I've only owned male dogs, but this isn't about my opinion, it's about science. Yes, the studies are old, so are Pavlov's experiments, that doesn't mean classical conditions doesn't happen because your dogs don't salivate at the sound of a bell. These studies changed the way scientists look at behavior, and what can be learned, and are at the very foundation of learning theory, which many of you know as behaviorism. Marking is considered a "wired in" behavior, meaning a behavior that is almost impossible to modify. These studies weren't about dog training they were about the brain/body connection in learning theory. There are exceptions to every rule, in science; they talk about probability not what will happen in one individual case. I really wish I never made the comment, and don't understand why some of you are giving your dogs as examples. I already said most neutered males don't mark. I just think people should be aware that it's extremely difficult to teach an unneutered dog not to mark, once marking behavior is clearly established. |