Everybody loves dogs. They are cute, smart, playful, love to make us happy, and love us unconditionally. But if you notice them, they seem to be particularly interested in peeing on tires. Have you ever wondered why dogs preferred to pee on tires? This behavior of dogs has been a mysterious fact about them. Some people think that it is a dog thing and doesn’t mean anything. At the same time, some other people think that it is a dog behavior issue. Their urine says many things about them, and only dogs can understand these things. It can be very irritating if your dog is constantly peeing on tires. So in this article, we will discuss why and how to keep dogs from peeing on tires.
Why do dogs pee on tires?
The first step is to figure out why your dog pees on tires. Dogs have a great sense of smell. They use their urine as a way to mark their territory or assert their ownership for their existence in an area. Each urine has its own scent, and dogs are able to identify that and differentiate, making it a great way of communication. So for dogs, it makes sense to urinate on things that are at their nose level.
Reasons for dogs peeing on tires
There are several reasons why your dog pees on tires. Let’s discuss them all:
Dogs pee to mark their territory
Dogs are extremely territorial animals. They love to mark their territory, and tires are the prime spot. They pee on such places to mark territorial boundaries. Dog’s urine shares a lot of information like age, reproductive status, social status, health for other dogs. Also, dogs can find out whether the female is in heat or not and determine the gender of the other dog. They mark the tire with urine to communicate with their canine friend. So whenever the dog urinates on a tire, the other dog notices that another dog takes this place, and he can’t resist leaving his mark on that place. So this could be one of the reasons behind peeing on tires.
Dogs prefer to pee on vertical objects
Dogs pee on vertical objects because it allows them to leave their mark at nose level. Dog pee shares a lot of information, and, amazingly, the mere presence of liquid waste can gather that.
According to Bruce Fogle, veterinarian & author of Know Your Dog, the vertical surface makes the scent of pee last a little longer than a horizontal surface. Also, the air catches the scent of pee and spreads it even further.
According to Bonnie v beaver, author of canine behavior, dogs prefer to urinate on vertical objects because of their preference to pee by lifting one leg. That’s why dogs love to pee on tires.
Dogs love the stinky smell
It sounds weird, but yes dogs love the stinky smell. They love to sniff on objects that smell bad. Tires have a lot of stinky smells like feces, rotten food, poop, pee of other dogs, etc. tires hold smell for a longer period, so dogs prefer to pee on tires. Dogs that pee on the tires will leave their stinky traces of pee for other dogs. That’s the reason dogs love the smell of rubber. Dogs can sniff out the smell which is present in tires by their smelling powers. A tire is an array of scents, and your dog loves the smell of that.
Reaching sexual maturity
When a dog reaches their sexual maturity and hit puberty, we can see many behavioral changes in them. When puberty hits them, most male dogs begin to raise their leg when peeing. Female dogs also raise their legs to urinate only when in heat. So they start urinating on tires to attract male dogs to mate with them. Once a male dog smells the urine, it instantly knows that a female dog is in heat. This is one of the reasons why dogs pee on tires.
Do all dogs pee on tires?
Not all dogs lift their legs to pee on tires. Only those dogs who reach their sexual maturity or hit puberty do that. Dog urine has a lot of information about them and contains communicative hormones, which help them communicate with other dogs. They also mark their territory for other dogs. Many female dogs also pee on tires when in heat to welcome male dogs. So we cannot say that all dogs pee on tires, but some do not do that.
How do I keep dogs from peeing on tires?
A trained dog knows the difference between peeing outside and peeing inside. Now you know the reason why your dog is so obsessed about urinating on tires, and now you want to know how to stop your dog from peeing on tires? Let’s focus on some tips to work on how to keep your dog from peeing on tires. Following are some best ways to deal with a dog peeing on tires without harming them. Here are several ideas.
Keep your dog away from car tires
The best way to keep a dog from peeing on tires is to prevent access near the car. Start parking your vehicle in the garage. But if the car is parked outside or in other places, you can control its movement by putting a leash on it. Another way to keep your dog from peeing on tires is to put covers on them. You can cover tires with pieces of cardboard or plywood. In this way, you can block his access to the car.
Remove odors
I know this is not the efficient way, but removing the traces of odor from the tires can prevent dogs from peeing on it to some extent. If a dog has peed on tires, they need to be cleaned as soon as possible so that no other dog can be attracted to it. You can use animal-friendly cleaners to remove the odor of pee. This method might not be that effective because of their natural instinct to pee on vertical objects. But giving a try to this method would not cause any harm, maybe it works.
Change direction
The redirection method is the best way to keep your dog from peeing on tires. You can change the direction of your dog if you see him going toward the car. Whenever you take your dog for a walk, make sure you have a ball, toy, or some treats on hand to distract him from going towards the tires. These things will redirect his attention towards you from the tires.
Train your dog
Training is the best way out of all methods. Start training your dog when he is small so that you may not face this problem when he becomes big. Train your dog to leave it or no tire command whenever you see him attracting towards the tire. Always supervise him when around the tires so that you can use a command to prevent him from peeing on tires. This method might require a little patience but trust me it will definitely work.
Avoid punishment
Punishment is not a good idea. Never use negative reinforcement on your dog. It can only make him anxious and aggressive. Your dog may lose trust in you if you scold or punish him. Scolding your dog may backfire. Just understand dogs take some time and effort to learn new things. Instead of negative reinforcement, use positive reinforcement to reward your dog when he chooses not to pee on tires. These bad habits of your dog can be broken without punishment.
Consider neutering
Neutering will somehow keep your dog from peeing on tires, but it is not a guaranteed fix. Neutering the dog before he hits full puberty is likely to reduce the tendency to mark on tires. Do consider neutering your dog because it will reduce the habit of marking urine on tires. In many cases, spayed or neutered dogs stop pee marking within weeks or months of the procedure.
Use a dog repellent
There are many dog repellents in the market. You can also make one at home. Whenever your dog pee on tires, just spray dog repellent so that they will not come next time to pee on tires. By spraying some dog repellant on tires, you can stop your dog from coming near car tires.
What we learned from all this
The way humans and animals see the world is quite different. Dogs pee on tires to communicate with other dogs. They mark their territory on tires to show dominance or, in other words, to tell that this area belongs to them. If you train your dog, then it should not be too difficult to discourage the behavior. Your dog will encounter tires every day, which makes them curious. So to avoid such problems, you can use the above methods to stop your dog from peeing on tires. It may take some time and effort, but your dog will definitely learn.
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