Marking around the house is a smelly and frustrating problem that is difficult for dog owners to solve. The key to stopping dog marking is to understand your dog’s motivations for peeing indoors. Then, consistently use positive reinforcement training methodologies and management to prevent the marking behavior.
Let’s start with the first step: determining the Why behind the behavior.
Why is my dog marking in the house?
Although your dog raising a paw on your sofa, on a wall or in a corner of the living room is not ideal, urine marking is a very natural behavior for dogs, which discover the world through their nose and leave their scent behind. as a form of communication: I’ve been there, or it’s my territory.
Many people assume that only male dogs, and especially intact males, mark their territory with urine, but this is not the case. Urine mark of male and female dogs whether spayed or neutered. Some female dogs even raise their paws to mark.
The main reasons why your dog marks in the house are:
- Your dog is trying to tell other dogs or animals that the house is his territory.
- To communicate and manage feelings about changes or stressors at home. Rearranging furniture, moving to a new space, new schedules, or family members moving in or out.
- Medical problem, such as a urinary tract infection
- Odor triggered by urine on carpet
How to Stop Marking Your Dog Around the House
Step 1: Rule out a medical problem. Visit the vet, who will rule out any health issues that are causing your dog to have to pee. Once that’s ruled out, you know the marking is likely behavioral and it’s time to start working with your dog.
Step 2: Understand the triggers. Pay attention to when and where your dog starts marking – a new place, when another dog or animal has entered the house, new furniture, or returning to the same place over and over. Once you can anticipate the behavior, you can prevent and interrupt it.
Step 3: Supervise. Keep your dog in sight as often as possible, especially if he hangs out in an area of the house where he tends to mark, to intervene before he acts. Redirect him before he lifts a leg or squats. If you can’t fully supervise him, keep him confined to a dog-proof crate or room with a floor that’s easy to wash off in case of an accident.
Step 4: Redirect. If you notice your dog sniffing the wall or furniture, use treats and toys to redirect him away from that area and outside to relieve himself. Redirecting your dog before marking is much more effective than trying to interrupt your dog once it has started and it reduces the frequency of future marking attempts. When your dog moves away from the area he was sniffing or about to mark, praise and encourage with treats and toys.
Step 5: Manage your environment. Baby gates or tying your dog to you with a leash around the house, keep your dog close and in sight. Daily routine management is also important. When your dog wakes up from a nap or seems restless, lead him outside to the potty. Back inside, keep watching and redirect your dog away from the area he wants to tag.
Step 6: Prevention. For determined markers, wearing a diaper or headband is a preventative measure. Dogs don’t like the feeling of being wet, so most won’t try to mark with the diaper. Only use the diaper or blindfold when you are nearby and able to intervene if your dog becomes stressed, distressed or entangled and check regularly that he is not wet. When it gets wet, change it immediately to avoid chafing and discomfort. To protect your carpet, easy-to-wash area rugs and towels protect regularly marked areas.
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Other tips to prevent dogs from marking in the house:
Here are some additional tips to help you work with your dog:
Encourage outdoor branding: Provide an outlet for this natural marking behavior by giving your dog plenty of space and the ability to mark his urine in appropriate places outdoors. Do not jostle your dog while walking; give him a chance to stop to pee.
Clean well: Clean up any accidents that occur. If your dog smells like pee, he’s more likely to keep trying to urinate there. The better you can clean and neutralize the urine odor, and not just cover it up, the less likely your dog will continue to smell urine there and come back to continue marking.
don’t punish: As frustrating as marking is around the house, we don’t want to punish our dogs for peeing/marking. Instead, take him directly outside and then clean the area thoroughly. Think about what may have triggered the marking behavior and monitor your dog more closely.