Urine Marking, Part 2

In my last episode, I talked about some common reasons why dogs urine mark – sometimes to mark territory, sometimes maybe just to signal “I was here,” and sometimes out of excitement or stress. Marking is usually normal, but marking indoors is a big problem in the opinion of most humans, and also it’s often a clue that something’s wrong. This week, 8 tips if your dog marks inside your home. Plus a bonus: marking etiquette.

First things first. Is Mr. Marker neutered? Although many a neutered dog marks, and so does many a female dog, intact male dogs are the champion urine markers of the world. Neuter Mr. Marker, and you can expect to see him mark less or even stop marking altogether.

A surgical solution might seem over the top here, but it’s good public policy to neuter or spay your dog anyway. Plenty of accidental puppies are born every day, and a high proportion of them wind up homeless.

Figure out what gets your dog’s waterworks going. What happens right before he marks?

While you’re at the vet, ask her to investigate possible medical causes for the behavior. I talked about some potential issues last week.

Tip #2: Figure Out What Gets Your Dog Going

Your next step, assuming that Mr. Marker is neutered and healthy, is to figure out what sets his waterworks going. Don’t waste your time trying to play mind reader; all you need to do is take note of what happens right before he marks. Did a visitor just come in? Did a particular dog just walk by your house? Is Mr. M. having a big bout of marking this week, and you happen to know that your neighbor’s dog is an unspayed female going into heat? (Even neutered dogs may respond to females in estrus.) Does your dog mark on newly delivered packages, or new furniture? When you know what circumstances your dog marks in, you’ll have a better idea of what tactics you need.

Tip #3: Assess for Anxiety

If your dog marks partly out of stress or anxiety, you’ll need to address that. Does he get super agitated when people come over? Even if he’s friendly, that over-the-top excitement can lead straight to marking. Try having Mr. Marker greet visitors outside. That may be less stressful to begin with, plus if he does mark, it’s not a big deal. Or let him rest in a crate behind a closed door until the visitors settle in, then bring him out to greet them when he’s calm. Ask your guests to greet him quietly or ignore him – this helps stressy dogs relax.

See also How to Get Your Dog to Stop Barking at Guests

If your dog marks because of separation anxiety, you’re not likely to be able to change his behavior unless you alleviate the separation anxiety too. My episode on separation anxiety explains how to tell your dog may have this problem, and how to help him if he does.

Tip #4: Clean – Dog-Nose Clean, That Is

If you clean dog pee with soap and water or upholstery shampoo, you probably won’t be able to smell it. But your dog will, and if it smells like a pee spot, it’s a pee spot. To get the smell out, use a specially formulated enzymatic cleanser from a pet-supply store. Don’t waste your money on supermarket and hardware-store products — they don’t work, no matter what the label says. You may need to use an ultraviolet lamp to find all the places where your dog has marked.

Tip #5: Turn the Toilet into a Limited-Access Party Venue

If Mr. Marker pees in one special place, limit access with a baby gate or a closed door once the area is clean. Then use that area to feed him and play with him. The idea is to give the ex-toilet a whole new set of associations in his mind.

Tip #6: Block Input

If your dog marks in response to something he sees or hears outside – a particular dog or person walking past, say – can you draw curtains over that window or keep him away from it? A white-noise machine or soft music may help mask noises that set him off.  

Tip #7: Old News Is Good News

If Mr. Marker targets new items, let them sit around for a while before he has access to them – for instance, if you buy a chair, keep him away from it for a day or so, then let him investigate it briefly and take him for a walk or bring him to another room. Give this a couple of days, until the chair is old news. You’ll have to make an educated guess about how long that takes for your individual dog.

When the new item is a package that’s just been delivered, the easy answer is just to keep it out of reach and then put the contents away as soon as you open it.

Tip #8: Reward Appropriate Marking

When Mr. Marker chooses an appropriate target, like a utility pole, or maybe a fencepost you put up in your yard expressly for him to mark, praise him and give him a treat. Don’t punish him for mistakes, though. Just as in housetraining, punishment has a good chance of teaching your dog that peeing where you can see him is dangerous. This is how we create dogs who won’t pee on leash walks but take a quick trip behind the sofa instead.

See also Why Do Dogs Sneak Away to Pee and Poop?

Marking Etiquette

Last week, I promised you a few words about doggy marking etiquette outdoors. Boy, is this a thorny subject. The rule is supposed to be to “curb your dog,” meaning walk him near the street so he doesn’t pee on your neighbors’ walls, fences, or shrubbery. But if you live in a city where there’s on-street parking, all those car tires are going to see some raised legs aimed at them. Then there are days when garbage bags and bins line the curbside. Plus, sidewalk trees suffer enough from gasoline emissions and lack of water; dog pee doesn’t do them any good. Finally, you really don’t want your dog stepping in the broken glass or motor oil that find their way to the side of many busy streets. Or rummaging in the trash that a few people feel the need to dump out their car windows.

As I see it, many reasonable uses, and some unreasonable ones, are competing for limited space. Since I’m The Dog Trainer, my job is to stick up for dogs. In a paved-over, automobile-heavy world, dogs have limited scope for trotting around, sniffing, marking, and in general doing normal doggy things. It must be incredibly frustrating for them to constantly be told to leave this thing, that thing, and the other thing alone – or, worse yet, to be yanked away. The best I can do is this: Be courteous to your neighbors, but also work to find places where you can bring your dog to just hang out and be a dog. Whether he marks or not.

For more about teaching and living with your dog, check out my book, The Dog Trainer’s Complete Guide to a Happy, Well-Behaved Pet. I’m The Dog Trainer on Facebook, and you can also write to me at dogtrainer@quickanddirtytips.com. I welcome your comments and suggestions, and though I can’t reply individually, I may use them as the basis for future articles. Thanks for reading!

Spitz Puppy and Treat images from Shutterstock