Overview
It can be frustrating for a dog owner if your dog starts marking his territory inside the house. It is important to know that what is the reason behind this behavior so that you can stop your dog from doing this. Dogs usually mark walls, cabinets, and flat surfaces like floors. The dog marks his territory by urinating in a specific part of the house or objects in the house. This situation occurs when the dog is unable to hold the urine and ends up doing it on a flat surface. There are several ways to prevent this act of your dog like removing the marked items, providing dog service, interrupting your dog in the act, and cleaning the mark with an enzyme-based cleaner.
Why do dogs mark in the house?
Dogs mark to declare their dominance and this is not an unusual behaviour. This is common among male and female dogs of around 2 years old or younger than that. Marking can be related to your dog’s upbringing as a puppy, the situation and environment of the household, and the dog’s lineage. You can prevent this act by training your dog, which will help you change your dog’s behavior. Here’s a list of causes of dogs marking in the house:
A new family member – the behavior of your dog can change if you add a new person or a new dog to the family. It can also happen as you welcome a new baby into the house, the dog can feel challenged and start marking in the house.
Stress – a dog can be stressed for several reasons such as arguing with a family member, adding new furniture, and bringing another pet’s smell home with you. A dog might feel separation anxiety which can cause marking.
Medical reasons – if you notice a change in the behavior of your dog without any change in the house then it might be because of some kind of medical reasons. Your dog might be suffering from UTI. In this, the dog might urinate without even realizing no matter whether he is sleeping or awake.
Ways to stop dogs from marking in the house
Here are some ways how you can stop your dog from marking inside the house. Make sure you don’t discipline your dog or raise your voice at them because doing this will not resolve the issues but it will increase the problem even more.
Clean the mark
The mode of communication of dogs is through scent. It is important to remove the trace orders of marking so that your dog can not mark that area again and again. Make sure you don’t use strong fragrance cleaners and harsh chemicals to clean those marks. If you use these kinds of products the dog takes it as a challenge. To remove these marks and the order you should use enzyme-based cleaners.
Reassociate the offending space or object
If you think that some object or area might be offending your dog so try to keep them busy with another thing while they’re about to mark. You can give them a treat or their favorite toy to play with. How to know that the dog is ready to mark? If your dog revolves around the same place and sniffs it that’s how you can know that they are ready to mark that place. So, in this case, you can either give your dog his favorite toy to play with or a treat will also work at that time.
Remove the marked items
In case the distracting thing with the treat doesn’t work out, you can try removing the marked objects. By removing the objects you can prevent your dog from marking them again. It can be frustrating if it’s an area because your dog will know that the area is still there. So, in this case, you need to keep patience, you can try making that area inappropriate for your dog. You can put plastic or any other unpleasant object in the marketplace.
Resolve conflicts with family members
Maintain a positive environment so that your dog can feel happy around all the family members. All the family members should play with the dog and give him treats so that he doesn’t feel like something has changed. If you have a new baby then try to make him familiar with the smell of baby by putting the blanket used by the baby in the dog’s sleeping area. Whenever you give a treat to the dog make sure to do it while holding your baby so that he can get familiar with the scent of baby.
Interrupt your dog in the act
If you catch your dog marking any area or object then try distracting them by making any noise like dropping the keys on the floor or clapping your hand. The training to teach your dog not to mark can take time. Treat your pet with patience and love this will help your dog curb this behaviour.
Conclusion
In a nutshell, dog marking inside the house can be frustrating but it can be cured with patience, love, and care. You need to analyze the behavior of your dog to find out the reason behind his unpleasant behavior. Do not shout at your dog because this will not solve the problem but it will increase it even more. Use the tips mentioned above to fix the behavior of your dog and find out the reason behind it.
