Sudden Marking

[Guest aowam]

I've had my grey for a month now, and I was bragging to everyone that he was doing so well with the adjusting! Yesterday, all of the sudden, I came down in the morning and this distinctly fishy smell assaulted my nose. After some detective sniffing, I realized that I had smelled that smell before when I used to clean out my hamsters' potty. He had marked this rubbermaid tub next to our couch. By the time I found it, it was dry, which leads me to believe that he's been doing this for a while and we just hadn't realized.

 

Well, I ran out and got the Nature's Miracle No More Marking bottle which seemed to do the trick. This morning I come down and I wasn't assulted, but acting upon a suspicion, I found that he marked on top of the tub this time (where I hadn't sprayed). Not a happy camper here. Each time I spray down the area he lies there on his bed looking sulky. Like now, he would normally be up here lying next to me, but he is currently on his bed downstairs and hasn't moved nor made a sound.

 

I am aware that after having greyhounds for a while, that their truer personalities shine through, but what's with this sudden relapse in behavior (not only with the marking but in general too)??? He was so well-behaved before!!! I removed the crate a long time ago because he was 1) doing well without it and 2) was terrified of it. SHould I go back, re-crate and start all over again? Or maybe just belly-band? He seems only to be marking at night when everyone's sleeping.

[XTRAWLD]

Where does he sleep at night? If he's with you in your room, you could close the bedroom door and see what happens?

[greysandmollie]

I would babygate him in your room if it is happening at night. I have had several fosters that were perfect except at night....they wouldn't go in my room but didn't mind sneaking off for a potty break.

[Guest aowam]

He usually sleeps in the room next to mine. I tried the belly band last night with success, but now I'm not sure how long it will take before he gets the message. Yesterday he marked in the middle of the day. Still gets me that he hasn't done that since the day that I first got him.

[Guest thedozer]

I'm curious what others have to say about this, but from my experience I'm thinking it's the opposite...Dozer marks when he is uncomfortable about something. We adopted him almost 2 years ago and he was a marking fool for the first few months. We managed it with crating, belly bands and gating him in our room at night, and it's really no longer a problem, but I still find that if his routine is disrupted or if something unusual is going on, he will mark. For example, he has never marked in our bedroom at night, but there have been a few times I put him in our bedroom during the day when my kids have had friends over and he marked. He's also done it when I have taken my other dog somewhere and had to leave him at home alone. I try to be proactive now and have learned what might trigger it, but guess he's still a work in progress.

[Guest Trammell]

Maybe catching him in the act, and giving him plenty of opportunity to mark where it is appropriate? It took me catching my boy in the act several times, with a "no mark" and take him outside. I praise for marking outside (still praise him for that four years later) I do have to watch him at petsmart and if he gets "that look" I tell him "don't even think about it, no mark". I better knock on some wood now . When we go to the dog park, all he does is mark, literally

 

Just a thought, maybe it isn't new behavior, after all you found dry urine?

Edited April 5, 2012 by Trammell

[Guest aowam]

Just a thought, maybe it isn't new behavior, after all you found dry urine?

 

That's what we concluded, but it's interesting that the smell didn't really become prominent until then? Does it smell funny when your dog marks? I am also wondering if springtime has anything to do with this...Petsmart was interestingly all sold out of marking spray. He marks things when no one is looking, smarty pants.

 

And speaking of petsmart, he is a disaster with the marking there.

 

I'm trying to analyze our routine, and the only thing really different is that I've been going to work earlier and longer since last week. Routine is also out the window on weekends. Maybe that's it?

[PatricksMom]

Any chance of a UTI?

[Guest Trammell]

Just a thought, maybe it isn't new behavior, after all you found dry urine?

 

That's what we concluded, but it's interesting that the smell didn't really become prominent until then? Does it smell funny when your dog marks? I am also wondering if springtime has anything to do with this...Petsmart was interestingly all sold out of marking spray. He marks things when no one is looking, smarty pants.

 

And speaking of petsmart, he is a disaster with the marking there.

 

I'm trying to analyze our routine, and the only thing really different is that I've been going to work earlier and longer since last week. Routine is also out the window on weekends. Maybe that's it?

 

It doesn't smell when he marks, if he is drinking enough water. I think it would smell if it became old, or if instead of hitting my wall, he got furniture or the carpet! I cleaned up so many times in Petsmart at the beginning, I was worried the workers might be calling me some crazy nickname behind my back! I would do the same routine "no mark" and book it to the outside, where I would praise (even if I couldn't get him to mark out there). I was able to catch him before after a while because he gets this look, guess you would call it a warning sign (took him outside, because so many smells outside of Petsmart on the grass and trees to let him mark there, and praised) and "no mark" works now and I don't take him outside until we are done with shopping, but I do let him go crazy most of the times afterwards!

 

My guy doesn't mark because of change of routine, just because he is a guy I think, but every dog is different. If a new dog comes into our home, I have to watch him like a hawk for a few days. My guy lives to cuddle and to mark too. When I take him to the dog park all he does is mark the entire time, no matter the length if time. So I think if he can be trained, yours will too!