization class, or just set up some puppy play dates with friends who have dogs, so that they can spend time playing, particularly with other male dogs.

I hope this helps

LCK