Why doesn't he raise his leg when he goes a wee?

Question

I have a 8 month old Jack Russell, and I've noticed he doesn't raise his leg. I thought maybe it was because he's only a small dog, but I've seen other Jack Russell's that are smaller them him raise their leg?

Answer 1

*laughs* I had a JRT too except mine was a female. Jenny would sit there like she was a queen throughout her life with us but when it came time to go to the toilet, she would lift her leg like a male! Hehehe! It became a real talking point for visitors who had never seen such a regal lady lift her leg!

Jack Russell Terriers are an absolute joy to live with. They get rowdy and boisterious but they are 200% convinced they are as human as you or me. They are like a human toddler stuck in a dog's body and remain that way for the first 10 years of their life. Tenterfield Terriers and Jack Russell Terriers are very much alike btw.

As for your little man doing things differently...... we looked on Jenny's habit as a personality thing because trust me, JRT's are full of personality. She did it before and after she was de-sexed so de-sexing won't change the behaviour 100% when it comes time to do "wee-wee's". You can let him interact with other males and see what happens but I'd just laugh it off and say your little man has his own style!

Peace out!

Answer 2

Some individual dogs take longer to get into the habit. Some dogs are still squatting at 18 months. I've seen 2-3 year old males of some very large breeds that still squat from time to time although they lifted their leg at other times.

I've seen 6 week old puppies leg lift too! (without falling over!) Precocious! :)

And of course, some dominant females start leg lifting as they sort their place in a pack, and may go lift their leg over a spot that another dog just peed.

Answer 3

He's just a bit young for that yet. Could get to about two years before he learns how to do it. I had a boarder collie that did the same up until he was about two.
Mind you, my daughter has a white boxer that's about eight years old now - and he still squats! Maybe he needs the company of other dogs to learn the right way.
Don't worry, as long as he is healthy every other way it won't do him any harm - apart from wet paws, maybe.

Answer 4

I think it all depends on the dog, I know I had a male lab/retriever mix that never lifted his leg the entire time I owned him??? Dont know why , some people think tha tmale dogs raised mostly w female dogs have this tendency per they learn by example

also per the answer about the dominant dog raises thier leg to pee I agree because my other dog that was with my lab mix was a female & she was the more dominant one & she kinda lifted her leg to pee

Answer 5

I am told he will raise his leg when marking, squat when he really has to go. My pit is turning 9 mo, and he still squats most of the time. Does he spend much time with other male dogs? He may just not have picked up on the whole "marking" thing yet.

Answer 6

Some male dogs never raise their legs to pee. Some dogs start raising their legs at an older age. If he has no other male dogs around, he may not know he is supposed to raise the leg.

Have furn with your JRT!

Good luck!

Will D
Enterprise AL
http://www.notagz.com

Answer 7

I used to have a Springer Spaniel, God rest His soul, and he didn't raise his leg when he was a pup. Actually, come to think of it, he didn't raise his leg sometimes, when he was an adult dog. I don't think it really makes a difference, as long he doesn't go wee in the house. :)

Answer 8

He is still young. Dogs mark their territory by raising a leg and marking a spot, it is not required for every wee.

Answer 9

Most dogs will grow out of it. Does he play with other male dogs? If so he will most likely pick up the habit when he has the muscle strength to balance or a little but slower if not.

Answer 10

Dominant dogs - both male and female - raise their leg to pee. More submissive animals squat. My last dog first raised his leg at 12 weeks!