# Dog owners : which leg does your dog raise to pee ? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 5, 2013, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dog-owners-which-leg-does-your-dog-raise-to-pee/652113 "2013-03-05T20:39:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Bones\_Daley](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bc8723/32.png) [@Bones\_Daley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bones_Daley)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2013, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dog-owners-which-leg-does-your-dog-raise-to-pee/652113/1 "2013-03-05T20:39:54Z")
I have a friend who owns a very endearing dog who sadly, lost one of his hind legs in an accident, and who is now obviously tripodal. Observing the dog the other day going about his business in the park led me to idle speculation as to whether male dogs in general tend to raise one leg in preference to the other when having a pee, and if so, would that be the right leg or the left leg, or …are they just opportunist ambidextrous pee-ers, and it all depends on which side the lamp-post happens to be ? What would be peachy would be if any owners of male dogs would register their dog’s preference for the raised leg, and then we would have a set of data which could be analysed statistically to determine whether dogs are predominantly left footed or right footed … ---
**Author:** ![Precambrianmollusc](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/precambrianmollusc/32/63_2.png) [@Precambrianmollusc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Precambrianmollusc)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2013, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dog-owners-which-leg-does-your-dog-raise-to-pee/652113/2 "2013-03-05T20:56:11Z")
The front one. He is not a smart dog. Well he isn’t, but to answer the question I think he is pretty ambidextrous when off the lead, and mostly raises his left leg when on the lead because I walk him on my left. ---
**Author:** ![sangfroid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e0b2c6/32.png) [@sangfroid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sangfroid)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2013, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dog-owners-which-leg-does-your-dog-raise-to-pee/652113/3 "2013-03-05T21:07:03Z")
Our newly acquired mixed mutt raises his right leg mostly. We walk him (off leash) out in the woods behind our house. He does seem to be ambidickstrous though, as he lifts the left leg if the object being peed on (usually just a tree) is on that side when we’re walking. Mostly right though. ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2013, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dog-owners-which-leg-does-your-dog-raise-to-pee/652113/4 "2013-03-05T22:23:00Z")
Pee - squats down, no leg usually One of 50 sprays on a walk if I let him - has a preference for lifting the left. He can left the right, but often if he comes to a object on his right, he will walk up to it, lift the right, put it back down, and circle around until he can find a place for approaching the bush/rock/house on the right. I wouldn’t be surprised if someone has done a study. I believe a recent thread talked about cat paw preference as a function of gender. ---
**Author:** ![PapSett](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ecc23a/32.png) [@PapSett](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PapSett)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2013, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dog-owners-which-leg-does-your-dog-raise-to-pee/652113/5 "2013-03-05T22:30:50Z")
Nick usually lifts the left leg. He will _occasionally_ lift hisright, but he looks like it feels awkward for him. ---
**Author:** ![Paintcharge](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/paintcharge/32/7946_2.png) [@Paintcharge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paintcharge)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2013, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dog-owners-which-leg-does-your-dog-raise-to-pee/652113/6 "2013-03-06T14:06:52Z")
Cin lifts his right. He does this thing where he finds something to pee on and does a quick lift of the left, but nothing comes out, then has to do this annoying convoluted turn around thing. He also usually misses the spot he was trying to hit. ---
**Author:** ![PandaBear77](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/edb3f5/32.png) [@PandaBear77](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PandaBear77)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2013, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dog-owners-which-leg-does-your-dog-raise-to-pee/652113/7 "2013-03-07T01:32:11Z")
The left. When he pees like a big boy, anyway. At least half the time he squats. It bothers me a lot more than it should 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Nefarious\_Chipmunk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nefarious_chipmunk/32/1045_2.png) [@Nefarious\_Chipmunk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nefarious_Chipmunk)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2013, 3:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dog-owners-which-leg-does-your-dog-raise-to-pee/652113/8 "2013-03-07T03:32:35Z")
Max lifts both his legs. It is quite the sight to see. It looks something like this video here: [http://youtu.be/8rTcxU-DblI?t=5s](http://youtu.be/8rTcxU-DblI?t=5s) Although, he is a short haired mutt and his bladder isn’t as big as this guys, so it doesn’t last as long. ---
**Author:** ![InternetLegend](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/internetlegend/32/13154_2.png) [@InternetLegend](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/InternetLegend)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2013, 4:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dog-owners-which-leg-does-your-dog-raise-to-pee/652113/9 "2013-03-07T04:16:33Z")
My border collie cross is getting really old and arthritic now, so he just stands there, essentially. We keep his tummy fur trimmed so it doesn’t get messy. I don’t remember all that well how he used to pee, but when he tries to lift a leg now, it’s usually the left. That may be because his arthritis is worse in the right leg, but it’s hard to say. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2013, 4:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dog-owners-which-leg-does-your-dog-raise-to-pee/652113/10 "2013-03-07T04:25:50Z")
Blackjack’s getting pretty old, and both his hind legs have been injured, so he only raises a leg now when there’s something really important to pee on. I think it’s usually the right leg, but I may be projecting, I lift my right leg to pee. ---
**Author:** ![nonacetone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nonacetone/32/2819_2.png) [@nonacetone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nonacetone)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2013, 9:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dog-owners-which-leg-does-your-dog-raise-to-pee/652113/11 "2013-03-07T09:55:18Z")
Beans lifts his left hind leg, most of the time. Sometimes he’ll lift his right, but lifting his left seems to be his preference. ---
**Author:** ![california\_jobcase](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9d8465/32.png) [@california\_jobcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/california_jobcase)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2013, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dog-owners-which-leg-does-your-dog-raise-to-pee/652113/12 "2013-03-07T14:34:19Z")
Mine’s a terrier-Maltese mix. I have never seen him raise a leg, he just pees like a girl. Maybe it’s because he knows he’d pee all over his own fur if he tried to raise a leg. ---
**Author:** ![Sigmagirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c89c15/32.png) [@Sigmagirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sigmagirl)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2013, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dog-owners-which-leg-does-your-dog-raise-to-pee/652113/13 "2013-03-07T18:18:28Z")
Neither. We have corgis. The male would lift either, and when we got the female, she had been confined to a cage in a puppy mill all her life. She learned from watching him and she started to lift her leg too. It was pretty funny, but they have such short legs it really doesn’t make much difference. Now he’s old, +/- 15, and he doesn’t waste much effort on that kind of thing. And she’s gone back to peeing like a girl too. She’s going on 11. ---
**Author:** ![JerrySTL](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e274bd/32.png) [@JerrySTL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JerrySTL)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2013, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dog-owners-which-leg-does-your-dog-raise-to-pee/652113/14 "2013-03-07T19:04:18Z")
Our male dog is a squatter. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2013, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dog-owners-which-leg-does-your-dog-raise-to-pee/652113/15 "2013-03-07T19:10:35Z")
Delmar (Chihuahua): Right hind leg when marking, but pees “like a girl” (squatting) otherwise. He’s kinda old. Reese (Dachshund): He prefers his right hind leg, but it depends on which side the object is on that he is peeing on. Unlike Delmar, he will not pee without an object, even if that object is a tall blade of grass or a slightly raised cover on a bed. Both also seem to prefer their right front leg when shaking hands. But that could be how we subconsciously trained them. ---
**Author:** ![Rhiannon8404](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rhiannon8404/32/17929_2.png) [@Rhiannon8404](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhiannon8404)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2013, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dog-owners-which-leg-does-your-dog-raise-to-pee/652113/16 "2013-03-07T22:14:52Z")
> [@JerrySTL](#): > > Our male dog is a squatter. Both of mine are, too, except on rare occasion.