Toy Poodles: The Fact Behind Urine Marking Behavior

Toy Poodles, along with other Poodle varieties are notable for their keen sense of instinctual behavior such as marking. You may have successfully house-trained your Toy Poodles but at some point in y...

Toy Poodles, along with other Poodle varieties are notable for their keen sense of instinctual behavior such as marking. You may have successfully house-trained your Toy Poodles but at some point in your life, you might see one of your beloved pets lifting his leg and hallowing the furniture. He's not urinating actually, but rather urine marking.

Urine marking, also called scent marking is a behavior by which dogs communicate with one another by leaving behind an identifying scent. Information such as identity, sex and reproductive status of the marker are discern through strong-smelling marks made. So if you see your fully housetrained Toy Poodle lifting his leg, the action doesn't necessarily mean that your pet wants to pee but will scent mark to leave other dogs a message.

Urine marking is also referred to as territorial marking. A dog may urinate to show dominance or to claim something as to belonging to them. Vertical objects, areas around exit doors and windows are the areas commonly marked by dogs.

A dog that is not spayed or neutered are more likely to urine mark compared to a spayed or neutered dog. However, even a spayed or neutered dog may mark in response to other animals or to show other dogs that the area, space or object belongs to him. In addition, a fully housetrained dog urinating in the house can also be a sign of urinary tract disease. Whatever you the reason may be, it would be a great idea to take your dog to the vet to rule out the problem and the possible treatment.

To deal with urine marking, neutering or spaying is strongly recommended. Based on research, neutering male dogs and spaying female dogs will help reduce if not totally eliminate the problem. Establishing or organizing dominance hierarchy at home and resolving conflicts between animals also help reduce urine marking behavior.

Clean soiled areas thoroughly. Make the area unpleasant or unattractive and inaccessible. Various and proven cleaning aids specifically formulated to remove urine stains and smell are widely available in most pet supply stores. If your dog repeatedly marks specific object or area, change the importance of those areas or objects to your pet. Place treats under and around the objects or play with him in the areas he is more likely to mark.

Taking your dog for a walk is not just for exercise purposes but will also reduce marking behavior. And when you and you're dog is out for a walk, do not prevent him from urine marking. This will lessen the likelihood of marking at home.

Article Tags: Urine Marking Behavior, Urine Marking, Marking Behavior