Marking

[Guest thedozer]

We adopted our boy almost six months ago and he's settling in well. We crated him in the beginning, but stopped after a few weeks because he didn't really care for it and he was behaving well in the house. He has not chewed up, torn up or destroyed anything in the house, but we are having trouble eliminating his marking behavior in the house. I believe it's marking and not peeing, because the amounts in the house are small and when he pees it's a huge puddle. It doesn't happen every day, but maybe about once a week. I clean everything thoroughly with Nature's Miracle and had my carpets professionally cleaned and treated. He gets at least one long walk a day, has several turnouts and has access to a doggy door which he uses frequently. On walks he marks on everything! I used to think it was good to let him mark on his walks and completely empty himself, but now I'm beginning to wonder if that is the right thing to do. Could that be encouraging his marking behavior? It's back to the belly band and crate for now, but is there anything else I can do to change his behavior before he ruins my coach?

[Guest Johnpilot]

We adopted our boy almost six months ago and he's settling in well. We crated him in the beginning, but stopped after a few weeks because he didn't really care for it and he was behaving well in the house. He has not chewed up, torn up or destroyed anything in the house, but we are having trouble eliminating his marking behavior in the house. I believe it's marking and not peeing, because the amounts in the house are small and when he pees it's a huge puddle. It doesn't happen every day, but maybe about once a week. I clean everything thoroughly with Nature's Miracle and had my carpets professionally cleaned and treated. He gets at least one long walk a day, has several turnouts and has access to a doggy door which he uses frequently. On walks he marks on everything! I used to think it was good to let him mark on his walks and completely empty himself, but now I'm beginning to wonder if that is the right thing to do. Could that be encouraging his marking behavior? It's back to the belly band and crate for now, but is there anything else I can do to change his behavior before he ruins my coach?

 

I have adopted a new boy three weeks ago to go along with my 9 year-old female. He still occasionally marks or has boo-boo and we too have a dog door which he uses.

 

Did you change your routine every time before he does it? Were you in the house or out? Mine seems to be sensitive to when I am in the house, he wants to be let out by me and when I change my routine, he gets that way. One thing I did that really helped was that I put a shoe or slipper of mine on every place where we hod gone and the last time he made a mess it was in a different spot. Like yours, he touches nothing in the house, so that may be something to try to keep him away from the couch.

 

John

[GeorgeofNE]

There is no correlation between marking on walks and marking in the house.

 

George lifts his leg CONSTANTLY on walks, and has never marked inside, although he has at Petco and the vet's office.

 

Sounds like your boy just doesn't QUITE understand the entire house is his domain.

 

I would not crate him after letting him be uncrated for a while. He will not likely take well to that. The belly band should curtail the behavior if it truly is marking--but you'll have to shut the dog door so he doesn't try to go out to pee and pee in the band. You don't want to send him mixed messages.

[Guest thedozer]

Yes, I thought the belly band would curtail it too, but he doesn't seem to mind walking around in a wet belly band, although that does save the couch and carpet from being his target. The doggy door sits in the track of the sliding glass door and is easily removed and we do take it out whenever he is wearing his belly band. Nothing has changed in the house or in our routine, his episodes are fairly random.

BTW, I took a urine sample to the vet a couple months ago and it came back fine.

I'm going to get the crate back out tonight and just leave it open for him to go in and out for the next several days. We will be home each day next week for the holiday, so that will be a good time to try some short periods of crate training to see how it goes. Hopefully he will figure out sooner rather than later that the house is his.

Thanks for the responses!

 

Yes, I thought the belly band would curtail it too, but he doesn't seem to mind walking around in a wet belly band, although that does save the couch and carpet from being his target. The doggy door sits in the track of the sliding glass door and is easily removed and we do take it out whenever he is wearing his belly band. Nothing has changed in the house or in our routine, his episodes are fairly random.

BTW, I took a urine sample to the vet a couple months ago and it came back fine.

I'm going to get the crate back out tonight and just leave it open for him to go in and out for the next several days. We will be home each day next week for the holiday, so that will be a good time to try some short periods of crate training to see how it goes. Hopefully he will figure out sooner rather than later that the house is his.

Thanks for the responses!

[Guest Swifthounds]

Dogs will mark where the urge strikes a no one has discouraged it - home, friends, vet, PetSmart, walks, etc. I don't happen to think marking is cute or makes my hounds welcome, so I discourage it in all contexts.

[3greytjoys]

My boy (now a senior) has never had an accident in my house, or in hotels. He did mark in his foster dad's house the first day, even though he had a dog door. (Foster dad did have other dogs, so marking is understandable for a new boy entering the home.) Immediately thereafter, foster dad leashed and attached him to his waist. He was able to catch him immediately when he tried to mark the next time. A sharp "NO" in foster dad's deep voice, and rushing him outside was all it took to stop that behavior for him. (After I adopted him, I discovered that he listened to me much more seriously if I tried to lower my voice similar to a man's voice. His trainers were clearly men, and he listened to his trainers.)

 

Our walks are more like fast "power walks" for exercise, and to reduce marking behavior. My boy (and girls) would love to stop to mark every 5 seconds if I let them, but I have certain places that I stop to let all the hounds do their business. Respectfully, I try to avoid my neighbors' lawns by selecting more appropriate stopping points at the ends of streets. I ask my hounds do their business in our own backyard before we begin a walk, and again when we return home.

 

Belly bands are simply like a diaper to protect furnishings, but will not do anything to stop the root behavior (as far as I know).

 

I know the waist leash idea would be difficult if your boy is only marking indoors once a week. Good luck.

[Guest Greytluv]

I've had Danger for 6 yrs and he still marks. I've tried everything. He'll go weeks and then he'll mark. Used to drive me nuts. I've never seen him do it and there is no rhyme or reason for it.

[Guest cwholsin]

What worked for our boy for marking was making it clear when and where he's allowed to mark. Hermes also marked when we brought him home and a couple times when things changed. When we first got him, he wanted to mark on everything on our walks and then started doing research. We don't let him mark on walks unless we give him the okay by using a potty command (same one he gets at home in the backyard). If he stops to do it, we use our 'negative sound' and keep going forward. It didn't take too long before he got the idea to keep walking unless we tell him he can pee and mark. I don't know that his walk manners specifically relate to his inside behaviors, but we haven't had any marking inside since we got the walk behavior down. He's been tempted to mark at other people's houses, but we always keep him on a leash and discourage him if he tries to sidle up to something to pop that leg.

 

I hope you find something that helps! I know accidents and marking can be a pain in the butt!

[sobesmom]

Does he mark when you're home, or when you're gone? It it's when you're home - keep an eagle eye on him and squirt him with a water bottle if he lifts a leg.

 

If it's only when you're gone - crate.

[Guest ljdrew]

I know this is several months after this topic was started but I just have to chime in. I'm having a terrible time with my boy and marking. It is marking because the back door can be open and he will still come inside and lift his leg on something. He is also very particular about what he marks. My bed, my chair, my footstool. I haven't been able to catch him because he knows not to do it in front of me. With all the other dogs, there is no sneaking around for me and even when the other dogs may be outside and distracted he still hears me coming and runs out of the room. I have belly bands but it hasn't deterred him. In fact, he has figured out how to make it work for him. He will just pee in his band and come to me to take it off and then he knows he gets to go outside which he thinks is terrific fun. It is very discouraging because he is terribly pleased with himself.

 

When I leave for the day I babygate them all in the family room and that minimizes the marking but does not stop it. He likes to mark the footstool in particular which is a piece of furniture he loves.

 

I have left the band on him but he doesn't seem to mind it and I worry about that urine against his skin. I've had him checked out and there is no medical reason for the peeing. (I'm also crazy about not having that urine-soaked band pressing against furniture and dog beds.)

 

The marking is escalating. The vet put him on Prozac but honestly, he isn't a stressed out dog. He is truly a joyful, relaxed hound.

 

I'm wondering if I'm using the belly band wrong. Is there a way to have it direct behaviors more than just discourage bad behavior?

 

Any ideas or suggestions for catching him? I've tried sitting quietly in the room (fooled no one and everyone just joined me in that room) tried peeking around the corner (he knew I was there). My next idea is to set up an elaborate "trap" where I set up a web cam and something that will allow me to startle him out of the behavior (speaker) and remotely correct him. Seems like a long shot so I thought I would check with you all.

 

Oh, I forgot to add that he thinks getting squirted with the water bottle is fun. Yes, my Frankie boy is a bubble off. ;-)

 

Thanks,

 

Laurie, Sapphire, Frankie, Daisy, and Oscar.

Edited April 8, 2011 by ljdrew

[Guest thedozer]

Laurie...I am the OP and feel your frustration!!! Dozer has finally improved, but still cannot be 100% trusted. We started crating him again every time we left the house or could not watch him. Does Frankie mind the crate? Dozer doesn't mind it too much and I think it bothered me more than him. Then, for months, every minute he was out of his crate he wore his belly band. But like you, we could never catch him in the act. I taped little bottles of rubbing alcohol to his favorite marking spots in hope that the odor would make it not so appealing to him anymore. Also, on walks, I try to deter his constant marking of the neighborhood and only allow him to pee in certain areas. I think he's finally getting it but it's taking lots of training and work. Good luck.