You Have E-Mail; Your Dog Has P-Mail

P-mail is an important aspect of canine communication.

How many times a day do you check your e-mail, texts, and social media messages? It's an important part of your day, checking in with your friends and family to see what they have to share with you.

Your dog may not be able to read words, but he has a similar routine of checking his messages every day: p-mail.

What Is P-Mail?

Dogs have a variety of ways in which they communicate with one another, and urine is one of them. Smelling another dog's "pee" can tell your dog a lot, including:

That is an incredible amount of information! Dogs can use the facts that they gather to decide how they themselves will behave. For instance, if your dog smells that many other dogs in a particular area have been feeling stressed, he may raise his guard and begin to feel a bit nervous.

How Do Dogs Respond to P-Mail?

Dogs may respond in many ways when they receive p-mail. What they do largely depends on their own sex, the sex of the dog that left the urine, and both dogs' social status. For instance:

Male dogs that are intact and dominant spend the most time trying to mark over other dogs' urine. You may even see a dog like this trying to leave p-mail even after his "tank" is empty.

Reading and Responding to P-Mail Is Important to Your Dog

As you can see, p-mail is an important part of your dog's day. Sniffing around where other dogs have been and deciding how to respond is a crucial part of a dog's social health.

Be sure that you are giving your dog plenty of opportunities to take walks, sniff new spots, and catch up on what's going on in his neighborhood. And, while you might not always have time to stop at every spot your dog wants to sniff, try to take some walks in which you can indulge your dog and let him take as much time as he wants to catch up on all the gossip and tell his own stories.

You May Also Like These Articles:

Petting vs. Praise: Which Does a Dog Like Best?

Most Popular Dog Breeds - Slideshow

Why Dogs Like to Roll in Yucky Stuff

How Do You Stop a Dog from Barking?

Things We Do That Annoy Our Dogs - Slideshow

How to Prevent Separation Anxiety in Your New Dog

How to Stop Your Dog from Jumping on People

Destructive Chewing In Dogs


Disclaimer: This website is not intended to replace professional consultation, diagnosis, or treatment by a licensed veterinarian. If you require any veterinary related advice, contact your veterinarian promptly. Information at DogHealth.com is exclusively of a general reference nature. Do not disregard veterinary advice or delay treatment as a result of accessing information at this site. Just Answer is an external service not affiliated with DogHealth.com.