Why is my intact male dog suddenly marking in the house at 16 months?

He probably started marking when his hormones increased. Now that he’s neutered these levels will go down over the next four to six weeks. Please clean all of the area he’s marked with lemon or vinegar cleaner to remove the scent. I recommend going back to crate training for housebreaking, or using a male belly band when you aren’t able to monitor him. Please take him outside or to the pee pad frequently so he has a chance to urinate there. Marking behavior can become a habit so working to stop this right away is best. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care Toby.

Inappropriate urination occurs when a dog regresses to urinating inside the house. This behavior is more common in male dogs that have not been neutered, although it can occur in non-neutered dogs and cats. The first thing to rule out is inappropriate urination that occurs when there is an underlying health problem which is causing a dog to urinate inside the house. It may have lost control of the muscles in its bladder or sphincter, or there may be an infection (UTI) or other condition as drinking too much (seen in many medical conditions) that is making it difficult for the dog to hold it in long enough to get outside. When a medical caused has been ruled out we can think about the second type of inappropriate urination which is behavioral (such as marking). I recommend to take Bakar to the vet with a "fresh" urine sample to first check or rule out medical causes. Hope this helps and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

This can be a frustrating problem in intact males! The first thing I would do right away is have Junior neutered - many times, this will decrease the marking behavior dramatically even if it's already been going on for several years. After this is done, you will likely still need to work with him a bit on housetraining. Treat him like a young puppy who has no idea where to potty - take him out frequently, praise and reward for peeing outside, and supervise constantly indoors to prevent accidents. If you see him starting to lift his leg, clap your hands and say "ah-ah!" or "no!" - he will soon learn that this is not acceptable in the house, if you are consistent. Don't relax your supervision until he has had at least two weeks with no accidents at all, then increase his freedom in the house very slowly. This will take time and patience, but it can definitely be done.

You didn't mention if Kyzer is neutered or not, but it sounds like he may be marking the furniture. Marking is a very common and normal behavior for intact male dogs. You have a few options. Neutering an intact male dog can solve the problem, but it is best to do ASAP. You could also consider a belly band (https://www.bellybands.net/ ) which will stop him from actually urinating on the furniture. Another option to kennel train him when he isn't supervised in the house in order to stop the behavior or keep him on a leash in the house, so you can constantly keep an eye on him and make him stop if he starts to lift his leg. You will also need to clean the furniture with an enzymatic cleaner to remove the smell. Finally, I would recommend having your veterinarian check a urine sample on him to make sure there isn't a medical reason for him urinating in the house. Good luck! I hope that was helpful and gives you some ideas. Thanks for using PetCoach.

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Cashew. I recommend having him neutered. He is coming into puberty which is why he had started the urine marking behavior. Neutering him will help to resolve this behavior. It will take about 30 days after the surgery for the testosterone to leave his system. It may not resolve the problem entirely as it can become a learned behavior, but it should decrease it significantly. I hope this information helps!

Well the key here is both of your pups are intact. This sounds like Mega is exerting dominance over your other pup with his new found hormones. I would recommend neutering both if you do not plan to breed.

You have one probable and another possible problem. Trappy has discovered his male self and has begun to mark his territory. Additionally, there may be a bitch in heat somewhere in the general vicinity of your house (a dog can detect the scent of a bitch in season from quite a distance away). He is at the ideal age to be neutered, so I would suggest that first of all. Then, you need to re-housetrain him. Put him on a leash and take him outside to his designated spot. Do not walk around. Just stand there and repeat "go outside" or a similar phrase. As soon as he starts to go, repeat "go outside" and praise "good dog!" as he goes. When he is finished, or if you think he has stopped before his bladder is empty, or he does not go after a reasonable amount of time, bring him directly back inside. Do not remove the leash. Attach it to your belt loop and keep him with you. Don’t let him out of your sight! When you see him start to circle or sniff, take him right outdoors again and repeat the process. If he does mess in the house, do not scold him unless you actually catch him in the act. In that case, say "NO!" and take him right outside. Tell him to "go outside" and praise as he finishes. Keep him in a crate at night, or for short periods when you are not at home. For further assistance with this, click on the prompt to initiate a consult. Good luck!