Why Does It Take My Dog So Long to Pee? (Fully Explained)

Many pet owners often have questions about why their dog takes so long to urinate, especially during those long car rides or walks of theirs.

The simple answer is: There are many reasons for this!

Here are just some of the possible challenges that could cause a delay in your pet’s daily need for relief:

30 Common Reasons For Slow Peeing

1. Urinary Tract Infections
The most common cause for frequent urination is a urinary tract infection.

Dogs will demonstrate symptoms such as blood in the urine and often frequent urination in small amounts.

Look out for any signs of scooting or dragging the butt along the ground when your dog is trying to relieve itself.

2. A Healthy Dogs Urine Flow Could Take Longer
On a good day, your dog’s urine should look like a dark yellow, brown color and have no unpleasant odor to it.

If you notice a change in what you would normally see, this may be an indication of a medical issue that can ultimately lead to more serious problems if not treated immediately.

3. Older Dogs Can Take Longer
As dogs get older, their bladder can become much more sensitive and take much longer to a point where they will have to spend unnecessary time trying to relieve themselves.

In addition, their sense of smell will also start to diminish as they age which will also make it difficult for them to determine a suitable place in order to urinate.

4. More Than One Issue At A Time
As dog owners, we are always looking for ways that we can provide our pets with safe and happy lives.

Very rarely are two things ever one on its own; there is always a tad bit more work into it than just that one thing.

If your dog is also dealing with another problem, such as several issues at once that are making them uncomfortable or unhappy, then you may find that they have to spend more time trying to relieve themselves.

5. Under a lot of stress
While stress is a part of all our lives, and the lives of our pets, it can also play a factor in making your dog take much more time than usual to relieve themselves.

If you notice that your pet is starting to drag their butt or scoot along the ground, this could be an indication that they are under a lot of stress and need some immediate help.

6. Nervousness
If your dog has nervous tendencies and is afraid to go towards a certain area, this could cause them to take longer than they normally would trying to find that “perfect spot”.

It may just be that they don’t want to go where another dog has gone before or somewhere where there are too many people around.

7. Lack of privacy
If your dog only has a small piece of grass off at the side of a busy road, then this could be an issue as it may not be private enough for them to look after themselves without being seen by other passersby.

If your dog is stressed by this, then they could find themselves having to urinate more often than normal in order to relieve themselves or take a longer time to do their business.

8. Life indoors
There are so many benefits that come from living an indoor lifestyle. But one of the important ones is that your pet will be able to use the bathroom at a moments notice.

However, if your dog has not been exposed to any real outdoor life, then this may cause them to need to take much longer than necessary when taking care of their own needs during the day.

9. Organized Pet Accidents
Some people live with their dogs in the same room as them and without any option of separating them or providing them with something to call their own.

If this is something you are considering, then keep this in mind as it may take some time for your dog to adjust to having a nice, private place to relieve itself which could lead up to being more stressed by not being able to do it.

10. Lack of exercise
This is absolutely key when it comes to helping your dog cope with any issues that they have.

Exercise can help alleviate stress and boredom, which usually play a large role when dealing with incontinence problems such as those caused by bladder control issues or slow uriantion.

11. Dehydration
If your dog has not been drinking enough water lately, then this could be an indication that they are dehydrated which will make it difficult for them to relieve themselves.

When dogs are dehydrated, they will show signs such as feeling nauseous and can become very ill.

12. Peeing on grass
Although this may not be a huge issue for some dogs, this could be a reason why they may take longer than normal when they want to go out and use the bathroom.

This is because most dogs can smell things that have pee on them which can result in an adjustment period that could take more time than usual.

13. Small bladders
There are smaller breeds of dogs that have been known to have issues with their bladder control.

This can be a reason why they may take longer than normal to complete their business when they are out and about.

14. Senior dogs
As previously mentioned, older dogs and senior dogs are more likely to have age-related problems which can lead them to needing longer in order to take care of themselves.

15. Medical Problems
If you notice any changes in the appearance or smell of your dog’s urine, this could be an indication that they have an underlying medical condition that needs addressing as soon as possible if you want to avoid other more serious problems coming up later on down the road.

16. Other Problems
If your dog has other cases of incontinence, then they are more likely to have issues with bladder control as well.

Some cases include an underlying health condition or medical condition, like kidney disease or hyperthyroidism, and so there is naturally the need to try and eliminate that problem for good.

17. Baby or toddler
If you have recently brought home a new baby, this could be the reason that your dog needs more time than usual to go out for a pee when they usually would not hesitate to do so.

If you’ve recently had a child, it can be difficult for a dog to know what is going on in the house and as such, they may be unsure as to why their bladder control is not what it used to be.

As your dog gets older and gets used to living with children, they are more likely than younger dogs are to take longer than normal when it comes up.

18. Litter box
If your dog is used to using a litter box in the corner, then this could be an issue because they may not be used to going out in the open, preferring to stay back and use their litter box so that they can feel safe.

Many dogs are not comfortable with being exposed in this way and as such, may need some time to get used to the idea before they will be able to relieve themselves.

19. Male Dog
If your dog is a male pet, he has a much harder time when it comes to raising his leg and acting as a male dog should.

If this is the reason why your dog is taking longer than normal when it comes to relieving themselves, then they will need to adjust more than a female would in order to relieve hinself.

20. Female Dog
Female dogs do not have a problem with lifting their leg up and doing what they need to do, unlike many male dogs.

However, if there is something else going on that could be causing the lack of ability to urinate properly, then you may have to make adjustments for her in order to help her stay healthy.

21. Bad weather
If you live in an area with bad weather conditions such as snow or rain, this could be the cause of why your dog is taking longer than normal when you let them out for air.

In some cases, it can even make them sick and lead to vomiting and other problems such as diarrhea and dehydration if it is ignored for too long.

22. Too much activity
If your dog is overly active, this can cause them problems when it comes to certain things they need to do.

As previously mentioned, this includes acting like a male dog and being able to urinate in public without feeling afraid of what may happen.

If you notice that your dog is always on the go and rarely seems to sit still for long, they could be having issues with bladder control because of this.

23. Too much excitement
If you have recently brought home a new baby or something else has happened that has left your dog all excited and full of energy, sometimes it can take them a while to calm down enough so that they can do what they need to do without any problems whatsoever.

This can happen for a number of reasons, but if your dog is having an issue with being too active, they may need to take a break in order to get their body and mind back into the state it needs to be in.

24. Food sensitivities
If you notice that your dog has been having issues with their bladder control for weeks at a time, it can be an indication that they have some type of food sensitivity.

If you have changed the diet of the dog, it could be because there was a problem in the first place.

It may also be to do with how many treats you give them at one time or something else in their diet that is causing a problem in their bladder control.

25. Other animals
If you have recently gotten a new pet that is causing issues with your dog, then this could be the problem.

Or it could be because there is a new cat moving into your home and this may cause issues between them as well.

29. Fighting
If you or a family member has recently gone through a serious fight with each other, this could be causing your dog to have issues with their bladder control.

They may be worried about what is going on in the home and as such, they might not want to go out and relieve themselves until they know that there is no problem going on in the house.

In some cases, this can be due to stress as well, so if you notice them wanting to go out right away when something upsetting happens inside, it could be because they are feeling overwhelmed by the situation.

30. Not feeling comfortable
If you are not sure of the reason why your dog is taking so long to pee, then this could be because they are unsure of what is happening in the home and do not feel comfortable being exposed to it and is impeeding their ability to ‘let go’!

Final Thoughts

Although any of these things could be the real reason why your dog is having an issue with urinating, there could be something else going on that you have not thought about.

So before you start jumping to conclusions, make sure you get your veterinarian involved to see what they can do in order to help with their issues first in order to avoid any more serious problems later on down the road.

References

Royalcanin.com

Petmd

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