a question

[aquarian215]

So this is probably a silly question, and I'm going to show my ignorance. What is this difference between marking and peeing? Does a neutered male still mark? I ask because today Dudley peed in River's room. Now he is obsessed with the new cats (he totally ignores the other two), and while Sophie stays downstairs Marlo comes up and usually sleeps in River's room and the door is propped open a crack so the cats can get out but Dud can't get in, well Dudley stands watch at the crack in the door for most of the night, and this morning he got in when Cameron went into Rivers room to wake him up, and peed on the carpet. Now could it be marking? Trying to show the kitty "this is my place". I know it could be health related, so if he does it again soon I will call the vet.

[britishbandit]

Yes, dogs sometimes still mark after they are neutered.

Is it marking though? That depends. Is it a steady stream and a big puddle? Or is it a spot here and there or a "trickle" mark? If a solid puddle type mess, then I'd have to say that's peeing, and not marking.

[dogs4life]

To me the difference is in my dog's behavior (do they mark or just relieve themselves while out and about), the location and what going on in the house. IMHO if you think it's marking, you're probably right especially given the location and the new kitties.

Sorry Karen, I disagree with size of puddle telling you it's a mark or pee. Hank is my best marker and he marks big (puddles) and little (tinkles) the difference is in his pre-pee and pre-marking behavior. Pre-pee is very casual, no focused sniffing, body language is relaxed but coupled with a sense of urgency, sometimes he runs to his favorite marking/pee spot. Pre-marking is more tense body language, sometimes he postures but he sniffs intently for the perfect spot, very focused attention...he also loves to make a post-mark display by kicking up the dirt with his back legs with a little "grrrr", very primal.

I'll say this though, his marking (outdoor and indoor) is starting to diminish as we are working to increase his confidence with training.

[Rivsky]

Yep neutered dogs still mark.

With River it's obvious the difference between peeing and marking - when he pees he squats to go and when he's marking he lifts his leg just so everyone knows how big and tough he really is

[britishbandit]

Originally Posted by dogs4life

Sorry Karen, I disagree with size of puddle telling you it's a mark or pee. Hank is my best marker and he marks big (puddles) and little (tinkles) the difference is in his pre-pee and pre-marking behavior.

Maybe it's has something to do with him being so small and the short distance to the ground that makes it appear a puddle for him?

From what I've seen from dogs who mark, it appears a "splatter" effect or "tinkle" due to them quivering a bit, which seems to happen when marking. I've seen dogs mark with "tinkles" lifting their leg, as they're walking and when squatting. PJ does all 3. LOL He lifts sometimes, does it mid walk, and squats on occasion. Tysa lifts her leg to mark, and sometimes squats, never seen her in mid walk though. Tysa also doesn't mark in the house at all, but PJ feels the need to mark their water bowl from time to time, and on the rare occasion, the side of the cat litter boxes.

You may be right that sometimes there is a puddle, but in my experience, if it's been a puddle, the dog was actually peeing, not marking. But then again i've only experienced a few small dogs marking indoors, they were "tinkles", but they also lifted their legs. Does Hank lift or squat?

[calgal]

One time I had a male dog I got when he was only 8 weeks old, had him spayed and got him totally house trained in no time. He never once, peed or pooped in the house for over 6 years, then all of a sudden he started marking EVERYTHING!!!!! Door jams, sofas, chairs and all. There were no new pets to cause this, nor any changes in the home at all. I could NOT correct this behavior so he had to wear belly bands all the time and I was constantly washing those things.

[aquarian215]

Well I didn't see him do it, I was getting breakfast ready. It wasn't a small spot though, but it also wasn't a regular "Dudley" sized puddle. He hasn't done it since, so who knows. He is really good with not going in the house, we have had him a year now, and other than the first couple of weeks while he got used to the house, he has only gone twice in the house, both times we were not home both HUGE puddles (poor baby must have really had to go) and both near the door to the backyard (where he goes potty). Well its a mystery, who knows. Maybe he just really wanted to see the kitties and when he got the chance, he didn't want to take the time to go and tell me he had to go out (which he does).