Two Easy Ways to Start Earning Rewards!
Become a member today!
Members-only pricing and offers, personalized care notifications, Vital Care points back on every purchase and more!
Become a credit card member today!Earn 2X Pals Rewards points at Petco
when you use Petco Pay!APPLY NOWLearn More About Petco Pay Benefits
Can neutering an older male dog stop house marking behavior?
Updated on September 23rd, 2025
Pet's info: Dog | Boxer | Male | unneutered | 4 years and 11 months old | 82 lbs
i have a 5 year old boxer which i just adopted to go with my 2 year old boxer. the 5 year old is not fixed and is marking in the house. can neutering the dog help with this problem or since he is 5 years old is it too late. i am so discouraged
3 Answers
Most Helpful Answer
Answered By Jennifer Summerfield, DVM CPDT-KA
Veterinarian, Certified Dog Trainer
Published on November 24th, 2016
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.
1Pet Parents found this answer helpfulRelated Answers from Veterinarians
Answered By Stacey Anstaett, DVM
Veterinarian
Published on August 16th, 2019
Has he always done this? If this is new behavior, it may be that he has a medical condition that is causing him to urinate more frequently resulting in more marking. A urinary tract infection, bladder tumor or bladder stones, kidney disease, endocrine diseases such as diabetes, or prostate disease since he is intact--any of these could cause him to urinate more. Take him to your vet to rule out a medical cause. It may help to have him neutered, as he's less likely to feel the "need" to mark his territory if he is neutered. Try some potty training steps as suggested in the article below. Dog diapers are not ideal in my opinion. The skin can become very irritated if they are not changed very shortly after they become wet, and regular bathing is needed.
https://www.spca.org/file/pet-university/Urine-Marking---Dogs.pdf
https://www.petcoach.co/article/top-5-tips-to-potty-train-your-dog-young-and-old/
I hope that is helpful for you, thanks for asking PetCoach!1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
Answered By Jenny, DVM
Veterinarian
Published on November 5th, 2017
At that age, neutering him will not stop marking behavior. He will always do that, but you can train him to not do it inside. It is essentially like he is not housed trained and does not know that is not acceptable. A dog his age can be housed trained though.
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful