Hi all! I am the proud owner of two great dogs. One is a 6 year old Beagle "Harley" and one is a 3-4 year old Basset Hound named "Loopy". We adopted Loopy from our local Bassett Rescue 2+ years ago. Loopy had a checkered past and was labeled as a problem child, although we were never really told what the "problems" were. He was shuffled from Foster Home after Foster Home. One lady even returned him after just a matter of hours.
He is the most sweet, lovable dog. He has a bit of a foot fetish, which is how he tries to get attention. He has NO aggression issues and is fully housetrained. However.....there is an ongoing problem we've had since we got him that we just can not rectify and I'm at a loss. It is VERY frustrating!!! He marks EVERYTHING. In the beginning, we figured it was because of his "past", but we can not extinguish the behavior. My carpets are ruined. Literally. They are not allowed upstairs without one of us being in attendance, because he will mark. He is not allowed in my daughter's room or bathroom. We have had to cordon off a carpeted room downstairs and are working on the other room. Not an easy feat.
He does not 'mark' while we are home, or present. When my husband leaves in the morning, and we are still sleeping, he will mark. He has marked food dishes, he has marked every leg of our pool table. He has marked furniture. He has marked toys. You name it. I can not bring anything new in the house OR move anything we already own, because he will mark it. He also marks anything out on the deck, including the pool steps.
Harley has determined he is Alpha. He will take toys away from Loopy while we are trying to play, just to take it. Harley has stopped 'squatting' to pee and now lifts his leg high, which is a very new behavior.
We have a doggy door, so they have free access to the outside. The dogs are left home alone for about 5 or 6 hours a day. They have plenty of toys and bones. They do not fight. They do play very well.
We have had Loopy checked for UTI, which came back negative, but we treated him anyway, just in case. There is NEVER a day when I come home to no 'marking'. It's either a favorite spot or a new spot.
I use Nature's Miracle and Urine Gone, but it doesn't seem to help. The carpets are hopelessly ruined.
They both sleep in our bedroom, and he does not mark there, but then again, he is never left alone in there.
As an aside, we have had other dogs before them, both Basset mixes. They both died of old age, and had their share of accidents on the carpet, and I know there is no way their scents are totally gone.
So I don't know. We just do not know how to get rid of this behavior. I would like my house to stop smelling like dog urine. I would have hoped that the 'problem child' behavior would have been gone long before now.
Any help is greatly appreciated!
He is the most sweet, lovable dog. He has a bit of a foot fetish, which is how he tries to get attention. He has NO aggression issues and is fully housetrained. However.....there is an ongoing problem we've had since we got him that we just can not rectify and I'm at a loss. It is VERY frustrating!!! He marks EVERYTHING. In the beginning, we figured it was because of his "past", but we can not extinguish the behavior. My carpets are ruined. Literally. They are not allowed upstairs without one of us being in attendance, because he will mark. He is not allowed in my daughter's room or bathroom. We have had to cordon off a carpeted room downstairs and are working on the other room. Not an easy feat.
He does not 'mark' while we are home, or present. When my husband leaves in the morning, and we are still sleeping, he will mark. He has marked food dishes, he has marked every leg of our pool table. He has marked furniture. He has marked toys. You name it. I can not bring anything new in the house OR move anything we already own, because he will mark it. He also marks anything out on the deck, including the pool steps.
Harley has determined he is Alpha. He will take toys away from Loopy while we are trying to play, just to take it. Harley has stopped 'squatting' to pee and now lifts his leg high, which is a very new behavior.
We have a doggy door, so they have free access to the outside. The dogs are left home alone for about 5 or 6 hours a day. They have plenty of toys and bones. They do not fight. They do play very well.
We have had Loopy checked for UTI, which came back negative, but we treated him anyway, just in case. There is NEVER a day when I come home to no 'marking'. It's either a favorite spot or a new spot.
I use Nature's Miracle and Urine Gone, but it doesn't seem to help. The carpets are hopelessly ruined.
They both sleep in our bedroom, and he does not mark there, but then again, he is never left alone in there.
As an aside, we have had other dogs before them, both Basset mixes. They both died of old age, and had their share of accidents on the carpet, and I know there is no way their scents are totally gone.
So I don't know. We just do not know how to get rid of this behavior. I would like my house to stop smelling like dog urine. I would have hoped that the 'problem child' behavior would have been gone long before now.
Any help is greatly appreciated!
