Territorial Marking

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Some male dogs urinate on furniture, etc. without the owner being aware of it, as the dog will rarely do it in view of the owners. This behavior is always more pronounced in situations when other dogs are visiting the household regularly or when more than one dog is owned.

The first thing to establish is that the dog is fit and well and that there are no underlying medical reasons for the behavior. It is therefore advisable to give your dog a thorough veterinary examination prior to implementing the procedures outlined below.

The type of food given to the dog may also influence this behavior. Some types of food (those consisting of a lot of non-digestible filler ingredients, typically low-cost foods) result in the dog passing a large proportion of what they have eaten. This results in dog's needing to go to the bathroom much more frequently than dogs fed on a more digestible diet. It stands to reason that a dog that needs to relieve itself three times in every twenty-four hours is going to be much easier to housetrain than a dog that needs to go six times or more.

General points:

· Do not use ammonia based cleaning agents to clean up as the smell often encourages the dog to use these areas again. Generally, enzyme-based cleaners work best.

· Do not scold your dog physically or try and rub his nose in the mess. This will have the effect of making your dog afraid to go in front of you, and hide when he wants to go to the toilet and makes the job of housetraining much more difficult for you.

· Only scold your dog verbally if you catch him in the act of going to the toilet.

· Keep a daily diary of elimination times, exercise times, your dog’s preferred toileting surfaces, etc. This makes it easy for a behavioral specialist to then provide you with a program that will cure even the most difficult housetraining problems.

· Always inform your vet if you notice any sudden change in your dog’s behavior.

· Be patient and try not to clear up any mess with your dog present, or he may learn to mess on the floor in order to gain attention. Put him out in the yard or closed in another room and then clean up.

THE CURE

A survey in England suggests that surgical sterilization will greatly reduce cases of dogs urinating in the home. Other solutions include:

· Dividing up your dog’s daily food allowance into separate portions, each portion in a separate bowl. Place these bowls in all locations where your dog has previously urinated and leave them there all of the time, even when the food has been eaten.

· Make sure your dog is getting outside often enough to relieve himself. Double the number of times a day he goes out. If this stops the indoor marking, gradually decrease the number of outdoor trips. Or, if possible, install a dog door and train your dog to use it so that he has free access to a safe (enclosed) outdoor area in which he may urinate.

· It is beneficial, in some cases, to apply a small amount of Vick’s Vaporub to the area on each side of your dog’s nostrils at ‘danger’ times such as when visitors arrive, etc. This makes it difficult for him to smell previous scent marks and helps to deter unwanted marking.

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