Things To Do When Your Dog is Marking Furniture

So, your dog is marking in the house? What can you dog to prevent your dog from peeing on furniture? Let's find out.

Dogs are territorial by nature and marking their territory is one of the ways they protect their territory and belongings. It may feel as though dogs mark their territory simply to get under your skin, but dogs actually mark their territory to make their environment smell like home!

"Dogs are territorial by nature and marking is their way of protecting their territory, family and belongings."

You might want to know why your dog peed on the couch and how to keep your dog from peeing on the couch. Dogs mark objects they feel belong to them or anything else they feel possessive over. It is an instinctual behavior exhibited by dogs when they reach sexual maturity.

Marking is not necessarily a bad thing, although it usually ends up soiling your furniture or flooring, and leaves you with a smelly home. Urine marking also causes unnecessary stress that we are almost positive you don't need. So, how do you stop dogs from marking furniture?

Help! My Dog is Marking in the House

Although stopping dogs from marking furniture at home can be very difficult because it’s so instinctual, there are ways to reduce or curb the behavior, don't you worry!

You can take some preventive measures to reduce your dog’s marking; investigate the potential causes behind this behavior, and try to address them even if your dog keeps marking furniture.

In this article, we have listed the things you can do to stop dogs from marking furniture and what you can do when your dog is marking your furniture. We hope this saves some of your hair and sanity! 

How to Stop a Dog From Marking in The House

1. Find out the cause of their marking behavior

Why do dogs mark furniture? What is the best way how to stop a dog from marking in the house? You might wonder, why is my dog marking all of a sudden? Getting to the root of the problem is crucial but this will help you manage the marking behavior more effectively and take a lot of stress off your shoulders. A vet check can help you rule out the potential causes of your dog’s marking behavior and then treat or manage the underlying condition accordingly.

Marking behavior, aside from marking territories, can also be a result of underlying health conditions, like a reaction to a medicine, bladder or urine infections, improper house training, separation anxiety, or some other behavioral problems like submissive urination and excitement urination. To learn how to stop a dog from marking in the house, you must first rule out any medical problems or concerns.

2. Be the leader of the pack

Territorial marking can be a way for your dog to assert dominance and establish a pack hierarchy. To prevent your dog from marking, you need to re-establish your position of leadership. As pet parents, we know it can sometimes be difficult to set boundaries when they bring out their puppy dog eyes, but being a pet parent means being a leader. If you find your dog peed on the couch or keeps peeing on the couch, set boundaries to prevent it. If a dog keeps marking furniture, it may actually feel insecure.

One of the subtile ways for how to keep a dog from marking in the house is to re-establish your leadership. Remain calm and confident in front of them to make them feel secure. Setting rules, boundaries, and limitations will also help you with training and preventing marking inside your house. Remember that leadership does not require anger or punishment, just clear rules.

3. Spay or neuter your dog

Having your dog spayed or neutered can be extremely effective in reducing the incidence of developing marking behaviors. Do female dogs mark? Yes, they can although it may not be as common as male dogs marking. These surgical procedures remove your furbaby's uterus and ovaries or testes.

Talk to your vet so they can assess your furbaby's health conditions and determine if they are fit enough to undergo the process. The procedure will eliminate the chances of hormone-driven marking (male dogs and those hormones, I tell ya!).

Along with helping curb your dog’s marking behaviors, spaying and neutering also provide many health benefits. According to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals® (ASPCA®), for female dogs, spaying helps reduce the chances of mammary cancer. Female dogs will also no longer be at risk of uterine cancer and infections. For male dogs, neutering helps reduce the chances of testicular cancer and other prostate issues and also helps curb inappropriate or aggressive behaviors.

A neutered male dog marking in the house is much less common. However, keep in mind that spaying or neutering is not a cure all. It is possible to find your neutered male dog marking in the house, especially in the weeks following surgery. However, the chances of it continuing will decrease as time increases.

4. Some preventive measures to stop dogs from marking

Taking preventive measures and properly training your dog can help reduce or even eliminate their marking behavior. Take into consideration the following measures to limit all of that leg lifting and furniture marking.

Training your dog not to mark

Properly training your dog to mark outside the house or to mark only on designated areas will stop dogs from marking furniture, whether they are male or female. Also, make sure that you provide them an appropriate place to mark. They can mark their spot at any tree trunk their little heart desires, as long as they stay away from your furniture!.

Don’t yell, punish, or physically hurt your dog if they still don’t get the hang of things. Instead, continue the training and praise and reward them by the time they do the right behavior. It’s also important to distract or get your dog’s attention whenever you see them about to mark. The goal is to startle them and not scare them, so you may call their names, whistle, or clap.

"If you can’t prevent your dog from marking then make sure that you provide him an acceptable place to mark."

Now that you know how to stop a dog from peeing in the house, take action to prevent future dog marking. Take pointers from these tips to stop dogs from marking furniture and use them for your own male dog marking. While training, use belly bands for an effective way how to stop a dog from marking in the house. Remain consistent when curbing dog marking in the house. This way, you can effectively prevent and curb your dog from marking furniture.