"Marking" territory (in the house!)
 

Hi fellow YT'ers. I need some advice......Toby (neutered and a puppy mill rescue) whom we've had for a month, still hikes his leg on the couch in the family room once in a while and I've been spraying the heck out of the spots where he pees with vinegar water and blotting it and the carpet right below it. Will that neutralize it enough that he won't go back to that spot? I don't keep the belly band on him but may have to when we are downstairs in the family room but hate to do that. We take him out several times a day so it's not like he has to hold it for any length of time! I realize he's "marking" but will that ever end? When I catch him doing it I tell him we don't potty in the house and make him go outside. But I'm not sure that's the proper discipline as he's already "done the deed" and probably has no idea why I'm making him go outside. Any suggestions?

Another thought.................he sleeps all curled up next to me in bed every night and never gets up until I get up the following morning. Why is it they can hold it all night but during the day they have to potty several times? I realize they are up and moving around, eating, drinking and playing so maybe that's the answer..........their bladder is getting bounced around. LOL

Thanks and Happy New Year to everyone! Be safe.

How old is Toby? I assume he was used as a stud at the puppy mill? Unfortunately, marking behavior in males that have been used as studs is pretty established. It has nothing to do with being able to hold it. Most rescue groups will warn you that you may need to use a belly band on adult puppy mill males who were neutered late.

Toby is 3 1/2 and spent the last year in a wonderful foster home. I was afraid I was going to hear he will always mark. Guess I will have to get more belly bands!

Bumping

what a belly band
 

never heard of this? what is it

He marked while he was in his foster home, too, I assume?

Yes, belly bands will save your sanity (and couch)!

She told me Toby was 90% housebroken and I think the only time she put his belly band on him was when they weren't home. She has three yorkies of her own and they all slept in the bed with them but Toby slept in a crate. Needless to say, Toby now sleeps in bed with us curled up next to me and never moves all night long!

Last night while we were out to dinner I left the puppy pad down in the foyer as that is where he normally goes if we miss a potty break and he goes on the pad 90% of the time. I didn't put his belly band on him since we were only gone about 2 hours. He didn't potty but he and Speedy had a New Year's Eve party of their own and played tug of war with the puppy pad. It looked like a pillow fight in my dining room. Glad it was clean! LOL I just think as long as we keep a belly band on him he will think it's OK to hike his leg and go wherever he wants to in the house. I'll just keep watching him and whenever I see him about to hike his leg will tell him no, let's go outside.

If his foster mom was able to get him 90% housetrained, there may be hope. He may just have relapsed because he is in a new home, especially since you have another dog.

You are right. Keeping a belly band on him will just reinforce that he can mark wherever he wants. It's a last resort. Have you spoken to his foster for suggestions? I know many trainers recommend leashing him to you so you can catch him in the act, before he marks.

Yes, I've talked to his foster mom a couple times and email her at least 2-3 times a week with updates and pictures. She never used a puppy pad but I do but am trying to get away from it as once again, he will think it is OK to potty in the house. I picked Toby up from his foster mom. She was WONDERFUL and had a very clean house with no doggy smells (especially for having four dogs). My husband is semi-retired and is home with the dogs almost all the time so we do keep an eye on him. He has gone several days without an accident as long as we watch him and tell him no when he starts to hike his leg. Since yorkies are so smart I KNOW he knows he's not supposed to so he may be testing us to see who the boss is. LOL I will just keep working with him. After all, it has only been a month.

The only other thing he's doing that is really irritating is that he's chewing on our dining room chairs when he gets bored. Our other dog did that when she was a puppy and I sprayed the bitter apple on them so I guess I need to do that with him. Or, as I told my husband, since we eat in the kitchen (dining room is right next to the kitchen...open area) we could always remove the chairs but then I'm afraid he will start chewing on the legs of the table. He's not a puppy and knows better so I think he does it when he gets bored. We do give them chewy bones once in a while too.

You can put a plastic bottle with water in it or something to weigh it down(so it doesn't tip over) in the middle of the potty pad. This will give him something to aim for, I have found that it fufills their want for marking, but it also keeps it in an ok spot. When I had two boys, one who was retired show/stud dog this helped alot we had all of our marking on the bottle.

It also helps if you can catch him doing it, if it is in the right spot then reward, and I just clap my hands and give a firm NO (I don't yell at them) if it is in the wrong spot.

Try not to give him too much access to the whole house train him in a smaller area like one room, then slowly allow access as he does better.

Thanks! I might try the bottle approach. Not sure that will help while we are downstairs but may have to put a puppy pad in the family room downstairs. I'd rather he not go in the house at all but like I said, it has only been a month. I like the idea of clapping the hands and saying no firmly. He's just getting to where he's comfortable with us (he already has control of the other dog LOL) so it is probably time to let him know I am the alpha human!

I always reward when he goes potty outside. I reward him as soon as he's done, not when he comes in the house. As another YT'er told me, don't associate going outside with a reward or he will go outside and come back in without doing his duty. So when I'm home I go out with him and constantly say "go potty" and if he needs to, he will and I always tell him "good boy, Toby went potty" and when he's done I reward him. He's pretty much got that down pat................

I'd pick one method - outdoor potty or pads inside - and reinforce that. He is probably confused which is adding to the problem.

I don't like male dogs (for MY pets) for precisely this reason. My Pippi was a puppy mill puppy, too (I got her from a pet store before I knew the horrors of puppy mills. She was "aging out" quickly in the store, though :(. I never once used pads or newspaper in my condo. I always took her out, for however long it took - at times close to 2 hrs and saying, "Pippi do a 'hurry up' - the word I was taught in her training so as to make her associate it w/peeing & pooping. She is, and has been, 100% housebroken. I feel putting paper down reinforces peeing in the house. Same w/the belly band. He needs to learn, it's not okay to urinate all over. This would frustrate me to no end. If I were in your situation, I'd hire a trainer or enroll him in some training. You don't want to strap a diaper on a 3 y/o dog and, in esscence, tell him it's fine to urinate all over your home. Otherwise, you have many years of unpleasantness (and, a urine-filled home) before you!
Best of luck! It CAN be done!

The only time I use a belly band is if we are going to be gone for more than an hour or so. When I'm home I always go outside with my furbabies and constantly tell him "go potty" and if he really does need to go, he will get down off the deck. Otherwise, he just stays up there. When I'm at work, my husband doesn't go out with them but he seems to go without anyone being outside with him (other than our other dog.) He is within my eyesight 99% of the time when I'm home and he knows he's not supposed to go in the house. I'm a neat freak and like a clean and clean smelling home and will never have it smelling like urine. I have a carpet shampooer and mop my floors weekly (sometimes twice).

Yes, it can be frustrating but I chose to be his mom and will work on getting him 100% housebroke (he was 90% housebroke when I got him.) It may not be as soon as I'd like but he was in a puppy mill for two years of his life, in a wonderful foster home for one year and has only been with us for a month. I do have patience and will work with him. He's very smart and knows right from wrong. And his "accidents" are far and few between (and some days no accidents) as long as we keep an eye on him.

If I continue to have problems, I might look into a trainer or enroll him in some training. Right now I think he's had enough stress in his life. First he needs to get used to his new forever home and become acclimated to his new surroundings!

Thanks!

Have you tried crating when you leave? Seems like it would eliminate the need for the belly band. I've never heard of a dog marking in his crate. Peeing, yes, but not marking. Crates are really good. He won't chew your chairs, get into trouble, or hurt himself on accident. You know he is safe, and your floors and walls are safe from him! If you are against crating, than try an exercise pen so he has more room.