How To Teach A Male Dog Not To Lift His Leg?

[oceanaussi]

Hi there,

I'm hopefully getting my Weimaraner puppy soon. I had male dogs before but they were all entire and lifted their leg. I know heard that you can train them not to do that. Does it work with entire males as well? Will desexing automatically stop him from lifting his leg? How do I train him not to lift his leg everywhere?

Thanks for your advice!

[The Spotted Devil]

My Dally boy LOVES to lift his leg and he's only just gone 12 months. I have rules for where and when...obviously not in the house, never, ever when he is "working" in the show ring (and later on in obedience/agility) and not when we are walking on the footpath. He can do what he wants on his free run at the beach and at certain points during his walk (e.g. at the park or in the lane way) when I say "OK" - he can do what he wants as long as doesn't forget that I'm at the other end of the lead It's been quite hard work because Zig seems to be very driven to mark his territory - I've just been very vigilant on our walks and read his pre-leg lifting body language - then I just ask him to walk on. It's a slow process but we're getting there

[Her Majesty Dogmad]

I've never heard of this before and don't understand what you mean?

Are you talking about toilet training or do you never want to see the dog lift it's leg. I thought that young male dogs always squatted and that non dominant males continued to squat mostly (I have one myself and he rarely cocks his leg).

I've heard that breeders often use only one place in the garden to get dogs to go so they don't do it whilst walking.

But this all comes down to toilet training, is that what you are talking about - you don't want the dog to go inside? If that's the case, then the dog is definitely better off being desexed as undesexed dogs will mark territory. Even desexed ones will in new places sometimes.

[oceanaussi]

How did you teach your dog not to lift the leg, spotted devil?

Dogmad, no, I'm not talking about toilet training. I'm talking about territory marking. I didn't know that non-dominant males continue to squat! Obviously I must have had always dominant males.

I have a dominant girl and she squats everywhere, my walk will be so much longer if I get a male who lifts his leg as well. I don't want them to go in the garden, so it's fine for them to do their business when we walk, I just don't want to have to stop at every tree...

I hope that gives some clarity...

[The Spotted Devil]

Zig still does lift his leg so I haven't trained him NOT to as such....it's just that when it is inconvenient for me he is not allowed to. As I said in my earlier post I just ask him to walk on with me and, as a result of being very consistent with the signals and subsequent praise, he does so!

[Miranda]

I thought that young male dogs always squatted and that non dominant males continued to squat mostly (I have one myself and he rarely cocks his leg).

Any male may lift his leg whether he's dominant or not, I have three entire males here and they all lift their leg, one of them is definitely right at the bottom in the pack hierarchy and he isn't dominant at all, but he still lifts his leg. My pups usually squat until they're about 8 months old although this can vary a lot from dog to dog as to some extent leg lifting is a learned behaviour, if your puppy mixes with other dogs that lift their leg he will begin the behaviour much quicker than a puppy that lives alone and seldom meets other males. I also have a female here who lifts her leg.

I can't help you with the training aspect I'm afraid as I have no objections to dogs lifting their leg and all mine are allowed to do it.

[MonElite]

Will desexing automatically stop him from lifting his leg?

No it wont.

You can train the dog to toilet on command or not to toilet in certain spots or situations but I think the lifting of the leg is an auto reflex, its like saying can I teach the dog not to lick his lips?

Why dont you get a female if you dont like the male lifting his leg up? Mind you even some bitches lift the legs up.

[PAX]

Do you mean teach your dog not to 'mark' instead of cocking his leg.

When I'm walking my dogs there is no way I stop for them to pee on everything, they get one pee, no marking or checking the tree/Pee mails.

[Kavik]

All of mine lift their legs, including the girls! Not sure how/if you can try to train them to squat only. My boys are very good in the house - never had them mark inside.

[Tonymc]

Dogs will be dogs and nature is nature.I would worry about more important things. Tony

[Miranda]

When I'm walking my dogs there is no way I stop for them to pee on everything, they get one pee, no marking or checking the tree/Pee mails.

Is there any reason why you don't allow them to pee when they're on walks? Unless I'm doing a bit of heeling practice I allow my dogs to sniff and pee as much as they like as long as they do it on a loose lead and don't attempt to pull to reach something. It all adds to the pleasure of their walk, it would be no fun for my dogs and subsequently no fun for me if all we did was march up and down the streets with no stops allowed.

[oceanaussi]

Well like I said I just don't want to have on every tree during our walks and I've heard that you can train them not to do so - I just don't know how.

I can't take on a female as I've already got one and she would not accept another female around.

@PAX: Yes that's what I mean! When I walk my girl she's on the leash at the begininng and she has a pee but then she wants to sniff and pee everywhere and she meanwhile knows where she can and can't sniff. She definetly marks territory most of the times! All boys I had so far lifted their leg in everything, so it went girl pees, boy pees on top, girl wanted to have another sniff.... The walks just streched too long. I want to avoid that in future and be able to say "Now we're walking and all you do is walking" and then when we reach the beach or park and I take them off-lead to say "Of you go and do what you want".

It's a bit hard to explain but I hope you know what I mean....

edit: Actually, I don't mind the dog to lift his leg but I don't want him to mark everywhere. My walk goes past residential areas to a large area where they can do what they want and then back via the main street. I just want to avoid that he starts marking every post in the main street and things like that.

Edited December 18, 2007 by oceanaussi

[MonElite]

the problem is you than not the dogs........

if you dont want to stop during the walk why do you?

You let the dogs pee on everything during a walk they do, why not just walk withouth stopping???

[The Spotted Devil]

When I'm walking my dogs there is no way I stop for them to pee on everything, they get one pee, no marking or checking the tree/Pee mails.

Is there any reason why you don't allow them to pee when they're on walks? Unless I'm doing a bit of heeling practice I allow my dogs to sniff and pee as much as they like as long as they do it on a loose lead and don't attempt to pull to reach something. It all adds to the pleasure of their walk, it would be no fun for my dogs and subsequently no fun for me if all we did was march up and down the streets with no stops allowed.

Just answering for my own reasons here.....for some area of the walk pup is allowed to sniff and pee to his heart's content (on a loose lead as you say)...especially when we walk through the park or the lane-way....however sometimes we walk down the local shopping strip and a lot of the shops have displays (clothes, gifts) on the footpath or chairs/tables - and I also don't think it's fair on home owners to let Zig lift his leg on their letter box or flower beds

[Tonymc]

Ocean,if your talking in the context of whilst walking the dog,then its about leadership and control.Leadership starts well before you leave the yard.

Try this for an option.I will take a dog out walking and to teach him or her the mode of operation I do this.I for a start wait till the dog wants to drift off to a tree or such.I let him and when he gets near the Tree I say OK.I do that a few times letting him drift off to say a tree, always saying OK as he gets to it.This forms an association within the Dog that it is ok to relieve when I say ok.

Once he understands the above,when out walking I ask that he walk beside me.When or if he wants to drift off I correct by moving him away from the object and keep walking.Then when I wish to,I will tell the Dog OK and he knows then its alright to relieve himself.I am in control this way. Tony

[Miranda]

When I'm walking my dogs there is no way I stop for them to pee on everything, they get one pee, no marking or checking the tree/Pee mails.

Is there any reason why you don't allow them to pee when they're on walks? Unless I'm doing a bit of heeling practice I allow my dogs to sniff and pee as much as they like as long as they do it on a loose lead and don't attempt to pull to reach something. It all adds to the pleasure of their walk, it would be no fun for my dogs and subsequently no fun for me if all we did was march up and down the streets with no stops allowed.

Just answering for my own reasons here.....for some area of the walk pup is allowed to sniff and pee to his heart's content (on a loose lead as you say)...especially when we walk through the park or the lane-way....however sometimes we walk down the local shopping strip and a lot of the shops have displays (clothes, gifts) on the footpath or chairs/tables - and I also don't think it's fair on home owners to let Zig lift his leg on their letter box or flower beds

Oh sorry I misunderstood. I thought you meant that you never allow your dog to sniff and pee anywhere on a walk

[jaybeece]

Neutering didn't stop mine from cocking his leg and he luuuurves to pee on everything.

If I don't want him to cock his leg on someone's nice front garden then I'll either keep him moving with "c'mon" if it looks like he'll stop. Otherwise I tell him 'Ah ah' if he's sniffing around and about to pee on something I don't want him to.

[Vickie]

I've never really thought much about this before & have never consciously trained anything but I do have basic expectations.

If I am walking somewhere with my dogs with or without leads & I am walking with purpose, I expect them to be with me, so they tend not to be marking. If I am gasbagging & they are offlead (a common occurence ) or ambling along, then I don't really care, since my only expectation of them is that they are generally aware of where I am.

All 4 of mine will mark, usually over the top of each other & I could care less. If any of them did this while I was training, it would bother me. I don't think I would correct it, but I would know there was a problem between me & my dog & I would attempt to rectify the problem rather than the marking.

I sometimes see dogs on sheep, marking in the yard or paddock & also in agility on equipment. People correct them for it, but I think it's mostly ineffective & they should be looking as to the cause, which is often obvious to onlookers.

Edited December 18, 2007 by Vickie

[JulesP]

The only thing Brock marks is Fern's dinner bowl! Gross. And he only does it if they have yummy bones or something. He is very shy about weeing in public and never goes when we are out somewhere.

[BC]

Cooper has never really marked, but Vinnie was bad. Now, on a walk he gets 2 wees at the start, and on the 2 trees on our front nature strip and no more after that. If he stops for another one I say "enough" and he is dragged. After attempting a couple of times and then being dragged by me, he soon gives up and just enjoys the walk instead of sniffing and weeing on every blade of grass he sees.