I know what you’re thinking, “ew” right? But dog lickers have their reasons. As a dog owner, I know how frustrating it can be to see your pup licking up the urine of other dogs. But why do they do this? It’s not because they don’t like their own pee (although some pups may actually enjoy the taste). Licking another dog’s pee is a way for them to learn about that other dog and its health status. You might want to get your pup checked out by a vet if you notice licking behavior in excess.
Dogs use their tongues to capture and process information about the world around them, including objects they lick or chew on. This is called “licking behavior.” The taste of the urine tells a dog what he needs to know about potential mates, such as whether they’re in season and fertile.
Dogs lick each other’s pee all the time. It is a natural thing that they do to show dominance or affection, and it can be difficult for humans to understand why. The truth is that there are many reasons why your dog might lick another dog’s urine, and most of them have nothing to do with being grossed out by what you just saw! In this blog post, we’ll explore some common reasons for your pooch’s bizarre behavior as well as ways you can help curb your pup from doing so in the future.
Contents
What does my dog’s pee consist of
Urine can be a good source of information about your dog’s overall health. Urine contains many things. It contains urea, uric acid, and water. It also contains a breakdown of dog cells and bacteria. Blood and pus can also be in urine, but this is usually only in the case of an infection.
Dog’s uric acid is 4 times more concentrated than a human’s uric acid. Usually, dogs can dilute this by urinating often. But after he drinks a lot of water (which is good), the urine will become more like what it should be and less like paste.
Urine is normally very sterile. There are usually no bacteria in it at all. The few bacteria that sometimes appear can come from your dog’s skin or feces getting into the urine, but this is only if your dog has something wrong with it.
Urine also contains pheromones. Pheromones are chemicals that your dog produces which other dogs use to communicate with each other. Dogs may mark you or your furniture with their own pheromone if they feel threatened or anxious.
This is a way for them to self-soothe.
Urea is a compound that contains nitrogen, which is excreted by the kidneys as part of blood filtration. The urea gets broken down into ammonia during this process and the urine becomes more toxic. Bacteria in the bladder break down the urea even further so it doesn’t damage the bladder.
Dog urine is not usually dangerous for your dog to lick, but it can be dangerous for them in other ways.
A small amount of urea and uric acid might not bother your dog in most cases, but if they ingest too much or eat something that has a high concentration of these compounds, it can make them very sick or even kill them.
Dogs should not be fed human food because it is bad for their health and it can also make their urine toxic to other animals. This includes foods that have high salt, sugar, or fat content. These things are good for humans but not dogs.
If your dog ingests a higher quantity of these compounds than its body can handle, the result is dehydration and toxicity. This can lead to renal failure. The symptoms of toxicity are vomiting, diarrhea, loss of appetite, staggering gait, lethargy, or hyperactivity, depending on severity.
Why does my dog lick other dog’s pee?
The Vomeronasal organ, also known as Jacobson’s organ, is a sensory organ located in the vomer bone between the mouth and nose of a dog. It has many folds that are covered with sensory cells that detect smells. These cells help dogs identify their surroundings through scent identification; they also produce an excess amount of saliva when they anticipate something tasty to eat. It is used to transmit information from chemical signals in urine that dogs use to determine when other dogs are fertile or not.
The Vomeronasal organ has two functions:
1) To detect reproductive hormones related to sexual behavior.
2) To help differentiate between mates and competitors.
The Jacobson’s Organ has two openings: the first opens into the nasal cavity, while the other is on the roof of the mouth. Many scientists believe that this organ developed in mammals to enable communication by pheromones. To understand why your dog licks other dogs pee, it is important to pay attention to this organ and how it helps them navigate their world!
This “organ” detects chemicals in urine and sends messages to the brain. These messages contain information such as age, sex, the receptiveness of a female dog in heat, and sometimes specific diseases or other bodily functions.
Now that we’ve got all the “icky” parts out of the way, it’s time to explore some more plausible reasons for why your furry friend might be licking another dog’s pee.
The first reason, which is not as uncommon as you might think, is that your dog loves the taste of pee. I know it sounds a little weird to us, but for some dogs, this is a common fetish and they truly enjoy licking the urine from other dogs.
Another reason why your dog licks other dog’s pee is out of excitement or curiosity. This occurs when they become over-excited and might begin investigating the smells in the area, including the urine of other dogs. They may also become curious about their own urine and try to examine it after they relieve themselves.
Dogs use urine as a communication tool, just like cats do. A dog might be picking up on pheromones in the urine of another animal, which tells them much about the other dog’s recent activities.
It may also be that your dog thinks the way that another dog’s pee is interesting or funny, so he decides to lick it. It might not even be what’s in the urine, but how they’ve urinated that attracts them.
Your dog might also just be curious. He may have never seen another animal urinate before and wants to see what’s going on!
Is it harmful for my dog to lick another dog’s pee?
A dog can get sick from licking another dog’s urine under certain circumstances. Dogs, like humans, have some bacteria in their urinary tract. When a dog licks the urine of another dog, the bacterial share is swapped. If the bacteria are bad for the first doggo’s health, it’s bad for the second one too. For example, Leptospirosis is caused by certain types of spirochetes – if your puppy licks an infected pup’s pee, they’ll also get sick with Leptospirosis.
It’s not good for the infected dog to be around other dogs in this condition because they could pass along an infection. The same goes for Leptospirosis vaccination. If you want your pup to avoid Leptospirosis, then make sure that they are up-to-date on their vaccinations, especially if they regularly go outside where there are lots of doggos.
Why does my dog lick its pee?
Many people don’t understand why their dog licks its pee and worry that there is something wrong with their pet. There are many reasons why a dog might lick his pee, and some could be as follows:
Sometimes, dogs may lick their urine because they have no other water source. They are trained to lick around the bowl as a way to indicate that they need another drink of freshwater, but it might be that your dog is just thirsty and can’t find any water source except for its own pee.
A second reason could be that the pup has been housebroken, but he’s now in an environment where he doesn’t know where the bathroom is outside. Dogs usually stop licking their urine so quickly once they become used to a new place, or after a few accidents in a row without being given access outside.
Another possible reason would be dehydration, so you’ll want to make sure your dog is getting enough freshwater both via bowls and from walks around the area. Sometimes pups will lick their pee out of habit while they wait for you to come back with some freshwater, too!
Some of the more common reasons why a dog might be licking their pee and drinking it is because of Urinary Tract Infections or Cushing’s Syndrome.
How to Stop Your Dog from Licking Up Pee
If you want to stop your dog from licking its pee, it’s first important to identify the reasons why they do so. If they don’t have any other water source, you should provide them with a watering bowl and make sure that the water isn’t stagnant, as this could cause them to continue licking their urine.
If your dog licks their urine because it doesn’t know where its bathroom is outside, then you should gradually allow the dog more time outside in order for it to gather its own bathroom habits. If your pup licks its pee out of habit or if they are simply dehydrated, ensure that they are given access to plenty of fresh water both via bowls and on walks around the area.
The main takeaway is that dogs are not gross. They’re just animals, and they do what comes naturally to them to survive. If you’re feeling like your pup’s licking habits are getting out of hand or if their peeing habits need some work, talk with a professional dog trainer about the best ways for you and your four-legged friend to get back on track!
I hope you found those things helpful! Let me know if there’s anything else I can help with 🙂
