Some owners wonder if their dog has a housebreaking problem, or if their pet is marking their territory. Here are a few ways to tell the difference:
- Did you just move to a new residence? Is your dog perhaps feeling insecure and in need of establishing its territory?
- Are any pets in your home not spayed or neutered? This will sometimes inspire marking by other animals
- Is the
urine on vertical or horizontal surfaces? Although not exclusively, marking usually occurs on vertical surfaces.
- Is it merely a small amount of urine? Marking is not the process of totally emptying the bladder, merely applying some scent to a location.
- Did the marking start suddenly? Did something else change in your household at the same time? A formerly well-behaved, doesn't-mark-at-all pup may feel threatened in some fashion. Loud construction, new people or pets, or longer owner work hours may all trigger urine marking. If you understand the source of the marking impetus, it will be easier to stop the behavior.
- Are any pets in your home not spayed or neutered? This will sometimes inspire marking by other animals
Remedies might include:
- Order a bellyband, also known as a male dog wrap or "jock strap,"
for your dog. This product will still allow him to mark but the urine is confined to a particular area.
- Resolve conflicts between your pets.
- Does your dog have a urinary-tract infection? This will sometimes inspire marking or the loss of housetraining.
- One interesting solution is to place treats or food around the spots that your dog has chosen to mark. In doing this, you will be changing the association of the place usually marked with food.
- Resolve conflicts between your pets.
