Why does the
neighbor's dog
pee at my door?

The full narration of the video.

You open the door in the morning, and there's another yellow puddle by the frame. You mopped it just yesterday, and it's back. The dog next door shows up at your door every single day, right on schedule, for a little pee. Your first thought is probably: this dog has it in for me, or its owner is doing it on purpose.

Hold that anger for a second. Chances are, this pee isn't about you at all. For a dog, peeing isn't just going to the bathroom. It's writing. It lifts a leg and leaves just a few drops. It's like sticking a note on your door: I was here, and this is who I am.

Another dog walks by, takes a sniff, and reads the note. And after reading, it often leaves a reply. Vets call this scent marking. It's how dogs normally talk to each other, not bad behavior. So with all the doors in the building, why yours?

One: upright things, like door frames, wall corners and flowerpots. They seem to invite a lifted leg all on their own. Two: other dogs have already left messages here. Dogs love to pee right where another dog has peed, so one note turns into a whole thread of replies. And three, the big one: the spot you mopped? To its nose, the note is still right there.

A dog's nose is far sharper than ours. Some researchers put it at ten thousand times more sensitive or beyond. Estimates vary a lot. After a mop with plain water, you can't smell a thing, but the dog still can. It's like smudging the writing on a sticky note while the paper stays stuck to the door. So every day it walks by and sniffs: oh, my last note's still up. Better add another.

Of course, pee isn't exactly paper: you can see a sticky note, but this kind of note can only be read by a nose. So the fix has to aim at the nose, too. Step one: tear the whole note off. Get an enzyme cleaner made to break down urine odor, and soak the spot. Let it sit ten minutes or so, then wipe.

Skip cleaners that smell of ammonia, and don't just splash vinegar on it. That only covers the smell up, and the dog can still read it. Step two: have a friendly word with your neighbor. If the dog's on a leash, a gentle tug as they pass your door is all it takes. Keeping a dog on a leash outside is already required by China's Animal Epidemic Prevention Law. And the Civil Code says keeping animals must not disrupt other people's lives.

If a friendly word doesn't work, go to your property management or neighborhood committee. But don't scatter chili or throw things to scare it. A frightened dog may end up marking even more. That puddle at your door isn't an insult. It's a note that never got fully torn down.

Do both steps, give it a week, and see if it still comes back. By the way: where does it get you? The door frame, the wall corner, or the flowerpot?