Marking and Your Dog – All About Dog Behavior

The practice of marking is one that hails back to the domestic dog’s direct ancestor – the wolf. Wolves use a divers means of marking territory, and territory is very important to a wolf pack. Different packs rarely trespass upon the lands of others and they understand the boundaries of these territories by the scents that are left there.

Wolves have a number of different sorts of scents. A scent gland on the tail, known as the precaudal gland, produces a scent very unique to each animal. Other glands behind the ears or in the pads of the feet produce a scent that distinguishes a pack such that the members of a pack (family unit) will have similar scents in their feet.

When marking a particular territory as their own, a wolf will leave urine markings. When another wolf comes across these marks, he knows not to cross into the other territory. Similarly, dogs try to mark in areas that they perceive to be their territory. A dog on a walk will mark trees, fire hydrants, or really any conspicuous item.

Dogs mark what they consider their territory.

It’s worth noting that in the wild, it is only the alpha animals who are responsible for putting down these marks. The alphas are the animals in charge in a pack which means that there is a fair possibility that a pet with a marking problem thinks that he or she is the alpha of your pack and that is a position that the owner must occupy absolutely.

If your pet, especially a male, is not neutered, this can add significantly to a marking problem. Unneutered males are much more territorial than their neutered counterparts. They are more likely to feel a need to defend their territory and will not take kindly to other males being nearby.

Besides neutering, there are a number of things you can do to lower the chances of seeing marking behavior. Remember that you must be the alpha, the top dog in your pack. Your dog must understand its position as a lower ranking member of the pack.. If you let your dog sleep on the bed, or get away with unwanted behaviors, you will have trouble maintaining this alpha position.

It may also be useful to consider finding a job for your dog. While you do not necessarily need to train your dog to be a sniffer dog or a seeing eye dog, many types of dog were bred for specific jobs and helping your dog to stay occupied may help alleviate the problem.