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Q: I took my dog to a big open meadow where he got to run himself silly for the first time in a while. He seemed ecstatic but also mindful of where I was, and he responded to my cues. There were many dogs and we played fetch and all was great. I sat down in the grass while he played with a doggie friend. My dog ran behind me and I felt an extra warmth. I turned to pet him, thinking maybe he was leaning on me, only to see him put his leg down and run off. I felt the back of my sweater - wet! My own dog peed on me!
I have never heard of this happening. I attributed it to his being deliriously happy and therefore not in his right mind when he chose his pee position, or
maybe marking me in unfamiliar territory with new dogs. Just curious if you have an observation. I felt slightly betrayed though very forgiving.
A: Congratulations on having such a well-mannered, responsive dog! It is a pleasure to be able to enjoy the great outdoors safely with your canine friend.
Now, down to business. Let's take care of your sense of betrayal first. Whatever motivated your dog's behavior, be sure that it was not an expression of contempt or disgust toward you. For your dog, urine and feces are territorial signals and also fascinating sources of information, as anyone can attest who has watched her dog sniffing openmouthed and rapturous at the corner lamppost.
It's unlikely, too, that he was asserting his rank. While urine marking is often used as a territorial signal, there is no evidence that there is any relationship between urine marking and dominance status.
So why did your dog do it? I don't know. Both of your suggestions are plausible –your dog may have needed to pee in the middle of his good time and oriented to you as a urination spot because you're familiar. Or he may have been marking you as "his" (territorial but not dominance) in a situation that, while fun, also entails some stress. Think of a party where most of the other guests are strangers to you – you might well be nervous, even if they're all friendly. You might even feel a bit territorial about the person you came with.
A third possibility is that you happened to sit on a spot where another dog had already urinated. Even if that urine had dried, your dog would be able to smell it. Your wet sweater might just have been a casualty of his overmarking the spot.
The take-home – or take-to-the-meadow – message: Don't sit down or stand still. Have your sweater professionally cleaned. And, unless your dog makes a habit of peeing on people, don't worry!
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