If you’re like most of the people in the world nowadays, you likely check-in online every day to see what your friends are up to, what is happening on the news, and just to find things out in general. Funnily enough, your dog also has their very own version of this.
Their version is through their urine and scent marking. Some people refer to it as "Pee-Mail"
It is just as important as a means of communication for your dog as our digital check-ins are for us. However, when it comes to dog urine, not many people understand what pee mail is. While we will never be able to achieve as much inside intelligence as your dog does with one single sniff, you can still learn a lot about your dog.
The Grand Cover-Up Scheme
Are you aware that dogs will pretty much do everything they can to mark their territory? They will go to the greatest length possible to cover up any dog urine scent that is more substantial than theirs which can also take a lot of effort. Overall, it is stupidly dramatic, to us anyway.
There have been many little dogs who almost carry some sort of acrobatic ability when it comes to standing on their front legs and adjusting their rear ones to pee as high as a Great Dane. They can put those massive high-hitching leg-lifters to shame with their newfound athletic ability. These dogs are essentially trying to overmark the scent of the other dogs that have urinated there beforehand. They do this to make themselves seem bigger than the previous dog.
But the real question lies in what your dog is finding out when he sniffs where other dogs have marked. There is a lot of information for your dog to gather and it is all very interesting for your busy-minded pup. By checking on the pee mail, a dog can easily determine the gender of the dog who peed before him, whether they are neutered or spayed, and even if there is a female in heat.
They will also be able to take note of the stress level and health of the dogs who have been nearby and their social status. It wasn’t until very recently that we began to learn about pee mail and all that it entailed aside from the usual general observations. For example, before studies were conducted, most people believed that only male dogs would sniff for dog pee and female dogs wouldn’t.
However, as it turns out, we just weren’t paying enough attention. According to a recent study from Dr. Anneke Lisberg, intact male dogs with high social order are the ones that overmark or pee over another dog, while females will only choose to mark nearby, not on top of the urine mark left by another dog. Evidence also suggested that female dogs are interested in both male and female dog urine. While male dogs, on the other hand, are the ones that are primarily interested in the spots in which other dogs have urinated.
For all dogs in this study, unfamiliar urine was far more interesting than familiar urine which really isn’t surprising. To put it simply, you would be more interested in a stranger who is walking on your property than you would be when someone familiar shows up such as a relative or friend.
Perhaps not surprisingly, dogs who are quite low on the pecking order may sniff other dogs’ urine, but they will not pee over it as often. It is usually because those dogs are looking to identify a threat but aren’t interested in sending pee mail back to the neighborhood bully. That’s fair enough, we get it.
One last thing on pee
What article about dog urine would be complete without a way to clean it. One of the very best ways to clean dog urine is to mix a one-to-one solution of water and white vinegar. After mixing, you can use a sponge to rub the solution onto the stained material. From there, let it sit for around 5-10 minutes and wipe it up with a clean, dry towel.
