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Will neutering stop dog urinating in house

Question:

- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – My rat terrier began marking his territory on our furniture, walls, carpeting, you name it in our new home.  Some vets have told us that neutering will help, some say it won’t.  HELP!  He’s male, 1 1/2 years old. Eric

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Our dog is neutered and still does this. Either you control your attitude or it controls you

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The neutered male is not that big of deal. Either control it or not……. Betsy and her Belgians

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My rat terrier began marking his territory on our furniture, walls, carpeting, you name it in our new home.  Some vets have told us that neutering will help, some say it won’t.  HELP!  He’s male, 1 1/2 years old. Eric

HOUSEBREAKING him will stop him from urinating in the house.  Period. avrama

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Marking in the house is a housebreaking problem. Treat him like he’s not housebroken and go through the steps again. He shouldn’t be where you can’t watch him until he is successful for a solid month to six- weeks. At that point, you can begin extending his freedom again. If you catch him marking, say no and rush him outside, just like he was a puppy piddling on the floor. Make sure you clean up the mess with a product designed to rid the area of that smell entirely. Melissa Alexander Before you buy.

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My rat terrier began marking his territory on our furniture, walls, carpeting, you name it in our new home.  Some vets have told us that neutering will help, some say it won’t.  HELP!  He’s male, 1 1/2 years old. Eric

Hello Eric, Neutering for behavior problems is ridiculous, unless the behavior you need to control is breeding unwanted puppies, or sending your vets kids to college… There are subtle differences between housebreaking problems and territorial marking, so don’t get bogged down with semantics, just follow the directons. Here’s the advice you need to address the issues. Teach him to relieve himself on command in one spot in the yard by taking him on lead and following the directions below. Part of the solution is to teach the dog to relieve himself on command, so that the dog knows the purpose of his trip outside, and that he’s got two minutes to relieve himself. That can be done in a couple of days, with a determined effort to supervise and walk the dog as needed when appropriate breaks are necessary, or when the dog shows signs that he needs to go out. Two minutes of standing in one appropriate break area, without walking or talking (which would will only distract the dog.) The request to take a break, should be asked, and if the dog sniffs the ground he should be praised. If he looks around at the birds or other distractions, a second request to take a break should be given. If he sniffs the ground he should be told he’s a good boy,if not, he should elapse the two minutes without walking around and return inside. If he did not relieve himself, constant supervision will be necessary until the dog again shows signs of needing to go. When that happens, it may only be five minutes after having just been out, he should be offered another break, and the same procedure should follow. Two minutes, and that’s it. No more than two requests to relieve himself, and no unnecessary walking. He should be handled on a six foot lead, to prevent hem from wandering around, and getting distracted from his task. You may not have just a housebreaking problem, but also a behavior problem. Every time you react to your dog’s housebreaking mistake, you are reinforcing it as a negative attention getting device. Here’s what you need to do to end your dog’s ability to pull your chain: The behavior is being reinforced when you confront the dog about the behavior. This becomes a vicious cycle, the punishment or scolding only create more stress and anxiety, which may cause other behavior problems as a replacement, even though confronting the dog did seem to "work." Obviously, confronting the dog hasn’t worked, and that should not have been the recommended method to deal with this, or any behavior or housebreaking problem. Keeping the lead on you dog while you go about the house is often recommended, and might occasionally work. You can’t just tie a dog on your belt, and expect him to act like a key chain. The only time the dog should be on lead with you, is when the dog is properly on command. Otherwise, the restriction will cause stress and further promote other behavior problems. How can you deal with the dog tied to you, if you haven’t learned proper lead handling techniques? The pup isn’t a sack of sand, that can be dragged around and dropped anywhere you put it. Any pulling on the dog’s collar will cause out of control behavior. It’s called the opposition reflex. Now, how do you deal with this? It’s real simple, but you have to not let the dog see your reaction, or he’ll still be "rewarded" for the crime. Ignore the incident. Walk right past the "mistake." It wasn’t a mistake, and you can’t call your physical or verbal attention into the problem without creating more difficulty for yourself. Prearrange a soda can with six pennies in it, in a convenient central location. The can must be picked up silently and unobtrusively, and as you casually, in the presence of the dog, walk by the "dirty deed," you should just ask, "what’s that?" as you subtly drop the can next to the spot, without saying ANYTHING further. Continue doing something else for a moment, and ask the pup if he’d like to do something, like go outside, or anything to get him out of the way, so that you may clean the spot and retrieve the can without him observing and hearing you cuss under your breath about the mess and extra work. When the dog returns to that room with you, he’s going to look at the spot, and look back up at you. You must tell him he is a good boy, and sound like you really mean it. This will blow the dog’s mind, and will render his negative attention getting device that he’s using against you, useless. With a couple of examples of this, the dog will begin to search for other ways to command your attention. Hopefully, he will pick a positive attention getting device. All dogs need attention. What you need to do, is give him that attention prior to the dog getting into trouble. Any time the dog makes even brief eye contact, or glances out of the corner of his eye at you, that moment requires praise, non physical, unless the dog is right by your side. ;~) DRAINING THE SWAMP, AND RELOCATING THE GATORS… J "CUSTOM WILL RECONCILE PEOPLE TO ANY ATROCITY." G.B. Shaw. "I know that most men, including those at ease with problems of the greatest complexity, can seldom accept even the simplest and most obvious truth if it would oblige them to admit the falsity of conclusions which they have delighted in explaining to colleagues, proudly taught to others, and which they have woven, thread by thread, into the fabric of their lives."                                              Leo Tolstoy Is it any wonder that the following sig file has generated more complaints to my personal email than any other controversial post I have made to date, bar none?:                                             caveat If you have to do things to your dog to train him, that you would rather not have to do, then you shouldn’t be doing them. If you have a dog trainer that tells you to jerk your dog around, choke him, pinch his ears, or twist his toes, shock, shake, slap, scold, hit, or punish him in any manner, that corrections are appropriate, that the dog won’t think of you as the punisher, or that corrections are not harmful, or if they can’t train your dog to do what you want, look for a trainer that knows Howe. Sincerely, Jerry Howe, Wits’ End Dog Training http://www.doggydoright.com Nature, to be mastered, must be obeyed.                       -Francis Bacon- There are terrible people who, instead of solving a problem, bungle it and make it more difficult for all who come after.  Who ever can’t hit the nail on the head should, please, not hit at all.                      -Nietzsche- The abilities to think, rationalize and solve problems are learned qualities. The Wits’ End Dog Training Method challenges the learning centers in the dogs brain. These centers, once challenged, develop and continue to grow exponentially, to make him smarter. The Wits’ End Dog Training method capitalizes on praising split seconds of canine thought, strategy, and timing, not mindless hours of forced repetition, constant corrections, and scolding.                   -Jerry Howe-

Response:

He is housebroken-that has nothing to do with the problem.  It’s a territorial problem.

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – My rat terrier began marking his territory on our furniture, walls, carpeting, you name it in our new home.  Some vets have told us that neutering will help, some say it won’t.  HELP!  He’s male, 1 1/2 years old. Eric HOUSEBREAKING him will stop him from urinating in the house.  Period. avrama

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Your comment doesn’t make much sense.

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – The neutered male is not that big of deal. Either control it or not……. Betsy and her Belgians

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With some dogs it turns the behavior off like a switch with others it does not. do a search in dejanews for ‘belly band’ this can save your house and furniture while you work on neutering and retraining your dog Nancy – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – My rat terrier began marking his territory on our furniture, walls, carpeting, you name it in our new home.  Some vets have told us that neutering will help, some say it won’t.  HELP!  He’s male, 1 1/2 years old. Eric

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He is housebroken-that has nothing to do with the problem.  It’s a territorial problem.

If he were housebroken, he would not be peeing in the house.   Cindi

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Well, neutering a male dog will almost always help with behaviour problems. It won’t necessarily STOP the problems but it will help the dog focus better without that intense testosterone coursing through his veins. They generally become easier to live with and will handle and train easier as they are calmer and more interested in YOU instead of his outside prospects. He will also have many added medical benefits (no testicular cancer, decreased incidence of prostate problems, male fighting, roaming, etc). However, once a dog has learned a behaviour, sometimes even after castration he may continue the activity. For instance, a castrated dog may still mount other dogs (even other males) if he has a strong natural instinct to do that or had learned it before castration and wasn’t corrected for it. That’s just an instinctive drive that’s built in but can indeed be trained-out. This urination thing, I suspect, is along the same line as the mounting issue. He feels a deep need to mark and remark his territory and it’s become a habit. He just doesn’t know how disgusting it is to you or that there’s any other option. This is just a normal, daily activity for him – business as usual. Dog’s just don’t worry about the state of the carpet. There are many useful things you can do to remedy this problem. It may also be reassuring to know that this is not uncommon problem for uncastrated dogs and cats. So your dog isn’t acting in a bizarre way. He just doesn’t know the rules yet. Here’s what I suggest: 1.  Yes, do get your dog neutered as soon as possible. It’s such a simple procedure you’ll wonder why you waited. The vet gives anesthetic, makes a small incision at the scrotum and removes the testicles, ties off and sews up. There is nearly no pain or blood loss because the vet doesn’t cut any muscle tissue. When the dog awakens from the anesthetic, he’s checked over by the vet and goes home the same day! 2.  Wash all previously-peed-on places scrupulously. Dogs instinctively pee where they peed before (or where other dogs went before). There must be as little left-over smell as is humanly possible (although dog’s noses are bionic, it’s tough to get 100% brand new). If in doubt, wash it again. Steam clean carpets and furniture and wash walls and solid surfaces with a cleaner THAT DOES NOT CONTAIN AMMONIA. I can’t stress that enough. Dog pee has an ammonia smell. If you wash with ammonia cleaners, you’re adding more "pee" scent for your dog to smell and it  will confuse him. You want to make him understand that peeing isn’t for inside the house – ever! 3.  Begin to crate train your dog. I don’t believe that it’s inhumane as long as the dog isn’t abandoned to the crate like a prison for hours at a time. He should come to view the crate is a safe and comfortable place to relax. There should be "nice" things in there for him – nice toys, nice soft blanket, maybe some doggie treats. You may ask your vet about the details of crate-training but be assured, dogs still have "denning" instincts. They like to hole up in a spot and relax (sometimes the couch, the bed, a corner, dog bed). I’m sure your dog has it’s "special spot" somewhere in the house. It’s another normal, built-in thing that all dogs do. 4.  If you haven’t already, begin basic obedience with your dog. Knowing that he’s a terrier, if he isn’t given rules to follow, terriers can quickly assume they are the boss of the house. Terriers are just that way – sometimes stubborn, always tenacious and smart as a whip. They are deep thinkers and careful planners. He must eventually come to see himself as the dog and all other people as the boss. Dogs just see us as other dogs. Somebody has to be the leader and if you don’t take charge, he assumes he’s the leader. You must learn to be more stubborn than a terrier (not an easy task). When you say sit, he has to sit. If not, you put him in a sit (kindly, of course). Now that doesn’t mean you need to be unfair and your dog will not view kind  training that way. He just needs a capable leader. Dogs are really not cut out for the boss’ job in a human world. He needs his mind to be occupied on things other than maintaining territory inside the house. Playing, tricks, games, grooming, even just talking to him softly, will take his mind off of the "peeing" career and you’ll notice he will settle down without that added responsiblity of defending his territory. After all, it’s a lot of work fending off intruders with pee all over the house. 5.  When he does pee in the house (and assume he will continue to mess up now and then while he’s learning) you must catch him in the act. Dogs have an incredibly short attention span. If you say to your dog, "Want to go for a walk in 10 minutes?" he will assume you’re going right now. Dogs don’t understand "in 10 minutes" or "3 minutes ago". They just don’t. This means that you must keep a hawk’s eye on him at all times. And if you can’t watch him, crate him! This will control his activities and will set him up for SUCCESS! As for correction when he messes up and you ACTUALLY SEE  HIM IN THE ACT, yell really loud "STOP IT" and physically rush him outside immediately. Don’t send him outside alone (that’s punishment), go out with him and if he pees again, praise him to the heavens! "Oh what a good dog, goes pee outside!!!" Dogs love praise and learn a million times better with positive words than negative ones. Then when he thinks he actually did something right and is a good dog, go inside, put him in the crate with a special treat and clean the area thoroughly. If all else fails and you’re efforts aren’t working, do not give up on him. I’m sure your vet will have additional thoughts to what I’ve given. Remember that dogs (and children) only do what they’re allowed to do because nobody ever told them the alternatives. Dogs are not spiteful or vengeful. This is not a personal attack on you by the dog. They’re just not sophisicated enough to think like humans. Therefore, you have to think more like a dog to lick this problem. Quite simply, this is right (YAY, good dog!!!) and this is wrong (HEY, STOP IT, do this instead). I’m sure you’ll be able to get over this snag and begin a wonderful relationship with your special companion. For the love of dogs, Warmest regards, Jennifer – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – My rat terrier began marking his territory on our furniture, walls, carpeting, you name it in our new home.  Some vets have told us that neutering will help, some say it won’t.  HELP!  He’s male, 1 1/2 years old. Eric

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Our dog is neutered and still does this.

Probably because a lot of vets don’t neuter anymore, they do an actual vasectomy.

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