German Shepherd Marking

Question
My 4 yr old GS is not neutered and I don't want to neuter him. He is perfectly house trained in my house, but when I visit my wife's house (she has a 4 yr old female, spayed GS) my dog will mark. We can never catch him doing this; it usually occurs early in the morning while we are asleep. Both dogs get along fine and visit at least once or twice a week. How do I stop this behavior other than neutering?

Answer
If you can not catch him in the act and interrupt the behavior, you are left with "management." Dogs don't learn from punishment after the fact. Even if they look "guilty" they don't know how to avoid making you angry. He could be crated while people are sleeping, and supervised when he is loose. You might also consider a belly band or upside down pair of boys briefs, so when he tries to leave his scent, he just gets a warm, wet feeling instead. Of course, you'd change them when he's wet, and I wouldn't recommend it (especially the jockeys) for when nobody can watch him. If he chewed them off and ate them, he could get a dangerous blockage. Sandy Case MEd CPDT www.positivelycanine.com