# 11 mo unaltered male marked inside, how to make sure doesn't happen again



## Chaos911 (Oct 30, 2013)

Blaze is almost 11 mos and we stayed at a pet friendly hotel and we caught him marking the sofa! I'm assuming had been previously marked😬😳 I immediately cleaned area and beyond. It didn't happen again that I saw. But is this an age thing? A hotel cleanliness issue? He recently started lifting leg to pee and marking outside when other dogs come to our house. Hasn't marked inside yet at home. But we travel with dogs every wknd for sons college FB games. We kennel dogs in room when not there. Suggestions how to prevent. Should I spray hotel room with a cleaner product before settling in room? Don't want this to become an issue. Thanks for input.


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## Oquirrh the V (Jun 24, 2011)

My boy is 3.5 yrs and unaltered. We had a problem with him marking once in a hotel when he was around 1 yr and he has tried marking a few times in other people's homes that also have dogs. We now always keep him on leash when entering a home or hotel room. We watch for any signs that he might mark and we give a quick correction with his leash and a "no". We let him continue to sniff and make the correction any time he tries to mark. I've also found that if I take his blanket or bed into the house or hotel, then he seems to understand that we are sleeping there - in return, he doesn't want to pee/mark where he will be sleeping. Stayed in a hotel this past weekend and he didn't try to mark anywhere.


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## Oquirrh the V (Jun 24, 2011)

Chaos911 said:


> Should I spray hotel room with a cleaner product before settling in room?


I missed this question. I don't think spraying a cleaner will help. Plus, you need to correct the behavior. It doesn't matter whether another dog has marked in the room or not, my boy is not allowed to pee there. Period. If you keep consistent with the corrections, he will figure out that there is no marking allowed in any house or hotel.


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## Chaos911 (Oct 30, 2013)

Unfortunately it happened while unloading car and he was in room with my mom. So we were on close watch thereafter and had no repeats. I just wondered if in pet friendly hotels if anyone proactively cleaned around furniture to neutralize possible odors from another dog. I don't want a repeat incident. I was so surprised when my mom said what happened! We had him on leash or crate the rest of wknd when in room. I just needed tips how to handle proactively for next wknd. Thanks so much.


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## Oquirrh the V (Jun 24, 2011)

I let Oquirrh check out the whole room on leash first and make any corrections immediately. He is then let off leash the rest of the time. The proactive solution is to teach him not to pee in any hotel. Sounds like you will need to either take your dog in the room first and spend a few minutes with corrections or leave him in the car until you are settled in and can take the time to train him not to pee in the room. 
I don't understand why you would want to go through and clean/neutralize a hotel room instead of train your dog not to mark in the room.


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## Chaos911 (Oct 30, 2013)

My apologies Oquirrh the V. I must not be making myself clear. The cleaning question is because if you don't clean well at home if pup pees they get scent and can/will pee again. And potty training went great for Blaze no problems.
So that's what my question is based from, not understanding if marking can be lessened by neutralizing poss odors in hotel.
*I of course want to correct/train Blaze not to mark*which is why I kept him on leash/crate in room during stay. Thanks for suggestion to take him in first and watch for behavior to correct. Still hoping this was an isolated incident, but want to do all we can to prevent him from marking as we travel with our dogs a lot . Our Frenchie has never marked nor did our previous dogs. So it was a very surprising event for us to deal with. And reality is our weekend travel is very busy and active so I'm looking for all helpful means to make sure we have no more occurrences . Thanks for all advice.


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## Oquirrh the V (Jun 24, 2011)

Got it.  Maybe some other people will have suggestions for the neutralizing.


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## Canadian Expy (Feb 27, 2013)

Your dog is marking due to it being a new place, combined with the scent of other dogs present period, regardless of whether marking has occurred in the room (which I'm sure it has). 

As soon as we step foot in a dog friendly hotel our guy has his nose up in the air sniffing. As O the V has said, the key is to be on the pup making corrections before they have a chance to mark. As soon as the nose goes to the ground and heads toward the wall, couch, chair etc make the correction. Our guy has never marked indoors, with the exception of once at a training facility when I was yapping to another dog owner and not paying attention to him. My error, not his. 

The suggestion of bringing a familiar sleeping item to show them this is their place for the night is a good one as well. We always bring our guys blanket. I'd never thought about it, but I'm sure it has helped. 

Good luck


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## Chaos911 (Oct 30, 2013)

So I'm curious...Should I be correcting Blazes marking outside as well? As I said before has never marked inside house (just the once in the hotel) Frenchie doesn't lift leg. Blaze def marks in yard now after another visiting dog peed then the pee fest begins in the yard. We have just casually hollered out and they move on to a chase or tug game.. He will try to mark on walks too but that's easy to correct. 
I'm beginning to feel like I'm over thinking this. :/ Time to get some laundry done and prepare for the weekend road trip/game. Thanks


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## Canadian Expy (Feb 27, 2013)

When my guy is on leash, he is not allowed to mark free will. We walk to where I know he likes to pee, with him heeling the whole way. When we get to the spot where I am going to let him pee, I then say okay and he knows he can leave heel position to go over to the tree, post, rock, whatever and do his thing. I don't let him him just pull out and pee as he pleases. If he pulls out to sniff as if to mark I say "OFF!" and he stops. 

At home there were a couple of times when outside he went to mark on a lawn ornament, car tire, etc, to which I caught him and corrected with a "OFF!" and he hasn't made the attempt again. Once you set boundaries for them they learn them quickly. 

Hope that helps?


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## Chaos911 (Oct 30, 2013)

Great news we've gone on three wknd hotel trips since Blazes marking event & Blaze hasn't marked or even signaled he was thinking about it. So thrilled as we travel for football games every wknd all fall and dealing with a marking problem on busy football wknds would of been stressful. So yay Blaze! I'm chalking it up to a previously soiled room :-\ Blazes adolescence and succumbing to instinct to mark, and our inattentivness to him in a new environment. We did take advice to take him in room first on leash and walk him around room. We will continue to watch him like a hawk. Fingers crossed to fun wknds of football and behaved dogs! Fight on Augustana Vikings!


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## Chaos911 (Oct 30, 2013)

Finally got thru!


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## Chaos911 (Oct 30, 2013)

Theo & Blaze. Augie Doggys


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