Why Did My Dog Pee On My Clothes?
Grabbing your favorite jacket only to realize that it's damp and reeks of doggie pee isn't exactly a fun way to start the morning. This canine behavior might seem bizarre and irrational, but it's often a sign of a stressed-out pooch.
Urine Marking Behavior
Urine marking behavior is relatively commonplace in dogs of both sexes, especially if they're unfixed. When they mark with their urine, they generally opt for vertical objects such as walls, drapes and mirrors. Exceptions do exist, however. This marking has a lot of potential causes, including the abrupt emergence of foreign things in the environment, the sight of a fellow animal from a window, the presence of a houseguest and tension with other household pets, for starters. When canines mark, they're often expressing something along the lines of, "I own this and I'm about to show that to you." What your pet thinks belongs to him could be anything from a door to one of your coziest college sweatshirts.
Frustration and Clothing
When a canine urinates on his owner's clothing, it often signifies frustration and struggle. Perhaps the beloved owner has been away for a while on work-related business and the little guy is looking for things that smell heavily like his favorite human. Perhaps the owner has been in close contact with another dog and the upset pooch wants to cover up the old scent with his own personal smell. The dog could even be intimidated by a new puppy in the home. By peeing all over his owner's pajamas, he could be communicating something like, "Hi, new guy. My human's clothes are full of my scent, therefore he belongs to me and only me. Not you or anyone else. Understand that?"
Neutering or Spaying
Although neutering and spaying surgeries don't necessarily do away with 100 percent of all doggie urine marking behaviors, they usually make a great dent in getting them under control. Marking — whether of your attire, your wallpaper or anything else — is especially prevalent in the world of unfixed pets. Neutering and spaying don't only often do away with pesky urine marking, they also often eliminate a lot of other hormonal behaviors in both sexes. These behaviors include efforts to run away from home to mate, restlessness, aggression and mounting of people, other pets and random objects.
Health Considerations
Never assume that you know the exact motive or reasoning behind your dog's behavior. Urinating on clothes doesn't necessarily have to be related to marking. It can even be as simple as insufficient bladder control, especially if your cutie is still a puppy. It also can point to health ailments including prostate conditions, urinary tract infections and parasites. Urinary incontinence is especially widespread in female canines that are at least of middle age. Get your fluffball to the veterinarian immediately to determine the root cause of the urination woes, whether territorial, medical or anything else.
By Naomi Millburn
References
The Humane Society of the United States: Urine-Marking – Why Dogs Mark Their Territory
Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals of Texas: Urine Marking by Dogs
American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals: Urine Marking in Dogs
The Humane Society of the United States: Urine-Marking Behavior – How to Prevent It
Humane Society Tacoma & Pierce County: House Training
American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals: Urinary Incontinence
About the Author
Naomi Millburn has been a freelance writer since 2011. Her areas of writing expertise include arts and crafts, literature, linguistics, traveling, fashion and European and East Asian cultures. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in American literature from Aoyama Gakuin University in Tokyo.