It’s been a common conversation for years when we wonder why dogs pee on fire hydrants. Is the fire hydrant a shape that they recognize? Is there something about fire hydrants that magnetically attracts dogs to them? Does it have something to do with the fact that the fire hydrants spray water and that causes the dog to have to urinate?
While it is true that dogs pee on fire hydrants, the reason has nothing to do with the fire hydrant itself. It all has to do with marking their territory. Dogs (mainly male dogs) will urinate on fire hydrants, telephone poles, or just about anything to let other dogs know where they’ve been. In the wild, dogs will urinate on rocks, trees, or any vertical surface to claim their territory. They raise their legs to show dominance by marking a higher point.
Because it is in their nature to mark their territory with urine, when dogs walk the sidewalk in the city, fire hydrants are the only vertical element available for them to urinate on. The hydrant is not special; it’s just more available to dogs. And you know how it is, once a dog has peed on something, all the other dogs have to pee on it too. It’s not like dogs look for a fire hydrant to urinate like humans look for “bathroom” signs when we have to go.
That said, fire hydrants have become iconic symbols due to their popularity as dog urinals. You can hardly look in a pet store without coming across some type of pet item in the symbol or reflecting a fire hydrant.
For example, many stores offer a plastic fire hydrant that is used outdoors as a lidded storage container to store Fido’s dog food or toys. Then there’s a herd of stuffed fire hydrants, some that even giggle when your dog plays with them. There are fire hydrant pillows for your pampered pet, dog collars with a fire hydrant design, and a fire hydrant dispenser for dog cleanup bags that attach to your dog’s leash for easy poop pickup. while walking it.
So therein lies the solution to the mystery of dogs’ attraction to red hydrants.
