3.5 yr old Rottweiler started marking inside - NEED HELP :(

My 3 1/2 yr old intact male Rottweiler has recently started marking indoors. After he was housebroken and up until about 2 months ago, he NEVER peed inside save the occasional accident (maybe once every 6 months, if that). About 2 months ago, he started peeing upstairs in our apartment (an area we don't use). We only noticed after he had marked so much up there that the stench started to permeate the rest of the apartment. We had that floor professionally cleaned and gated it off so he can't get up there. We started confining him to the kitchen (which is rather small) during the day and he is fine in there, but he will still mark other areas in the apartment if not watched closely. The "final straw" was over the weekend when we left him with my girlfriend's parents and he marked their christmas tree, couch, and all over their bedroom. She is ready to give him up for adoption .



She is taking him to the vet today and this is the first time that I actually hope something is wrong with him... and that it's something that can be treated because otherwise, I just don't know what to do.



I would really appreciate it if anyone can comment on this problem. I thought that maybe this could be a result of him not having been neutered, but am unsure as to why it would all of the sudden start at this age. By the way, his urine has a rather pungent scent to it, which is different from the way it used to smell. Any products that are recommended for finding and cleaning the areas he's marked would be great to hear about as well.



Here's a picture of him:







Thank you in advance.

 

It could be a medical problem. It could also be because he is intact. Is there a reason he hasn't been neutered?

The only thing I know to do is to watch, watch, watch him, and confine him when you can't. Go outside with him and praise him for going outside. To clean where he has marked, try something with enzymes like Nature's Miracle.

Hopefully someone who knows more about male intact dogs will answer soon.

 

Any specific medical condition that you know of? I want to suggest ailments to the vet to make sure the analysis is as thorough as possible.

<inviting condemnation>The reason that he hasn't been neutered is simply because I am stupid. I didn't like the idea of him losing his "manhood" so to speak.</inviting condemnation> Even if there is a 25% chance that having had him neutered would have prevented his recent activities, not having it done would be one of the worse decisions I ever made. Do you think it's too late to have him neutered now? Would that help?

Thanks for your response.

 

No. You can have him neutered at any age. The problem is that he's already started doing it. He's hit maturity and he's marking HIS territory.


One thing. You MUST keep a very close eye on him. Discourage him from doing it with a loud noise, squirt him with water. If all else fails. They have a belly band. That keep s them from urinating in the house. Smokey my male (intact because I"m a breeder) does this and thats why he's NOT allowed in the house. No matter what. I could not break him of doing it. Apparently before I got him. they allowed him to do this without repremanding him.

 

Here's the link to it. I use it on him when he has to come inside. IE sick, or bad weather....

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/p ... &N=0&Nty=1

You might want the vet to check on UTI (urinary tract infection) that can cause frequent urination.

One thing about the urine smelling diffrent and stronger. Its a marking thing that has pharamones in it....

 

I think I have heard that if you have him neutered and are patient and work on it with him, the behavior MAY eventually go away. It's not an overnight fix, though. Definitely work on the behavior, get him neutered, and use a belly band in the meantime.

Neutering actually does the dog a favor. If done early, it eliminates many of the problems that cause people to give a dog away - like marking in the house, aggression, running away - not to mention accidental pregnancies in the neighbor's dog...

You said he does fine in the kitchen, so perhaps you should confine him there and ONLY let him out when you can watch him. Expand his freedom as he learns. If he starts to lift his leg, interrupt with a loud noise and hustle him outside and then PRAISE PRAISE PRAISE.

Did I mention you should get him neutered??

 

Definately get him neutered. I know its a whole Manly macho thing. But the health risks of having an intact male are high theses days. Testicular cancer for one. The agression, marking, ect....

Neutering him will not imediately fix the problems, but can help and eventually have them stop. Training along with crating would help.

 

He just got done at the vet. The vet said that he was 98% sure that neutering him would correct the issue. I don't fully believe that, but at least my girlfriend heard this from a doctor and I won't have to fight her in order to keep my baby. He's going to wait until he gets the lab tests back (should be tomorrow) to make sure he doesn't have a medical condition and then schedule the appointment to have him fixed. After that, I will make sure that any second I can't watch him, he is sealed off in the kitchen.

Thanks for your help.

 

Good luck and let us know how it works out! Remember, neutering might not fix it overnight, but it WILL help and make it easier to correct the problem. Try to convince your girlfriend to be patient. And make sure while he is at the vet getting fixed that you completely clean anywhere he has marked with an enzyme-based cleaner like Nature's Miracle.

 

Actually, the timing for this is pretty perfect. Is the procedure typically something where they stay overnight? If so, our vet does surgeries on Thursdays and if he goes in for the surgery next Thursday and stays overnight until Friday, we are moving those 2 days... movers are coming Thursday to box up the apartment and we're closing/moving in to a brand new house we had built that is being finished this week. So he'd be out of the way for the movers both days and coming home to a fresh environment. There definitely won't be anything marked for him to go after!

 

It depends on the vet. When Max was neutered he stayed overnight, but when Rocky was neutered (by a diff. vet) we dropped him off in the morning and picked him up that afternoon.

 

If its not yet an established habit, the neutering may well stop the behavior. But that's the key thing - IF its not a habit already. Don't expect an instant cure as soon as he's neutered either. It might take some time. As stated before, you need to watch him at all times and immediately reprimand him if he begins to mark. Dogs are not like people - they don't realize their "manhood" has been taken away. Intact male dogs can be a real nuisance, depending on the individual dog. I had a stud dog who never even dreamed of marking, but a lot of them are not like that. Neutering (especially early) makes them so much of a better pet! If a dog is welll trained and disiplined when he's young, he is less likely to exhibit this kind of behavior. Sometimes (although not always) the dog is trying to establish dominance, and doesn't respect you as the pack leader. Neutering will help in this regard as well as his health. He will be more focused on you than on proving how macho he is, or seeking out females in heat. Do it ASAP, before it becomes an ingrained habit.

 

You can always ask for the vet to keep him overnight. It will cost more, but if it works out more easily with your plans it might be worth it.

Has your dog seen the new house? It might be sort of traumatic for him to come home from surgery to a new location, but it depends on the dog. Dogs are more flexible than cats (usually) when it comes to something like that. Some dogs could care less as long as their people are still with them.

Do make sure you are VERY careful with him in the new house. You have a chance for a fresh start and you don't want him to start marking in a brand new house! So do keep him confined when you can't watch him and put a lot of effort into training him. Go back to puppy methods - go outside with him every time and praise him for going outside, and be vigilant inside so he doesn't have a chance to make mistakes.

 

Jamiya, I was fixing to say the same thing. Coming home directly after surgery to a new house may be a bit traumatic for him....

 

"Jamiya, I was fixing to say the same thing. Coming home directly after surgery to a new house may be a bit traumatic for him...."


I think it depends on the dog and personality, take Jake, as long as we are around, his sourroundings dont bother him at all, he would have no problem Now Wylie is a different story, but she has her security blanket and frisbee so that helps with her.

if you do this just make sure you you have something with your smell and bedding for him that he is used to. that will make him more comfortable in his new surrounding.

good luck

honeybear

 

Thanks for the continued comments and advice with this. He is very much the kind of dog that just wants to be where we are. We've moved 3 times in the 3 1/4 years we've had him and he's never had an issue. He'll walk around and sniff things of course, but as long as he sees us happy, he's content. He does very well at the vet's too, so much so that they marked on his chart how good he is everytime he comes in. Today they put a cathoder in him and he stood there without needing to be held!

 

Sebastian used to mark in his previous home and neutering him (even though it was'nt done until he was 5yrs old) did stop the marking.
Good luck. He is a beautiful dog.