Do dogs know their own gender? My collie cross is a girl yet she cocks slightly her leg slightly (not the whole way) when she scent marks. She does squat to actually wee. I don’t mind and it’s not a problem, I am just interested to see if anyone else’s dog does this too. It might not be anything to do with gender!
We think she was about a year when we got her and she is spayed. She was found straying at a few months old so we don’t know her background – perhaps she never had a female role model?
A. Jackson, by email
Some dogs do it just because it's more comfortable and some to prevent them wetting themselves. If it's a comfort problem it might be that she has trouble bending her knee to squat fully or has a problem in her hip or back on that side. A good massage therapist will be able to assess her general movement and provide massage and exercise to help.
ReplyDeleteMy spayed Staffie bitch did the same thing right from a youngster. I think she was trying to scent mark where other male dogs had wee'ed. She also used to joyfully scrape the ground with her back paws after toileting.
ReplyDeleteHave you checked for any underlying health problems? I agree with Louise. We don't know whether or not dogs understand which gender they are.
ReplyDeleteI seem to remember some research being done a few years ago about transfer/distribution of hormones in pups. The thinking was that a bitch born between two males would have a higher % of male hormones etc. Anyone else remember this study?
ReplyDeleteI seem to remember some research being done a few years ago about transfer/distribution of hormones in pups. The thinking was that a bitch born between two males would have a higher % of male hormones etc. Anyone else remember this study?
ReplyDeleteNo, but our male Springer squats...strange boy that he is!
ReplyDeleteHi In the Pink, yes I do remember that. Actually, I don't think it's uncommon for bitches to cock their leg to pee - I think it's probably a dominance thing. My Tasha certainly used to do it, and she was unquestionably top dog!
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