Male Marking

Question
QUESTION: Hi Anne,

I've asked another expert about this problem before, but we're not having very much success.  We have a 1.5 year old corgi/something mix who, after we acquired another male dog, began marking in the house.  He doesn't mark in a typical way (no leg lifts) but rather dribbles while he walks, so it's nearly impossible to catch.  He has been checked for a UTI and doesn't have one.  We have been trying the umbilical tethering method with mixed success.  I would say it has reduced his peeing frequency by about 50%.  We have an average of one incident per day.  The volume is very small, little drops on the carpet, but it's very irritating.  Occasionally, he also dribbles a lot in the kitchen or across other doorways in the house.  We're cleaning with Nature's Miracle.  He never seems to fully empty his bladder outside, as opposed to the other dog, who goes for a long time.  

We had some success with keeping him on a very tight (no more than 1 foot from a person) tether, but it seems that he regresses with each bit of freedom.  I've been trying to think of triggers outside of the new dog (we've had him for about 2 months), such as other dogs barking, but I haven't found any commonalities.  Increased exercise also seems to have little effect.  Keeping him tethered the entire time we're in the house for his entire life doesn't seem like a workable solution.  Does this sound like a situation where D.A.P. or other anti-anxiety smells/medicines would be helpful?  He does display anxiety barking/lunging at other dogs while we're on leashed walks (he's wonderful at the dog park).

Any tips you can give would be most appreciated.

Thank you,

Jill

ANSWER: Are you tethering him because he isn't crate trained, or might soil in his crate?  Crate training is one way to contain a dog that needs supervision, without the inconvenience of tethering.  My guess is that this dog has issues with the other dog's presence and is trying to either establish his familiar territory (anxious dogs often calm themselves by using urine to make the area smell familiar), or he may be appeasing the other dog (submissive urination?).  I don't see how D.A.P. would be harmful to try in the latter circumstance.  As to retaining urine, that is something that all dogs, both male and female, have the capacity to do, and it is one way that they reserve enough to mark with, unfortunately.  Are both of these dogs neutered, or is one or both recently neutered?  Gender can have an impact, and sometimes the more time that goes by after the neuter, the less the dog marks, but it can take a few months.  So can adjustments in households after the addition of a new dog.  One way that you can encourage him to only go outdoors is to reward his performance with a high value treat.  So, he may learn that he can "trade" his outdoor pee for liver;-)

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

QUESTION: We're tethering him because we like to spend time with him while we're home, as he's in the crate for about 8 hours/day otherwise (he's never had an accident in the crate#.  Would D.A.P. help for the establishing of territory issue as well?  Both dogs are neutered.  The Corgi was neutered in April #we got him in May# and the greyhound was neutered in August, and we got him in September, so I'm not sure if that's considered recent.  I've been rewarding him with his favorite #liver treats or sometimes CHEEEEEEEEEEESE!!!) just after he finishes using the restroom outside.  We've also been trying to be calmer in the house while he's adjusting.  We plan on purchasing the D.A.P tomorrow.  Does this behavior tend to fade with time after both dogs adjust?  The corgi also humps the greyhound some and tries to herd him or play with him fairly often, though this has calmed some as the greyhound has asserted himself more.  The corgi is very submissive when the greyhound asserts himself.  We've also been trying to give the corgi more attention and one-on-one playtime, and he does seem calmer for that.

Is there anything else we're not currently doing that might help the problem?  I appreciate any and all tips.

Answer
DAP is just a calming pheromone, and I'm not aware of any impact on territory.  It just tends to make dogs less anxious.  Many times the marking does stop when the dogs become more familiar, so long as they decide that they like one another;-)  I like that you are trying to give the Corgi more time - it would probably help to revisit some obedience training, too, because mental exercise tires a dog more than physical exercise, and a tired dog is a good dog!