HELP!!! dog wont stop "marking"

Anyone ever effectively dealt with this issue? It's getting to the point where we are considering giving him up. We all love the dog but over the last couple months he has started peeing on various items throughout the house. He has hit my sons backpacks, shoes, guitar amp, our rifle cases, my dresser ect.... [Mad] He waits till a bedroom is open and sneaks in a pisses on something. We try to keep the doors closed but all he needs is a 30 second window and he does it. Ive tried the old make him smell it, but he knows when he does it and runs and hides in the laundry room and will not come out. We are at the end of our ropes, he has done this probably 30+ times and got my oldest sons backpack no less than 5 times alone. Ive done some research and every article says it's because of a new pet or person in the house and that's not the case. He is a 6 year old German Shepherd.

Maybe there is something physically wrong with him and he's not feeling well?

Try some dog asprin on him for a couple days and see if there is a change? Maybe get him a new toy or something. Could just be boredom. All else fails and you want to keep him in your life, go see a vet.

Marking is natural for dogs. Perhaps you aren't noticing when he wants to go outside to do his business? I had to bell train my dog, he doesn't whine or bark just stands at the back door.

Kenneling is another option. If he's not kennel trained already, talk to a trainer. They should never be forced into their kennel. Kennel him even when you're home taking him out to use the bathroom.


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he neutered?
try keeping him in 1 area. As mentioned vet visit.

We used a spray bottle with vinegar and water mix, to assist pets from bad habits. Stress, or other anxiety issues within the household can pass on to pet. Spend some time with your pup before getting rid of him.

http://www.dogchatforum.com/adult-do...g-in-house.htm

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Originally Posted by stevelkinevil

Ive tried the old make him smell it,.

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if this is your response, maybe giving him up is the best choice

If he isn't neutered do that. It may be to late though. When I saw my Brittany lift his leg on a tree one time the next day he got snipped for that reason right there. My brothers dog isn't neutered and pisses on everything.


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he isn't neutered, I really didn't want to chop him. The vet I spoke to said it probably wouldn't help with the marking thing. I think I will try it anyway. To the other posters its definitely not a potty training thing, he gets out plenty and will whine at the door if he needs to go and we haven't let him out. May try one of those belly band things if the neutering doesn't work. I really dont want to get rid of him I am just beyond frustrated with this problem, its freakin disgusting (the marking pee seems to be extra strong) and I know by his immediate behavior when we go upstairs that he knows he is not supposed to do it.

Neuter him. It may help the marking issue, and it certainly decreases his risk of some life-ending diseases.

I like the spray-bottle idea, but just with water.

If all else fails, I'd consider a dog behaviorist. Sounds wacky, but we used a guy that was magic. We adopted a cat-aggressive pitbull, and at the same time a stray kitten wandered into our home. Within a couple hours, he took the pit from a crazed cat-killer to the kitten's best friend and protector.

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Originally Posted by stevelkinevil

he isn't neutered, I really didn't want to chop him. The vet I spoke to said it probably wouldn't help with the marking thing. I think I will try it anyway. To the other posters its definitely not a potty training thing, he gets out plenty and will whine at the door if he needs to go and we haven't let him out. May try one of those belly band things if the neutering doesn't work. I really dont want to get rid of him I am just beyond frustrated with this problem, its freakin disgusting (the marking pee seems to be extra strong) and I know by his immediate behavior when we go upstairs that he knows he is not supposed to do it.

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That's a sign of possible UTI , kidney stone, Or salt content too high

This is 100% behavioral. 1st thing, is he has a place to hide in the laundry room, that is not good. He needs to realize that he is "always on" and there is never a place to hide. You could keep him leashed with a rope or string to help break this behavior. He will learn that there no running away and is always "on leash" as his behavior improves you simple cut the rope shorter and shorter till he doesn't need it but always thinks he's attached. Kenneling is good, but it must never be a punishment, this will only make him hate the kennel and not want to go in or whine when he is inside. You need to reinforce the positive peeing as well as punish the marking. Not just punishment but praise too. When he pee's outside let him know your happy with him. Attention and jealousy may also play into his behavior. Is he jealous of the attention other family member is get over him?

This habit can be broken with neutering, it may help but I'm with your vet on this one. The more attention and training he receives the more he will try to please you and he'll know that peeing makes you mad. Also you need (and I mean need), to get whole whole family on board with training and have everyone follow the same regime.
Good luck, and remember there are no bad dogs! [Beer]

When he marks your stuff; mark him!!

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Originally Posted by 10mm-man

When he marks your stuff; mark him!!

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LOL funny you say that because I jokingly threaten to do it everytime.

Nine iron to the nuts whenever he does it! Seriously, I have no idea what to d about it, but this is why we have female dogs.

You may laugh but the marking him thing can work. He needs to understand who the big dog is.

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Originally Posted by rondog

but this is why we have female dogs.

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Girl dogs do it too. They just mark handbags and shoes though...

Our female beagle used to mark spots in our house. Stopped on her own.

I had a dog like that once... vet gave her some anti anxiety treatment. She was more trainable afterward and stopped the marking completely. I wish you luck.. shep makes a great companionship. Sounds like this one has changed her master many times before which may cause the issue.

We had our dogs done at 5 years old and the marking stopped. I even had a cat once that stopped after getting chopped but let him outside and he would spray everything in sight but the indoor stuff stopped.

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Originally Posted by ChunkyMonkey

I had a dog like that once... vet gave her some anti anxiety treatment. She was more trainable afterward and stopped the marking completely. I wish you luck.. shep makes a great companionship. Sounds like this one has changed her master many times before which may cause the issue.

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We have had Dex since he was a puppy. But I will also look into the anti-anxiety stuff. Good idea.

Neuter him now. It will help big time if not fix it.

everycreature counts up in ft Lipton is by far the cheapest option. I've had my dogs done there and they get their shots up there. They do a good job and we have had no problems.

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Originally Posted by Fentonite

Neuter him. It may help the marking issue, and it certainly decreases his risk of some life-ending diseases.

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that is mostly vet propaganda and depending on the age of the animal could be way worse for them...just fyi

Neutering isn't some big vet conspiracy. Not only will it prevent him from running to every female dog in heat, it will assist in training him to sop marking his territory. It will also help prevent testicular cancer. It won’t make him get fat and slow him down; he’s already got a healthy amount of testosterone in his system.
Whether you take him to the vet’s (which I would also recommend, because if his urine is especially strong, it could indicate a medical problem and it’s best to eliminate that worry first) or a dog trainer, you’re going to want to clean up what he’s added to the house. Male dog urine carries many scent tracers; he’ll return to the spots that he can smell. Get a portable black light and pick up some stuff called “Nature’s Miracle.” They sell it at PetSmart. There are several different varieties; get the strongest stuff that will remove biological markers. Not the orange Oxy-clean stuff- it’s a white bottle with red text. Pick up the gallon jug. You may think you won’t need it, but you will. Darken every room in your house, one at a time, and use the black light to show you where he’s marked, follow the instructions on the bottle and eliminate those scent markers so he doesn’t confuse the area with his bathroom or his doggie version of a cell phone.