If you’re looking for how to stop dogs from marking, you’re likely very frustrated, angry, annoyed, and desperate. Urine marking is not something you absolutely love about your pet. We get it. That’s why Dog Ownership Guide wants to help you find a solution that is quick and easy.
How to Stop Dogs from Marking?
You have a few options when it comes to how to stop dogs from marking.
Belly Bands
Belly bands for male dogs are THE greatest thing since sliced bread when it comes to male dogs and urine marking. Sorry female dog owners, it doesn’t cut it for females.
Belly bands fit around the body and act like a diaper. When male dogs try to urine mark something, the pee is captured in the band.
Belly bands can save a lot of furniture and time by cleaning up pee puddles and urine on furniture.
Read more about belly bands by reading Pros and Cons of Belly Bands for Dogs.
Bodhi Dog Not Here
The Bodhi Dog Not Here spray is great for dogs and cats. The reason some dogs mark regularly is territorial behavior. This is common in households with multiple pets (dogs and cats). It’s a way of staking a claim on an area of something in the home.
One way to stop territorial marking is to clean up the odor from it. Whenever a dog or cat urinates on something, pheromones are left behind even after scrubbing and sanitizing. The pheromones attract pets to mark again.
The Bodhi Dog Not Here spray removes the pheromones from a cat’s or dog’s urine. This can eventually cease territorial marking behavior.
Click here to learn more about Bodhi Dog Not Here Spray.
Enzymatic Cleaner
Along the same lines as the BoohiDog Not Here product, there is an enzymatic cleaner that removes urine odor and the pheromones from objects to end marking behavior.
Click here to learn more about this product on Amazon.
CBD for Dogs
Dogs suffering from anxiety (such as separation anxiety) might benefit from CBD for dogs. CBD is known to calm dogs down, especially hyper ones. Since anxiety can cause an increase in urination, marking can become common. CBD can lower anxiety, which decreases the need to urinate and house soiling.
Contact the Veterinarian
Marking can have a medical cause. Many medical conditions (like urinary tract infection) can cause incontinence, which then could lead to marking in the home. Schedule an appointment with your local veterinarian or a virtual vet for a consultation. You can review the symptoms with the vet to figure out what may be causing your dog’s marking behavior.
Click here to learn more about a virtual vet that prescribes medication.
Behavior Modification Therapy
Behavior modification therapy can be highly effective when it comes to how to stop dogs from marking. Dog trainers can make the process quick and easy, but dog owners can also do it.
The premise of behavioral modification is retraining your dog to only urinate in appropriate areas (i.e. outside).
You can learn how to do it in the video below.
As you can see, you can decrease territorial behavior by making sure that your pets have their own spaces in the home to stake a claim on like a kennel or even a whole room where they can relax.
Making sure your pup is taken outside on a consistent basis can also help the urge to relieve him or herself inside your home.
Keep a New Cat or New Dog Away from Existing Pets
To prevent marking behavior in dogs, keep them away from any new pets who are being housetrained, and use the NaturVet spray above.
While territorial marking is a natural instinct, it’s also a learned behavior in dogs that don’t normally do it. As your new pets become housetrained, you don’t have to worry too much about your existing pup being influenced but your new dog or new cat.
What Causes Dogs to Mark
There can be many causes of a dog marking inside the home. Understanding the causes can help pet parents know how to stop a dog from marking.
New Home
Moving to a new home can be highly stressful for a dog (and humans too!). Many dogs with anxiety have to urinate more often. That increased need to urinate may mean that your dog’s urine gets on objects and the floor.
This can be highly distressing to new homeowners who may have new furniture. Try the belly bands when you move to a new home to protect the house from your dog’s urine. As your dog becomes used to the new environment, you likely won’t need them anymore.
New Baby
Another stressful situation in many pet parents’ lives is having a new baby. Many dogs will start to mark their territory when they sense a new baby will try to “take over”.
Be sure to provide comfort and extra love to your dog. Belly bands are a great option in this situation as well.
New People
Some dogs only mark when there are new people around them. For that reason, be sure to have an area where your dog can go when there are new people visiting the home.
If you’d rather have your pup around everyone, again, belly bands can prevent the embarrassment of inappropriate urination.
Learned Behavior
Many pet parents who adopt their dog from a shelter will find they have a habit of scent marking. The dog’s behavior is from being in a place with a lot of animals around and the urge to let everyone know about the territory.
Scent marking can be reduced with the NaturVet No Mark! spray along with the belly band until the behavior is unlearned.
Medical Issue
As mentioned above, inappropriate urination can also be due to a medical issue. Urinary tract infection, kidney infection, and many medical conditions can increase urination, including marking.
Diet
You may want to consider your dog’s diet. It can be a reason for your dog suddenly marking. Read more about it here: Dog Suddenly Peeing in House from Raw Food Diet
Separation Anxiety
Anxiety for any reason can lead to a change in a dog’s behavior when it comes to urination, including separation anxiety. CBD for dogs can help lower anxiety, which can then help end marking in your home.
How to Stop Dogs from Marking
Now you know how to stop dogs from marking. You can use belly bands while you remove the triggers, such as anxiety, territorial behavior, or housetraining new animals in the home. You can stop triggers by using CBD, no marking spray, and dog training.
Always check with a veterinarian whenever you notice a new behavior in your pup. It may be due to a medical issue that could get worse without treatment.
Dog Ownership Guide hopes this helps you stop your dog from marking. If you have other solutions not mentioned, please feel free to add them to the comments below to help others solve this very irritating problem for dog owners.
Looking for more information on potty problems? Check out Last Resort for Dog Potty Training.
