6 month old just started marking the house!

[subatomicstang]

our GSP pup has started lifting his leg in the house in the same areas a couple times. He just started lifting his leg outside maybe 2 weeks ago. Needless to say i will have him in the vet to have his 6 month testicals taken care of hope it helps somewhat. Just looking for some advice from anyone who has dealt with this. I know the first reaction in to reprimand with some people its not a bladder problem, i read that marking could be such as protecting certain areas that he wants to keep safe? How do we stop this! MY wife is giving me the TOLD YOU SO thing now. She didnt want a male because of this now i feel like its my fault I want to fix this. I am gone away at work at least half the time so im not home 7 days at a time. I dont want her to have to deal with this all the time. Thanks guys/gals !

-Randy B

[big steve46]

If I wanted an inside the house dog, I'd get a poodle. I've never allowed a hunting dog in the house.

Six months is too young to neuter no matter what your Vet says. A working dog should be fully grown first.

[bobman]

Build a kennel and a good dog house to give your wife some peace when your not around. Is the dog crate trained?

When hes loose and in your home watch him amd catch him in the act then scold him, thats all it ever took for mine and I have 5 male dogs in the house.

If you dont catch him in the act (and if you watch him close you should be able to anticipate it) , dont scold him that will just confuse him.


No difference between a GSP and poodle in this respect a dog is a dog.

[romeo212000]

Do not, I repeat, do not nueter him at 6 months old. You nueter him and you change the way the horomones work in his body. Horomones needed to develop him and his body. Look at the number of dogs with ACL injuries, then see how many were nuetered before the age of two. You wanted a hunting dog. If you wanted an inside dog you should have gotten a schnauzer or something. If you cannot deal with him being inside, put him outside. I personally would not let one of my hunting dogs live inside after all. That is until they get old and retire. Then they deserve a comfortable retirement.

[ezzy333]

For those of us who have done it both ways I think the vote is 100% for keeping a hunting dog in the house. There is a closer bond developed it seems.

Your pup isn't really marking yet at that age but just urinating in a manner he has just learned. Stop it like you do any other pup. I always felt a female was better in the house too but our male is much more dependable than the female. I think it varies with dogs but correcting it should have no adverse effect on any thing else.

I too, strongly recommend that you wait to neuter. He needs the hormones to develop properly.

Ezzy

[slistoe]

Correct the dog for peeing in the house and not asking to go outside - same as you did when he was younger. He will need to be watched closely so he cannot do it again without being corrected. If you can't watch him, put him in his crate. When he is trustworthy again you can allow free roam of the house.

[Elroy's Bandit]

I honestly don't think a 6 mo. old is "marking". I think he is just trying to find a spot to go! I have 2 GSP's , both males, 1 is 5.5 yrs old the other is 2.5 yrs old The older has been a house dog since birth. he lifted a few times in the house when young, but we focused on the "from the crate to outside" and really it was a very quick learning process for him, I would say within 2 weeks and maybe 2 accidents, never lifted in my house again..........however at about 1.5 yrs old he started that when he would go to an unfamiliar area where other males had been , that is "marking" Theres a cedar post column in the middle of the club I belong to, and darn if he doesn't try to mark that everytime we are up there!
My 2.5 year old spends a good portion of the year (about 7 months) outside , on the chains at trial events/training, but when he is home, same drill as the older one, and he is great in the house, not one issue.
There are different schools of thought on inside or outside with hunting dogs, but a very wise hunting/training guy told me long ago that, "what is the point of owning a dog if you don't plan on making him a part of your family. He also said he believed that being with the family and kids would make them better dogs both in the field & socially. I totally agree with that. Both my dogs will sleep on the bed at the foot every night.They are well adjusted dogs and are great hunting companions. My youngest is doing a pretty good job on the Field Trial circuit as well. So don't believe the "outside is the only way for working dogs" story, unless you are having monumental issues which can't be corrected by the time your dog is a year old. JMO.
Bill L.

[Russmill84]

GEEZ! He NEVER ONCE said anything about not being able to hadle the dog peeing inside, or regretting it for that matter! He simply stated the problem and wanted to know how to help end the problem. Don't crticize about having an inside hunting dog and not being able to handle it and get a schnauzer, or don't put a hunting dog in the house! Keep your dog inside if you want,it is YOUR decision and no one elses input on that matter should remotely matter.(Besides the wife's). Now then, this peeing on things inside is just another step you have to break your pup from, and it is just repetetiveness in training. I think it is great you have your pup inside the house, I do that with mine, and will do it with our new pup we receive in march. I know I will have plenty of things to clean up once we get the puppy!
As for the neutering thing, Romeo is on the mark, neutering early definitely affects growth plates, behavioral hormones, makes them more prone to hip dysplasia, etc.etc.etc..and could cause alot of other problems down the road. Just google it up, and you can read studies on it. Good luck with the rest of the house breaking process. It can sometimes be a hassle and a chore, but it will work out in the end. Good Luck!

[subatomicstang]

GEEZ! He NEVER ONCE said anything about not being able to hadle the dog peeing inside, or regretting it for that matter! He simply stated the problem and wanted to know how to help end the problem. Don't crticize about having an inside hunting dog and not being able to handle it and get a schnauzer, or don't put a hunting dog in the house! Keep your dog inside if you want,it is YOUR decision and no one elses input on that matter should remotely matter.(Besides the wife's). Now then, this peeing on things inside is just another step you have to break your pup from, and it is just repetetiveness in training. I think it is great you have your pup inside the house, I do that with mine, and will do it with our new pup we receive in march. I know I will have plenty of things to clean up once we get the puppy!
As for the neutering thing, Romeo is on the mark, neutering early definitely affects growth plates, behavioral hormones, makes them more prone to hip dysplasia, etc.etc.etc..and could cause alot of other problems down the road. Just google it up, and you can read studies on it. Good luck with the rest of the house breaking process. It can sometimes be a hassle and a chore, but it will work out in the end. Good Luck!

Thanks.
I dont know if he is marking or not i have not seen this yet. But he done it on her horse blanket in her barn, and then on her jacket in the room we have their crates. And apparently the same spots. Apparently he will be outside drain his bladder then come right in and lift his leg on those spots randomly. I have a kennel outside. I have crates inside. She wants him neutered asap to stop this. I will be able to do more once i get home. bump on the e collar if he gets caught in the act enough times help? HE has had maybe 2 accidents inside since he was 8 weeks ! hes 55 lbs of 6 month old puppy plus a squirting machine now lloll We will research this some more and i know we will do whats best for the situation. If it comes down to it would it be a problem if they sleep in the outdoor kennel sometimes and inside the crate when i am home? They have dog houses outside and the cold weather should be pretty overwith right now here in florida.

[romeo212000]

I never chastized the guy for keeping his dog in the house. I just said if you dont want to deal with it put him outside. A smaller dog will be easier to clean up after. I didnt bust anoyone's chops here so chill. As far as keeping a dog inside the house goes, to each his own. But you can't say for those who have done both the vote is %100 percent inside unless you have talked to every person in history who has done both. I prefer to keep mine outside and thats okay. Some prefer to keep theirs inside and that's okay. You people who keep your dogs inside are so darn sensitive about it. Geez. Chill out.

[big steve46]

I think some are implying that neutering will probably not stop the problem. He should not be neutered until two. The Vet does not always know, or you might want to get another Vets opinion.

[Sharon]

He's either on a leash attached to your belt or he is in the crate. You need to break the pattern. Watch him. Is he getting outside often enough to pee? I have a setter who must get out every 40 minutes or.............Nothing physically wrong with her - always been like that. The Jack Russell can last 14 hours before he asks to go outside. Every dog is different.

[subatomicstang]

He's either on a leash attached to your belt or he is in the crate. You need to break the pattern. Watch him. Is he getting outside often enough to pee? I have a setter who must get out every 40 minutes or.............Nothing physically wrong with her - always been like that. The Jack Russell can last 14 hours before he asks to go outside. Every dog is different.

No he will be outall day from 7 am till 9 pm then come in go right upstairs and go to those certain areas and lift leg. He has plenty of pee time. The other dog has been there for a couple weeks and she is the dominant one. Maybe he is trying to reassert his dominance by strutting around laying his scent.

[Sharon]

That's very common but not at 6 months usually. He must be a fast bloomer.

Did this all start when the other dog arrived a few weeks ago?

[bobman]

neutering wont change this one bit IMO

[Russmill84]

I never chastized the guy for keeping his dog in the house. I just said if you dont want to deal with it put him outside. A smaller dog will be easier to clean up after. I didnt bust anoyone's chops here so chill. As far as keeping a dog inside the house goes, to each his own. But you can't say for those who have done both the vote is %100 percent inside unless you have talked to every person in history who has done both. I prefer to keep mine outside and thats okay. Some prefer to keep theirs inside and that's okay. You people who keep your dogs inside are so darn sensitive about it. Geez. Chill out.

Im sorry if I ruffled feathers, I didn't mean to. It was just jumped to that he bought a hunting dog not a house dog and that is meant to not be inside.

[subatomicstang]

Yes i think he is a fast bloomer! Hopeing he is nearly fully grown already as he sits at 55 lbs and makes alot of males older than him look small. And as far as the other dog goes he hasnt done it before she came so...? She is very dominate they play hard and rough! she is alot more agressive than he is when they play she pins him down and grabs his ears and gruff and shakes him like a toy lol. But he seems to love it even though he yelps alot. He will get mad every once in a while and give this real mean bark and come at her saying back off. Those come more often it seems every week. So i;m wondering if he is trying to establish himself as the dominant one.

[Sharon]

I think that's the missing piece to the puzzle , if it started when she arrived. Now that we know it has to do with wanting to assert some dominance, not a housebreaking problem. This is important to know before you can figure out what to do.

This is an interesting article.( I won't get into the neutering issue. ) One thing it said was that you need to eliminate the rough housing between the dogs as the one peeing is feeling like the underdog. Interesting. I've never experienced that with the dogs I've had but every dog is different.

http://dogtime.com/urine-marking-hsus.html

[subatomicstang]

I think that's the missing piece to the puzzle , if it started when she arrived. Now that we know it has to do with wanting to assert some dominance, not a housebreaking problem. This is important to know before you can figure out what to do.

This is an interesting article.( I won't get into the neutering issue. ) One thing it said was that you need to eliminate the rough housing between the dogs as the one peeing is feeling like the underdog. Interesting. I've never experienced that with the dogs I've had but every dog is different.

http://dogtime.com/urine-marking-hsus.html

I thought they were just playing rough he goes right at it with her too? So how do i go about stopping them? seperate them ? scold them?

[Sharon]

I don't know . This is a " Pack Problem". Sorry. I'm a good diagnostician but not a very good adviser on solutions.

[Setter]

I took the advice when I got my pup of only allowing the dog to do his business in only place in the yard, and not send him outside to go wherever it wants. This conditions the dog it has a place and not “any” place. I was told it would even help prevent/stop a dog from marking inside the house.

So far at 10mo my dog doesn’t mark inside and won’t even pee in his outdoor kennel. He waits to go in his one and only spot in the yard. But at 10mo I know it could change. So far so good. I don’t have enough experience to say this technique was the trick or not. I am sure others here know more about dogs than me, but to date this advice has worked. Again don't know if this trick was the deal marker or not. My dog has lifted his leg to pee in his spot outside for a couple months now, never inside (hope it stays that way too).

Best of luck to you.

[ezzy333]

Marking isn't a dominace thing with your female but rather a message to other dogs that she is his and this is his territory. It's as much for protection as anything when it involves a female. All of my dogs rough house everyday and it helps them remain a pack and not three individuals. This way we do not have issues between the dogs.

Ezzy

[Sharon]

All depends what you read Ezzy. Did you read the link in my post?