Dogs have the most unusual ways to mark their territories. This is through the use of their urine. However, even if a dog loves this idea, it is very much frustrating for you as an owner. This is true whether the dog does this outdoors or indoors. Good thing that there are some things you can do to keep your pet from doing so. Here, check out these things you can consider in keeping your dog from marking his territory:
- Neuter your pet. This is the process where the ovaries or the testicles of your dog are removed. Researches promote this process because it is proven that a large percentage of dogs stop marking after being neutered. This is true especially in females.
- Teach your dog the proper places to urinate. Leash your dog and go into a training session with him. Reward him whenever he follows your command.
- Catch your pet in the act of marking. Your dog will never know that it is not acceptable to do his markings in specific areas of the home if you will teach him the lesson after he has urinated already. It is important that you keep your eyes fixed on your dog so that you can teach him the right things when doing the act.
- Clean the area where there are markings. The dog will keep on marking his territory if he keeps on smelling his urine in the area. Therefore, it is important that you make a way to clean up his urine together with the smell. It is best to use pet urine cleansers to ensure that the smell will be completely off. However, keep away from using any cleaning agent with ammonia when dealing with the marked area. Since dogs smell ammonia like urine, it is never a good idea to use these things.
- Determine the reason for the markings. There are different reasons why a dog can start marking his territory. This can be a result of a new dog in the house, a new baby, too much heat and other kinds of stress. If you will know completely where your dog is coming from, you can help your dog better in adjusting to the situation.
- Do not allow the dog to spot other animals outside your home. There are times that your dog will mark simply because of the intention of keeping your neighbor’s dog off the yard and the house. If this is the case, block his view of animals like this or teach him that the neighbor’s dog is a friend and has his own territory.
- Give your dog some leadership exercises. There are some cases that your dog will be marking his territory because he feels he is the one dominant in the house. If this is the case with your dog, engage him in leadership exercises. Show him that you are the only leader in your household in a positive and humane way.
For your dog, the smell of his urine can be a sign of his social status. However, for you, his urine can be a disgusting and filthy thing. Though you deeply understand why your dog is doing such thing, you cannot live life with the foul smell of your dog’s urine treated like a normal scent. Therefore, learn how you can keep your dog from doing his territorial markings. This is not only for you but also for the health of the rest of the household members including your other pets.