what to use to keep 5 yr old dog from "marking" in the house?
have tried bleach, vinegar-on his favorite spots not on him!!-- and scolding him but nothing has worked so far!!! He has a doggie door with access to it at all times.
Don't think scolding will do much, and dogs have a much stronger sense of smell than we do, as you know, so vinegar might not mask their smell as much as you think. I would get specially formulated pet odor eliminator from a pet supply store. Also, the Humane Society has a bunch of other good tips here:
If you go to Petco or PetSmart (or probably any other large pet supply store like those), they carry sprays called (I think) "No Mark" or "No Spray" or something like that. You spray the stuff where he likes to mark his territory and he should stop. Also, has he been neutered? After a cat or dog has been Spayed or Neutered, they usually will stop marking. He is still relatively young, so if you haven't gotten him neutered yet, you should look into doing that. Not only will you help
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keep the population of strays down, but it may help your problem with your dogs marking. Him marking doesn't have anything with him having to go to the bathroom...the accessability to the doggie door isn't the problem. Marking is his way of claiming dominance and ownership. Good luck and keep us posted!
Thanks for your suggestions Steve and Nyomi. He has been neutered since he was a puppy and I have tried all the sprays and suggestions from the humane society as well.....He is very dominant--we also have a 4 year old female--but they are the best of friends. Thanks for your suggestions anyway!!!
What exactly is he marking? Is there any way to wash these items or if they are part of the house, sand them and repaint them to 100% get rid of his smell? If he can't smell is odor anymore, you may be able to start "fresh" in the training. Now knowing that there is a female in the house, it makes more sense. He is definitely claiming Alpha. Have you talked to your vet? He/she might have some suggestions too. Once you have removed his smell from all of his marking spots, you can try
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immedietely spraying the "No Mark" spray on them. But you have to follow the directions to a "T" for it to work. Good luck and keep us posted!
Deb C, when my dog found a place to use as his personal pooping area I tried all types of powders & chemicals to keep him away but he kept going back to the same place even though the dogs had a doggy door.
Luckily this was a large area rug that I had professionally cleaned and the problem stopped.
Our dog is 6 years old and has never been properly potty-trained. We finally achieved 90% success by letting her out to pee very frequently -- like every two hours or even more often. She learned gradually that outside, not inside, was the place to pee. We let her out last thing before we leave and first thing when we come home, so that she knows to wait for us before she can pee. It's also important for us to watch for signs that she needs to go out -- whether it's scratching at the door
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or even just walking up to us with a look that we have learned to read as "I need to go out."
Melissa G, Deb C & I both have doggie doors which allow the dogs to go in and out as necessary or as they please. Training them to the door is simple but something else happened to a 5 year old dog with a doggie door than has now chosen the house as the potty.
thanks Sherrie!! He does go out most of the time. Just his way of saying"i'm top dog" when he does mark. Thankfully it's always on a wipe and cleanable area!!! He does know when I get mad at him for doing it too cause he always slinks away.
http://www.humanesociety.org/animals/dogs/ti...
Luckily this was a large area rug that I had professionally cleaned and the problem stopped.