Why do dogs mark?
Urine marking really is a natural part of dog behaviour. It goes back to their wolf ancestors who marked the area around their den to let other packs of wolves know where they are and to know the proximity of other wolves when they are out walking. In everyday suburbia this function is a bit less useful as there are many more dogs who do not belong in packs in very close proximity to each other. However dogs can tell a lot from scenting other dogs urine and faeces, such as gender, whether a bitch is on heat and can recognize individual dogs by their scent. It is a vital part of their communication system.
Which dogs mark?
However, none of us want marking in our houses do we? I notice marking the most with male dogs that visit my home. I have a strategy for dealing with that which I will elaborate on later. Female dogs can scent mark in houses too, however this is more rare. An entire female will however mark a lot more when she is going into heat, they can even back themselves up a pole on their front legs to do so-a very funny sight. Entire or de-sexed dogs are more likely to mark, however most of us have de-sexed dogs these days unless we are breeders or have a puppy who has not been de-sexed yet. I know some breeders whose dogs that are used to being outside most of the time have a doggy diaper on while they are inside but I do not think this helps to change behaviour but rather make it more bearable.
So why do dogs mark? There can be a few reasons. The main one is when other dogs are present in or have marked the area that the dog considers to be his home, this can include the park or usual walking routes near the home. Another trigger can be any socially exciting situation, for instance the presence of female dogs (in heat or otherwise), even a big group of noisy people or dogs which may be overstimulating to the dog and some male dogs only mark around other male dogs. The presence of urine scent in a house is often enough to stimulate marking of a visiting dog.
Another cause of marking can be anxiety or separation anxiety. Sometimes dogs can even mark when there is a strange new object or new person in the house, any conflict within the house or separation anxiety. In case of separation anxiety the dog may only wee when you are about to leave, have left or just returned to the home. However, the marking may be more likely to be a vertical wee rather than on an object. A nervous, anxious dog is also more likely to have submissive body language-ears back, flattening itself to the ground or cowering upon greeting people or other dogs. It is so important not to stress the dog anymore by telling it off for marking. Rather the focus should be on creating a more confident dog, trying to alleviate the anxiety and diverting the urination to outside.
In a very few cases a dog may have a medical issue, such as incontinence which can occur in younger as well as geriatric dogs or a urinary tract infection which can cause regular voiding of the bladder- unlike the full voiding of the bladder in the case of incontinence. If you suspect that a change in your dogs behaviour may not be due to environmental changes than a visit to the vet is probably a good idea.
Solutions to prevent marking
If only dogs understood signs...
life would be a lot simpler.
However since this seems unlikely to happen anytime soon the first thing I do when I am introducing a visitors dog into my home is to let the dog go straight through the house to mark outside in the garden where my dog has been. This seems to set the pattern for marking outside rather than inside. Verbal praise and a treat can reinforce this good behaviour too. If you are bringing a new dog home for the first time try to make sure that all the members of the home are there and can greet the dog with a treat after it has investigated them in its own time. This sets everybody up as a friendly presence for the dog. If there are any urine marks from yours or another dog it is important to get rid of that scent so your dog or a visiting dog does not re-mark there. However, never use an amonia based cleaner as urine contains amonia and this can encourage the marking cycle.
If you have a dog that marks inside you may also want to limit the dog to being inside only when you are so that you can supervise their behaviour. Firstly try to avoid telling the dog off or punishing the dog as your dog will not understand this. However, if the dog seems to be sniffing objects in readiness to mark, like couch corners you may be able to change your dogs behaviour by interrupting the dog before the behaviour begins. Your timing is important, if you interrupt too late the dog may not relate the interruption with the marking behaviour. A loud clap or a plastic bottle filled with noisy coins thrown near the couch may interrupt the habit cycle. Any similar loud noise or movement of an object near them may work like an aversive stimulus. The best kind of interruption occurs when the dog does not know the noise has come from you which means that hopefully the dog will not mark when you are not around as well as when you are.
If your dogs marking is caused more by anxiousness it may be important to look at how your dog is getting on with other people or dogs and cats in the home. In some cases dogs may need medications from the vet to assist them in improving their ability to cope or a DAP (Dog Appeasing Pheremone) infuser in the home may help to calm them.
I hope this helps you. May your dogs be calm and your couches smell sweet.
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