My Dog Urinates Everywhere — Why?

If you're one of the people whose dog urinates everywhere, marking every tree and corner on the street or even weeing inside the house, this information will be extremely useful.

There are several reasons a dog develops the habit of weeing a lot, all the time and anywhere. We'll explain what they are and, of course, how to fix it.

Marking Their Territory

Dogs are animals guided by their primary instincts, and one of these is marking their territory with urine to leave their personal scent, signalling that this ground is theirs.

Their spectacular sense of smell can tell, just by sniffing a spot where another dog has urinated, whether it's a familiar dog, their age, their sex and even whether they're healthy or unwell.

Urinating everywhere is, in most cases, simply a habit to show other animals that this is their territory, or to assert dominance over other animals who have urinated there.

It's mainly male dogs who mark their territory the most; females, by contrast, usually only do it during their heat cycle.

Is Neutering the Solution?

If the reason your dog wees everywhere is to mark their territory, the answer is yes. Neutering is an effective way to eliminate this behaviour, and it's beneficial for their health too.

Dogs neutered before a year and a half old show an immediate improvement in marking behaviour. Older dogs usually need between six and twelve months after neutering to show the benefits (the change in behaviour).

Even so, it's not an advisable solution for elderly dogs, since very old dogs shouldn't be put through surgery because of the risk it poses for them, and given their advanced age they won't show a behaviour improvement in under twelve or twenty-four months. You can find out more here: Should I neuter my dog?

Urinary Infections and Other Illnesses

There are more reasons a dog wees a lot, whether clear or dark-coloured, at home or out on the street. A urinary infection, for instance, is one of the most common causes, since it creates a constant urge to urinate.

Other related illnesses that cause excessive water intake as a symptom can also make our dog urinate far more than usual, even lose control and be unable to hold their bladder.

That's why, when we see our dog urinating excessively, before thinking about taking matters into our own hands, such as neutering them, we should always see a vet to have them checked and rule out these possible illnesses.