The cliche understanding is that dogs mark their territory with pee. At times I’ve been on walks with family and friends with half a dozen dogs. There have been occasions where they form a line just to pee in the same spot.
So how does the ownership work? Is it like a co-op? Last one to pee wins?
Biologist here.
It’s about communication. Territory marking works the same way (eg backyard dogs will often poop and pee on the fence line), but it’s also just like doing a check in on social media when you’re out and about.
I call it pee-mail.