Marking While Walking Reinforcing?

Question
Hi Anne,

I'm trying to get my 1 year old old Lab to stop peeing and marking in the house. My girlfriend says that I shouldn't allow him to mark at all on walks; that I should let him pee only in the grass, and never on poles, trees or anything vertical, in order to prevent him from marking inside. She thinks that allowing him to mark outside encourages him to do so inside. Is marking outside considered a no-no?

Answer
Urine marking is normal canine behavior, most commonly done by intact male dogs.  Marking outside is not a no-no, but marking inside is.  People have resorted to all kinds of things to keep dogs from marking indoors, but since this is a status and territorial behavior, and not a house training issue (provided your pup was house trained before he started this at puberty), then you have to address it as such.  If the dog is un-neutered, please consider doing this now.  In many cases it will stop marking behavior altogether, although a small percentage of dogs do persist.  A temporary solution is to have your male dog wear a "belly band" in the house.  There is a citronella collar, called a Spray Commander, that you can use to deter the dog from marking in the house, but you should not use that as a first solution.  Neutering often provides a solution that does not require you to frighten your dog and have him lose trust in you, or become fearful in the home.