Indoor marking

S

ScottCal

Forums Regular
Hi,

I just rescued an almost-five-year old sheltie, Tucker, as a companion to my current (3 year old) rescue sheltie, Pacey. He was not in a shelter or a rescue org--his family is relocating and didn't feel they could take him. I was looking for a rescue dog so even though I would never give up a sheltie myself, unless I was in dire circumstances (maybe they are), I am happy to give him a home. He is very sweet, warm, and very cute. Not shy, either, considering that he just lost his family--mom, dad, two kids, another dog, and a cat. He and Pacey are slow to bond but it's only been a couple of days. There is no aggression between them and I suspect they will become great buddies--before Pacey was given up by his original owners, he grew up with a sheltie about the same age as Tucker. Here's the problem:

Pacey is fixed. Tucker, the new guy, is not. I'm debating whether to do that and probably will. He is very much a territorial pee-er. It's fine outside but since the first day, he's doing it in the house... couple of table legs, etc. It's not horrible because he's a small dog. But it's not good either. I am guessing it's adaptive behavior but I also suspect he wasn't trained very well. Today, after he did it, I picked him up, brought him to the spot, held him there, and sad "Bad. No."

Any suggestions? My first inclination is to let it go a little until he feels settled, correcting him each time. It is making me think even more that I should fix him but at this age, who knows if that'll make a difference. Is there any way to correct this sort of behavior? I am familiar with some general training concepts---clicker and also "Caeser." I prefer the latter.

Thanks!
Scott
 
I always encourage fixing an intact dog if not intended for show. There are valid health reasons for doing so, nevermind the behavioural.

As you say, there is no guarantee that it will stop by fixing, but it certainly won't make it worse.

I was very fortunate with my boys. Neither one ever marked, even though they were both almost a year old when it was done. So, I don't have any great tips on how to prevent it.

A couple of suggestions though

- crate the dog when you can't watch him (and I mean WATCH every movement). You want to catch him in the act, just like a puppy being housetrained, and nail the stop immediately. If you can't watch him with an eagle-eye, then he should be crated. Have a shaker can ready or a water bottle to spray him if he starts and you are at a distance. Unlike a puppy being housetrained, its not as simple as saying No, picking up the dog and bringing him outside to finish.

- where he has already marked, you need to clean, clean, clean. There is a product called Nature's Miracle which you can get at Petsmart. Its about the best I've ever found for eliminating odor. Once they mark a spot, they'll keep doing it.

Good luck to you! I know it can be trained out, its just going to take diligence and time.
 
Beckon is intact, too. He only marks if he feels threatened. For example, we hosted a Springer Spaniel over the holidays. When Winston arrived, Beckon peed n the Christmas tree. Last night, when was speaking at the Sheltie Club meeting, he peed n a post -- there were scads of other Shelties there, so he had to make a statement after one growled at him. But it's actually a rare occurrence.
 
Hi Barb and Chris,

Thanks for your replies.

Tucker is not intended for show so I will likely fix him.

Though the crate may be a good idea, he is an active dog and I suspect that despite his outward friendly behavior (except for the marking) he's a bit traumatized. I think I would rather risk stains on the carpet than have him lose his freedom immediately here. It's going to be most of the day where I can't keep a complete eye on him. I think maybe what Chris says about Beckon may be the case with Tucker. He may feel threatened. I would. My other three shelties took a long time to get comfortable. So maybe this is his behavior to show he's a bit scared.

I already use Nature's Miracle, thanks. Unfortuntely, the carpet is not pristine. I had a housemate with two dogs and they were problematic. One was old and couldn't help it--the other was badly trained. As fastidious as we were about cleaning the rug, when Tucker came in, he could clearly smell one of the spots.

I guess we'll see and if it keeps up or gets worse, I'll consider the crate. Or at least locking him in the (home) office with me.

Thank you both!
 
Welcome to my world. I have two of those. They each have their favorite spots, and they don't give two licks what cleaner I use. None of them work. One only marks when I am not home, the other only when he thinks he won't get caught. They both get nailed to the wall when I catch them, which is why they are now so sneaky. You can't go and drag him back later and tell him no, because he has no clue what you are talking about.

I have belly bands for both of my boys, that I line with incontinence pads.
 
crate is actually not a bad thing and can give feeling of " his own space and territory" to new guy
otherwise back to puppy 101 whether it is marking or not, it is still peeing inside, not allowed...
Support everyone else who mentions that neutering is a must. Not 100% garantee but still a good chance...
 
Hey Rachel,

Out of curiousity, are your guys fixed?

Che: Agreed. So far so good today and he doesn't pee in the house at night but that's because both shelties sleep in the bedroom with me and I close the door.

Thanks for everyone's advice and help!

Sc
 
ScottCal said:
Hey Rachel,

Out of curiousity, are your guys fixed?
Click to expand...

Nope, I have two intact males, one spayed girl, and three intact girls.

I didn't have a problem with the older boy until I got the younger boy. Even when girls were in season he didn't mark, until I got the other boy.
 
Rachel--Thanks, that's interesting.

I think he hasn't marked in the last day or two. Maybe it's an adjustment thing for him. Fingers crossed. He's a pretty smart dog, even for a sheltie. I told him yesterday that if he stops marking, I won't get him fixed. :wink2:


ClantyreSheltie said:
Nope, I have two intact males, one spayed girl, and three intact girls.

I didn't have a problem with the older boy until I got the younger boy. Even when girls were in season he didn't mark, until I got the other boy.
Click to expand...
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top