Potty problems with yorkies

[GJJR]

Hello my name is Gwen and I own two yorkies. One is a 4 lb girl and the other is a 8 lb boy. I have not had them spayed and neutered but that is next ont he docket because she is in heat and he is barking the house down. The neighbor's mini schnauzer is breaking out and coming so we have to be on vagina patrol around the clock to keep her safe and unpregnant. This is so frustrating and I will not allow it to happen again. This is her 2nd heat cycle and her last. Since going into heat, she has stopped using her potty pads and goes in the dining room in stead. This behavior must stop. He is two years old and he will not stop lifting his leg in the house. I have to constantly clearn and spray everything with peroxied. If I get him spayed will he stop spraying everything in the house? I am desperate.

[MaryAnn]

I understand that being neutered and "marking" (lifting his leg) are two different issues. While neutering helps with a lot of problems that could occur, I am not sure if it will totally cure the marking issue. That will have to be addressed...have you consulted with your Vet? What does your Vet say? Please check with him or her.

[jude09]

Hello and welcome GJR, I agree with MaryAnn. Also, I will have to move this topic

to a suitable place. I hope you don't mind.

[MaryAnn]

The following marking elimination guidance is adapted from the GreatPets.com article by Sarah Wilson.

Even if a pup or dog is well bonded to the owner, he might not see the owner as the leader of the pack. A young dog having a bold, assertive temperament might be more prone to marking behavior. Sarah Wilson suggests the following steps for establishing leadership and eliminating marking behavior for such dogs. This program puts the person in the leadership role in a positive, nonconfrontational way.

Sleeps in his crate.
Where a dog sleeps is of much status-related import. Sleeping ON your bed makes him your equal. Also, being on a physically elevated level can fuel a dog's perception that he is top dog, even over the people of the house. So keep the dog off your bed and other people furniture. If the pup is assertive, have him sleep in his crate in the kitchen during the behavior modification program.

Works for a living.
Most dogs were originally bred to perform certain jobs, and this remains in their nature from generations of breeding. Generally, either you give them work or they make up their own. A young dog might make up a game called "Taking over the house one wet spot at a time". Have the dog sit or down for EVERYTHING - every door opening, every pat, every word.

Avoid spanking and other punishment.
Dogs typically do not make the connection that the owner is hitting them because they marked. It is better and more effective to educate instead of punish. Wilson notes that spanking a dog for marking only makes him think you did NOT get the point last time, so he marks AGAIN and more clearly. He may defecate as well. "There" he says to himself "Surely, they will get THAT message!" Instead of punishing, you must take steps to change the relationship and establish that you are leader.

Supervision.
One wet spot and it is house arrest for four to six weeks. That means in sight, on lead or crated (or otherwise confined to a safe, puppy-proofed area). No exceptions.

Neuter!
Leg lifting and marking can be resistant to change, though, when marking at a young age, or when new to your home, the dog may just be trying out his wings or testing the boundaries. In any case, Sarah Wilson calls neutering one of the absolute first steps to controlling marking as well as other problems. Done early, neutering can help you avoid such problems altogether.

Trainer Cinimon Clark adds that neutering alone will probably not eliminate territorial marking if this is a learned behavior. This is why neutering before a dog reaches maturity or comes into heat (typically by age six months) is such a good idea. Neutered early enough, the dog will not learn marking behavior.

Adds vet Chris Cook, a neutered or spayed dog is a happier, healthier, more behaviorally balanced dog. After neutering, it takes a few weeks for the affected hormones to stop circulating.

In dogs neutered at a mature age, the marking may have become a learned, habitual behavior and will need behavior modification. Also, if you have an intact (unspayed) female in the house, this may add to the difficulties of breaking the habit.

In his article "To Pee or Not to Pee", Dr. Ian Dunbar explains that female dogs urine mark, some even raising a leg when doing so. When in heat, the female uses marking to broadcast her reproductive state to prospective suitors. For reproductively intact female and male dogs, urine communicates, attracts and arouses. Thus, another good reason to spay and neuter.

[Lee at Delayre]

Get her spayed he might. She has had two heats which means even if you are a pristine housekeeper her heat scent is all over the house. He is marking his territory
and will until her to fantastic smell is gone. Forget trying to housebreak a male when you have an intact female coming into season every 6 months. Canine sex
drive will always override and type of training. Even neutered he will still be interested. I had a friend with a castrated (at 6 months ) male Yorky who bred a female
in heat when he was 9 years old. .