Reasons for the appearance of dog marks in the house
You should immediately take into account that a dog does not always pee at home in order to mark its territory. In puppies under six months of age, the bladder muscles are not sufficiently developed. They are physiologically unable to restrain the urge to urinate from walk to walk. Urinary incontinence can also occur in adult dogs due to medical conditions. This may be a consequence of stress or spinal injury in the lumbar region. This symptom is often accompanied by: cystitis and diabetes mellitus, kidney failure, etc.
You will have to see unpleasant traces of urination in the apartment if you have not walked for a long time. The dog needs to go outside at least 2 times a day. Moreover, the duration of the walks should provide the pet with enough time for active movements and complete emptying of the bladder.
A dog may intentionally mark territory for a variety of reasons. Before placing a mark, the dog carefully sniffs the selected surface. This pet behavior can have different goals. If a healthy pet, which is regularly walked, wets corners, beds, sofas, shoes, you should find out the reason. If a dog begins to mark territory, it:
- the smell of urine attracts individuals of the opposite sex during sexual hunting;
- wants to prove her dominance, show that everything is her property;
- takes revenge for grievances and punishments caused;
- protects his possessions from strangers.
If a pet is treated harshly, shouted at, physically punished, leaving marks in the apartment is a kind of revenge. Sometimes a dog cannot stand strangers and tries to protect its home in this way. She marks shoes or furniture after guests arrive.
Methods of influence
It has already been said above that punishing a dog for marking him, much less shouting at him, poking him with his nose and hitting him, is useless and unreasonable. This will not bring a positive result, but will only negatively affect trust. Needs toilet training.
But one should express a negative attitude towards his action. Show him your dissatisfaction. When your pet approaches you, ignore him and turn away. You can shame him with words like “Ugh, that smells bad”, “Naughty dog, what have you done!” Then send him to his place, turning away and making it clear that you are unhappy with his action. But here it should be noted that this method will be effective against smart and conscientious pets. Since this act is nothing more than an instinct, the problem of why a dog marks in an apartment can be resolved in several stages.
Will castration help?
It is not as easy as it seems at first glance to wean a pet from such a habit. For this reason, many experts advise resorting to castration. This is also due to the fact that the root cause of such an instinct is sexual desire.
Therefore, it is believed that when the question arises of how to wean a male dog from marking at home, and this is associated with hormonal surges, castration of the animal is considered the simplest, most effective and safest method. And not only the male dog whose testes are removed, but also the female dog (after all, as stated at the beginning of the material, they also suffer from this defect) - an operation is performed to remove the uterus and ovaries.
It is believed that after surgery the owner will no longer have to think about how to get rid of such a problem. Over time, the pet’s hormonal background will fall into place and this canine vice will no longer bother you.
Although this approach also has its “buts”. Some sources stipulate that castration is not a panacea for this instinct of your tailed friend. The operation reduces the desire to mark in more than 80 percent of male dogs, but completely eliminates the problem in only 40 percent. So whether or not to resort to this method in the absence of a 100% guarantee is up to the animal owner to decide.
Dog marks during the heat period
This pet behavior cannot be left unattended. The type of measures depends on the reasons why the dog started leaving marks. Most often, owners encounter this problem during periods of sexual heat. Castration helps eliminate it. If mating and procreation are not included in the plans, it is worth carrying out such an operation so as not to worry about possible marks. It should be taken into account that the dog’s hormonal levels will change over the course of 2-4 months. During this time, the pet may continue to leave unpleasant marks. But it will stop naturally.
If a neutered dog continues to mark the apartment six months after the operation, it is necessary to take educational measures, scold him, pointing to a fresh mark, send him to his bed, and force him to remain in place for some time. Pet owners need to know: regardless of the reasons for leaving marks, you cannot hit your dog for it. This will make the dog angry. In the absence of his masters, he will take revenge.
Pet stores have special products that can be used during the period when dogs are in heat. Drugs “Sex Barrier”, EX 5 and 7.5, “Four with a Tail”, etc. They are intended for behavior correction. But before giving your pet these medications, you need to consult a veterinarian. They have side effects and contraindications.
Adjusting the animal's behavior
At the same time as using methods to wean a dog from the habit of marking, it is necessary to engage in education and behavior correction. It is easier to work with dogs at a young age than to try to retrain an adult animal.
Educational measures:
- You can tell that a dog is about to mark a place by its behavior. She begins to sniff the object and take a certain position. At this moment, you need to clap your hands loudly and drive the pet away with a command.
- If a dog is noticed attempting to leave a mark, it must be taken outside immediately. When a pet goes to the toilet in the yard, you need to praise it by giving it a treat. If you repeat this procedure regularly, the dog will understand what you want from it.
- Setting up a specific area on the street where the dog can mark. This could be a specific pole or tree. It is important to stop attempts to mark in another area, pulling the dog back with a leash each time.
- To minimize stress, the dog should be gradually introduced to new pets and strangers. It is important to provide the animal with the most comfortable psycho-emotional state until it gets used to new people or a change of environment.
- Limiting visibility of the street from the windows of an apartment or house. A dog, especially during the period of sexual heat, can mark territory only because it has seen other individuals from afar. You can block your view with thick curtains or blinds.
- Using distracting maneuvers. As soon as it becomes clear from the animal’s behavior that it is going to leave a mark, the pet must be distracted with games, given a toy that would completely absorb its attention.
During walks in the fresh air, the pet must be kept as far as possible from other male dogs who are marking their areas, and bitches during estrus. The smells of other individuals will attract the animal, which may encourage it to place its marks.
Note! During the period of retraining the dog, it is important to promptly remove puddles of urine in the premises. Otherwise, the dog, smelling its own scent, will mark constantly.
If all the measures taken do not give a positive result, the dog does not want to retrain and get rid of its habit, you should contact a dog handler who will help train the animal.
Lack of proper upbringing of a pet will lead to the fact that even after drastic measures have been taken, it will be impossible to wean it from a bad habit.
What to do is strictly prohibited
When taking measures to eliminate your pet's habit of marking objects in the house, it is important to avoid common mistakes that can only make the situation worse. What not to do if your dog is marking territory in your apartment:
- It is strictly forbidden to shout or scold the dog. This will make her take offense at her household members and take revenge by putting more and more marks on them.
- Physical punishment, in particular, the well-known method of poking an animal’s nose into a puddle, is taboo. The animal will not understand such actions, but at the same time it will experience stress, its anxiety will increase, and, as a result, the problem will worsen.
- It is not recommended to use substances that contain ammonia to clean surfaces. The stronger the smell of the chemical, the more it will irritate the animal, prompting it to make its marks again.
- To treat surfaces to repel dogs, do not use acetic acid and chlorine. These substances have an extremely negative effect on the animal’s sense of smell.
Proper education of a dog
If a dog leaves drops of its urine on household items, this cannot be ignored. There are many reasons for this behavior, and before taking measures to re-educate the animal, you need to understand what prompts it to do this. You can rid your pet of an unsightly habit using various methods - re-education, distraction with toys and walks, various sprays with repellent odors.
Popular ways to combat dog marks
There are several ways to combat tagging:
- processing of “favorite” places;
- active walks;
- placing a bowl of food in the place of the marks;
- insulation;
- use of diapers.
The areas marked by the pet must be washed thoroughly. In order to eliminate the dog's desire to urinate in these areas again, you can use products with strong odors that the dog cannot tolerate. This could be tobacco with hot red pepper, citrus essential oils, etc. Vinegar, ammonia, and chlorine should not be used in processing. These odors are dangerous for the dog's olfactory organ. There are sprays on the market designed to treat areas with dog marks. After washing, you can spray “Smart Spray” or “True Friend” on the surfaces of furniture, floors, and walls. True, not all drugs work effectively; you will have to look for a remedy through trial.
Long active walks with jogging and games can discourage your pet from marking the house. Walking the dog twice a day for an hour will tire the animal and allow it to properly empty its bladder. This measure is especially relevant for large breed dogs.
The animal does not mark the areas in which it takes food. You can place bowls of food and water in the place where marks constantly appear.
In some cases, the pet has to be isolated and barriers created that do not allow it to move freely around the house. For small dogs, an ordinary box can become such an insulator. For a large dog, you will have to build a small pen from metal rods.
Some owners purchase special belts and panties for putting a diaper in the store, or make such devices with their own hands. Please note that you will have to change the earbuds several times a day. A diaper left on a dog for 8-12 hours can cause dermatitis and other skin diseases.
If leaving marks in the apartment is the pet’s revenge for grievances caused, first of all, you need to establish a relationship with the dog and show it that it is loved. Affectionate conversations and praise, fun games will help.
