Marking mad
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Marking mad
Hi,
I have a 15 month old neutered chow boy, Paddington, who is mostly well behaved. His recall is great and never runs off without us so he's allowed to go off leash at the park. The problem is that he loves, loves, LOVES to mark. When he sees another dog mark an area, he'll immediately remark the same spot.
Saying this though, he's not particularly dominant or territorial; he doesn't mark the home or garden. He's never mounted or humped anything/anyone and when we have guests to the house, be it human or canine, he always happy to see them.
So the issue here is, he has on three occasions marked PEOPLE. All three times were in an off lead enviroment. I'm not sure if this is a training issue or how I can prevent this because it happens so infrequently and unexpectently, but quickly, that I never seem to react in time. I don't like to keep him on lead at the park as it's difficult because we're both extremely active as I jog 6kms a day while he zooms from tree to tree. I also feel like keeping him on lead prevents him from socialising and playing with other dogs and he's still at that energetic playful stage where every dog is his best friend and he wants to play with them all. (Speaking of play, is it bad manners that he nips other dogs hindquarters in play? Should I repremand him? Most dogs don't seem to mind but the owners get scared)
So is this a dominance issue? Or does he just not realise that he's marking people??
I have a 15 month old neutered chow boy, Paddington, who is mostly well behaved. His recall is great and never runs off without us so he's allowed to go off leash at the park. The problem is that he loves, loves, LOVES to mark. When he sees another dog mark an area, he'll immediately remark the same spot.
Saying this though, he's not particularly dominant or territorial; he doesn't mark the home or garden. He's never mounted or humped anything/anyone and when we have guests to the house, be it human or canine, he always happy to see them.So the issue here is, he has on three occasions marked PEOPLE. All three times were in an off lead enviroment. I'm not sure if this is a training issue or how I can prevent this because it happens so infrequently and unexpectently, but quickly, that I never seem to react in time. I don't like to keep him on lead at the park as it's difficult because we're both extremely active as I jog 6kms a day while he zooms from tree to tree. I also feel like keeping him on lead prevents him from socialising and playing with other dogs and he's still at that energetic playful stage where every dog is his best friend and he wants to play with them all. (Speaking of play, is it bad manners that he nips other dogs hindquarters in play? Should I repremand him? Most dogs don't seem to mind but the owners get scared)
So is this a dominance issue? Or does he just not realise that he's marking people??
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Rory's Dad
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Re: Marking mad
Marking is most definitely a dominance issue. Even though he has been fixed, these are behaviors that are ingrained. And it is not a mating behavior. He doesnt mark the home or garden because he already associates those places as being his and there are no threats to his territory.
Marking people will usually occur when the people are other dog owners or handlers. He is just trying to assert himself there as well. I have an intact male with similar disposition. We keep him off of corners or any other upright object whenever out of his normal realm. We know enough and have learned to read the signals. He is a show dog and will occasionally try to mark his handler...she has 10 - 20 dogs at shows on any given weekend and he is trying to 'claim her'.
In my opinion, this is one of the toughest behaviors to deal with. Very difficult to 'train' them out of the behavior, and its really not something you can punish them for. Best you can do is read their signals and stop it. In our case, usually a good tug on the leash in the opposite direction will work. Having him off-lead would be difficult.
Playful nipping at other pups hinds is not a behavioral issue. Puppies play. That can continue long into what we consider adult-hood for pups. Keep an eye on the interaction. Listen for sounds of complaint or pain (yelps, growls, etc). That is the indication that play has gone too far and if your dog doesnt back off at that point, then you need to intervene. What we consider bad manners is not the same in puppy play.
Marking people will usually occur when the people are other dog owners or handlers. He is just trying to assert himself there as well. I have an intact male with similar disposition. We keep him off of corners or any other upright object whenever out of his normal realm. We know enough and have learned to read the signals. He is a show dog and will occasionally try to mark his handler...she has 10 - 20 dogs at shows on any given weekend and he is trying to 'claim her'.
In my opinion, this is one of the toughest behaviors to deal with. Very difficult to 'train' them out of the behavior, and its really not something you can punish them for. Best you can do is read their signals and stop it. In our case, usually a good tug on the leash in the opposite direction will work. Having him off-lead would be difficult.
Playful nipping at other pups hinds is not a behavioral issue. Puppies play. That can continue long into what we consider adult-hood for pups. Keep an eye on the interaction. Listen for sounds of complaint or pain (yelps, growls, etc). That is the indication that play has gone too far and if your dog doesnt back off at that point, then you need to intervene. What we consider bad manners is not the same in puppy play.
Re: Marking mad
Thanks Rory's Dad for your reply. I didn't think he was so dominant because he's such a softy. I guess I'll have to watch him like a hawk now, especially in new places!!
Any idea why he gets excited when little dogs go off at him? Often when he walks past one or several little dogs, he usually ignores them but sometimes goes to sniff their behind, at which point they get really aggressive and he loves it. Paddington then starts to run around in circles around them, doing what I assume is herding… Now I have to ask him to 'leave it' whenever he starts to show this but it happens so often, pretty much once a day. He enjoys herding my rabbits and yappy/anxious dogs and I assumed it was because he can tell that they're submissive? So I was thinking of taking him herding but thought that this may further exacerbate the issue.
Any idea why he gets excited when little dogs go off at him? Often when he walks past one or several little dogs, he usually ignores them but sometimes goes to sniff their behind, at which point they get really aggressive and he loves it. Paddington then starts to run around in circles around them, doing what I assume is herding… Now I have to ask him to 'leave it' whenever he starts to show this but it happens so often, pretty much once a day. He enjoys herding my rabbits and yappy/anxious dogs and I assumed it was because he can tell that they're submissive? So I was thinking of taking him herding but thought that this may further exacerbate the issue.
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Rory's Dad
- Rank 3
- Posts: 1708
- Joined: Sat Nov 05, 2011 6:48 am
- Location: Mansfield, MA USA
Re: Marking mad
If he wants to herd, then i don't think its a bad behavior to encourage. It's really god excercise for him and will really help with agility and getting him over that clumsy Chow Puppy phase.
Although the sniffing usually causes an uncomfortable response from people (many times i have overheard the 'oh i'm sorry, he/she never does that', its perfectly natural for dogs. The dogs adrenal gland produces a scent that it unique to that dog and its an identity marker for other dogs. The sniffing is a 'have me met before' inquiry. The circling could just be an invitation to play.
You may actually find the your chow prefers little dogs. I think its psychological. Strictly my thoughts and observances and i haven't seen a study done on the topic, but maybe he sees the little dogs as similar to his puppy mates who he would play with. Larger dogs may be viewed as similar to the dam and sire, who didnt play. Until he is socialized around larger dogs he may not make the association that they are same age and are equally as playful.
Finally, understand that dominant behavior is not necessarily aggressive or obstinant. It is about controlling an environment. By marking an area, object, or person he is trying to claim it. This is an old pack order mentality for dogs. Since they have been domesticated, its pretty much useless, but they don't know that. In the pack, the leader generally had the most resources and would control those resources. If a dog marked a spot as his lying spot or his hunting ground, the other pack members would need to respect that space or challenge him.
Although the sniffing usually causes an uncomfortable response from people (many times i have overheard the 'oh i'm sorry, he/she never does that', its perfectly natural for dogs. The dogs adrenal gland produces a scent that it unique to that dog and its an identity marker for other dogs. The sniffing is a 'have me met before' inquiry. The circling could just be an invitation to play.
You may actually find the your chow prefers little dogs. I think its psychological. Strictly my thoughts and observances and i haven't seen a study done on the topic, but maybe he sees the little dogs as similar to his puppy mates who he would play with. Larger dogs may be viewed as similar to the dam and sire, who didnt play. Until he is socialized around larger dogs he may not make the association that they are same age and are equally as playful.
Finally, understand that dominant behavior is not necessarily aggressive or obstinant. It is about controlling an environment. By marking an area, object, or person he is trying to claim it. This is an old pack order mentality for dogs. Since they have been domesticated, its pretty much useless, but they don't know that. In the pack, the leader generally had the most resources and would control those resources. If a dog marked a spot as his lying spot or his hunting ground, the other pack members would need to respect that space or challenge him.