We did a drop-in scent training class today at the place we did obedience at and Aspen peed INSIDE 2 times! He hasn’t pottied inside in so long so I was shocked. He also normally squats to pee but today at the class he lifted his leg to pee on a spot...I was mortified. I took him out to potty, he didn’t go. He peed another time and Justen, my boyfriend, was so embarrassed he actually blushed. We have not seen this type of behavior from him before. He will be 11 months on March 26th. What exactly is “marking” and why do dogs do it? I know my sister’s Westie does it even though he is fixed. We made sure to take him out for potty breaks but he still peed inside. I don’t know if it was the excitement of being with all these new dogs too, but we just ended up bringing him home early cause it seemed like it was too much for him. He has also started barking a lot more, sometimes at the neighbors dogs, which he has known since he was a puppy. He still loves people and other dogs and is not aggressive or anxious. I just notice that he likes to look out the window and bark a lot. Should I be concerned about all this behavior?
Sometimes boy dogs need to be toilet trained again when they start cocking their legs. Just watch for any signs he's about to do it - sniffing is always a good one - and take him out immediately. It's quite normal.
Yes, double ditto @snowbunny . I always say you have to train the boys twice. First on horizontal surfaces, grass ok, carpet not. Then later on vertical surfaces, trees ok, inside walls and people legs not. Oban peed on our friend, the judge at an agility trial, the first time he met her. LOL, she said the grass was likely covered in pee and had splashed up her legs. He was 9 months old and she said he was the first to pee on her That Day, but she knew he would not be the last and they would not all be puppies either. Just watch, he'll figure it out.
OH brought Merlin to the airport to pick me up from a flight recently, and Merlin peed on someone's luggage... Not good at all... You just have to keep an eye on them all the time at this age. They learn not to. Eventually. Mostly.
It's seems to be that age they learn how to do and are so pleased with themselves they want to do it everywhere. Rory wee'd up my mums Christmas tree she thought it was hilarious luckily.i kept a close eye on him and interrupted any signs so he learnt not too. It's just a boy thing
Will be 11 months on March 26th. He came “basically potty trained” at 2 months because the breeder began potty and crate training. He’s definitely not perfect but accidents were never too much of a problem with him as a pup @Bettie
When Homer was at the same age as Aspen and had just leant to lift his leg, he lifted his leg on the newly elected, very much respected President of Hubby's sports club's shoe. Mortified doesn't even describe how I felt. At about the same age he did two poops upstairs in the spare bedroom. Homer will hold back pee to mark. Sometimes he'll squeeze out a few drops to mark even though he's got almost nothing left.
We suspected my friends lab cross had evolved another bladder don't know where he got all that wee from. He taught Rory to cock his leg. Boy could that dig wee.
My dog has just recently learned the joys of lifting his leg, and has decided “so much fun let’s do it everywhere!”, so we’re also in the re-house-training boat
Worrying now! My last Lab didn't do this. He continued to squat to wee in his own garden and only cocked his leg outside. I have never heard of having to retrain a boy. Will be keeping a close eye on Caspar!
We haven't had to do it with Stanley. He did the same as your last lab, he squats in the garden and cocks his leg on his walk. It seems as though if he's having a "proper wee" he squats and if he's marking he cocks his leg.
I had to retrain Keir when he started cocking his leg - he was quite young when he did. But he only tried it when we went to a new place, I needed to watch him like a hawk for a week or two and distract him. I realised this when he went upstairs and promptly weed on the carpet! He’s not usually allowed upstairs so it was a ‘new’ place. He didn’t ‘need’ a wee but I think they always save a bit ‘just in case’. Of course, Keir isn’t allowed to wee on lead walks either - so I had to go back to strategies for much younger guide dog pups for a while (avoiding trees, lamp posts, grass etc and rewarding for ‘head up and looking where he’s going’ position.)
Oh my word!!!! Hilarious. And embarrassing. What did you do? Secretly wipe away the traces with a tissue? Snowie’s first airport experience included a huge wee in the middle of the arrivals area. The flight was delayed and I wasn’t expecting to be there so long. He obviously couldn’t hold it in - even though we’d spent time earlier outside doing wees. I had one tissue with me - inadequate. The security were lovely and said a cleaner would be around at some point. I have to watch him like a hawk now as an adult - he marks everywhere, especially if another dog has been there. He won’t wee inside our house, but anywhere else is fair game for marking.
Luckily I knew nothing about it, I was just greeted by an enthusiastic Labrador and a rather flustered husband as I came through arrivals ("Quick, let's get out of here!!!"). He noticed just as the peeing started and pulled him away, so only a few drops went on the suitcase, the rest went on the floor...
Molly started barking at night at about 21 months. It was purely for attention. I found this article by Pippa very informative. I opted for a spray anti bark collar and she literally just barked once after I put it on. https://www.thelabradorsite.com/night-waking-how-to-restore-the-peace/
This thread is about marking, I.e. peeing, not barking. And I am certain Pippa would be horrified if she thought her article ok'd the use of a spray anti-bark collar.
The OP also asked about night time barking but no one had replied. Pippa recommends an aversive in her article including a spray of water this is what the collar does. And I only needed it once. Sorry to offend
