I have a 9 year old male cocker spaniel who is entire. For the past year or so, once he has been out in the garden for a pee first thing, he will come back in and lick himself until it's all hanging out! This is the only time he does it and there is never any signs of sores or discharge etc. (It is obviously just a bit uncomfortable for him until it pops back in). This morning he was sat on the sofa afterwards and he started intermittently spraying clear liquid which he didn't seem to be aware that he was doing. It didn't look or smell like pee and he has never done this before - has anyone come across this before and/or have any ideas what it could be?

It could be that he has a problem in that area and is finding it uncomfortable, maybe a vet visit is in order?

If it's been going on for a year or so, and you said it's obviously uncomfortable for him, why wait so long before getting him checked ?. I know it's none of my business but that seems a long time. Hope he's not been suffering too much and that he's ok soon.

Sorry, I should have said that I have spoken to the vet about this in the past. As there is no sign of infection and he has no problem urinating, they didn't think it was an issue (although they didn't carry out an examination). He has monthly check ups at the vets anyway due to various health problems so I will mention it again at our appt next week.

Thanks for explaining. I felt mean having a dig but it did seem odd.
Hope he's ok very soon.

Do you keep his hair trimmed in this area?  He may simply be a bit dry in the mornings and have difficulty retracting or it might be that his hair is getting caught.

The other thing to be aware of is that his urine is likely to be more concentrated/acidic in the mornings which might explain the irritation...  Does he drink enough?  Does he have free access to water overnight?

I'd ask the vet to check his urine and I'd also ask for your vets advice about how to help if his penis won't retract (KY jelly is an option).  If everything comes up normal after a check up then I'd also suggest that you distract him from too much licking as it will make him sore.

BTW the clear liquid could be ejaculate - your vet could tell you for sure

Thank you for the suggestions.

His hair is kept trimmed there and his whole tummy gets clipped although he still has his skirt etc. He has free access to water all day and night and he will always have a drink after his meals and his walks. Difficult to measure exactly how much with having the 2 dogs but he appears to be well hydrated.

He had a dip test done on a urine sample just before christmas (for a completely separate issue) and that was ok other than a small amount of bilirubin. I'll take another one with me though and they can maybe do a more comprehensive analysis on it.

Interesting as my nearly 13 year old has just started this, fastidious cleaning after morning pee, he has washed himself so much the hair has changed colour. He doesn't seem to be in any discomfort, just enjoys cleaning himself. He will be going to the vet next week for an "OAP check up" so it will be something I will bring up, along with a few lumps and selective deafness :)