marking and neutering. your experience?

[hemingway]

Hemingway will be neutered in August when he is 18 months old. He has already picked up the annoying habit of marking everything...even when his tank is empty. In your experience with male newfs, has this habit lessened post-snip? thanks.

 

[DAWNMERIE]

Nope, Still like to tell everybody he's here!

 

[jane]

Nope! Almost 8, Roger still marks everything. In fact, Roger marks so much I walk around with him and every single time he lifts his leg I say..."My place" "My place" LOL Merlin, almost 6, still marks everything. None of my newfs has ever marked in the house. I don't know if your talking about that.

 

[Pam G]

Both Cash and Bruce would mark in the house before they were neutered. I don't remember my other males doing that. ..Once they got the snip it stopped with the inside marking..but they still want to mark everything outside..especially Cash.

 

[MsHarrysMom]

Phineas' neuter has actually lessened his urge to mark absolutely everything, but I find if we leave the bathroom door open he will still mark our toilet... I don't know what to do about that, except close the door!!

 

[ElvisTheNewf]

Elvis isn't bad but he was neutered early - before we knew better. Actually, he didn't even start lifting his leg until well after he turned one, and still won't if he's in the middle of the yard and there isn't anything to lift against. We laugh at him because he'll sniff something and we know he's going to mark it, but then he walks too far forward and is always waaayyyy off from whatever he's trying to mark. The poor guy has terrible aim!!

 

[new_2_newf]

nope...we are working on a 'go sniff' command to try and make the morning walks more efficient....otherwise he wants to pee of every single blade of grass we walk past.

 

[hemingway]

hemingway doesn't mark in the house...thank GOD! he saves it for when we're at the dog park and marks other dogs. yep. i just know he will mark a child someday. that'll be a riot.

 

[nsmarlis]

If he's not doing it in the house, why is it a problem?? I figure when I take Frankie for a walk, it's his walk & he can sniff & mark as much as his heart desires.

 

[ardeagold]

Yep, what Marlis said. Ours mark everything OUTSIDE...our neutered males, our intact males, our females (all spayed) will mark over other dog's spots...and the Chihuahua is the worst of all. It's what dogs do. If you don't want him stopping on a walk every 3 seconds, just give a little correction and say let's walk! (And try to say it happily...they respond better that way)

 

[Pipelineozzy]

See, the thing is..he's a dog. Dogs do that. And the greatest way to set yourself up for failure with your dog is to forget that he IS a dog, and therefore, some basic doggy behaviour is not really an annoying habit, it's a DOG thing. They don't watch tv, they don't play video games, they don't play cards or dance to the music. Dogs sniff and run and play and mark things and act like dogs. Recreation activities for dogs are absolutely REQUIRED if you don't want a dog that is going to be bored out of his mind all the time. They like to chew, they like to dig, and they like to sniff where ever they can..because that's what THEY do for recreation. So, if you start to look at it from that perspective instead of expecting him to behave like a human and not ever do doggy things, you will enjoy him more...and he will be happier...and therefore less troublesome. I can tell you for sure that the testicular guillotine is NOT going to be the solution to all your problems...because in reality, a lot of those things shouldn't BE a problem - they are normal behaviour.... You got a boy dog - and - he's acting like a boy dog. Please give that poor kid a break and let him be a dog.

 

[ardeagold]

One thing you have to realize is that the behavior means many things in the canine world.

It puts a barrier around his territory so that other animals know he's there...it's a protective instinct thing. He's telling other dogs, etc. that he's there and will protect his territory/family. Farm dogs will defecate around the perimeter of the property.....telling other animals they're there, and it belongs to them, so stay away or deal with the consequences.

When they're in a pack, they also lift their legs as a "status" thing. You can watch males lift their legs higher and higher on a tree to appear to be "bigger and badder" than the others. The "alpha" girls will watch the others (those down the ladder) urinate, then go right over and urinate on top of the same spot. It's all about hierarchy. Some boys will fall over trying to get that leg up higher.

Sniffing is also their newspaper. They don't have the internet, or any other way to get the news...who's been where, who's sick, who's in season, etc...except to sniff. That's another "annoyance" for some on walks.

So like Cindy said...once you understand their behavior...and accept it for what it is, you'll be less likely to be so stressed about it, and he'll be happier too.

I don't let mine mark or sniff every step on a walk...if I ever want to get anywhere. I will tell them we're walking...let's go. And they will, but they'll stop every second if I'm not in a rush and am just meandering along enjoying the outdoors. I enjoy it my way...they enjoy it theirs.

 

[Pipelineozzy]

And they NEED time to do those things. I always remember Ian Dunbar, at his seminar..answering this question with...Well..whose walk is it anyway?

 

[mrsnamsherf]

Stacey,
Is Hemi actually marking the dogs themselves? Cuz I could see where that would be a problem. And I would be quite unhappy if my Sam were to mark a person...I was marked once by someone's dog once. IN their house (the person's). The dog had terrible manners anyway, and the owner was very excusing of the animal's overall behavior. My Sam is neutered, but he'll mark on walks if I let him, and over other dogs' marks, but not usually ON other dogs.

Marie

 

[hemingway]

If he's not doing it in the house, why is it a problem?? I figure when I take Frankie for a walk, it's his walk & he can sniff & mark as much as his heart desires.

umm...did you read the part about marking dogs????

 

[hemingway]

See, the thing is..he's a dog. Dogs do that. And the greatest way to set yourself up for failure with your dog is to forget that he IS a dog, and therefore, some basic doggy behaviour is not really an annoying habit, it's a DOG thing. They don't watch tv, they don't play video games, they don't play cards or dance to the music. Dogs sniff and run and play and mark things and act like dogs. Recreation activities for dogs are absolutely REQUIRED if you don't want a dog that is going to be bored out of his mind all the time. They like to chew, they like to dig, and they like to sniff where ever they can..because that's what THEY do for recreation. So, if you start to look at it from that perspective instead of expecting him to behave like a human and not ever do doggy things, you will enjoy him more...and he will be happier...and therefore less troublesome. I can tell you for sure that the testicular guillotine is NOT going to be the solution to all your problems...because in reality, a lot of those things shouldn't BE a problem - they are normal behaviour.... You got a boy dog - and - he's acting like a boy dog. Please give that poor kid a break and let him be a dog.

Wait....he's a dog? I thought for sure he was a human. No wonder he hasn't picked up the english language yet! No wonder he won't use the fork and knife I leave for him beside his food dish!!! Geesh, you have REALLY opened my eyes!!!

seriously though....just because I'm asking whether he marks less after neutering doesn't mean I need a lecture about letting him be a dog. He gets to be a dog every day. He has a huge yard to play and run around in, doggy friends, bull penises to chew on, sticks to carry, bugs to chase, and owners who happily give him everything he could ever want or need. so save it for someone who carries their chihuahua in their purse and makes it wear tutus.

Apparently, you can't ask a simple question on here without someone talking to you like you're an idiot. I think it's completely reasonable, being that this is my first newfoundland and first male dog that I've waited 18 months to neuter...to ask if if effects the marking.

And, guess what?! Not ALL male dogs mark everything!

 

[drulzelot]

Both of mine, male and female, mark. They are really funny about trying to one-up each other. On walkies, if they are on-leash, they are on-duty, so less marking and sniffing, but off-leash (such as the dog park) they are free to read and piddle to their hearts' content. We call that "going to school", it's where they get (and give) their "education" about what's going on in the doggie world.

As for marking other dogs, your dog is a puppy still, so when he is introduced to other dogs at the park, if he's on-leash a gentle "not here, baby" and then show him where to mark within a step or two may help. I know my girl has been peed on because she is in a hurry to "see" what my male has to say and will get right in the middle of it. You don't specify if your dog is marking every dog, just certain ones, or if he's unaware the dog is there and is aiming for another spot. Is this a rare occurrence (has happened a few times but doesn't happen every time you go to the park) or does this happen every time you take him and you see he is aiming at a dog and not a clump of grass? Is the other dog marking a spot at the same time? If he is specifically marking dogs and you can't train him not to mark other dogs, then I'd stop taking him to the dog park altogether.

You have some good advice above, mostly that you have a dog and need to get into the dog's head and try to figure out what he's doing from a dog's point of view. Only after you understand his behavior can you redirect it. I've found that dogs, like children, respond best when I simply redirect them to what they CAN do as opposed to telling them what they can't do.

 

[chumleysma]

My male was neutered at 2yrs. Before that, he would mark people and dogs only at the dog park. We stopped going. Just before 2 yrs. I got him to the point where he understood "no marking" when we were in the pet store. Actually, I think he understood I was all over him with my attention, urban handle at my knee, and not allowing him to get his nose onto any smells so he could mark. Neutering at 2 yrs. also helped. We went to the yard sales on Sat. with him and his cart. I wanted to unhitch him so he could pee, but my husband said to leave him hitched and it would be good for him to know he can't mark at his whim. He has a healthy bladder, so 1 hour of "holding it" was not going to harm him I figured. Getting sidetracked...anyhow just learn to anticipate marking and it gets alot easier.

 

[Tricia2]

Have you considered joining (or forming) a training group to proof your dog's behavior in real life situations? It need not be formal training, in fact, it's better if it's not since dogs don't always generalize what they learn in 'school' to less formal environments. It's a great way to get immediate feedback and suggestions from other owners on how they have approached problem behaviors. You get to seek out multiple geographical areas and by changing the chemistry of the group via fluid membership, dogs are exposed to distractions that they wouldn't get at home or in a training facility where hard rules of behavior apply.

 

[CMDRTED]

Nope, Still like to tell everybody he's here!

Ricky is the same. He has it in his Mr. Smooch (The World's Greatest Smoocher) Contract that he gets to advertise, especially when he is traveling on a Mr. Smooch Campaign.

He was neutered when he was 3.