When do male dogs start marking? You might be asking yourself this question if you have a little puppy boy of your own. After all, marking isn’t just a shape, that «to stamp» area.
Hidden behind still other reasons. In the following guide, we explain what marking is really all about.
When do male dogs start marking their territory?
Males begin marking at the onset of puberty. So when they have become sexually mature.
So that’s not just staking out a territory and that Setting the scent mark Sense and purpose of this urination form.
Territory marking is for dogs form of communication. In the case of marking, this often means: The dog is now ready to mate.
In addition, other dogs know immediately: I’m not allowed to go here, another dog is in charge here.
Interesting:
In fact, the urine of a sexually mature male can even tell other dogs how old the marking dog is. In addition, the urine contains important information on social status, hormonal balance and state of health.
When are male dogs sexually mature?
When is this time reached? Most of time between the 5th and the 8th month of life. That means: From this point on, your dog can reproduce.
But even dogs that have already been neutered mark their territory. Incidentally, the frequency of this “scent mark setting” also depends on the age and the character of the dog.
Good to know:
Some dogs set theirs after tagging paws in the urine. In this way, the inherent smell can be distributed even better. And that is through the Scent glands on the paws additionally supported.
The difference between marking and urinating
Marking is not the same as urinating. Because every dog has to urinate – regardless of whether it is a male or female. Of course, the four-legged friend leaves his individual scent mark.
Not always is the intention, right away a message to pass with the urine. But how can you tell if your four-legged friend just needs to pee or wants to mark?
Here is a rule of thumb: Does your dog lift his leg – with bitches this is analogous to the squatting position – he wants to mark. The higher the leg, the more important the message.
Experts give an important tip. The dog does not always have to stop to urinate. And you shouldn’t stop if your dog wants to urinate either. Because it doesn’t harm him in any way, either just let it “run” while running.
When it gets too much – I break the habit of marking my male dog
In a way, there is one irrefutable fact: Coming hormones when animals come into play, they usually take over instincts. This means that, for example, a dog cannot help it if it likes to mark and often.
Nevertheless, this can also get the upper hand – and thus become a problem. Often plugged in hormonal problem behind the excessive marking.
It can also be the case that other reasons cause your dog to constantly urinate to mark it. Then it is about compulsive markingwhich among other things by stress and fear is triggered.
This can be caused by a disease of the urinary tract – such as a bladder infection or bladder stones.
This habit becomes really exhausting when your dog starts to mark their own four walls. Because this not only looks ugly – it smells like it too. It can be even more annoying when your dog marks in an unfamiliar environment.
Because: that can be quite expensive if you have to pay for the cleaning of someone else’s apartment.
So what can you do to make your fur nose stop this peculiarity? The secret is in the upbringing. And this works in dogs, among other things, by means of commands.
In general, the sooner you start with this «Anti-Marking Training» start, the better for everyone involved.
Let’s say your dog wants to urinate at your front door. With a haunting «No» you can tell him: This is not a good place to pee.
Instead, you take him to a place that’s almost perfect. If you already have a command with which you can encourage him to urinate, you can use it there.
After a short time, your furry friend will know: Marking in the house is not good, but marking in front of the door is fine. He learns it even faster if he uses the correct marking a compliment and a treat is rewarded.
Home remedies for marking
In addition to learning the appropriate commands, there are also some home remedies that you can use to break your dog’s habit of marking in the apartment. Why? Because dogs just can’t smell them.
baking soda & water
The mixture of baking soda and water is said to be particularly effective. The advantage: It neutralized not just the smell of urine. It also ensures that the area cleaned in this way is significantly less interesting.
lavender
The scent of lavender is an absolute dream for many of us. Not so for our dogs, because they don’t like that soothing scent.
If a lavender plant in strategically favorable places does not have the desired effect, it can essential lavender oil help.
Caution: Some dogs do like the smell – lavender as a plant is harmless. The oil, in turn, may be less beneficial for your dog.
pepper
Granted, pepper is a little mean. Because as with us people are irritated pepper also in dogs sensitive nasal mucosa.
As a result, the dog sneezes – but has hopefully learned by then that it is not allowed to mark at a certain point.
Conclusion
To mark is part of dog life for all dogs, like the air to breath. After all, this is how they communicate with other dogs, and their own territory is marked out.
As long as this happens outdoors, that’s not a problem either. So that the mark-free condition also works in your apartment, there are various options and home remedies.
How do you deal with the marking behavior of your fur nose? Share your experiences and tips with us in the comments!