As soon as you see him preparing to pee, give him the command to lift his leg. If he does, reward him with treats. You may have to do this for a few weeks before he will simply lift his leg each time he pees without the need for a command. Be patient and it will happen.
Even if you don't have a working dog, if you want to keep the vertical surfaces around your home and yard clean, you can encourage your pup to not lift their legs to pee. Keeping young male pups away from vertical surfaces when they urinate can help prevent them from starting the leg-lifting behavior.
Sexual maturity seems to be the point when most male dogs begin hiking their leg when peeing. For smaller dogs, sexual maturity can come earlier than with larger dogs. Also, if a male dog is neutered before he reaches maturity, he may never develop the habit of lifting his leg to urinate.
Male dogs start lifting their leg to urinate when they are approximately 6-12 months old. Both neutered and non-neutered dogs will lift their legs, but it is more common for a neutered dog to squat.
Interrupt Your Dog in the Act
If you catch your dog in the act of marking, try startling them with a noise (such as clapping your hands or dropping keys on the floor) to disrupt the process. As with any type of dog training, it may take time to teach your dog not to mark in the house.
If you do catch them in the act of marking, you should make a loud noise to startle them and then take them outside and reward the correct behavior. If you do not catch your dog in the act and find the accident later, then it is extremely important that you do not punish your dog.
Use an Enzymatic Cleaner to Stop Marking Inside
Use an enzymatic cleaner to get rid of all stains and odor, and prevent them from using a certain spot as their 'go-to' marking area. Preventing them from smelling their own urine is a simple way how to stop a dog from marking in the house.
Dogs are said to lift their hind legs in a “racehorse” stance because that stance makes it easier for them to direct their pee onto a vertical surface. That allows their scent to linger for longer than it would on a flat soil surface.
Its generally a matter of anatomy and the way a dog is formed. Some male dogs pee is just naturally "aimed" towards it's front legs. I've even seen some dogs accidentally pee on their belly and front legs. His owners kept baby wipes on them at all times for incidents like that.
Urine-marking is most often associated with male dogs, but females may do it, too. Leg-lifting is the primary way of marking, but even if your pet does not lift his leg, he may still be marking. The amount of urine is small and is found primarily on vertical surfaces, but dogs do sometimes mark on horizontal surfaces.
An age of six to nine months of age may be appropriate for neutering or spaying a toy breed puppy or small breed puppy but a larger or giant breed may need to wait until they are near or over 12-18 months of age.
Licking is a natural and instinctive behaviour to dogs. For them it's a way of grooming, bonding, and expressing themselves. Your dog may lick you to say they love you, to get your attention, to help soothe themselves if they're stressed, to show empathy or because you taste good to them!
For dogs: While the traditional age for neutering is six to nine months, healthy puppies as young as eight weeks old can be neutered. Dogs can be neutered as adults as well, although there's a slightly higher risk of post-operative complications in older dogs, dogs that are overweight or dogs that have health problems.
Approximately 60% of dogs who lift their legs and are neutered later in life will stop lifting their leg after neutering. Dogs neutered before they ever leg lift will likely never leg lift. In addition to the physical factors, this behavior might be related to complex canine social issues.
Social changes, such as a new dog in the neighborhood, a new person in the home, or a change in the relationship with another dog or person within the home, can trigger marking. Dogs mark to label their territory. Dogs may also mark to communicate anxiety or frustration.
Your dog may be peeing in unwanted spots to mark their territory, or it could be submissive urination, in which a dog pees as a response to fear or anxiety. Before doing anything else, take your dog to the veterinarian to rule out any medical causes for the behavior.
While urinary incontinence is rare in male dogs, it is most common in neutered males. Female dogs often urinate a few drops in their sleep, enough to wet the fur but not enough to wet the bedding. It may not be enough urine to bother you, but it is enough to make your dog prone to urinary tract infections.
They will be repelled by the smell and generally will back away from the source of such an obnoxious nostril intake. Dog owners have been known to use Vicks as a deterrent to prevent dogs from marking or soiling areas of the house.
Vinegar. Just like citrus, dogs cannot stand the smell of vinegar. It seems that a dog's heightened sense of smell is not keen on acidic smells, vinegar being another very acidic substance.
Not only will a vinegar and water solution eliminate urine odor if your dog has already peed on the rug, but it will also deter them from urinating on the same carpet again. The acidic smell of vinegar is known to repel dogs from peeing on area rugs as they do not like the smell of vinegar.
According to several studies, the main behaviors that are affected consistently in male dogs following neutering (I guess I am being politically correct now) include: decreased sexual behavior (primarily, mounting behavior), urine marking (depositing urine on objects), and roaming.
Treatment: Things to do:
When the dog submissively urinates, ignore it. Scolding will make things worse, as well as acknowledging the dog with praise may confuse it. Use treats rather than physical praise, such as petting.
Methods such as alpha rolls and physical corrections (via the leash and a choke chain or by smacking the dog on the nose or by shaking their scruffs) were often recommended as a way for humans to establish dominance over their dogs.
Neutering, or castration, is the surgical removal of the testicles. Removing the testicles removes the primary source of testosterone in the body, resulting in changes in sex drive, hormone-related behaviors, and hormone-related health concerns.