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Is it normal for dogs to lick their pee or another dog's pee? Yes. Your dog licking its own or another dog's pee is totally normal in the animal kingdom. It forms part of their den behaviour and a dog's pee is a powerful communication tool that allows your dog to not only leave its scent but communicate a whole host of information to other members of its species. Whether you should be concerned depends on the frequency, the age of your dog, and what location the urine licking takes place, for example indoors or outdoors.
There are a number of components that make up your dog's pee such as nitrogen, phosphorus, ammonia, urea, uric acid, creatinine, magnesium, calcium, but what most dog owners don't think too much about is that urine is liquid waste from the body the urine can also contain different trace elements such as salts, electrolytes, carbohydrates, fatty acids, enzymes, hormones, traces of blood if a dog is on heat, drugs if a dog is medicated and similarly to humans, a dog's urine is impacted by what it eats. Not all pee is equal. What the urine contains will depend on the individual dog that peed and this can vary obviously from dog to dog but also from the same dog on a daily basis. As with humans pee can tell a story about an individual dog and give an insight into the health of a dog. Your dog's ability to detect different components in pee is so powerful it will be able to determine if the dog that urinated prior is ill, if it's on heat etc. If you've already experienced the joy of seeing your dog lick pee you'll know that your dog is pretty selective in which pee it decides to lick and this is down to the different compositions of the pee expelled, that then appeals to your dog or the next dog that comes along.
This can depend on a number of factors but we'll cover some of the main reasons why here. Ultimately you know your dog so you'll know what resonates with your individual situation to determine whether you need to make some small changes or whether you need to speak to a vet. Always investigate, then medicate, and only if necessary. In too many instances our dog's long-term health is suffering from "just in case" medicine rather than a more holistic and conservative approach being taken to deal with issues that come up.
Pheromones are present in pee and these chemicals are completely natural in eliciting a social response in the next dog that comes along. They are a way of communicating with other animals of the same species. Pheromones are detected through an animals sense of smell and if you've ever seen your dog lick pee then freeze for a moment with its tongue sticking out - an action know as Flehmen reaction, it means it's absorbing all the juicy tidbits of the message. Animal pheromones can communicate everything from distress signals, alarm calls, territory or route markers, sexual scents such as readiness to mate, level of health and fitness and predator or prey information. Although your dog may live in a comfy home, this form of communication still exists as part of your dog's natural survival tool kit. So if you've suddenly noticed your dog lick pee it's probably down to pheromones. Think nothing of it, late nature take its course, and your dog enjoy some much-needed communication with its own tribe! Digestive enzymes are excreted in pee and your dog selecting one type of pick to lick over another could be nothing more than an innate survival tactic to diversifying their range of gut bacteria fundamental to their health. This is more prevalent in dogs that are feed the same diet day in, day out. Their microbiome range for good gut bacteria is limited to what the owner decides to feed their dog. A dog may have to forage for sources of live food to diversify intestinal bacteria essential for good immune health and to help with the Ph in the stomach. Glucose. Many dogs on a kibble diet which are full of by-products and carbohydrates, these "foods" get converted into sugars which would be present in a dog's urine as glucose. Even if a dog's kidneys are healthy, with the amount of kibble consumed, there will be traces of glucose in urine which then may appeal to another dog to lick. Given that dog's can pick up on everything in the urine it may be that the dog that peed before has glycosuria, high blood sugar levels or diabetes, so the levels of glucose expelled would be higher than normal and the sweet pee as such, is appealing to your dog to lap up. Dehydration. Most kibble feed dogs don't get enough water in their diet so it could be that whilst out and about, especially on warm or hot days, a certain dog's pee is an opportune moment to quench your dog's thirst. It's unlikely pee licking is down to dehydration as most dogs given the chance will drink from another source if it's available. If your dog is a thirsty dog make sure you always have water with you when you're out and about.
Some of the easiest issues to unpick are if your dog is urinating in its immediate home environment and then licking its own pee. This will be dependant on a couple of things such as if your dog is a puppy or an untrained older dog. It's quite natural as they are resorting to den behaviour. Train your puppy and re-train your older dog but through positive reinforcement techniques only. If you scold your dog you're going to do more long term emotional damage. Don't make this a big issue but when your dog goes outside praise it and give it a small natural treat for a job well done. Be consistent with the training until your dog learns. Also think about the reducing the length of time in between walks so your dog has more opportunity to go outside than having to try to hold it in all day, desperately waiting for you to walk him. Consider that you may be the problem. Sadly many pet owners don't establish a consistently scheduled routine for their dog or allocate enough time for their dog to be outside long enough to properly go to the toilet, multiple times. Your dog may have no idea from one day to the next when it's toilet times and feeding times are. Therefore your dog is trying to make the best of a bad situation, of your own creation. If this is the case your dog's self-preservation kicks in. A dog having to resort to eliminating indoors goes against all their natural instincts and licking their own pee becomes a mechanism to hide the evidence. Think about how many times you go to the loo in the day and then begin calculating that your dog's toilet needs need to match yours. Or at the very least, schedule in set toilet times in the day so your dog knows when walks are coming up. Senior Dog. Like people, dogs age and they experience changes in their bodies. In much older dogs, the problem could be related to the length of time your dog has to wait in between walks. Or it could be the onset of incontinence. Your senior dog may have a weaker bladder and so drops of pee slip out when your dog changes positions and knowing it's doing something in its den area it's trying to lick it up, reverting back to innate den behaviour. An underlying health issue. Consider if your dog is peeing more than normal or licking other dog's pee more than normal. If this is part of the problem then there may be an underlying illness. If you know everything is the same for example the walk times, diet etc. then speak to your vet. Possible common Illnesses related to excessive pee licking, (this is not an exhaustive list).
Mating. Male dogs are more likely to lick pee than female dogs especially if a female dog has expelled urine full of pheromones to signal she is on heat. Your male dog will be picking up all the signals and scent about that dog. Emotional Stressors. Dogs that suffer from anxiety, fear or have a more nervous personality will probably pee more or have small accidents depending on the situation they face. How you react to this as an owner when it does happen will either help or hinder your dog's behaviour. If you display annoyance it's likely you'll foster a negative reaction of consistent pee licking behaviour. Whereas if you approach the situation more gently and with understanding, help keep your dog calm you'll help reduce their need to lick their own pee.
No, not really. Similar to if your dog eats another animal's poo it'll be fine. Although there is a small chance it may pick up some sort of parasite, the chances are slim. Dogs have ancestral digestive systems so have the ability to process higher microbial activity than humans which is why they can eat raw bones and meat, eat decaying food, lick pee and eat poo without getting ill. It's also part of their survival instinct and ingrained as den behaviour. Your dog is more protected against pathogens and bacteria than many drug and pharmaceutical companies would like you to believe, If you're worried about parasites then a really simple technique is to always have an alternative drinking bowl in your home that you change often and has a splash of apple cider vinegar in. Your dog will naturally select this water as and when and the apple cider vinegar will help keep the stomach ph optimal in preventing parasites.
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Why does my dog keep licking dog pee?
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