There is no denying that dog marking is an endless cycle of sniffing and marking. In some cases, however, such as a dog marking on your walk or in the house, you might be as frustrated as every other dog owner. So here are steps to reduce your dog marking behavior.
Those who train dogs will tell you the key to changing a dog’s behavior is positive reinforcement training combined with patience and consistency. Dogs will change their natural instinct if it means pleasing their parents.
Normal Dog Marking Behaviour
To establish territorial control and leadership in packs, canine pack members mark their territory with urine (through marking). Urine possesses a distinctive odor composed of pheromones that can be detected by smell, just like an aromatic fingerprint on a dog.
Essentially, dogs identify one another by their pheromones. That explains why dogs greet each other by putting their noses between each other’s hind legs. They are trying to match the urine marks on the poles with the dog in front of them.
Dogs may mark their territory with urine either as males or females, though many dog owners find that dominant males tend to do it the most often. In general, the issue occurs as puppies become more mature and gain their place in the pack hierarchy.
As a result, the dominant animals eventually establish mating orders where they can pick whoever they want to mate with.
Also, owners of more than one dog may find their alpha-dominant pet is more prone to marking than the other pet. It is possible that small dogs are trying to establish a sense of security within their pack. The behavior of marking in dogs is natural and can be challenging to control because it is ingrained in the pup.
So here are 13 tricks to reduce dog Marking:
1. Stop Dog Marking With Behavioral Training
Your dog will learn where it is allowed and prohibited to leave markings after completing behavioral training. Do not mistake marking for potty training. Males and females who are potty-trained still mark to express what they have or who they are.
Regular routines are key to training your dog to stop marking. Your dog’s mind is organized when walks, feeding, and playtime are regularly scheduled.
Keep a close eye on your dog’s behavior at home to see if he has any favorite spots. Whenever he marks a proper place, give him positive reinforcement (love, a treat, or a toy). When you see him about to mark something he shouldn’t, redirect him.
Until your dog learns acceptable mark-making behavior, you may have to block or remove certain things from his access area where he is prone to mark.
2. Avoid Punishment For Dog Marking
You may cause more harm than good by punishing your dog when he marks. It is possible that your dog may begin hiding his markings and you will be left guessing where he is marking. If you punish your dog several hours later, he will not understand the reason for the punishment. It may cause him to urinate submissively out of fear of you.
As an alternative, reward your dog with positive reinforcement by marking proper spots outside. When he marks an appropriate place instead of the inappropriate places, you can give him the treat to encourage him to mark it.
3. Take Your Dog For Walks
Marking territory is a dog’s natural instinct for indicating which dog is the boss. It is for this reason that dogs like to mark vertical objects, such as fire hydrants. Alpha dogs are those that mark the highest level.
If other dogs come around, they will be able to recognize the hierarchy from the scent. When you walk with your dog on a leash, you teach it where it is acceptable to mark, so that the behavior is curbed.
You can gently guide your dog and reward him for following your commands by keeping your leash short. It also helps you to control and prevent your dog from constantly marking every few feet.
Taking your dog on frequent walks where he will be allowed to mark will let other dogs in the neighborhood know who he is and where he belongs.
4. Limit In-Home Access
You should consider crate training or limiting your puppy’s access to the house if you won’t be home for a while. Make sure he stays in the kitchen or one room by using a baby gate or other barrier.
The likelihood of dogs leaving marks where they sleep is lower. You can walk him after you return to let him relieve himself and mark the designated areas.
In the same way as potty training a puppy, restricting your dog’s access to the house minimizes his desire to mark. A dog will rarely go potty in its bed. The crate becomes similar to his bed when being trained.
5. Spaying Females and Neutering Males
In addition to reducing shelter overcrowding and animal euthanasia rates, spaying and neutering dogs reduce urine-marking issues. Following a spay or neuter, about half of all dogs will stop marking.
It is in the interest of the pack hierarchy to ensure that the top dogs get first picks for mating. Spayed and neutered animals are no longer after a mate.
Whether you have a puppy or an older dog, you should consult your veterinarian about sterilizing it. Low-cost clinics may be able to perform the procedure for free or at a deep discount if you cannot afford it.
Because spaying and neutering reduce the frustration owners have with a dog’s urine spots, animal behaviorists believe spaying and neutering can save animals from shelters.
6. Use a Belly Band
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Using a belly band helps pet owners to prevent or reduce unwanted marking in dogs, especially in puppies or older dogs with frequent urination needs. An absorbent maxi pad is positioned over the belly region so it can catch any urine.
This pad will not only collect urine due to multiple issues (submissive urination, separation anxiety, excitement urination), but it will collect any mark your dog attempts to leave. Housebreaking is very easy when you have this device. It keeps your home areas clean.
Your dog’s odor won’t be left behind in any places where your pet has urinated. He does not feel the need to mark the area again. Dogs tend to re-mark locations that have already been marked.
That’s because marking is a behavioral habit. With belly bands, your dog will stop marking because their scent will not draw your dog back to specific spots. Regardless of whether he tries to mark anything, the urine will collect in the maxi pad.
7. Using Enzymatic Cleaners for Urine
In order to avoid future marking, you need to clean up after your dog when he has urinated. It may not be enough to just clean up your dog’s messes because his smell might remain afterward. The fact remains that your dog (and visitors’ dogs) will mark or urinate at the same spots. Although humans may not smell anything and think everything is clean, your dog certainly will.
Make sure your dog’s urine odor is eliminated using an enzymatic cleaner. You can’t mask a smell. If you apply deodorant to his mark, he will return to it to enhance his scent. An enzyme cleaner removes odors.
8. Address Separation Anxiety
The dog may not be marking initially if he suffers from extreme separation anxiety. As a result, he may not be able to hold his bladder while you are gone.
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He can also become overly enthusiastic when you return and dribble down his leg. Later on, your dog may mark those areas since he is still able to catch his scent in those areas.
Use positive reinforcement training to help separation-anxious dogs gain confidence to go alone for extended periods of time.
Start with short periods of absence and then gradually increase the time as your dog becomes more confident. It is best to remain calm and not overexcite him when you walk in the door so that he does not get too excited.
You should use enzymatic cleaners to remove the smell from all accidents and to prevent the formation of marking habits. Having well-trained dogs is a result of training dog owners to be consistent.
9. Keep Other Animals Out Of The Yard To Reduce Dog Marking
The smell of other animals may be causing your dog to mark areas that you don’t want him to. Your dog is setting his perimeter to establish his territory if dogs or coyotes have access to your yard. Raccoons and other animals may also trigger dog marking.
You may want to keep out animals that may frequent your yard by setting up deterrents. Even if you’re trying to deter other animals, poison can harm your dogs, the environment, and the animals.
To properly resolve issues such as deer or rodents, contact a behaviorist or even an exterminator. You can reduce dog marking incidents by reducing the smell of other animals’ urine.
10. Neutral Territory Doggie Playdates
The benefits of socialization for dogs are numerous. It reduces separation anxiety, stimulates mental activity, and builds confidence in dogs. A new dog may however want to explore and possibly mark its territory at your house if you have a doggie playdate there.
Later on, your dog may begin marking over the smell of his buddy. Instead, bring the dogs to a park or beach that is neutral. As a result, neither of the dogs are on their turf trying to expand or maintain their territory.
In addition to reducing dog marking, a meet-and-greet on neutral territory will also reduce dog fights and aggression.
11. Calling In The Dog Trainer For Assistance With Dog Marking
An experienced dog trainer can help you reduce dog marking through behavioral training. Having a professional review of what you are doing can help you if you are not making progress with supervision and your own training routine.
An experienced dog trainer will observe your dog, evaluate its personality, as well as what you are doing in order to make improvements to the training procedure. Developing the right habits can reduce dog marking, but they can’t completely eliminate it for all dogs.
12. Go To The Vet If You Are Concerned About Urinary Tract Infection
It may not be that a dog is marking, but that they are suffering from a bladder or urination issue caused by an infection or another condition. You need to address a urinary tract infection sooner than later to prevent the chance of permanent marking.
A round of antibiotics can help treat a urinary tract infection readily enough. Even after your dog is back to normal, they may still find their scent in inappropriate places long after he was sick and starting to mark.
The veterinarian will diagnose the problem and prescribe the appropriate medication if it is a urinary tract infection. During his examination of the dog, the vet will exclude any other potential causes of the weakened bladder such as Cushing’s Disease that may contribute to incontinence in older dogs.
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In the case of your dog having medical conditions leading to unexpected urination accidents, work with your veterinarian for the right intervention.
13. Patience! Patience! And Patience!
The marking instinct in a dog is a natural one, and so the bad habit is common and normal. The process of housebreaking must include potential marking for every dog owner.
The right products to eliminate the smell from your home are as important as having the right training tools that can curb marking. A professional dog trainer can help prepare a customized training program that works for the dog owner and dog.
If in doubt, contact your veterinarian. Your dog won’t feel the need to hide anything from you when you eliminate all negative punishment. All dog owners can eliminate unwanted markings from areas of their yard and home with patience.
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