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toomuchglass

Male dog ONLY pees in my house !

toomuchglass
11 years ago

My son brings his 2 male dogs over , and one of them has started lifting his leg in my house. My son & Girlfriend are totally embarrassed and says he doesn't do that anywhere else. He's never even done it in their house . He's 4 & neutered, my dog is a female , 8 and spayed.They get along good. Why does he do this ? He did it right in front of us the first time - we yelled and he stopped. The last time he was here , after he left I found 2 wet spots on the kitchen throw rug. I can't figure it out . Why only my house ?

**Edited to add - my house is clean except for dog hair
( naturally ) no other pee spots anywhere else.

This post was edited by toomuchglass on Tue, Jan 1, 13 at 15:24

Comments (3)

  • boxerpups
    11 years ago

    Hi Toomuchglass,

    Often when a male dog urintes indoors at someone else's
    home or his own he is trying to stake territory. This is
    not a house breaking issue, it is a territorial behavior
    issue. Let us assume he does not do this at his own home.

    Where does he stand in the pecking order with the other
    male dog? And even your female?

    If he is the beta, he might be trying to let your female
    know she is below him in the pecking order. If he is the
    Alpha male he is trying to let your female know
    that he is top dog. Keep in mind he does not know if he
    is here permanetly or just visiting. In his mind the
    pack is unstable. There is a new memeber and he wants her
    to know where he stands.

    In a wolf pack, the alpha wolf will usually be the dog
    that marks territory. No other wolf would have the
    gumption to do this unless they are going to challenge him.
    They know where they need to eliminate and they do this
    with respect. This dog does not know who is in charge and
    may feel he needs to be.

    From his perspective he is thinking... Who is top dog?
    Who is the boss? Where do I fit in? I don't want to loose.
    So lifting to mark an area is his way of saying I am part
    of this space. He may be setting boundaries to prevent a
    fight. He may not be a fighting guy but wants everyone to
    know this is his space.

    Some ideas that might help are having a crate in your home
    for him to enter as soon as he arrives. After 1/2 hr let him
    out of the crate but watch him closely as though he were
    a tiny puppy. Keep him on a leash attached to his owner
    or even you. Do not let him out of your site and if he
    lifts a leg. Be ready to train! As soon as he lifts
    a leg, shake a can with coin in it. Scream loudly. NO! And
    rush him outside to do his duty. If you can even mop up
    his pee with a paper towel and leave it outside where he
    can smell where he needs to go.

    Be loving, firm and consistent. He needs to be taught in a
    loving way that he is not the alpha of the space. That
    someone else is in charge.

    He needs to earn your trust which means he either needs to
    be closely leashed to his owner or you and slowly when he
    can be trusted not to lift his leg he can roam free.
    Never reprimand a dog for marking if you do not catch him
    in the act. This will only confuse him.

    I hope this helps.
    ~boxerpups

  • toomuchglass
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    That makes so much sense. When our dogs get together , he's the biggest one and he seems to take over the house as soon as he walks in . My son's other dog is so passive ,he just stays in the backround. My dog is small & shy , but she'll snap and lunge at him when he steals her toys .(It's actually funny to watch ) Maybe that's his way of letting her know that she should leave him alone. I'm thinking of all the little scuffles they've gotten into - everything is falling in place now.I can see why .I'm so glad I asked -- thank you so much for helping me figure it out :)

  • boxerpups
    11 years ago

    Hi Toomuchglass,
    Anytime. I am so happy this helps you understand the
    dynamics.
    ~boxerpups