How can I stop my male from "marking"? This is a very common question with a rather difficult answer. Marking is a much easier problem to prevent than it is to stop once it's begun.
If your male is already marking, you may have a battle on your hands trying to get him to stop. The easiest recommendation that we can give is to try belly bands. This is a cumberbund looking band that fits around your dog's waist and basically acts as a diaper, allowing him to continue his behavior while not destroying carpet and furniture.
However, many dogs won't keep these on, and that is where the problem comes in. Marking their territory is instinctual for males. Instincts are very hard to fight. Strict training and behavior modification really is the only way to fight it. You must teach your dog that no means no, regardless of the behavior. Training of this type is a long process, but certainly well worth it in the end. But, as with all other things, every dog is different and this solution may or may not solve a problem with your male marking.
There are several products on the market that are designed to repel dogs from certain areas. Most are sprays and the idea behind them is that the smell of the spray will be repulsive to dogs, but not offensive to humans. It has been our experience that the odors from these sprays are not offensive to humans, but also may not be offensive to your dog. Some dogs didn't like the smell and would stay away from the area sprayed, but some didn't seem to mind. And, again, some males will mark it anyway, just because it doesn't smell like them. Not to mention the fact that it will be difficult to spray every piece of furniture in the house. Most of the sprays do not damage furniture but they are sure messy at first, until they dry.
Our suggestion for stopping marking is having your boy neutered. Even if he is already marking, neutering him may put a stop to it....and it may not. There is no way to know for sure whether this will work for your dog because every dog is different.
Now, if we're talking about a puppy and you want to nip the marking in the bud before it starts, so to speak, we definitely recommend that you have him neutered at an early age. If a male is neutered before he begins to lift his leg, most of them will never do it. The critical age seems to be right around 6 months, so you'll want to have him neutered before that age. There are other benefits to having your male neutered too, at any age. Neutering tends to have a calming effect on males...so if you have a male that is a bit overactive, perhaps consider neutering to help bring on a more calm personality. Having your male neutered also reduces his risk for certain types of cancer, and eliminates the risk of testicular cancer altogether.
If neutering didn't work, he won't keep the belly bands on, and you have tried every spray on the market and none of them work, we recommend that you seek the advise of a good trainer. Beware....there are plenty of bad ones out there. You want a trainer that has had some experience training dogs similar to yours, preferably the same breed. And you'll want to choose a trainer whose training methods are comfortable for you, because the trainer is not only training your dog, but a good trainer will also train you how to train your dog. Also, trainers can be a bit pricey, but, once you find a good one, you'll be amazed at what these professionals can do for you and your dog!
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