Marking territory, that’s what male dogs do. But it’s not something you want your dog to do in the house or when the two of you are out walking and he pulls you towards every tree and bush and fire hydrant and anything else on the way. And you definitely don’t want your dog to mark when you visit someone else at home. It’s his way of saying to the world, “I was here.”
Marking in the house is not only annoying, the odor is overwhelming, it’s unhealthy and sure to keep visitors away. As difficult as it sounds, you can train your dog not to lift his leg when walking outdoors or marking your favorite chair. It’s up to you to let him know when it’s appropriate behavior and when it’s a no-no.
Training your dog to go potty on command helps ease into preventing unlimited marking. And you don’t want to prevent him entirely from stopping on your daily walks to sniff sometimes.
Choose a word command to teach him when he’s allowed to mark and a different word when you want to prevent marking. It will take time and patience, but your dog will learn the rules.
It’s all part of training your dog to be a good citizen.
