AimeeM Posted July 29, 2014 Share Posted July 29, 2014 I can't reach the trainer for a few more days and I'm running out of patience. Mozart is about 5 months old. Fixed. This morning is a good example - I took him outside when I woke up, he emptied his bladder out there, and then came inside. IMMEDIATELY, he "marked" Tony's treadmill... and then a pillow. We've lost a dozen children's books, several pillows, and other misc things to his marking. We were prepared for the chewing phase of puppyhood (although we didn't anticipate him chewing his way through the leather couch; which is why he is now crated at night and any time we're not home), but not the marking. I do not know HOW to curb this. He responds to no discipline and no redirection for the marking. He isn't competing with another marking dog (other dog is old - 12 years old - and doesn't mark). (please do not suggest we baby gate the kitchen; been there, tried that, he can very easily scale every baby gate/play pen we've tried) I have NEVER dealt with a fixed dog, this young, "marking" his territory in this manner. He isn't "peeing" - this often happens after he has emptied his bladder outside - he will simply walk up to something, lift his leg, and mark it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RoughCollie Posted July 29, 2014 Share Posted July 29, 2014 Belly Band. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dory Posted July 29, 2014 Share Posted July 29, 2014 That would strike me as a dominance issue. How is his obedience coming with everything else? Have you yelled (deep voice like an angry older dog) and scared him really good when he peed in the house? Sometimes they need to know that those things are not theirs and the guy that owns them gets angry when he tries to claim them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AimeeM Posted July 29, 2014 Author Share Posted July 29, 2014 That would strike me as a dominance issue. How is his obedience coming with everything else? Have you yelled (deep voice like an angry older dog) and scared him really good when he peed in the house? Sometimes they need to know that those things are not theirs and the guy that owns them gets angry when he tries to claim them. His obedience is coming along very nicely. He has a short attention span for commands, but takes well to them. We know his currency is carrots (lol) and he is wiling to do just about anything for a carrot :D Yes, I've yelled. Possibly too much. He does run off when I yell, and stop whatever he's doing - but he goes right back to it immediately when he thinks I'm not watching. Thing is - he isn't "peeing". His actual housebreaking is coming along nicely - I have no clue why he's marking everything in the house, but it's getting out of hand. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AimeeM Posted July 29, 2014 Author Share Posted July 29, 2014 Belly Band. http://www.bellybands.net/ I don't know if belly bands are available anywhere else. Interesting that there are GSDs on the front page, lol! Okay, I'm definitely ordering one of these! Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plink Posted July 29, 2014 Share Posted July 29, 2014 Yup. Belly band him when he is indoors. Also, make sure that you aren't giving him freedom that he isn't ready for. If you can't pay 100% attention to him, then he should be in his crate or outdoors until he is fully housebroken. Breaking bad habits is much harder than creating good ones. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zoobie Posted July 29, 2014 Share Posted July 29, 2014 I would guess that he's smelling your former dog (Luke?) and responding. Not sure how to fix that... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AimeeM Posted July 29, 2014 Author Share Posted July 29, 2014 I would guess that he's smelling your former dog (Luke?) and responding. Not sure how to fix that... Oh my. I didn't consider that. While Luke didn't "mark", things did get messy as his health went downhill. The house has been thoroughly sanitized since then, but yeah - this particular pup does seem to have an incredible sense of smell (whatever he's mixed with, because I've never met a GSD Pure who is as scent driven as this pup). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AimeeM Posted July 29, 2014 Author Share Posted July 29, 2014 Yup. Belly band him when he is indoors. Also, make sure that you aren't giving him freedom that he isn't ready for. If you can't pay 100% attention to him, then he should be in his crate or outdoors until he is fully housebroken. Breaking bad habits is much harder than creating good ones. He's in his crate now, until after I put my youngest kiddo down for a nap. I just don't want Mozart to feel neglected :( Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pawz4me Posted July 29, 2014 Share Posted July 29, 2014 Five months old? Are you sure he was ever completely house trained to begin with? I'd start over with Housebreaking 101. And when you take him outside make sure he has multiple opportunities to urinate. Don't assume going just once means he's empty. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zoobie Posted July 29, 2014 Share Posted July 29, 2014 Oh my. I didn't consider that. While Luke didn't "mark", things did get messy as his health went downhill. The house has been thoroughly sanitized since then, but yeah - this particular pup does seem to have an incredible sense of smell (whatever he's mixed with, because I've never met a GSD Pure who is as scent driven as this pup). It wouldn't have to be anywhere Luke had an accident. I'm sure your house is super clean! I didn't mean that. It's just that another male dog was there before him. Dogs can follow scent trails of people or animals who just walked through an area. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AimeeM Posted July 29, 2014 Author Share Posted July 29, 2014 Five months old? Are you sure he was ever completely house trained to begin with? I'd start over with Housebreaking 101. And when you take him outside make sure he has multiple opportunities to urinate. Don't assume going just once means he's empty. We got him at 2 months old - shelter. We've utilized our private trainer since we got him, and definitely didn't assume he's ever been housebroken. He does seem empty. When he marks, it's just a bit (but he's large, even at only 5 months old, so a "little bit" is enough to cause damage). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AimeeM Posted July 29, 2014 Author Share Posted July 29, 2014 It wouldn't have to be anywhere Luke had an accident. I'm sure your house is super clean! I didn't mean that. It's just that another male dog was there before him. Dogs can follow scent trails of people or animals who just walked through an area. No clue how to fix that? Is this something that will go away as he gets older? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mamajag Posted July 29, 2014 Share Posted July 29, 2014 He's in his crate now, until after I put my youngest kiddo down for a nap. I just don't want Mozart to feel neglected :( Crate training is not cruel or neglectful. If done correctly the crate is their safe spot and they like it. Giving him freedom he isn't ready for (and if he's chewing and marking he is not ready for it) and then being upset when he does stupid puppy stuff is unfair. It took me a couple of tries with indoor dogs before I had this realization. My 6mo GSD that has been crate trained since the beginning is happy and content and chooses her crate of her own accord several times a day. She is also the most well-adjusted, happiest dog I've had in a long time. We have her crate in our living area so if we need to crate her while I can't keep laser focused on her she is still "with us" and happy. If he's crated while you can't supervise him, then all of your interactions with him when he's out of the crate can be positive and fun. It will take a lot of negativity out of your relationship. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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