Female Dog Marking

[MalteseLuna]

Well she isn't really a "puppy" anymore - but I thought it was more relevant to this section of the forum ;)

I went to my "in-law's" house for dinner tonight and took Luna because I thought she would enjoy playing with their dog (a bichon poodle cross who is about 2.5 years old) - she did BUT there seemed to be a dominant undertone to some of the play :?:

Luna started marking all over the place - about 3-4 times indoors and about 5-6 times outside when I marched her outside to go toilet after finding the indoor 'puddles' :rolleyes: It seems to be a marking thing i.e. the puddles weren't big and fairly regular - we were only there for about 2 hours max. I am completely stumped :faint: I mean I got a girl because I didn't want a dog that marked all over - and I though Luna was relatively submissive :hair: I was keeping a close eye on her but she seemed to still do it - even when I was clapping and looking right at her/walking towards her...

We have had 2 other occurances of marking - one at my house when my parents dogs where here she just piddled right in front of everyone and then at my parents house she seemed to have made a small piddle or two inside (could have been that she didn't want to go out in the rain :?: )

So the question is what do I do? How do I nip this in the bud and stop her from marking - obviously I will have to stop all marking (indoors and outdoors) - but how do I do this? I obviously don't want to discipline her - seeing as I am for positive reinforcement but I just have no idea how to start

Is this a relatively common thing to happen at about 1 years age - it's only just started happening all previous visits to my parents and in-laws she was a perfect angel and went right outside to do her business - thats what is so frustrating

I was so embarrassed at the in-laws after all I often comment about how well behaved she is and how she is fully potty trained (we live in one of their rental properties - so i want them to know I am making sure Luna doesn't wreck the carpet) and they just got new carpet I need a

[Jigsaw]

She may have been stressed. Sometimes females will mark their territory. It may be a heirachy thing with the other dog. There are a lot of variables. Without seeing your dogs actual body language it's hard to judge. Did she do it early on or after playing? She may be reaching a level of maturity where she is starting to try and be the more dominant dog. If she only does it when another dog is around you might need to confine her outside or in a crate. You might need to shorten the play time together - it might stress her. Watch her body language and behaviour more closely and it might give you more clues as to why she's doing it. She may also just be confused as to where the correct place to go is when she's at another place or simply get caught up in the play and forget. No definitive answer I'm sorry!

[Rysup]

My dominant bitches mark, and lift their legs to do so. Not sure how you can stop it, sorry!

[Kavik]

The best thing would be keep a close eye on her when you are at your in-laws and if she looks like she is going to mark (watch for her signals eg sniffing) interrupt her (I would tell her off) and get her attention elsewhere - I would try taking her outside in case she actually has to go. You could keep her on lead if it is easier to keep an eye on her that way.

As for outside, I don't bother if mine mark outisde, but if she is on lead, you can just keep walking and interrupt her, not let her mark.

Discipline is not evil, it will make for clearer boundaries and let her know what is and is not allowed. An "Ahhh" may be all that is required to let her know it is not on.

ETA: I would also take her out to go to the toilet before coming inside, just in case. Do you have a toilet command?

Edited June 23, 2008 by Kavik

[Miranda]

Just because a dog is reliably toilet trained in their own environment doesn't mean that they won't mark in another dog's territory. None of my dogs ever soil inside, but I would never take them into a house where there are other dogs and allow them to run around unattended as I just wouldn't trust them. I never allow strange dogs into my house either, outside yes, but never actually inside the house. If I were you I'd keep your dog outside when you visit other houses where there are dogs on the premises then you won't have any accidents. The urge to mark other dogs' scents is very strong in some dogs.

[MalteseLuna]

I don't have a toilet command - we live in a 14th floor apartment and she uses a pad in the bathroom. I took her outside repeatedly to let her empty her bladder (and she did) but she still marked indoors. Thanks for the advice though - I will keep her on a lead and give a stern "AHHHH" when I see her looking like she is going to mark.

Kylie

[corvus]

This is just an idea and I might be way off base, but could it be a symptom of her submissiveness rather than dominance? My dog marks when another dog makes her uneasy. If she's confident with the other dog, she'll still do it, but much less. If we meet a dog on a walk and it seems friendly but then goes bananas and lunges at her, it's mark mark mark all the way down the street. But if it's friendly and greets her, then one mark or none at all. If it's clearly cranky and never seems friendly, same thing. The marking comes in most when she's unsure of a situation. If that were the case, or if it were stress as someone else suggested, then rousing on her might actually make it worse, making her more uneasy. I'd not take her to other dog's houses. I mean, that can be an intimidating thing. Everything smells like this other dog, and if she doesn't know that dog, she might feel intimidated by that and compelled to put her smell on things. It could even be calming for her to do it. That might be why she keeps doing it even when you come towards her and grump at her. It could act as tension relief for her.

I don't know enough about marking behaviour to stand behind these ideas and give them my whole-hearted support, but just something to think about.