Do you ever wonder, sometimes throwing your hands up in exasperation, why your housebroken dog still pees in the house? Well, you’re not alone. Dogs have always been, and will continue to be, territorial animals. They have a tendency to stake claim to particular spaces, areas or objects by marking them.
Marking is Not Soiling
It is important to differentiate between marking and soiling. House soiling is when your dog empties his bladder inside the house. This may happen because he’s not properly housebroken, has a medical issue or is very scared (a good example is fireworks or thunderstorms.)
Urine marking, on the other hand, is a territorial behavior. In this instance, your dog feels the need to assert his dominance or ease his anxiety by claiming his boundaries. He does this by depositing small amounts of urine on anything he feels belongs to him. This may include the furniture, walls, your son’s soccer bag, etc. Leg lifting is the primary way of marking, but your dog can still mark without lifting its leg. The small amount of pee is primarily found on vertical surfaces, but dogs do sometimes mark on horizontal surfaces.
Think that because you have a female dog that you’re in the clear? Although marking is most often associated with male dogs, females can do it as well.
Marking Out of Jealousy?
Dogs don’t mark out of spite or jealousy. If your dog pees on your niece’s backpack, it’s probably because the backpack’s unfamiliar scents are stressful and he feels the need to reaffirm his claim on his territory. Other instances of marking may occur when:
- Your dog isn’t not spayed or neutered
- There’s a visiting pet in your home that isn’t spayed or neutered
- There’s a guest in your home with unfamiliar smells
Whether your dog has marked or soiled in the house, fear not! The SENTRY Clean Up stain and odor remover product line, available in February 2014, features odor-control technology that traps and destroys pet odors to help ensure that your pet takes his business outdoors.
Is your dog a chronic marker? Here are some tips to help stop your dog’s irritating behavior!
-Photo Credit: From flickr by M Glasgow