CAPITAL HUMANE SOCIETY
2320
Territorial Marking Behavior In Dogs And
Cats
Copyright Denver Dumb Friends League and
Humane Society of the
Dogs
and cats are territorial animals. This means that they “stake out a claim” to a
particular space, area or object. They let other people and animals know about
their claim by marking it with a variety of methods and at many levels of
intensity. For example, a dog may bark to drive away what he perceives as
intruders to his territory. A cat may mark a valued object by rubbing it with
her face. Some pets may go to the extreme of urinating or defecating to mark a
particular area as their own. Urine marking is not a house soiling problem, but
is a territorial behavior. Therefore, to resolve the problem, you need to
address the underlying reason for your pet’s need to mark his territory in this
way.
House
Soiling Or Urine-Marking? How To Tell The Difference!
Your
pet may be urine-marking if:
·
The problem is primarily urination. Dogs
and cats rarely mark with feces.
·
The amount of urine is small and is
found primarily on vertical surfaces. Dogs and cats do sometimes mark on
horizontal surfaces. Leg-lifting and spraying are dominant versions of
urine-marking, but even if your pet doesn’t assume these postures, he may still
be urine-marking.
·
Any pet in your home is not spayed or
neutered. Both intact males and females are more likely to urine mark than are
spayed or neutered animals. However, even spayed or neutered animals may mark
in response to other intact animals in the home.
·
Your pet urinates on new objects in the
environment (a shopping bag, a visitor’s purse), on objects that have
unfamiliar smells, or on objects that have another animal’s scent.
·
Your pet has conflicts with other
animals in your home. When there’s instability in the pack hierarchy, a dog may
feel a need to establish his dominance by urine-marking his territory. If one
cat is intimidating another cat, the bullied cat may express his anxiety by
urine-marking.
·
Your pet has contact with other animals
outside your home. A cat that’s allowed outdoors may come home and mark after
having an encounter with another cat outside. If your pet sees another animal through
a door or window, he may feel a need to mark his territory.
·
Your dog marks frequently on
neighborhood walks.
What
You Can Do:
·
Spay or neuter your pet as soon as
possible. Spaying or neutering your pet may stop urine-marking altogether,
however, if he has been urine-marking over a long period of time, a pattern may
already be established.
·
Resolve conflicts between animals in
your home (see our handouts: “Canine
Rivalry” and “Feline Social Behavior
and Aggression Between Family Cats”).
·
Restrict your pet’s access to doors and
windows through which they can observe animals outside. If this isn’t possible,
discourage the presence of other animals near your house (see our handout: “Discouraging Roaming Cats”).
·
Keep your cat indoors. He’ll be safer,
will live longer, and will feel less need to mark his territory.
·
Clean soiled areas thoroughly (see our
handout: “Successful Cleaning to Remove
Pet Odors and Stains”). Don’t use strong smelling cleaners as these may
cause your pet to “over-mark” the spot.
·
Make previously soiled areas
inaccessible or unattractive (see our handouts: “Aversives For Dogs” and “Aversives
For Cats”).
·
If making soiled areas inaccessible or
unattractive isn’t possible, try to change the significance of those areas.
Feed, treat and play with your pet in the areas he is inclined to mark.
·
Keep objects likely to cause marking out
of reach. Guests’ belongings, new purchases and so forth, should be placed in a
closet or cabinet.
·
If your pet is marking in response to a
new resident in your home (a new baby, roommate or spouse), have the new
resident make friends with your pet by feeding, grooming and playing with your
pet. Make sure good things happen to your pet when the new baby is around (see
our handout: “Preparing Your Pet for Baby’s
Arrival”).
·
For dogs: watch your dog at all times
when he is indoors for signs that he is thinking about urinating. When he
begins to urinate, interrupt him with a loud noise and take him outside, then
praise him and give him a treat if he urinates outside. When you’re unable to
watch him, put your dog in confinement (a crate or small room where he has
never marked) or tether him to you with a leash.
·
For cats: try to monitor your cat’s
movements. If he even sniffs in an area he has previously marked, make a loud
noise or squirt him with water. It's best if you can do this without him seeing
you, because then he’ll associate the unpleasantness with his intent to mark,
rather than with you.
·
Practice “nothing in life is free” with
your dog (see our handout: “Nothing In
Life Is Free”). This is a safe, non-confrontational way to establish your
leadership and requires your dog to work for everything he wants from you. Have
your dog obey at least one command (such as “sit”) before you pet him, give him
dinner, put on his leash or throw a toy for him. Establishing yourself as a
strong leader can help stabilize the hierarchy and thus diminish your dog’s
need to mark his territory.
What
Not To Do:
Don’t
punish your pet after the fact. Punishment administered even a minute after the
event is ineffective because your pet won’t understand why he is being
punished.
Pets
Aren’t People:
Dogs
and cats don’t urinate or defecate out of spite or jealousy. If your dog
urinates on your baby’s diaper bag, it’s not because he is jealous of, or
dislikes your baby. The unfamiliar scents and sounds of a new baby in the house
are simply causing him to reaffirm his claim on his territory. Likewise, if
your cat urinates on your new boyfriend’s backpack, this is not his opinion of
your taste in men. Instead, he has perceived the presence of an “intruder” and
is letting the intruder know that this territory belongs to him.
Dominance
Or Anxiety?
Urine-marking
is usually associated with dominance behavior. While this is often the case,
some pets may mark when they feel anxious or upset. For example, a new baby in
the home brings new sounds, smells and people, as well as changes in routine.
Your dog or cat probably isn’t getting as much attention as he was used to getting.
All of these changes cause him to feel anxious, which may cause him to mark.
Likewise, a pet that is generally anxious may become more so by the presence of
roaming neighborhood animals in your yard, or by the introduction of a new cat
or dog into your household. If your pet is feeling anxious, you might consider talking
to your veterinarian about medications to reduce his anxiety while you work on
behavior modification.