Stealth Marking

Travis KNOWS he is not allowed to mark inside, he gets praise and loved up when he marks outside and told no when he marks inside (if I can catch him that is). I know he knows he is not meant to because he came strolling into the kitchen, didn't know I was there, and started to lift his leg. He spotted me and did this whole casual, "oh I was just putting my leg like that and now I am walking on" thing.

I have him in a belly band when I can't keep my eyes on him all the time. The belly band stresses him out and to be honest, me too. I hate having it on him because they have access to outside all the time and I feel it is counter productive to have it on when he can go outside and pee.

What can I do other then what I am doing?

Keep him leashed to you when he's in the house so he doesn't get a chance to mark. Crate him if needed.

Done. He won't mark when I am around. I crate him if I am not there and belly band him if I can't watch him. I have literally leashed him to me for days without a marking incident, take him outside and praise when he marks out there. The little hellion KNOWS he is not to mark inside, but he does it when no one is looking.

I always have to pick up the food bowls right away at our house. Tucker will lift his leg and FILL THE BOWLS WITH PEE.

Other than that he's good about not marking inside, but yeah, I have to keep a pretty good eye on him.

It must be a little guy thing. I am in the same boat with bowls. I have only just broken him of the peeing on the water bowl thing. :rofl1:

If he KNEW not to mark inside, then he wouldn't do it.

What he knows is not to mark inside when you're around.

The best thing to do in this case is to use management to make sure that he doesn't get a chance to mark in the house, ever. Just like potty training a puppy, never let him out of sight in the house unless he's in the crate. You will have to keep at it until he's forgotten about that habit; it will take weeks, if not longer.

I'd suggest keeping with you at all times for a month. Then you can start leaving him alone for short periods - too short for him to physically stop what he's doing and lift his leg, just a few seconds - and gradually increase the time that you leave him unsupervised. But if you leave him unsupervised too early in this training plan, he will only learn to be even more careful about marking.

You could also try a DAP pheromone spray, these are supposed to have a calming effect on dogs and do sometimes help stop the marking.

I am currently doing that. He has not had the opportunity to mark unless I take him outside. It is all good and well but I know that if I leave him alone for too long he will mark.
I have a strong suspicion that he will only stop when he gets the snip.
I would try DAP, but we don't get it here.

Are you sure he's not part american cocker? Smudge came to me at 14 weeks knowing that grass was to pee on. He sadly had a uti and it was a pain but he potty trained easily. Around a year he tried to mark inside had a meeting with jesus and stopped. Around 2 he started to sneak pee.

Started in the front hall on the wheel of my mom's buggy she takes shopping. Would do it quickly even if I was coming with him from upstairs to down but would be so fast I wouldn't see him. Started confining him in the area he wanted to pee.. he stopped. Started sneak peeing in the kitchen. He's almost always with me. He'd sneak off pee, run back. Turf him outside, he'd pee a fairly full amount outside.

Tried being proactive, take him out tell him to pee so there was nothing to pee inside. He'd manage a tiny dribble now and then anyhow.

I bellybanded. He'd pee on himself and not care. I crated more and more. Make sure he couldn't oops inside. We'd have pee free weeks and weeks. Then he'd sneak pee once a week again.

Since I gave up on the loser conformation folk here I decided at 3 to snip him. I was torn, but I did it. I knew it might not help. He hasn't oopsed in my house since. He's oopsed at Dekka's house once or twice since. I caught him the last time.

lol I had the SAME problem with romeo for a little bit

he was PERFECT when I was around..never marked anything

so I had to go a little crazy and sit on top of a counter where he couldnt see me and just wait.. (with a blowhorn) he would lift and I would HONNNKKK and scare the bejeesus out of him
me and my fam played this game (hiding behind doors, outside looking into windows etc..) for DAYS
and now he doesn't mark anymore lol we probably made him a bit paranoid tho

We also had to limit water (that HELPED A LOT) we used to just leave this huge water thing for the dogs out all day.
now I put a lil bit of water in the bowl, FREEZE IT and leave it out so he has to slowly but surely drink instead of slurping it up and peeing everywhere. little doggy bladders are tiny.
less water= less pee.

he has soon learned that he gets to drink in the morning with breakfast (before his walk) and at night before his other walk
when I leave for the day, he gets a bit of ice.

I've seen dogs become scared of peeing at all after using a similar method to this. I'd only do it as an absolute last resort.... order the DAP online, limit his water, supervise constantly for 1-2 months, neuter him if that's an option for you.

Well, hes certainly not scared to pee lol he does it, A LOT when we are outside.. like on every tree/bush. typical boy lol
He doesn't mark inside at all now..

the first time after we honked.when he peed outside he was a little hesitant to go, but he did and I guess thats when it clicked in his head that the sound only happens when he pees IN THE HOUSE

Well, for one, neutering my foundation stud is NOT an option.
I think I may just try what you suggested Fran. Sounds good. Travis is motivated by terror! LOL!

What about the other three suggestions?

Because using aversives to temporarily extinguish behaviors yeilds much faster results than setting up reliable habits that last for life...

Because, if you actually read what I say, I have tried it ALL. I have tried an aversion spray produced here, I have tried a hormone spray produced here, I have tried leashing him to me, crating, belly banding, rewarding for outside etc etc.

I will not use and airhorn but I WILL clap my hands, make a noise and generally discourage him.

For those who think that they know my dog, please take him for three months and tell me your answers. Travis is a very odd dog, he is just not switched on like my other two. He doesn't learn unless you are very in his face about it. I am NEVER cruel to him, he gets loads of love and encouragement when he needs it, TONS of praise when he does something right but let me tell you, ignore bad behaviour with him, it is like a gold invitation to carry on.

I did read what you said. You said that you haven't tried a DAP spray because you can't buy them in the stores around you. You said that you've leashed him to you for "days" at a time, which is why I suggested to do it for one to two months. I (and someone else) also suggested to restrict his water; a suggestion which was ignored.

I have not tried DAP but one called foetsak, which is produced locally. Didn't work.
I cannot restrict water in my household because Lilly is on Lasix, a diuretic, so that would quite possibly result in serious kidney damage in her. Travis is not a big water drinker anyway, so that shouldn't make too much difference and to be honest, I would rather clean up pee then endanger Lilly.

We are sticking with belly banding. It does stress him but with everything going on now with our move and his routine being so affected, it will have to do for now.

Well my mom has also been cleaning the "old" marking spots with a combo of natures miracle and clorox wipes
I think its a combo of the natures miracle gets rid of the pee smell that they come back to. and the clorox makes it like "omg that reeks! im not sniffing here!"

I agree that if your dog is fearful by nature, of course scaring the bejeesus out of them is a BAD idea.. probably will make them paranoid.

Romeo is a tough fearless little dog. We did use ALL the methods suggested (leashing him to me, etc...) and they did work great as long as somebody is around

in other words, he knows marking is a nono.. but for some reason, he thinks that if nobody is around he can sneak and do it.
the "OMGWTFWASTHAT?!" method worked because it just made him realize that even though he can't see us.. we somehow know hes doing it! lol

He would stop what he was about to do and run and then he was FINE. then we would take him outside and praise him for peeing OUTSIDE

If it had honestly scared him, as in, go hide under a desk or bed and freak out.. of course it wouldn't be a method we would use. It literally took him a second to recover, very similar to jumping out from behind a corner and yelling "BOO!" at one your friends..

the shock factor was just there to spook him for a second, enough for him to STOP what he was about to do/started doing. just long enough for us to redirect him to a good place to pee and praise him

we would've used clapping.. but in this house. clapping is used all the time.. my mom claps to call me over, my dad claps when hes telling a story, people clap ALL THE TIME lol its a haitian thing.. using your hands all over the place when speaking

in a house full of loud people and loud noises that the dogs are used to.. we needed something that would actually make him go. "WHAT WAS THAT?!" ..hence the blow horn.
and of course common sense was used.. we used it from AFAR. obviously we are not blowing the thing in the dogs ear.. the whole point is that its loud enough to make a point without us being in the room/close