# Marking



## cloey70 (Jan 6, 2008)

I have a 4 month old male named Clifford. He has been using his litter box all the time, and showed me that he knew where to go, well I thought. Today, I started seeing quarter size pee spots everywhere, under my dining room table, chairs, etc................UGGGGH! I have to be honest, I was so upset, and knew it was all my fault for letting him have some freedom. I just trusted him, because I saw him go to his litter box all the time. I also found a little poopy under a chair that my daughter found, gross. Now I know I am going to have to start putting him back in his xpen when I can't watch him, but are these signs of marking or just peeing everywhere. 

Another question, can I start training him to poddy outside? He went outside today, and I had a huge potty party for him, but am not sure if I use a crate now, and not the xpen. The xpen is so much bigger and it has his litter box in it, but if he is going to pee everywhere then I would perfer him get trained for outside potty. I am so confused now and really upset at myself. God only knows how long he has been doing this, and now his scent is everywhere, and he will always think this is where to go. I have natures miracle, but am afraid I may have missed spots. Once they pee on your rug, its over I feel. I need all the advice I can get, and also on marking, if that is what he is doing, but I believe its him peeing. Thanks everyone.......Jill


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## pixxee84 (Jan 23, 2008)

> I have a 4 month old male named Clifford. He has been using his litter box all the time, and showed me that he knew where to go, well I thought. Today, I started seeing quarter size pee spots everywhere, under my dining room table, chairs, etc................UGGGGH! I have to be honest, I was so upset, and knew it was all my fault for letting him have some freedom. I just trusted him, because I saw him go to his litter box all the time. I also found a little poopy under a chair that my daughter found, gross. Now I know I am going to have to start putting him back in his xpen when I can't watch him, but are these signs of marking or just peeing everywhere.
> 
> Another question, can I start training him to poddy outside? He went outside today, and I had a huge potty party for him, but am not sure if I use a crate now, and not the xpen. The xpen is so much bigger and it has his litter box in it, but if he is going to pee everywhere then I would perfer him get trained for outside potty. I am so confused now and really upset at myself. God only knows how long he has been doing this, and now his scent is everywhere, and he will always think this is where to go. I have natures miracle, but am afraid I may have missed spots. Once they pee on your rug, its over I feel. I need all the advice I can get, and also on marking, if that is what he is doing, but I believe its him peeing. Thanks everyone.......Jill[/B]


That sounds like he is marking his territory. Beowulf just started doing that a few days ago. I always take him outside to go potty, so I can get some exercise too, and I noticed it. Instead of just taking one long pee pee and then for the rest of the walk smelling; every new place we went he would sqaut like he was going to pee but did it very quickley and then went to the next spot, and did it again. I didn't want to do the crazy "yeah potty, yeah potty" like I normally do, because he kept doing it in lots of different places. But since Sunday he has been doing this, so I just say good potty when he does it all the other times .... Luckily he hasn't done it inside yet ... but I should probably knock on wood now


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## Moxie'smom (Dec 16, 2007)

Moxie is 5 months and we're also in the potty training mode. First thing is not to freak out. You really can't assume they are completely trained until at least 6 months. My first Malt, Mogie took me until he was almost a year to completely trust him. Moxie is pretty good. He goes in either the bathroom on Pish Pads, or in his x pen. We also live in 2 places, so he has to get trained in 2 different places. 

All that aside, I from time to time find him peeing on a rug, in which case when I catch him in the act, with a stern tone I say "No Pee Pee Here" I take him straight away to the pad and point to "Pee pee on the paper here". 

I don't think at 4 months he really understood me. I think finally at 5 months, when I catch him, which is on a rare occasions, he is understanding when he has done something wrong. He lies down and actually looks like he has done something bad. He didn't do that at 4 months. 

We continue to crate him and take him to the pad after meals after naps after extensive exercise. 

A lot of people don't house train because it takes a lot of time and patience. After the fact, is after the fact and you can't get mad at them because at this age they just don't understand. Ue your nature's miracle and Keep doing what you've been doing, be consistent, and have patience. It'll happen!


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## jmm (Nov 23, 2004)

1. Your puppy is much too young to have freedom without complete supervision. 

2. It really doesn't matter if he is marking or just had a bunch of accidents that went unnoticed. Either way, it is a house training issue. You treat it the same - remedial housetraining. I DO NOT like marking so my dogs are very restricted on doing it. I pick ONE place outside it is ok to mark. If we're not there, you get to do one normal pee and that's it. If you hold it back, you go back in your crate and we try again later. This has worked for me for dogs of all sizes, intact or not. 

3. Pick the method you prefer and stick to it. Either the box or outside. It is fine to go to the crate if you want to do outdoor training. I use a crate even if I'm training on puppy pads. Just because a dog uses pee pads does NOT mean it is ok for them to go other places in the house. That's a training issue. Confine him if you cannot actively watch him. No wandering off. 

4. What would really help is you setting a schedule for him - eating, potty, play, crate time, etc. If he can be predictable about the times he potty's and knows what to expect, training will go faster. 

5. You need to be with him every time he goes potty so you can praise him. That means you can't just put in him the pen and expect that to train him. You need to go with him at potty time and praise him. Or go outside with him every time and praise him. 




> I have a 4 month old male named Clifford. He has been using his litter box all the time, and showed me that he knew where to go, well I thought. Today, I started seeing quarter size pee spots everywhere, under my dining room table, chairs, etc................UGGGGH! I have to be honest, I was so upset, and knew it was all my fault for letting him have some freedom. I just trusted him, because I saw him go to his litter box all the time. I also found a little poopy under a chair that my daughter found, gross. Now I know I am going to have to start putting him back in his xpen when I can't watch him, but are these signs of marking or just peeing everywhere.
> 
> Another question, can I start training him to poddy outside? He went outside today, and I had a huge potty party for him, but am not sure if I use a crate now, and not the xpen. The xpen is so much bigger and it has his litter box in it, but if he is going to pee everywhere then I would perfer him get trained for outside potty. I am so confused now and really upset at myself. God only knows how long he has been doing this, and now his scent is everywhere, and he will always think this is where to go. I have natures miracle, but am afraid I may have missed spots. Once they pee on your rug, its over I feel. I need all the advice I can get, and also on marking, if that is what he is doing, but I believe its him peeing. Thanks everyone.......Jill[/B]


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## binniebee (Sep 27, 2007)

The only thing I would add is: Are you planning on using this pup for breeding purposes? Has he been neutered yet? If not, I would do so and quickly. Now I know that a lot of vets and owners of larger dogs say to wait until they are 6 mos old to neuter, but my breeder and the vet that takes care of all her pups/dogs says that 4 1/2 mos is fine with this breed. I had Midis neutered at 4 1/2 mos and he doesn't even know what "marking" is. He pees when he needs to pee and poops when he needs to poop. This means, basically, that he does not feel the need to pee at houses where he is visiting nor feel the need to mark his territory in my house. He just really goes out and pees as he needs to.

I do know, and very well, the difference as I had a male Maltese for 14 1 /2 years before I got Midis. He was not neutered until he was over 5 years old (although we certainly never used him for breeding or show purposes, and had no inclination to). But after all those years he was used to "marking" his territory and so he peed at friends' houses, families' houses and anywhere he felt he needed to mark. It was not good. Obviously he overcame this after some training, but it is much harder to fight instinct than to avoid that battle.

I am sure that there are other opinions out there about the correct time to neuter a male and I am only a dog-lover-owner that has been through two Malts and one Yorkie (the Yorkie, BTW, also was not neutered or used for breeding or showing and peed everywhere he could for 7 years!). So, I am only giving my opinion as an amateur not a professional, but if I had it all to do over again (as, in fact I did when I got Midis last February) I would have them neutered before they hit puberty.

Cyndi


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## lilguyparker (Aug 16, 2007)

> I am sure that there are other opinions out there about the correct time to neuter a male....I would have them neutered before they hit puberty.
> 
> Cyndi[/B]


It was once believed that you had to wait until the dog was 6 months old to get him neutered. Recent research shows that it is safe to neuter them as young as 10 weeks old...as long as they meet certain criteria. There are pros and cons to getting them neutered that young, but consult with the vet and the dog's breeder before making that decision.


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## llf060787 (Nov 19, 2007)

We had to wait for bianca to reach 6 lbs. And I had to pay extra because she was too little. She was 7 months at the time. I wouldn't worry too much. Its just a phase they go thru. My Bianca will pee outside if she happens to be outside but uses the pee pads when she's indoors. 

Funny thing a couple of months ago. I had just removed the dirty peed pad and didn't put a clean one down fast enought I guess. We keep her pee pads on the floor of our bathroom/laundry room in the basement. My daughter had just changed in there and as a typical teenage girls, she left her T-shirt on the floor. Well, the first thing Bianca did was walk over to it, tested it with her paws and then she squatted and did her didle right on the shirt. It was hillarious. Taught my daughter never to leaver her clothes on the floor in that room again. :smrofl:


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## hayley (Oct 24, 2007)

cosmo only started marking at 6 months, but only outside the house. lamppost, tree whatever....in fact its very funny when he finds a big leaf on the ground (leaves are his favourite) he'll stop and let everyone know its his! everytime he makes an accident in the house take him outside the door to let him know that was where he was meant to go. takes time and effort but cosmo was trained perfectly at 6 months. we were very proud of him! especially as he was on lasix for a while which makes it hard for him to hold it in! whatever you do dont use the crate as punishment. he'll hate it! until they get the hang of it make sure they are in the crate until you get home and then take him straight outside to pee. cosmo is so well trained now that he can sleep on the bed with us and wait for me to take a shower before we go out for potty time. i have no need for pads/litter as he can wait until we go out. which is lucky because he loves to try and eat litter and tore up the one pee pad we tried to use in the beginning! hope this helps.


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