how do you stop a dog cocking his leg inside?

[Josie]

I am asking on behalf of my neighbour who has a one year old un-neutered black male Labrador.

She came round on Saturday evening but didn't bringing Louis because she said that he has just started to cock his leg on the furniture and would be horrified if he did it out our house (I would be to)

So does anyone have any advice on how to stop this behaviour please?

 

[JoanneF]

It sounds like adolescence and a desire to scent mark. It's really just a case of watching him like a hawk and stopping him before he does it, taking him out and praising and rewarding when he does it outside. A lot of people stop the praise and reward when they think their dog is housetrained but sometimes it's a good idea to still do it to reinforce how happy outdoor toilets make us!

 

[Josie]

Thanks @JoanneF - yes it definitely is an adolescence thing! Will pass this on to her

 

[JoanneF]

Sorry, I should also have said she can block access to favourite places in the house and make sure to clean with an enzymatic cleaner to remove any trace of scent. And remember enzymatic cleaners take time to work, you don't put them down then wipe up immediately.

 

[Josie]

thanks @JoanneF

 

[leashedForLife]

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he can't be left unsupervised in the house, for the moment - he needs to be in the same room as an adult human who will keep an eye on him, & not get too absorbed in the telly, the book, or the Facebook-feed, & forget to mind the dog!
Oops...
3-seconds of inattention can mean the sofa's been sprinkled or the antique table's finish is damaged, & there's urine seeping thru the wall-to-wall carpet & into the under-padding, where it's practically impossible to eradicate the last trace of odor.

U can put him on a waist-leash to prevent him slipping out the door to another room, or sliding out of sight to baptize the lounge chair - that way, he's right close, but U're hands-free. Either pass the leash around yer back, slip the clip thru the wrist-loop, & clip the free end to the dog, or put on a sturdy 2-inch wide belt & slide the wrist loop OVER the belt to the side U prefer - then continue running the belt thru the loops as usual, & buckle it. Now he has the full length of the leash, so mind that he doesn't slip round corners, out of sight, or drop behind U as U walk, to anoint things U've already passed by.


If he can't be supervised strictly, he needs to be confined to a crate [preferably airline-approved shipping type, as he can wee thru the bars of a wire AKA 'show' crate easily], or he should wear a belly-band. The best belly-band designs are all-cotton, with FULLY-enclosed elastic, & a wide [2 to 4-inch wide] Velcro attachment to close them snugly - some dogs need diaper-sized safety pins to secure the far-side of the closed Velcro, so they cannot possibly tug the belly-band off.
The belly-band goes entirely across his prepuce & makes it impossible to pee outside the band; an inexpensive disposable panty-liner goes into the belly-band, & it's changed at least every 12-hours [morning & evening], plus anytime it's damp.

Take off the band after he exits the house on-leash for a potty trip --- like any un-housetrained puppy, he doesn't go out off-leash - U gotta be right there, to see how much he produces, of what, & reward him on the spot - don't be cheap, this is no time for kibble [unless it's meat-based cat kibble]. Pea-sized or even half-pea sized tidbits are fine, it's quality not quantity, & a jackpot makes a big impression: feed a string of tidbits to him, one at a time, as quickly as he swallows the one before, with an ongoing stream of warm, sincere, low-pitched praise as a 'sauce' for his jackpot.
Check the liner to be sure it's dry, carry a spare in yer pocket to replace it as needed, & before entering the house, put the belly-band back ON him... he doesn't enter "naked".

Badly-made belly-bands include those with lots of polyester [doesn't let skin breathe, can cause rashes; generates static in warm dry homes, & can shock the dog], exposed elastic [can pull hair or pinch skin, plus cause rashes], or with cheap little "dots" of velcro to secure them.
Good ones last for years, & can even be passed down to another dog, in the future.

If the supervision is consistent & he's rewarded for all outdoor "productions", he should get the idea quickly - a brief "ah-ah!" to interrupt him if he starts to raise that rear leg will also help clue him, but don't rely on that to STOP him urinating - U need to have a lead on him, or he'll eventually be just far-enuf away to ignore U & whip that willie out.

Belly-bands are a good idea if he's going to visit friends or family, enter a pet-supply store, etc - it saves a world of embarrassment, & prevents him continuing this unwanted habit.

NOTE:
rewarding him for "pee at home" by taking him for a walk off-property is also very, very effective.
Leashing him & promptly walking him off-property so that he can leg-lift on every dog's pee that he can find, only perpetuates the habit - sniffing other dog's marks, without adding his own, is quite sufficient enrichment.

Also, if U want to know that he's emptying his bladder, not merely lowering the liquid-level & holding a reserve pint for sprinkling, time his stream: it takes approx 20-seconds to EMPTY a bladder, so if he only pees for 10 & it's been 3-hours since his last potty-trip, he's holding a tank for sprinkling.

- terry

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[Josie]

Hi @leashedForLife thanks for all of your info.

Some points I personally don’t agree with.

First of all it’s impossible to be with him constantly especially when you have to work. But I also don’t agree with keeping him in a crate for long periods.

I also don’t think much about belly bands. Seems abit backwards to me and unnatural.

Very interesting about how long it should take to empty his bladder!

 

[JoanneF]

Very interesting about how long it should take to empty his bladder!

I wondered about this. Does the size of the dog affect it too? Or do teeny dogs with teeny bladders wee more slowly?

 

[Violet Turner]

I wondered about this. Does the size of the dog affect it too? Or do teeny dogs with teeny bladders wee more slowly?

In most cases yes smaller dogs wee slower than bigger dogs, i don't know why but it just happens. Maybe someone could explain why. I have learnt this but i have forgotten.

 

[Josie]

I wondered about this. Does the size of the dog affect it too? Or do teeny dogs with teeny bladders wee more slowly?

We’ll all be out timing it today on our walks!

 

[Caro Perry]

I've always been impressed by male dogs and their bladder control. Harri can effortlessly sprinkle a few drops every hundred yards or so. Actually I'm not sure the last time I saw him do a "proper" wee!

Harri has thought about cocking his leg in the house - the first time I saw the tell tale body language I instinctively shouted Harri No at him. As I so rarely do that he stopped in astonishment and I whisked him outside pdq. I deliberately did it the next time and the message seems to have sunk in.

 

[leashedForLife]

I wondered about this.
Does the size of the dog affect [bladder-emptying time], too?
Or do teeny dogs, with teeny bladders, wee more slowly?

.

nope.
Research says mammal bladders are scaled-up, or scaled-down, but capacity & ureter-diameter are proportionate.
It takes approx 20-secs for any mammal of whatever size, from a shrew to a blue-whale, to drain their bladders.

Law of Urination: all mammals empty their bladders over the same ...
arXiv.org e-Print archive › physics
by PJ Yang - ‎2013 - ‎Cited by 3 - ‎Related articles
Oct 14, 2013 -
Here we elucidate the hydrodynamics of urination across five orders of magnitude inanimal mass. Using high-speed videography and flow rate measurement at Zoo Atlanta, we discover the "Law of Urination," which states animals empty their bladders over nearly constant duration of average 21 seconds ...

Universal law of urination found in mammals | New Scientist
Universal law of urination found in mammals...
Oct 17, 2013 -
According to the team's model, an animal's size does make a difference to urination time– but only very slightly. Their law of urination says that the time a mammal takes to empty a full bladder is proportional to the animal's mass raised to the power of a sixth, meaning even very large changes in mass have ...

Most mammals take 21 seconds to pee, regardless of their size
https://www.sciencealert.com/most-mammals-take-21-seconds-to-pee-regardless-of-th...
Dec 17, 2014 -
An elephant takes the same amount of time to empty its huge bladder as a cat - despite holding 3600 times more urine. That's a whole lot of pressure.
____________________________________


Cool stuff, huh?
- terry

.

 

[JoanneF]

.

nope.
Research says mammal bladders are scaled-up, or scaled-down, but capacity & ureter-diameter are proportionate.
It takes approx 20-secs for any mammal of whatever size, from a shrew to a blue-whale, to drain their bladders.

Law of Urination: all mammals empty their bladders over the same ...
arXiv.org e-Print archive › physics
by PJ Yang - ‎2013 - ‎Cited by 3 - ‎Related articles
Oct 14, 2013 -
Here we elucidate the hydrodynamics of urination across five orders of magnitude inanimal mass. Using high-speed videography and flow rate measurement at Zoo Atlanta, we discover the "Law of Urination," which states animals empty their bladders over nearly constant duration of average 21 seconds ...

Universal law of urination found in mammals | New Scientist
Universal law of urination found in mammals...
Oct 17, 2013 -
According to the team's model, an animal's size does make a difference to urination time– but only very slightly. Their law of urination says that the time a mammal takes to empty a full bladder is proportional to the animal's mass raised to the power of a sixth, meaning even very large changes in mass have ...

Most mammals take 21 seconds to pee, regardless of their size
https://www.sciencealert.com/most-mammals-take-21-seconds-to-pee-regardless-of-th...
Dec 17, 2014 -
An elephant takes the same amount of time to empty its huge bladder as a cat - despite holding 3600 times more urine. That's a whole lot of pressure.
____________________________________


Cool stuff, huh?
- terry

.

Thanks @leashedForLife

 

[merlina]

Definitely no to crating. Certainly yes to being eagle-eyed. If she thinks she has problems our young entire spaniel has only done this once- he ran in, found the newly-hung floor length curtains that had just come back from the dry cleaners (cost for cleaning £75) and did them both. And pretty quick about it he was too. Makes me wonder if a new or foreign scent introduced into this young lab's environment is triggering it.

 

[leashedForLife]

...
If he can't be supervised strictly, he needs to be confined to a crate [preferably airline-approved shipping type, as he can wee thru the bars of a wire AKA 'show' crate easily], or he should wear a belly-band. The best belly-band designs are all-cotton, with FULLY-enclosed elastic, & a wide [2 to 4-inch wide] Velcro attachment to close them snugly - some dogs need diaper-sized safety pins to secure the far-side of the closed Velcro, so they cannot possibly tug the belly-band off.
The belly-band goes entirely across his prepuce & makes it impossible to pee outside the band; an inexpensive disposable panty-liner goes into the belly-band, & it's changed at least every 12-hours [morning & evening], plus anytime it's damp.

Take off the band after he exits the house on-leash for a potty trip --- like any un-housetrained puppy, he doesn't go out off-leash - U gotta be right there... & reward him on the spot - don't be cheap, this is no time for kibble [unless it's meat-based cat kibble]. ...

Badly-made belly-bands include those with lots of polyester [doesn't let skin breathe, can cause rashes; generates static in warm dry homes, & can shock the dog], exposed elastic [can pull hair or pinch skin, plus cause rashes], or with cheap little "dots" of velcro to secure them.
Good ones last for years, & can even be passed down to another dog, in the future.
...

...
Some points I personally don’t agree with.
First... it’s impossible to be with him constantly, especially when you have to work. But I also don’t agree with keeping him in a crate for long periods.
I also don’t think much about belly bands. Seems a bit backwards to me, and unnatural.
...

.

Using a waist-leash is impossible? - I've done it many times, with my own or clients' dogs. Yes, it's a bit of a pain, especially with a small bathroom & a large dog, but having been there & done it, i know it's possible.
As for crates, do U crate train Ur pups, & do they sleep in the crate when U are asleep? - if not, how do U prevent the puppy waking in the middle of the night, & innocently emptying their bladder or bowels?
Confining the pup to easy-clean areas only confines the mess - it can't teach the pup to hold it, or to void outdoors.

I am not advocating having any pup LIVE in a crate for most of their puphood! - but having a puppy & working FT does mean crating, & my dogs have not suffered unduly.

As for 'natural', using that as an absolute criterion would mean that we shouldn't interfere with any of the dog's instinctive behaviors; simply demanding that the dog pee or poop outside, vs when s/he feels the need, or demanding that a male dog not mark items that he thinks of as "mine", is also 'not natural' - in the dog's opinion. Spaying a dog so she's not at the mercy of her hormones for 2-months of every 12, or likely to get Pyo or mammary cancer, is 'not natural'. Vaccines are 'not natural', nor are antibiotics, or surgery. :shrug:
I'm not going to stop using any of them b/c they're 'un-natural'.
Belly-bands cause no pain, & most dogs dislike their bellies wet with urine - generally, if they pee while wearing one, they rarely do it again. It certainly saves a lot of cleaning time, & also the considerable cost of home repairs, or having one's damage deposit retained by the landlord. :thumbs-up:
I'm perfectly OK with something that's inexpensive, effective, & pain-free, even if it's 'not natural'.

...
Makes me wonder if a new or foreign scent introduced into this young Lab's environment [triggered marking].

.

the OP didn't really specify if the dog marks [a minimal sprinkle] or empties his bladder [a puddle].
But IME, i'd say the odds are stacked in favor of his plentiful androgens driving the behavior, not "novel items intruding in his space". How many items that he marked are new arrivals? // How many were in the house before he entered it?

There may also be outside influences - such as another M marking outside the house, where the Lab can see him from indoors, or a near-local intact-F in estrus, wafting pheromones about; they can travel over a mile. Neutering him would definitely reduce the influence of such external provocations.
If she doesn't intend to breed him, & can't bear the thought of crating him when she's asleep or away from home, & cannot use an umbilical-leash to supervise him while she's at home, & won't use a belly-band to prevent indoor urination, then neutering him - also un-natural, i know! - is among the few options left.

Other alternatives are to confine him to an easy-clean area of the house where he can't do any damage, or build a dog-run in the garden [yard, in the U-S]. Evicting the poor dog seems a harsh choice, but he'd get to "be natural" & pee or poop whenever & wherever he pleased.
A wide range of possibilities, all in all.
- terry

.

 

[Josie]

I'm not certain on whether he empties his bladder completely or scenting or whether she just catches him in time to stop! I would say it was more a scent marking problem though rather than just going to the toilet.

You could say that about lots of things @leashedForLife but for me personally I think some things have a true reason such as, Spaying and neutering, which are generally done because we have enough dogs in the world and providing vaccines help stop the spread of disease.
I find personally that using belly bands on a male dog is lazy but that's just my own opinion.

 

[leashedForLife]

... personally, I think some things have a true reason such as, Spaying and neutering... generally done because we have enough dogs in the world, or providing vaccines, which helps stop the spread of disease.
I find personally that using a belly-band on a male dog is lazy, but that's just my own opinion.

.

"lazy" sounds like any Mgmt method that spares the owner hassle; it's merely convenient, vs "optimal for the dog" or other pet.

IME of more than 35-years as a trainer, a dog-flap or cat-flap are often the lazy owners' answer to the issue of toileting - for dog-owners, they aren't forced to leave the house in all weathers, & walk *with* their dog, on leash, or at the very least, get up from watching the telly (or cruising the forum...) or online-shopping to OPEN THE DOOR for the dog - horrors, what an imposition!
For cat-owners, a cat-flap means they can dispense with keeping (& cleaning...) a litter-tray; if their cat is free-roaming, the local community becomes their cat's toilet. As a gardener, i was driven to near-insanity by the sheer volume of cat-stools that mysteriously sprouted IN MY VEGETABLE GARDEN in Ocean View, Norfolk, VA - it drove me apesh!t. I never ate anything from that garden; it fed slugs, passing birds, & possums. That's not even mentioning the disgusting state of the flower-beds I planted. :waaah:
As a conservationist, i'm very aware free-roaming cats' predatory impact on native wildlife - just how cat-owners with free-roaming cats who also put out birdseed rationalize those schizophrenic behaviors, I can't begin to fathom. Would i prefer they kept Puss indoors, or confined Kitty to a screen-room, or installed cat-proof fencing around their gardens / yards? --- U betcha!
And both dog-owners & cat-owners who use pet-flaps forfeit an important window to their pet's state of health - eliminating their oversight of 'eliminations', in the litter-tray or from their dog, means they're likely to miss early signs of illness. They could lose their pet to what would be treatable, if caught earlier.

A belly-band, again IME, is not mere convenience; unlike a pet-flap, usually installed permanently, a belly-band is typically a training process, similar to crating or confining to an easy-clean area - U confine the mess, but it's confined to the Band, which is portable & wearable. // The Band gives the dog more freedom in the house, & the owner can go to work or shop for groceries without the dread of coming home to a sofa stinking of urine, or another soaked spot in the wall-to-wall, & what's the landlord going to say!?... // Belly-bands for adolescent dogs [or adult Ms who were never housetrained] are usually a simple, practical way to stop the behavior, especially when the dog is home solo.
The longer a behavior continues, the harder it is to break the habit - so stopping any problem behavior is an urgent necessity. (Belly-bands for incontinent dogs are a separate issue - that's long-term Mgmt, & likely a lifelong tool.)

Does that make sense? - I hope i'm explaining it in a way that's comprehensible. U can never know if what U say is understood the way U meant it to be.
Hope springs eternal,
- terry

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