Today I was walking a client dog, we met another dog and owner and the dogs said hi, they checked out each others pee and had a butt/penis sniff. The owner of the other dog made comment about it being gross the inevitable needs to end up licking a d**k and I thought to myself well emails are important. That’s exactly what pee and poop is to our dogs its like writing you bank details and your deepest darkest secrets down and posting them online. Around the village they leave messages to each other about how they are. Allowing the time for them to smell the lamppost might actually make them feel better about who is in the neighbourhood. In the sniff or in some cases taste of pee, our dogs can tell if that dogs stressed or relaxed and chilled out, what social character (personality) they naturally are, what they had for dinner. If they are well or sick, are they building up movement chemical and how much have they needed. What hormones are in their system and what intention do they have. It can also give great info about how long its been since they passed by and can make them confident who is currently around.
When my youngest is bouncing around wrestling with my old girl, he often checks her pee to see how she is feeling, if he needs to tone things down a bit. If she is barking, he checks to see how worried she is. He checks her first thing in the morning or if they have been resting a while. The information he gathers from her urine tells him a true picture that can’t be masked.
Flip this around and its huge amount of information to give away to just anyone. My old girl is very cautious about the information she gives away because that’s her natural character. If the vet needs a wee sample they have no chance on the day. I gather it at home pre-appointment where she will happily lay scent. My natural confident protector Shamus is more likely to pop his sample on the front desk minus the sample bottle, something I have to often apologise for as they grab a mop. Some characters are more guarded about advertising and for this reason can go for a long walk and come back and pee in the house or garden. This can be very frustrating for owners or alternatively they struggle to feel safe enough to go in the garden and need a walk every time they need to go. When we stop viewing urine as just waste water and see it as something our dogs need to feel comfortable to put out into the world, we can start to view their reluctance to go where we want them too, not as annoying defiance but as a message about how they are feeling and who they are. If I said make a poster with your bank details and passwords on and put it on every lamp post, I’m pretty sure you wouldn’t think it was safe.
If you just brought home a puppy or rescue dog and you spend half an hour outside with them only for them to come in and pee on the rug. Think about the fact that they aren’t feeling safe and once your relationship is built and they can feel secure in their new surroundings they will happily scent outside with you around to support them. Our group instructor calls are often discussing the shape dogs create when peeing or pooping and what messages they are sending to the outside world. I walk a dog who scraps his pee into a c shape sometimes and I make sure I offer him more safety connection when he does.
Pee and poo mail is information, let them read the mail and help them feel safe enough to put their details out. But if they don’t then that’s ok too, we can work on it.