Intact male dogs that DO mark

[Beanie]

There are lots of threads on here about male dogs that don't mark... but what about if you have an intact dog that DOES mark? Specifically one that marks inside the house.
How do you go about training an adult male dog not to mark? I know belly bands are an option but surely they don't have to wear them all the freakin' time.
Or do you think that sometimes a male dog will mark a few times in a new house, but after the fact - after the house is no longer new to them - they won't mark anymore?

[bubbatd]

Personally I feel that if you have a dog that marks, neutering doesn't change anything .

[corgipower]

Originally Posted by Beanie

Or do you think that sometimes a male dog will mark a few times in a new house, but after the fact - after the house is no longer new to them - they won't mark anymore?

Both my boys tried marking indoors when they were younger ~ a year and a half to twoish, adolescent, just figuring out what marking is. I did find that with them it tended to be when they first went somewhere unknown -- visiting friends and family, traveling and staying in a motel, etc. When I stayed on top of them for the first 30 minutes or so - maybe keeping them leashed, maybe just watching them like a hawk - I would run them outside as soon as the sniffing started and by doing so they wouldn't mark indoors.

I do believe they wanted their scent there and once they'd been there for a while walking around, lying down, etc. things started to smell like them and they were fine with not marking. As they got older and had more experiences of going to new places and not being able to mark, they stopped trying. But I still watch them closely when we are in a new place just in case.

Originally Posted by bubbatd

Personally I feel that if you have a dog that marks, neutering doesn't change anything .

I only had one male who was a hardcore marker and neutering absolutely made an improvement. He still marked, but nowhere near as badly.

[Dogs6]

Originally Posted by corgipower

Both my boys tried marking indoors when they were younger ~ a year and a half to twoish, adolescent, just figuring out what marking is. I did find that with them it tended to be when they first went somewhere unknown -- visiting friends and family, traveling and staying in a motel, etc. When I stayed on top of them for the first 30 minutes or so - maybe keeping them leashed, maybe just watching them like a hawk - I would run them outside as soon as the sniffing started and by doing so they wouldn't mark indoors.

I do believe they wanted their scent there and once they'd been there for a while walking around, lying down, etc. things started to smell like them and they were fine with not marking. As they got older and had more experiences of going to new places and not being able to mark, they stopped trying. But I still watch them closely when we are in a new place just in case.

This is what Fudge is like at the minute.

[FoxyWench]

jasper is going through a marking phase, its driving me nuts, with him there was no issues until we moved back to my parents and suddenly alot more dogs and hes trying to mark EVERYTHING.
i tried taking him out frequently, and by frequently i mean every 1/2 hour...more if he showed signs...

but that didnt work, he would pee on every blade of grass till the point when i thought there couldnt be any liquid left in him, and in we come inside and hes marking things again.
wed stay out for an hour and no sooner did we come back in it was back to marking...
ive tried tethering him, ive tried crating...
right now the only working option is to belly band him while we attempt to retrain.

ive found hes worse in areas where the other dogs have marked...
the parents have tried to properly clean it but theres still trace...
right now im hoping that once i get my own place itll be easier to retrain him, or that this is a phase...
the good news is he realy doesnt mind the belly band, and wearing it when i take him out its USUALLY dry...
but if hes not wearing it he WILL mark...

[elegy]

steve is not trustworthy in the house because he marks. but generally only two places, so i just don't give him access to those places without strict supervision. i hope that he will outgrow it or that i won't wring his neck before he's old enough that i want to neuter him

keeping him empty helps as well.

[Doberluv]

Bottom line Beanie....you have to treat the dog as though he's a puppy just beginning to learn potty training. Peeing inside WILL NOT WORK. LOL. It won't work because he doesn't get a treat for it. It won't work because he won't get a chance to practice it indoors and that self rewarding behavior won't get a chance to get more engrained...because you will prevent it with constant supervision, crate when you're not there to supervise, loads of praise and high value treats for marking on a tree outside. Neutering does sometimes help...sometimes not, I think. Toker marks like you would not believe...but ONLY outside. She's a girl. LOL. She still knows that pee belongs outside whether it's to empty her bladder or to mark a million bushes and trees. Outside is where "we" pee. LOL.


Good luck. Make it work so well outside and not inside so soon, he'll only have one real choice.

[Beanie]

Originally Posted by bubbatd

Personally I feel that if you have a dog that marks, neutering doesn't change anything .

I do think there are some dogs that change their marking behaviour when they are neutered... however the dog I'm talking about is intact and will most likely be remaining intact, so neutering is not really an option to attempt to change the behaviour either way.


It's also a slightly older (well, in that he's an adult, not a puppy) dog... I believe he's three? I'm not sure if that will make it any eaiser or harder to re-train, LOL.

ETA: whoops, replies while I was typing! Thanks Doberluv, I was sort of wondering if it was going to be like a return to having a puppy... watching like a hawk, running on a strict outdoor potty break schedule... Ughhhhh why does the midwest have to be so cold?? Hopefully it will be that easy. =/

[Laurelin]

So who is the newbie? lol

[smkie]

I spent a month with a serious leg hiker inside out out leashed to me. IF he was off the leash i had my eyeballs on him. It took a month but i rehomed him a non-marker in doors.