adopt or not?

Question
QUESTION: We have a 9 year old spayed female boxer. We are looking to adopt a younger dog additionally. we went toa shelter to see a toy/mini (15lbs)stray,neutered last week male 1 year old. He was wonderful, but kept marking. They told us he was found all matted, and lots of urine on him on the streets.(sounds to me like someone gave up trying to stop this issue by confining him in a prison of urine or something)his tail was never docked either...Hmmm. anyhow at the shelter before neutering he did mark alot. he got back there afterwards and they said was no longer marking. but when we were there, he marked like 4 times in a 1/2 hour. does it take a week or so for the testoserone levels to go away? Is this a bad choice for us? we are not home for like 3-4 hours at a time. perhaps he will never stop? I heard small breeds are bigger offenders then large breeds. Is a 15 lb dog considered a samll or tiny breed? Or do they mean a 5 lber??done some research this morning, not looking so positive....what do you think? bad choice?

ANSWER: Hello Lisa,
With males that have been marking most of their lives, it is difficult for them to stop.  He is a yr old, and so he has been marking most of his life.  Males will tend to mark more when a female is present so that might be an issue with your female boxer.  
It does take some time for the testosterone to get out of the system, so he could get better after a week or so, but since he has been marking for so long, it may not make a difference.  
My suggestion would be to take him on a Trial basis to see if he will work out for you.  See if the shelter will agree to you taking him for a week or so to see if he stops marking.  

Before he comes home, steam clean your house with a steam machine and use a pet specific cleaner such as Out (you can get it from Wal-Mart in the Pet section) or Kids N Pets (that you can find at Wal-Mart back in the cleaning section) to totally remove all dog type scents from your floors.  

I would call 15 lbs a Small dog.  Tiny breeds average around 3-5 lbs.
 
You might have to retrain him to get used to your schedule.  
If he does good in a kennel, you can leave him in the kennel when you leave and also when you can't watch him.  Take him out after he plays, eats, and when he gets up in the morning and just before bed.  

If you would be willing to work with him, he could be a good addition to your family.  You should give him about a month to get used to your family routine.  If this is something you are willing to do, then I would say go for it.  He does sound like a nice little dog.

I hope this helps you some.  If you have other questions about this or other questions, please feel free to ask.

Thanks for using AllExperts.com,
Kim

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thanks so much Kim. we dont have carperting. my husband has just installed brand new Pergo floors. I dont think I can steam them, as they are made of a wood composition. But they do have a styrofoam underlayment on top of the painted bare plywood before they are layed. we hope it will not smell like pee.....hmmmm.The only rugs that are left that did get peed on are up in my daughters room, but that door is usually closed as she doesnt live here anymore. we should treat that one anyhow with a good enzyme cleaner. we are looking at some other dogs tomorrow. If we find one we like equally that is younger, or was previously neuteredat a younger age we may have to try that first. I do have a crate, and it is in the kitchen (lenolium) that we can later corden off if need be till he is reaady for the rest of the house. we will have to keep out a watchfull eye when we are home. Sounds like a big risk. I wish there was a majic book to tell us what percentage of dogs keep marking if neutered late like this. ( I have a feeling he is younger then a year anyhow, but all his baby teeth are gone) Do you think he is a size dog...being small (around 15 lbs or so)that are also known for this? If he were a larger breed would you feel more confident that the marking will stop?Eeeeeeeee  I dont know what to do......

Answer
Hello Again Lisa,
In this case, size really doesn't matter as to whether a dog will mark or not.  Its more to do with dominance and a male marking his territory.  I personally feel that the larger dogs tend to be a bit easier to train, but then again, with marking you are dealing with a natural tendency that has been done by dogs since the time of the wolves and that is just hard to train out.
They do have doggie diapers that you can buy to control your male until you teach him not to mark indoors.  Here is a website where you can buy the "Belly Bands for Male Dogs":
http://www.kennelkomforts.net/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=30

Have you considered getting another Female rather than a male.  Some people say that female/female or male/males tend to cause fighting, but that isn't true.  I live with 4 intact males and all my dogs get along great.  You might think about getting your girl another female friend rather than a guy friend.  

Before you get your girl any dog friend, make sure you take them to a neutral meeting place and let them see each other on "open territory".  That way, neither dog will think that they have to protect "their" territory.  Lots of dogs have made enemies rather than friends with other dogs because the new dog was brought to the existing dogs home.  The older dog thinks he/she has to protect his/her property and those dogs become enemies because of it.

As for your floors and whether they will smell like urine, I think you will be ok with that.  I would treat the rugs in your daughters room just to be safe because rugs and carpet fibers will hold urine smells.  

I hope this has given you a better insight and will help you make a  better and more informed decision.
Best Wishes,
Kim