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Help! My pup marks when he's a guest in other dogs' homes! — Brooklynian

Help! My pup marks when he's a guest in other dogs' homes!

lnelson
lnelson
edited November -1 in Brooklyn Pets

Subject: Help! My pup marks when he's a guest in other dogs' homes!

My 1-year-old havanese is 100% housetrained when he's alone in our apartment (with us home or alone alone when we go out). But when he visits homes with dogs in them, he marks all over the place - no matter how often I take him out and praise outdoor peeing to reinforce good behavior. I've gone through half a bottle of Nature's Miracle at my parents' house this weekend (they have a bichon).

I rarely catch my dog "in the act" so there's basically no way to tell him what I don't like. I know this is an alpha behavior, and he's a pretty alpha-y little guy, but I've been able to curb other such behaviors, like barking at every person who walks by our apartment door - so I know he can be taught. He's actually a pretty quick study, as long as I'm diligent and consistent. I just don't know how to teach him to stop doing something that I don't catch him doing.

Any thoughts? I know plenty of dogs that are perfectly well-behaved when they are guests in other dogs' homes. How do I teach my pup to be one of them?

Help!

Comments

  • whyfi
    whyfi
    Most dogs are not naturally alpha - if dogs are being alpha-y, as you describe, it's generally because they don't see their owner as being the alpha.

    Does he tend to mark a lot on walks? I would bet so. Be more in charge when walking and don't let him wander around in the leash-radius-circle about you - keep him at your side. YOU decide when he can pee - and make it in the last half of the walk. If he tries to pee before you let him, give him a light leash correction. It'll take a little time, but he'll start to see peeing as peeing, not as territory marking.

    Good luck!
  • wirenut
    wirenut
    Is he altered?
    If not doing so usually helps
  • lnelson
    lnelson
    he is. actually, what helped over the past weekend was bringing his bed to my parents' house. he didn't mark a single time. i wonder if maybe it made him feel more like he was in his own home and help him connect his training to a strange environment.

    i'm also trying the shorter-lead/enforcing "heel" thing on walks, because it seems like a good idea generally to reinforce my alpha-ness.
  • wirenut
    wirenut
    sounds good
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