How to stop a new pet dog from marking in the house

Do any of you have dogs that try to mark in the house?

How did you stop or stop the behavior?

I just about died when my parents told me my pet dog Ace had peed on their indoor plant. It’s funny to think about it now, but at the time it wasn’t funny!

Since then I’ve been extra cautious when bringing my pet dog into other people’s homes. He stays on the leash or near me so I can supervise.

Indoor marking is a fairly common problem with dogs, and it’s one of those discouraging behaviors that might cause someone to surrender his or her dog.

So, I’m hoping we could all share a few ideas to help each other out.

Sometimes new pet dog owners are unaware that marking can be a problem, especially on the first day home when everything is new to the dog. The new owners may be shocked when the “potty trained” rescue pet dog pees all over the cat’s scratching post (yep, seen that happen a few times).

As with all training topics, I’d love to hear your thoughts. here are some of mine:

Tips to stop a pet dog from marking in the house

1. lots of supervision.

When I bring a new pet dog into my home, I keep the pet dog on a 6-foot leash and near me in any way times. I do this even if I’ve been told the pet dog is housebroken.

A pet dog that is potty trained could still attempt to mark in a new indoor area. marking is not the same thing as having an “accident.” I’ve also learned from experience that just because a pet dog is potty trained in one home does not necessarily indicate he knows what to do in another home.

If I can’t supervise, then the pet dog stays in a kennel or at least in a smaller part of the house such as a shower room or laundry room.

After some severe supervision and prevention for a day or two (sometimes much longer), I would give the pet dog a lot more freedom.

2. block the behavior.

I do everything I can to stop or stop the pet dog from marking. Ideally, I will redirect his attention by calling his name or asking him to sit well before he has a chance to mark, but if it’s a close call I will break out my a lot more severe tone and say “Hey!” or “No!”

This of course must be followed by praise for an proper behavior such as sitting.

Keep an extra eye on your pet dog around cat scratching posts, the ends of the couch and spots where other dogs have had accidents in the past.

3. use a pet dog stomach band (male wrap).

A stomach band fits around a male dog’s belly, covering his man parts so if he does mark it will go onto the stomach band instead of onto your furniture. It’s kind of like a diaper, only it’s created to catch small amounts of urine. The ones I’ve used were washable and reusable.

A stomach band does not train the pet dog to stop marking, but it’s a valuable tool to have while he’s learning. kid was this a life saver when I had certain foster dogs!

Female dogs can also mark in the house, by the way. If it’s a real problem with your lady dog, you could try using a doggy diaper for the time being. just take it off her when you take her outside to go potty.

4. keep checking out new areas.

Once the pet dog seems to have stopped marking in your home, it’s a good idea to keep bringing him to new areas so he can learn proper behavior in other situations.

You’ll need to supervise him very closely, of course. Be ready to right him or redirect his attention. carrying treats and asking the pet dog to sit or “watch” is a good way to keep his attention on you rather than sniffing and potentially marking your friend’s couch.

Pet stores are good places to practice this, considering that there are lots of tempting pet dog smells. You could also try checking out a tolerant friend’s house.

5. keep on satisfying good behavior.

When your pet dog relieves himself or marks outside, tell him he’s a good dog. often we forget to reward the basic behavior, but it’s really important.

There are certain outdoor objects I don’t want my pet dog to pee on such as park benches, so I make sure to re-direct his attention around them and reward him for peeing on the bushes or trees. He is nearly 8 years old and the training never ends.

Finally, what do you people think about spaying and neutering?

I know the majority of readers are in support of spaying and neutering a lot of pet dogs. but does it actually help stop unwanted behaviors such as marking?

In my limited experience with unaltered dogs (male and female), I have observed that these dogs were a lot more likely to mark in my house.

This does not verify anything. It’s just my limited observation – I’m talking about four or five unaltered dogs total compared to about 50 altered dogs. I also know a few owners who have unaltered dogs, and they say they have absolutely no issues with their dogs marking in the house.

I’m sure it mostly depends on the amount of training the owner is ready to put into the dog, regardless of whether or not the pet dog has been “fixed.”

What are your thoughts?

I hope you’ll jump in and share your experience.

*Can I just add that my pet dog did not lift his leg once for the first two years I had him? Not once. He was a squatter. He started lifting his leg when he was about 3 or 4.

Related post:

How to stop my pet dog from peeing next to the pee pad