Prevent Your Dog From Lifting His Leg in the House

As wild animals, territory is very important to many species. The same territorial instincts remains in most dogs. While the territorial behavior can result in an excellent guard dog, sometimes the behavior becomes excessive and unacceptable. One way in which many male dogs mark their territory is lifting their leg and literally marking their spot. Unfortunately, this behavior can ruin one’s home and create unpleasant living conditions.

The first way to eliminate the marking of the home is to neuter your male dog. Once neutered, the instincts to designate his territory will be weakened. If you have no plans to breed your dog, neutering is always the best decision anyway. In addition to decreasing your dog’s urge to mark territory, you may also notice a decrease in aggressive behaviors, and prevent reproductive system related health problems in the future.

Even with neutering your dog, he may begin to mark his territory out of habit. When dogs smell urine in an area, in their minds they think that the area is meant to be used as a bathroom. As long as your dog can smell where he has marked his territory in the past, he will probably try to continue his actions. However, with cleaning and training, you can break your dog of his bad habit.

Be sure to thoroughly disinfect the area to remove as much of the scent as possible. There are products available that you can spray in your home to decrease your dog’s urge to lift his leg. Additionally, begin the housebreaking training from the basics again. Take your dog out on a regular schedule that compliments his eating schedule, and always offer a treat when he behaves appropriately. Try to keep your dog in a single area of the house when you are not home with him, to decrease his ability to mark areas around the entire house.

Lastly, consider enrolling in obedience training classes. These classes will stimulate your dog’s mind, and allow him to see you as the leader of the house. He will eliminate his need to mark territory, and become more trainable in all areas of his life.