How To Prevent Your Dog from Scent Marking Its Territory

It is the most natural thing on earth for a dog to want to mark its territory, and to them, it is their way of saying to the world, "Hello, I was here, smell the scent that belongs to me!"

As normal as this behavior is to all dogs, it may be hard to accept for dog owners, for it is not a characteristic that can be curbed easily. One's house gets soaked with the pet dog's urine, and it can be very annoying as some items may be costly to replace, and one may get tired of constantly having to clean up the mess. Being a dog owner, you may sometimes find your prized shoes or imported rugs soaking and stinking from your dog's habit. A dog finds new items that has unfamiliar odors to mark, and to him, he is just doing what he thinks is right.

Here are some tips that can assist you in cutting down on your dog's habit:

Instead of treating the symptom, prevent the situation from occurring is more effective. The most effective way to prevent your dog from urinating around your house is to fix him. Bring your dog to a veterinarian to be neutered or spayed. That will cause the body's chemicals and hormones that is pumped up by sexual heat to reduce by a certain amount. This way your dog's attitude will change, but remember to consult your veterinarian about the changes.

Another way that may work is to place items that your dog respects in specific area that he likes to urine at. For example, put his food and water dish near the place that he had marked and it may prevent him from urinating at that area again. Dogs are clean animals, and they do not like to dirty the places where they eat and sleep.

If your dog is urinating to mark is territory too much due to fear and high stress levels, you need to consider utilizing drug therapy. Maybe your dog was abused by the owner before you, or other possible situations that may cause such behaviour, but drugs have proven to work in some cases that may be severe. Check with your veterinarian about the alternatives, and make sure you are aware of the possible side effects that may affect your dog.