TRAINING A OLDER DOG.

Question
WE RESCUED THIS SWEET DOG, SEVEN OR EIGHT YEARS AGO. HE NEVER WANTED TO BE IN THE HOUSE UNTIL NOW.HE WAS NEUTERED RIGHT AFTER WE GOT HIM. THE QUESTION I HAVE IS,HE HAS BEEN AN OUTSIDE DOG SO, HE WENT TO THE BATHROOM ANY WERE. NOW THAT HE'S INSIDE I CAN'T TEACH HIM NOT TO MARK. HE'S HOUSE TRAINED BUT, HE WANT STOP MARKING.WE DO HAVE ANOTHER DOG INSIDE. THEY GET ALONG GREAT. IS HE TOO OLD TO TRAIN? THANK YOU FOR YOUR HELP.  

Answer
Hi Donna;
He is marking to show that other dog that part of the hopuse is his now.
Supposedly bitter apple spray will work. I got some, sprayed it on the furniture I wanted this particular dog to stay off of. DIDN'T WORK! I think he actually liked the spray.
I have only had this problem with one dog, marking in the house. Many of the males I have had marked outside.
I had two little males, a father and son. Dad would walk around the yard marking plants, flower pots etc, and son would go along behind marking over dad's. LOl
I finally got Rowdy to stop marking in the house by just chewing his little butt out and putting him in time-out every time I saw him do it. When I saw where he had marked, when I wasn't looking, I took him to the spot, pointed to it, and chewed him out and put him in time out.
When I took him , say, to the couch, and pointed to where he had whizzed, and said "I see what you did", Then the shame on you, you know better, you stop doing that, you are a bad boy etc, etc, etc, and " You go to time-out. Then I put him in time out for 30 minutes.
Time out is the hall bathroom. There is a 5X5 space between the bathtub and vanity. so all they can do in there is lie on the bath mat and be bored, and hear everything that is going on, that they are missing out on.
Rowdy loves to romp, so when he went to time out, The other dogs and I had a good noisy romp, and he had to listen to it and miss out.
That worked where ll the tried and tru methods that are supposed to work didn't.
Rowdy is an Australian Shepherd mix, and he is a clown. My son has an aussie mix, and he has the same personality, although the other part of the mix is different.
This breed is smart as a whip. and they are comics. Rowdy is constantly starting games he plays with us, to see how long it will take for us to get wise.
At one time the game was taking one of our shoes, and hiding it. He really went to some lengths to hide one shoe, then he would help us look for it. Once he hid one of our grand daughter's shoes, and it took us two weeks to find it. He really enjoys these little utsmart mom and dad games.LOl
Rowdy, and Max ( a little Lhasa mix) would rather be beaten with a club that have to go to time out.
Max tries to boss the bigger dogs, and when he gets snappy at them, and tries to dominate, and boss em around, all I have to do is say "MAX! Do you want to go to time out", and he straightens right up and behaves himself.
As a trainer, I say use as few words as possible for commands, but as a mommy of four legged brats, I say, NAG!
Mine hate to be nagged.
When you see him whizz on something, start nagging, and walk him to time out, nagging and shaming all the way.
If there is a Petsmart or Petco in your area, they have obedience classes on weekends. I would take him through one of these courses. even if he is trained, sometimes a refresher course will help. That is a special attention he would be getting over the other dog.
I am thiking he may be saying, to the other dog, "You have been boss here long enough, this is mine and this is mine, etc".
I talk to my dogs like I talk to people. I treat them just like I treat children, and expect them to understand. They do.
Watch in their eyes when you are correcting, and watch their body language, you can tell how they are reacting to it.
When I am scolding Rowdy, he will look at me and put this soulful look in his eyes.It really looks pitiful and contrite. I say "that won't work", and he drops his eyes and pouts, like "DRAT" LOL
You know the drill, when you have a really smart one, you gotta learn to outfox them.
Marking their territory may be the hardest problem behavior to correct, because it is such a natural thing for them to do. It just takes patience, staying on your toes for awhile to catch him at it, and maybe he will hate time out enough to stop the behavior. I leave them in time out for 30 minutes the first few times per offense, and increase it by 15 minutes if they still haven't learned.
Then after 2 or 3 times, go for a whole hour. I haven't had one go more than one hour. By that time they usually have figured they are on the losing end, and will give up.
Time out has to be somewhere they can't play. where they will be bored and not want to be.
Just hang in there and out think that lil critter. If you are determined enough to win this, he will see it eventually and give up. They are smart, and it usually doesn't take them long to see it is not to their advantage to behave like this.
Paying some special attention to him,when he i NOT whizzing, so he feels more "at home" like the other dog, might do the trick.
Good luck
Charlotte