3.5 year old pit randomly started kicking after peeing - should I be worried?

[00_mary]

I have a 3.5 year old neutered Am Staff male. When we we first go outside, he squats to do his long pee, and then after that he lifts his leg to mark/do a short pee on random things about 4-5 times during a normal 30 minute walk. He has never kicked up dirt after doing his business in the 2 years that I have had him. In the last couple weeks, he has started stretching his legs all the way out, digging his claws into the ground, and kicking up dirt and grass. He doesn't do it every time, and when he does it's only once during the walk after about the third or fourth pee. I know other dogs do this routinely, but it struck me as odd because he has never done it before. He has allergies and IBS-type issues, as well as recurrent ear infections, and is on a prescription hypoallergenic diet, but as far as I know he has never had any UTI or bladder issues. I am not sure if this is just a random dog thing or if he is having some discomfort and acting differently because of it. Should I be worried about this? Thanks.

 

[savedbygrace2021]

@00_mary nothing to worry about, dogs of both sexes, altered and intact, display this behavior. most likely not a sign of discomfort, totally normal.

 

[chrisjackson960]

@00_mary Agree with the others, nothing to worry about. I had a neutered male maltese that would do this after every time he got a drink out of his water bowl. He would get a drink, walk to the carpet, and then kick his feet like he was kicking up leaves and dirt. It's much more common to see them do this after going potty, my guy was just a special one haha

 

[hennaz222]

@00_mary Some dogs start way earlier but 3 is still a completely normal age to start doing this. Nothing to worry about!

 

[imagebeastmarkbeast]

@00_mary I have a female dog, she's 4 now but she started doing it around 2.5-3. I never thought she would because my other 3 dogs do it and have done it for a long time. She was a late bloomer I guess. I don't see it as something to worry about. At least mine, she is the same in every other way. She is a lot more confident since she is a little older, maybe that has something to do it with.

 

[aussiejo]

@00_mary It's normal! My dog picked it up (and only does it sporadically) around 2. It's my understanding that they do it to kick around their scent because there are scent glands in their feet.