DOG URINE MARKING BEHAVIORS:
Much like the miners during the Gold Rush, dogs and cats are territorial
animals. They "stake a claim" to a particular space, area, or object.
They let other people and animals know about their claim by marking it
using a variety of methods at different levels of intensity. For
example, a dog may bark to drive away what he perceives to be intruders
in his territory. A cat may mark a valued object by rubbing her head
against it. Some pets may go to the extreme of urinating or defecating
to mark a particular area as their own. Urine-marking is not a house
soiling problem. Instead, it is considered territorial behavior.
Therefore, to resolve the problem, you need to address the underlying
reason for your pet's need to mark his territory in this way. Before
this can be done, however, take your pet to the veterinarian to rule out
any medical causes for his behavior.
House Soiling or Urine-Marking: How to Tell the Difference
Your pet may be urine-marking if:
The problem is primarily urination. Dogs and cats rarely mark with
feces. The amount of urine is small and is found primarily on vertical
surfaces. (Dogs and cats do sometimes mark on horizontal surfaces.)
Leg-lifting and spraying are dominant versions of urine-marking, but
even if your pet doesn't assume these postures, he may still be
urine-marking.
Any pet in your home is not spayed or neutered. Intact males and females
are both more likely to urine-mark than are spayed or neutered animals.
However, even spayed or neutered animals may mark in response to other
intact animals in the home. Your pet urinates on new objects in the
environment (a shopping bag, a visitor's purse), on objects that have
unfamiliar smells, or on objects that have another animal's scent. Your
pet has conflicts with other animals in your home.
When there's instability in the pack hierarchy, a dog may feel a need to
establish his dominance by urine-marking his territory. If one cat is
intimidating another cat, the bullied cat may express his anxiety by
urine-marking. Your pet has contact with other animals outside your
home. A cat who is allowed outdoors may come home and mark after having
an encounter with another cat outside. If your pet sees another animal
through a door or window, he may feel a need to mark his territory. Your
dog marks frequently when you walk him.
What You Can Do
Spay or neuter your pet as soon as possible. Spaying or neutering your
pet may stop urine-marking altogether. However, if he has been
urine-marking for a long time, a pattern may already be established.
Resolve conflicts between animals in your home. (See our tips on Solving
Aggression Between Family Cats.) Restrict your pet's access to doors and
windows through which he can observe animals outside. If this isn't
possible, discourage the presence of other animals near your house. (See
our tips on Discouraging Free-Roaming Cats.)
Keep your cat indoors:
He'll be safer, live longer, and feel less need to mark his territory.
Clean soiled areas thoroughly. Don't use strong-smelling cleaners
because they may cause your pet to "over-mark" the spot.
Make previously soiled areas inaccessible or unattractive. If this isn't
possible, try to change the significance of those areas to your pet.
Feed, treat, and play with your pet in the areas he is inclined to mark.
Keep objects likely to cause marking out of reach. Items such as guests'
belongings and new purchases should be placed in a closet or cabinet. If
your pet is marking in response to a new resident in your home (such as
a roommate or spouse), have the new resident make friends with your pet
by feeding, grooming, and playing with your pet. If you have a new baby,
make sure good things happen to your pet when the baby is around.
For dogs:
Watch your dog when he is indoors for signs that he is thinking about
urinating. When he begins to urinate, interrupt him with a loud noise
and take him outside. If he urinates outside, praise him and give him a
treat. When you're unable to watch him, put your dog in confinement (a
crate or small room where he has never marked) or tether him to you with
a leash.
Practice "nothing in life is free" with your dog. This is a safe,
non-confrontational way to establish your leadership and requires your
dog to work for everything he wants from you. Have your dog obey at
least one command (such as "sit") before you pet him, give him dinner,
put on his leash, or throw him a toy. Establishing yourself as a strong
leader can help stabilize the hierarchy and thus diminish your dog's
need to mark his territory.
For cats:
Try to monitor your cat's movements. If he sniffs in an area he has
previously marked, interrupt him with a loud noise or squirt him with
water. It's best if you can do this without him seeing you. That way,
he'll associate the unpleasantness with his intent to mark, rather than
with you. What Not to Do Don't punish your pet after the fact.
Punishment administered even a minute after the event is ineffective
because your pet won't understand why he is being punished. Pets Aren't
People Dogs and cats don't urinate or defecate out of spite or jealousy.
If your dog urinates on your baby's diaper bag, it's not because he is
jealous of, or dislikes, your baby.
The unfamiliar scents and sounds of a new baby in the home are simply
causing him to reaffirm his claim on his territory. Likewise, if your
cat urinates on your new boyfriend's backpack, it does not reflect his
opinion of your taste in men. Instead, he has perceived the presence of
an "intruder," and is letting the intruder know that this territory
belongs to him.
Dominance or Anxiety?
Urine-marking is usually associated with dominance behavior. (See our
tips on Dominant Dogs.) Some pets, though, may mark when they feel
anxious or upset. For example, a new baby in the home brings new sounds,
smells, and people, as well as changes in routine. Your dog or cat
probably isn't getting as much attention as he was used to getting.
All of these changes cause him to feel anxious, which may cause him to
mark. Likewise, a pet who is generally anxious may become more so by the
presence of roaming neighborhood animals in your yard, or by the
introduction of a new cat or dog into your household. If your pet is
feeling anxious, you might consider talking to your veterinarian about
medications to reduce his anxiety while you try behavior modification
techniques.
Adapted from material originally developed by applied animal
behaviorists at the
Dumb Friends League, Denver, Colorado. All rights reserved.
If you have questions or need our services, please contact the shelter
at
618.346.5213 or contact us today via
e-mail
Copyrights 2009 WARREN BILLHARTZ ANIMAL SHELTER OF
COLLINSVILLE. A KTLLC Communications Solution