marking

This forum is all about training and behavior. Everything from potty training to working titles!

Postby vetjul » November 16th, 2009, 10:25 pm

ok I have a foster male dog that is the greatest dog ever. He does pee a lot stopping at bushes and what not when out (keep reading). I meet with a perspective adopter for him and at the very end of the visit he did try to pee on her leg. Well I just got an email from her saying she is not interested in adopting him because she feels he is a dominant dog and is marking his area(marking on walks her etc) and may eventually try to act out on the family. She thinks it hasn't happened to my family because I have a dominant female already so he takes a submissive role. What's your take on this because I have had him with all kinds of dogs without my dog around and he has been fine.. no aggression and around a lot of people and in the month and 1/2 I've had him he has only peed on one person...her.
vetjul
Just Whelped
 
Posts: 15

Postby pitbullmamaliz » November 17th, 2009, 8:00 am

I think dogs are good judges of character. :wink:

Is he neutered?
"Remember - every time your dog gets somewhere on a tight leash *a fairy dies and it's all your fault.* Think of the fairies." http://www.positivepetzine.com"

http://www.pitbullzen.com
http://inaradog.wordpress.com
User avatar
pitbullmamaliz
Working out in the buff causes chafing
 
Posts: 15438
Location: Cleveland, OH

Postby Marinepits » November 17th, 2009, 8:30 am

Second on the neuter question, plus how old is he?

All my dogs mark, including the girls, and they are all speutered. The boys are at their worst when a coyote or another dog has been in the yard -- they will keep marking even though they're "empty", LOL.

The only dog we've had who has marked a person is Mac -- he's peed on my husband's boots (pooped in them, too) and on some of his other things, and tried ONCE to pee on his leg. Hubby was NOT happy and gave Mac a good talkin' to. Mac never did it again. Whatever was going on between the two of them got worked out in that moment, LOL.
Never make someone a priority in your life when that someone treats you like an option.
User avatar
Marinepits
Proud Infidel
 
Posts: 15621
Location: New England

Postby vetjul » November 17th, 2009, 10:32 am

he is neutered and about 4 or 5 years old. I have never seen him even try to do that before and I have had him out at different places with different people and dogs to see how he reacts. This women acts like she will be mauled by him because of marking. I don't want him to go to them but it just annoyed me cause he is soooooo good. Actually I think I was a bit offended. LOL ... I haven't replied to her email cause I'm a bit steamed and I was hoping I could nicely tell her that its a dog thing.... some trainer told her she should never let a male dog mark even on walks cause he is being dominant. I worked as a vet tech and even the vets didn't buy into this theory. Some dogs are just dominant ... marking is not a symptom.
vetjul
Just Whelped
 
Posts: 15

Postby mnp13 » November 17th, 2009, 12:39 pm

vetjul wrote: Some dogs are just dominant ... marking is not a symptom.


Well, I think marking is a symptom, dogs mark their territory and they mark to tell other dogs that they've been places. That said, some dogs are also just plain rude. :|

I've had a few dogs try to mark on me, one or two succeeded. Only one didn't have the wrath of God rain down on them - and that is because it was a St. Bernard who 1. weighed 130 pounds and 2. marks on everyone.

Connor marks and he's been neutered since he was less than a year old, he marks inside and outside and we have some real issues with him marking on other dog's sleeping areas - which also extends to where they sleep on people's beds. Riggs does not mark inside and never has since the day I brought him home - and he is a very dominant male. We think some of Connor's marking comes from our artificially imposed hierarchy in the house. When we become lax in enforcing it, his marking gets worse.
Michelle

Inside me is a thin woman trying to get out. I usually shut the bitch up with a martini.
User avatar
mnp13
Evil Overlord
 
Posts: 17234
Location: Rochester, NY

Postby vetjul » November 17th, 2009, 1:17 pm

Yes but do you feel if a dog marks it is aggressive ... thats what this women was implying a dominate aggressive dog marks. The behaviorist she talked to told her a dog that marks on a human is a "red flag" ... I personal think its like going to a doctor with a symptom every doctor may give you a different illness explanation. I just don't think you can rely on taking advice from one person especially when that marking is the only behavior you see and contribute the "aggressive dominate" behavior to. I think she will be hard pressed to find a dog that doesn't mark AT ALL. He actually demonstrated very non-aggressive behaviors with the other dogs at the park.. giving a polite dog growl when they got to be to excited and jumping on him and then walked over to his humans (me) until the other dog left him alone for a bit. My female would have put the other dog down into a submissive position to get her point across. He was also very affectionate to the family and went for a walk with them too... but at the end he sniffed her leg and then lifted his to void...... oh well
vetjul
Just Whelped
 
Posts: 15

Postby mnp13 » November 17th, 2009, 1:52 pm

vetjul wrote:Yes but do you feel if a dog marks it is aggressive ...


Oh, NO, not at all, I don't think the two have anything at all to do with each other.
Michelle

Inside me is a thin woman trying to get out. I usually shut the bitch up with a martini.
User avatar
mnp13
Evil Overlord
 
Posts: 17234
Location: Rochester, NY

Postby Malli » November 17th, 2009, 1:54 pm

I think marking is a sh!thead thing to do but has nothing to do with aggression :|

My dog has extremely dominant behavior and he has never marked inside, though does mark outdoors if given the chance.

Honestly if I had a male and he didn't mark (every time they lift their leg) I'd think something was wrong, never met one that was feeling well that didn't entirely...
I can only please one person per day. Today is not your day, tomorrow doesn't look good either.
_______________________________________
"You didn't know of the magical powers of the break stick? It's up there with genies and Harry Potter as far as magic levels go." SisMorphine 01/07/07
User avatar
Malli
E-I-E-I-O!
 
Posts: 6341
Location: CANADA EH?

Postby BigDogBuford » November 17th, 2009, 2:20 pm

Just like some boys, some dogs are rude about just whipping it out and peeing where ever they want. :|
~Jeanine

You never know when it will strike, but there comes a moment at work when you know that you just aren't going to do anything productive for the rest of the day.
User avatar
BigDogBuford
I love snipe hunts.
 
Posts: 2053
Location: Lake Stevens, WA

Postby TheRedQueen » November 17th, 2009, 9:54 pm

I've got some that mark, some that don't...it depends on where they are, and their hierarchy at the time. Rip marked me once...but I *was* sitting on a log that he decided to lift on... :rolleyes2: I can't really blame him for that one.

I agree with everyone...marking does not equal aggression.
"I don't have any idea if my dogs respect me or not, but they're greedy and I have their stuff." -- Patty Ruzzo

"Dogs don't want to control people. They want to control their own lives." --John Bradshaw
User avatar
TheRedQueen
I thought I lost my Wiener... but then I found him.
 
Posts: 7184
Location: Maryland


Return to Training & Behavior

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users

cron