Marking his territory

Louise McLaren of Durban writes My dog has suddenly started lifting his leg against furniture in the house, despite being neutered when he was eight months old; he is now two years old. I suspect this is due to the fact that I’m fostering a puppy that is not yet house-trained. How do I get my pooch back into the habit of doing his business outside?

Dr Quixi Sonntag, animal behaviour expert and a member of the South African Veterinary Association, replies Urine marking is often the result of social anxiety and a new pet in the household can certainly trigger this.

The dog feels a need to leave his scent in what he has always considered to be his safe home area, which has now been invaded by an intruder (seen from his point of view).

The motivation for urine marking is different to normal urination, so he hasn’t lost his ability to identify appropriate places to urinate and you’ll probably find that he also urinates and defecates outside. If he was housetrained before, he won’t suddenly lose that skill.

It’s important to reduce his anxiety about the newcomer by making him feel at home again. I recommend the use of a pheromone collar and/or diffuser in the house; Adaptil contains real feel-good dog pheromones that will make him feel safe. This will also be good for the puppy.

Your pooch would also benefit from immediate-action anti-anxiety medication for a week or two if he doesn’t improve on the pheromone product alone.

Getting the new dog house-trained is of great importance and keeping the house clear of urine and faeces will be very helpful. Use regular soap such as Sunlight liquid and water, followed by alcohol. You can finish up with Adaptil spray.