Older Dog Marking Inside.. What To Do?
September 23, 2009 by admin
Filed under Care & Training Q&As
Hi all.. my 8 year old cockapoo started marking inside the house about a year ago. I don’t know why he started so late, but it happened about 6 months after my mom moved into this house. I’m back at home and can work with him if it’s possible to train him, but he was never neutered. I’m wondering:
A) Is it possible to correct this problem with training?
B) What risks are there for an older dog to get fixed?
C) Are there any things I should be sure to ask a vet if we do have to go this route?
He’s still as chipper as can be and crazy energetic, but the thought of him going under with anaesthesia scares the heck out of me. Let me know your thoughts, thanks!
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Clean the spots with an enzymatic cleaner, such as OUT! so that the smell is gone. If you see him marking tell him No just once and take him outside. Use lots of positive reinforcement when he does his business outside. Since he is intact, this is most likely a hormonally driven behavior and neutering usually helps with this. It is better late than never to get a male neutered and still reap some benefits of decreasing the chances of reproductive cancers and rectal tumors, which are common in unaltered senior males and not a walk in the park for the poor dog. Speak with your vet about your dog’s health and before you agree to an anesthetic have a pre-anesthetic blood work up to check for any problems that may not be obvious through a physical exam. There is always a risk with anesthetic, just like with people, but the blood work helps to better assess the risk. Best wishes.
Clean the spots very well.. DON”T let him watch you clean the spots.. Watch him and correct him when he lifts his leg in the house.. He is not marking in the house because he is upset. He is marking in the house cause he is an intact male and marking his territory. Neutering might help, more than likely correcting him when he does it will help more .
Talk to your bet about neutering see what he thinks.. Depends alot on the dog’s health, and how well he has been taken care of .. whether a vet will neuter an older male. I don’t know how long Cockpoos live normally..
Just give him lots of attention, he is marking you as his, he is upset that Mom is more important than he is. Take him to the pee spot, he knows he did it, wash it with vinegar in front of him, spray it with YOUR perfume or cologne,”marking” it telling him out loud NO! And point to it, he knows, don’t ever think he “forgot” they don’t. Good luck!
For a cockapoo your dog isn’t that old. I’ve rescued older dogs and had them spayed or neutered plenty of times. The vet will just use more caution and do bloodwork to make sure he is healthy before the surgery.
Marking… You must first understand this has to be treated differently than a potty training issue. It’s likely the dog could’ve smelled a female in heat quite a distance away. The behavior could’ve started then and now he is just “keeping up his turf.” The areas all need to be cleaned very thoroughly with an enzyme odor eliminator designed for pets. I like Nature’s Miracle. Supervision equals prevention. Remove the dog’s ability to get to areas he doesn’t need to be in. Never spank the dog. If you catch him in the act clap your hands and sternly say “no” do not yell at him. Causing him to be insecure will only make him feel he needs to mark his turf that much more. The dog needs to be crated when he can’t be supervised. If he is marking a lot keep him with you and on his leash. Increase the dogs exercise quite a bit. Anxiety can cause a dog to mark. Think about it… if he feels insecure he will really want to make it known who’s turf this is. Exercise is one of the best ways to relieve anxiety. This dog needs to practice daily obedience. Try to incorporate obedience into your daily routine. The dog must do a simple task (sit, down or short stay) to earn anything! That means attention, food, treats and being let outside. I would really recommend you get him in a training class. This way you will understand how to make him be more obedient. Good luck! Get him neutered YESTERDAY!