yet another ? on marking

[dnj90]

Over the course of the last couple of days,my 7 month old Thor has startd to pee in the house.He has no medical problems.What makes it so bad is that this happens afterhe comes in from a walk(he goes outside by the way when we walk him) he will stare at us and just do it in front of us.He has peed on my kids bed,and worst of all he peed on my wifes foot while she was in the kitchen Is this some sort of defiance or dominance issue?Can someone please give me some input?

[Luvs]

I know you said that it is not a medical issue but have you had him to the vet to be sure?
If it is not a medical issue then it sounds like a training one. What do you do when you catch him?
Do you have him in obedience classes? Is he allowed on the furniture? I would definately put a stop to that ASAP if he is. We made a big mistake and allowed Akasha and Keil on the furniture until they each peed on our beds. They are no longer allowed on ANY furniture!

It does sound like it may be a dominance issue. Especially if he is peeing on your wife and the bed. I would start NILF immediately and get him into training. Was he corrected when he peed on your wife?

[poohbearsmom]

He's getting to the age where he'll start marking territory. Welcome to the world of big boys.

If this were my boy, I'd certainly let him know, in no uncertain terms that the inside of the house is MINE, and he's very lucky that I allow him the luxury of spending his life in it.

Peeing on your wife? Peeing on your kid's beds??DEFINITELY A NO NO.

This boy needs some boundaries - AND QUICKLY.

When I've walked my boys, I allow them to relieve themselves before we leave the yard. They are not allowed to pee indiscriminantly, as they are fully capable of holding it for a brisk, fun stroll. There might be one or two places along the way, which they quickly learn are OK for marking, but I decide when and where.

If you cannot monitor his wherabouts in the house, acquire some baby gates, or crate him. A house and family covered in dog pee is gross. In addition, I believe your boy is telling you exactly where he thinks he sits in the house - on the throne. If this were my dog, I'd keep a collar and a tab lead on him, so I could make a swift correction the second I saw the posturing for marking.

Who does the majority of training and handling of Thor? What kind of obedience classes have you attended?

You can fix this quickly, but I think you need to take a look at the big picture of what's going on in your home, in relation to your dog. This behavior is a manifestation of your method of handling of him, IMHO.

Kind regards,

[Judi W]

I agree with Elizabeth. When the dog is hiking his leg on something, that is marking not a medical issue. It is quite literally "piss on you and yours"! Since he does it in front of you it is even more so. How did you respond?

[dnj90]

Thanks for all the prompt responses.When ever he does this he is reprimanded and put into his crate for a "time out".He will be going for training in 2 weeks.We no its not medical according to the vet.Also if say we leave for 4 or 5 hours we put him in our bedroom and he holds it untill we get home and walk him,thats why I feel its a dominance or defiance issue or now a training issue.

[Brooke&Ryan]

Originally Posted by dnj90

Thanks for all the prompt responses.When ever he does this he is reprimanded and put into his crate for a "time out".

Dogs do not learn anything from a "time out" in the crate. The crate should never be used for punishment, IMO.

Julius has never tried the whole marking business in the house but on other things that have needed to be corrected (chasing our cat for example) I let him know that I was pretty ticked & then we did some brisk OB work (sits, downs, heel, stay, etc.). He had a collar & short leash on in the house at all times (supervised of course) in case a correction needed to be given.

[Judi W]

OK - now how do you reprimand? (back to that what is your response)

[damp]

Originally Posted by Judi W

OK - now how do you reprimand? (back to that what is your response)

I think all of my males have marked in my house "three" times… the first, the last and the only time!

[dnj90]

By reprimand I mean he is told no in a strong voice and taken out after the"time out"Which by the way is as long as it takes to clean up the mess.

[Judi W]

Well, it is pretty obvious that your "no" is not very impressive to the dog. Personally, I am so totally outraged at any dog that would have the nerve to think it can use my home as a toilet, let alone a "piss on you" towards me, that there is no mistake about whether they would want to risk their lives doing it again. I think Damp and I have the same response. Makes an indelible impression on the dog.

This dog is old enough to take responsibility for his actions and suffer the consequences. Also, I hope you have him in training classes because this is the utmost in disrespect and you need to tighten up on the training.

[Tank's Grandma]

Tank marked in the house right in front of me when he was about 8 months old, while he was still recovering from hip surgery. He had been getting special treatment due to the surgery and plus was at "that age" and was pushing the limits. He got quite a loud yell from me and we spent the next 30 minutes doing nothing but obedience drills, sit, down, stay. And I had absolutely no 'friendly' interraction with him for the rest of the day. He was given commands and that was it. When he was taken outside for potty breaks, he wasn't allowed to mark any of the trees. He's never lifted his leg in the house again.

[Christine D]

Our Boe marked on me once right in front of other dogs at puppy class!! He hasn't done it since but he does like to mark his territory outside not in. When he does something bad he goes into his crate for a time out willingly!! He does not associate his crate with any bad he associates it as his room. He will sleep in there quite often during the day and if he wants to get away from the kids he will go lie in there.

[poohbearsmom]

Originally Posted by Judi W

Well, it is pretty obvious that your "no" is not very impressive to the dog. Personally, I am so totally outraged at any dog that would have the nerve to think it can use my home as a toilet, let alone a "piss on you" towards me, that there is no mistake about whether they would want to risk their lives doing it again. I think Damp and I have the same response. Makes an indelible impression on the dog.

This dog is old enough to take responsibility for his actions and suffer the consequences. Also, I hope you have him in training classes because this is the utmost in disrespect and you need to tighten up on the training.

Same response here, too...LOL.

While my boys have never marked in my home, the Big boy has lifted his leg in one other home.... ONCE. I'm nearly 100% certain that he'll never mark inside a building again.... the message was LOUD AND CLEAR.

[Luvs]

Originally Posted by Judi W

Well, it is pretty obvious that your "no" is not very impressive to the dog. Personally, I am so totally outraged at any dog that would have the nerve to think it can use my home as a toilet, let alone a "piss on you" towards me, that there is no mistake about whether they would want to risk their lives doing it again. I think Damp and I have the same response. Makes an indelible impression on the dog.

That is what we did with Keil the ONE time he tried to mark in my house. It made a lasting impression and he has not tried to mark in our house since.

[Roosmom]

Originally Posted by Luvs

That is what we did with Keil the ONE time he tried to mark in my house. It made a lasting impression and he has not tried to mark in our house since.

most of the boyz I've had in have tried it at least once. a heavy foot stomp with a OH HELL NO stopped it in mid stream never to stream in my house again LOL
I might be a tiny little girl to humans but to dogs i'm as big as they come :)
I think the original poster will do well in training classes they will teach him to bitch up when he needs to with out getting physical with the dog.