Female dog marking scent inside house

Hi!

We have 2, 4-month-old Lab x Rottie puppies, both girls, both seem well adjusted with good temperament. 'Sammy' is much more submissive than 'Becka', but Becka knows that my husband and I are the 'alphas'. For the last 2 weeks, when she was outside of the kennel Becka had taken to playing and sleeping on a small mat we had put down over some of our carpet. This past week, she had started peeing on the mat 5-10 minutes after being brought in and doing her 'business' twice outside. Yesterday we poured vinegar on the mat and let her smell it, and then for the rest of the day didn't let her lay/sleep on the mat (We were trying to tell her that the mat is ours, she can't pee there), so she slept on the ceramic floor next to the mat. Today after her AM walk (after peeing outside twice again) she peed on the ceramic tile where she was laying last night.

I don't believe that she is peeing there because she is not housetrained. She has not peed anywhere else in the house but these two places (the mat and the floor beside the mat). We put vinegar on the mat yesterday and on the floor today, and have also been using Natures' miracle on the carpet beneath the mat and have washed the mat and replaced it with a different one, so I think that she's marking her scent. I think that she's telling us and the other dog that 'this is my place'. How do I stop such behaviour, particularly with another dog in the house? I really think that she is doing this to tell the other dog that she is dominant over her and that this is her place. The other dog, Sammy, doesn't challenge Becka, and when they're out of the kennel they generally sleep far apart in the same room.


Thanks for your help,

Cheryl

Hi Cheryl - while some female dogs do mark, I have never ever heard of one doing so in the house. And no dog marks where s/he sleeps - they will mark where the OTHER dog's scent is to "eradicate" it. And anyhow, a 16 week old puppy simply dopes not have the mental, physical, or hormonal maturity to mark anything - so you can really throw the whole "marking" idea out the window. :) And I may be wrong, but vinegar is acidic - that might actually be reinforcing her idea that it's OK to pee there. I'm not sure about that - but the Nature's Miracle alone is best anyhow.


So I think it is likely that she has a UTI (bladder infection.) This is quite common, and any time there is inappropriate peeing, it's the first thing that should be considered. You can take a urine sample to your vet and it will be quickly determined.

The other possibility is that she just really ISN'T housetrained all the way yet. Many puppies aren't 100% reliable at 4 months old. Just go back to square one, keep a lightweight leash on her so when she starts to squat you can shriek and hustle her little heinie outside to go where she is supposed to. Then love her up for being a Good Dog. :)

Carina is right about the vinegar - the pup may be encouraged to pee there because of the scent.

I would try the Nature's Miracle - this does not cover up odour, but eliminates it.