# Suddenly Marking Indoors -Adult



## roguefishfood (May 17, 2012)

>_> Sorry this is a bit long.

My boy Swag has had a very storied past. Nobody knows what happened to him exactly, but he was found at about a year old, dirty, sick, basically nearly dead outside an apartment complex with a missing leg and LP in one of the remaining ones. I can only imagine he's been through a lot - as a result, he's a little odd. He definitely becomes anxious very easily and indulges in some slightly obsessive self-soothing behaviors which I don't punish, but try to distract him from. 

He gets most nervous when no one is paying attention to him. He seems fine when left alone alone, but if there are people around and they are ignoring him, he gets a little distraught. (He never barks, which is nice, but he'll whine, lick the floor, chew his paw, etc.)

When he came to us, he was spot-on with the potty. He's known my fiance since the same moment he met me, so it's not related to that... but here's the weird thing:

Once in awhile, he marks. It's randomly timed but the situation is very consistent. He only ever goes next to my fiance's clothes that are left on the floor (Sometimes it hits them, often it doesn't, it's just *next to* it) or next to the human potty right after fiance uses it. I mentioned the anxiety because the times that I've figured out the order of events, he was previously acting anxious.

He only ever does it next to my fiance's clothes OR next to the human toilet right after my fiance has used it. He acts very chill and submissive with both of us nearly all the time, so I'm pretty puzzled. 

We got belly bands, with the idea that if he marked with one on, it would be uncomfortable and provide him with an immediate-acting disincentive (of course, when we noticed, we'd remove it and clean him up) and it seemed to work at first, but today he marked again for the first time in ages. 

I have gone back to beginner potty training, but because it happens so "randomly" and infrequently, I never have any idea if and when it was working. I even tried returning to umbilical training again (I've found the most effective in the past for retraining potty things/getting on a new routine/etc.) for awhile, but as long as he was on the leash, he never even THOUGHT about it. He's ALWAYS _perfect_ when he's confined or leashed or someone is paying attention to him (or he's paying attention to them) so it seems nearly impossible to catch him in the act. He clearly knows the rules and is marking anyway. 

We did move the furniture a bit today, could that be related?

(Sidenote: This problem is probably MOSTLY fixable by shutting the bathroom door and keeping FH's clothes picked up, but if I can address the pup's end of things I'd like to do so.)

Should I just go on with the belly bands and hope today was an unpleasant reminder that will discourage him next time? Is there something my fiance can do to work with him that would help? (It's clearly related to him since he only marks stuff that smells like him) Is this just going to be something that happens every so often and I should get used to it? Should I be asking my vet about some kind of anxiety treatment?


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## IvysMom (Dec 24, 2012)

LOL! I'd thank the pup for helping me convince my fiancee to pick up his own clothes! Having a dog pee on them if left strewn about should be good incentive for him to clean up after himself!


But seriously: My first question is, has he been neutered? That would be step one in limiting marking though if he's not neutered, I'd get it done as soon as possible before this innate behavior becomes ingrained learned behavior.

Beyond that, I'll have to let the owners of boy doggies share their opinions, since I have always had girls.


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## roguefishfood (May 17, 2012)

IvysMom said:


> LOL! I'd thank the pup for helping me convince my fiancee to pick up his own clothes! Having a dog pee on them if left strewn about should be good incentive for him to clean up after himself!
> 
> 
> But seriously: My first question is, has he been neutered? That would be step one in limiting marking though if he's not neutered, I'd get it done as soon as possible before this innate behavior becomes ingrained learned behavior.
> ...


Yep, though he was neutered after rescue, so already an adult.


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## Kathleen (Aug 4, 2011)

Poor little guy sure has been through a lot in his life. He is very lucky to have you and your fiance now!
It does sound like could be related to his anxiety. My Buddy, who is a rescue, recently started marking in the house. He has always been so good, so it was very strange. It was shortly after we moved. I read a lot about separation anxiety (he also started crying and being destructive when we left too), and marking definitely can be related. Changes in their environment can trigger it. So maybe even just the furniture being in a different spot could do it.
We had to keep him confined in a smaller area with a gate for a while. We also used a plug in dog pheremone diffuser which is supposed to help with anxiety. I was skeptical but it seems like it helped. He has stopped marking.
I would try not giving Swag the opportunity to mark, as you said, by closing the door and moving the clothes. In my opinion, when a dog has been through so much, my first instinct would be to try to get him to stop the behaviour so that it doesn't become a habit. It is much easier to control his environment that to try to eliminate the anxiety caused by his past.
If you haven't already done so, you could maybe read more about separation anxiety and anxiety in general and see if it seems like that is the cause and if there are other things you can do to help with his anxiety.


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## sherry (Jan 4, 2013)

Bless his heart! Poor little guy has been thru a lot! It sounds like he wants to be the alpha over your man! You, then him, then your fiancé! Maybe your fiancé needs to show him more love and guidance.


Sent from Petguide.com Free App


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## CorkieYorkie (Apr 10, 2012)

I have been having similar problems with my Ozzie. He is also a rescue, and we adopted him when he was about 1-2 years old, and he was neutered when he came to be into rescue. 

We've been having potty issues with him since Day 1, but for the past year or so he has been more or less consistent. But once in awhile, he will go where he's not supposed to, and it usually isn't a lot, which sometimes makes me wonder if he is indeed a "marker." He is also very shy and is prone to anxiety, but not so much in the house, mostly when he encounters another dog (besides Lisa). 

I have heard that dogs sometimes mark if they are neutered too late in their lives. Also, Ozzie was a breeder before he went into rescue. Wondering if that makes a difference...

I am tempted to get belly bands for him, but our vet said that was akin to "giving up" :blink:



Kathleen said:


> Poor little guy sure has been through a lot in his life. He is very lucky to have you and your fiance now!
> It does sound like could be related to his anxiety. My Buddy, who is a rescue, recently started marking in the house. He has always been so good, so it was very strange. It was shortly after we moved. I read a lot about separation anxiety (he also started crying and being destructive when we left too), and marking definitely can be related. Changes in their environment can trigger it. So maybe even just the furniture being in a different spot could do it.
> We had to keep him confined in a smaller area with a gate for a while. We also used a plug in dog pheremone diffuser which is supposed to help with anxiety. I was skeptical but it seems like it helped. He has stopped marking.
> I would try not giving Swag the opportunity to mark, as you said, by closing the door and moving the clothes. In my opinion, when a dog has been through so much, my first instinct would be to try to get him to stop the behaviour so that it doesn't become a habit. It is much easier to control his environment that to try to eliminate the anxiety caused by his past.
> If you haven't already done so, you could maybe read more about separation anxiety and anxiety in general and see if it seems like that is the cause and if there are other things you can do to help with his anxiety.


I am curious about this dog pheremone diffuser... how does it work?


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## IvysMom (Dec 24, 2012)

CorkieYorkie said:


> I am tempted to get belly bands for him, but our vet said that was akin to "giving up" :blink:


 
Your vet doesn't have to clean your house. Use belly bands if it makes your life less stressful. They even have very stylish ones these days!


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## CrystalAndZoe (Jul 11, 2006)

roguefishfood said:


> >_> Sorry this is a bit long.
> 
> 
> We got belly bands, with the idea that if he marked with one on, it would be uncomfortable and provide him with an immediate-acting disincentive (of course, when we noticed, we'd remove it and clean him up) and it seemed to work at first, but today he marked again for the first time in ages.
> ...


Just want to make sure you truly understand the purpose of a belly band. They are not a training tool. It will not make your little guy uncomfortable (other that diaper rash or sores if not changed frequently) nor will he associate something unpleasant with a filled pad in the belly band. It is something to use while training to protect your furniture and carpet. Most trainers discourage the use because people tend to be a bit more lax or less vigilant in training when they're using a belly band. But I have white carpet and white furniture and I used a belly band on Jett when I was house training him. I just had to keep reminding myself that I had to act like he didn't have one on.

I'm guessing you are on the right track that this behavior is triggered by some stresser or anxiety. So now you have to figure out what that trigger is. Since he's singling out your fiancee, I have to first think of how Swag sees your fiancee and how your fiancee interacts with him. How is it different than how you interact with Swag? Is his style of play rougher? Does he do direct eye contact that causes Swag to be uncomfortable or stressed? What's Swag's body language like when your fiancee talks to him or plays with him? What is his ear set? Tail set? Does he avert his eyes? Is he doing any lip licking or yawning when he's not tired? You may want to get a video of him with your fiancee to help you see these things. Don't get me wrong. Your fiancee may not be doing anything wrong. Maybe some of his mannerisms are similar to someone who hurt him in his past. It's so hard to say. But sadly, most of us have never been taught how to treat and handle dogs and do things every single day that we think show them how much we love them when in fact, it's considered rude in dog behavior and stressing the dog.


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## Yogi's Mom (Jan 6, 2013)

*Oh My this one is deep for me. Iam Going to learn something here. So Ill Just Read and learn.*

*I Do hope you get your answers it s hard thing for you to deal with.*
*Best of Luck It will work out. Nickee in Pa**


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