In this blog post, we will answer the following question: Why does my Yorkie pee on me? We will explain why marking their territory is an important aspect for a dog, and also teach you how to handle a Yorkie that pees on you or in your house.
Why does my Yorkie pee on me?
Usually, if your Yorkie pees on you it means that he is very excited due to the emotion itself. An example of this is dogs with separation anxiety problems when their owner comes home.
It is common for very young dogs, which have not yet learned to relieve themselves outside, to urinate or defecate at home or in strange places, even on people. It can also happen in very old dogs, due to urine leakage.
However, when a dog has a habit of urinating in places that it should not or on people standing on the street, sitting in a park, strangers coming home … there is a behavior problem.
What to do if my Yorkie pees on me?
Punishment after peeing, especially if it has been a while, is useless. The dog will not understand why he is being punished and that will only generate fear in the animal.
For these cases, it is convenient to treat the problem at the behavioral level. If you find your dog just when he is urinating, cut the action with a “NO” and reward him only when he pees where he should.
You can consult with a canine behavior professional to start training and, thus, discover the root of the problem by observing the behavior of the animal (when the behavior began, what type of people it usually marks, where does it repeat …)
You can also consider sterilizing your pet. males tend to have a deep-rooted instinct to mark and with castration, this behavior is greatly reduced, especially if it is carried out at an early age.
Marking is a way of communication for dogs
The smell is very important in dogs. It is the main sense with which they guide themselves through the world. Each odorous signal provides a lot of information to a dog, which individual has passed, how big it is, what state it is in … For this reason, marking is a very useful communication tool in dogs.
Dogs adopt this strategy from their wild ancestor the wolf, which uses olfactory marking – by urine or feces – and visual marking – by scratching the ground or trees – to identify or define a territory, since in nature the space of a herd can span miles.
Not only the wolf or the dog mark with small doses of urine. Many other animals do too, especially mammals, for which smell is a key sense in their survival.
Where do dogs prefer to mark?
During their walk, the dogs prefer to mark surfaces such as streetlights, trees, corners of the walls … places that favor communication with another possible dog who comes to smell.
The height at which the message is ‘recorded’ is also important. The greater the angle at which the dog raises its paw, the greater the height that the urine stream reaches. The height at which the mark is located gives information about the size of the individual.
Knowing this, it is curious to know the strategy that smaller dogs follow when marking. These dogs work harder to lift their paws to mask their size and thus appear much larger to other dogs.
In this way, small dogs “lie” about their size, since it will appear to the nose of another dog that a larger one has passed through that place.
If your Yorkie pees on the bed
An adult dog who already knows how to relieve himself outside the home should never pee in his bed, much less yours. Or at least, you shouldn’t do it voluntarily, as some illnesses or moods can cause you to urinate involuntarily.
The main reasons why a dog wet the bed are:
- Excess of nerves, excitement or agitation: It is something that happens for example when we get home and our dog comes to greet us very happily. Some dogs get so overjoyed that they completely involuntarily end up peeing wherever they are caught.
- State of fear or panic: If you are scolding your dog, or it has been scared by something and urinates … you should know that your dog is going through a terrible moment of fear or panic and that he has involuntarily urinated, it is something that they cannot control.
- Advanced age or illness: Very old dogs sometimes have urinary incontinence problems, it is something completely normal that simply requires veterinary supervision. Sick dogs can also urinate in the bed due to the disease itself, the lack of strength to go out to urinate in another place, or the medication they are taking.
- Puppies and young dogs: Puppies and young dogs generally need your time and training to learn to urinate outside the home. While they are learning, it is completely normal for them to urinate inside the home as well, as learning will take time.
- Dreams and nightmares: Although it sounds strange, dogs also dream and of course they also have nightmares. Perhaps they are dreaming that they pee and inadvertently do it for real (as it happens in humans). Or they just had a nightmare and peed in fear.
- Lack of organization on walks: Our dog, whatever his age, needs a routine of steps to be able to relieve himself outside the home. If we break that routine or the number of daily walks is insufficient, it is completely normal for the dog to urinate at home, in bed, or wherever it is caught, because it simply cannot hold it anymore. We recommend reading: How many walks does a dog need per day?
- Marking his territory: This is undoubtedly the worst of the situations that we can find ourselves, since if our dog urinates on the bed to mark his territory, he will be indicating that he wants to move up in the hierarchy of the pack, that is, he wants to rule over of us and that is not possible.
How you can see the reasons are numerous, so we simply must observe and analyze our dog to know what it is. If we have doubts, a consultation with the vet can help us solve them, or at least rule out some of the possibilities.
In the case of this problem, we must be very rigorous and solve it immediately. The first thing we must do is not humanize our dog, that is:
- Don’t let him climb onto our bed or onto the couch.
- Do not pick him up or let him sleep on our lap.
- Do not feed him our food.
- Prevent him from being the first to enter or leave the house.
- Treat him like a dog, with affection, with respect, but without humanizing him.
- You should not scold your dog, much less poke him, neither are urban legends that say that you have to pass your snout through the pee so that they do not do it again, that is totally absurd.
Should I scold my Yorkie if he urinates on me?
Logically not, what we must do is educate him correctly so that he does not do it. By scolding him we will only make him not do it while the fear lasts, and fear is the worst form of teaching that we can use.
If our dog urinates in the wrong places due to age, health, etc…. we should not even get angry. We will simply clean the urine to prevent it from producing a bad smell, end.
However, when we are walking with our dog and urinate outside the home, on the street, or in a garden, we will congratulate him and much with positive reinforcement, so that he understands that we prefer that he urinates on the street.
Obviously if it is due to illness or incontinence you will not be able to avoid urinating at home, but surely you will put all your effort in trying to hold out until it is time to walk.
If our dog pees in bed or at home simply to mark his territory, we should not scold or get angry either. We must educate him as we have indicated previously so that he learns that he is not the one who scores at home.
Is castration the solution to Yorkies who pee everywhere?
If the reason your dog pees all over the place is to mark his territory, the answer is yes. Castration is an effective measure to eliminate this behavior and is even beneficial for your health.
Dogs that are neutered before one and a half years of age show an immediate improvement over urinating everywhere. Older dogs normally need six to twelve months after neutering to show the benefits (behavior change).
However, it is not a recommended solution for elderly dogs, since very old dogs should not be subjected to interventions due to the risk it poses for them, and also, due to their advanced age, they will not show improvement in behavior in less than twelve or twenty-four months.
Conclusions
Here’s what you have to do to understand why your Yorkie pees on you and how to address the situation:
Education. Many times this behavior is given by an incorrect education. It is not easy to get our dog to learn to relieve himself in the street, but we can do it with time and patience. The key is long walks and positive reinforcement; every time the animal acts properly, we have to reward them with caresses, kind words, and treats.
Exercise. For a dog to learn these commands, it must have a balanced body and mind. This requires daily exercise. Two or three walks a day will be enough.
Attention. If the little one does not feel loved, he may adopt this behavior to get our attention. In this sense, we must offer you the care and affection you need. That way you don’t feel “forced” to use this technique.
Veterinary care. As we have seen, excess urine can be caused by a health problem. It is essential, therefore, to go to the vet as soon as possible if we notice any anomaly in this regard.
Repellent products. On the market, there are special products to repel dogs. They can be sprayed on sofas, furniture, walls, etc. In theory, these products prevent the animal from urinating in these areas, but we must be careful since if they are not manufactured correctly they can be toxic. It is best to consult it previously with the veterinarian.
If you have any questions or comments on the content, please let us know!
FAQ on Why does my Yorkie pee on me?
How do I stop my Yorkie from peeing in the house?
To stop your Yorkie from peeing in the house you have to educate it. Reinforce good behavior and ignore bad behavior. It may take a while, but it is a method that works in most cases.
Why does my Yorkie keep peeing everywhere?
Your Yorkie keeps peeing everywhere either because he suffers from separation anxiety or he wants to mark his territory. There are some things that you need to take into consideration. Are you bringing many strangers home or a new pet? Are you leaving him alone for long periods? have you not paid so much attention to him lately?
How often does a Yorkie need to pee?
An adult Yorkie needs to pee up t0 4 times a day, while a baby Yorkie needs to urinate about 10-12 times a day. It may seem a lot to you, but they are small dogs with big needs, and they cannot just hold it in.
Why is my Yorkie peeing on my bed?
Your Yorkie may be peeing on your bed for several reasons. He may be anxious or overexcited and cannot hold it in. Also, he may just be incorrectly trained or he just wants to leave his mark on your bed.
References
Yorkieadvice.com
Petsworld.in
Animalwised.com
