51. Urine-marking male Chihuahua
"Anything vertical will do," the Chihuahua owner laughed. "Garbage bins, trees, lamp posts and edge of walls of the void deck...
"When he is home alone when we work, he urine marks in 3 spots in the living and dining areas. He sprays urine on the leg of the dining table."
"How about the beds in the bedroom?" I asked.
"No."
"Urine marking makes the apartment smelly over time. The owners cannot smell the stench of urine because their noses are not sensitive anymore. Friends will not want to visit you after a while."
This is not a toilet training problem. Neutering the male Chihuahua at 6 months of age will likely stop the urine-marking habit. Now he is one year old. It may still be possible. Likely solutions if you don't want to neuter the male dog are:
* exercise downstairs every evening even though you may be tired from work. Morning exercise is not possible as the owners can't make the time. The owners said that the dog will start to urine mark if he is not exercise outdoors.
* neutralise the urine marked areas with white vinegar:water 1:3 so that the dog can't smell the area to urine mark. But this may not solve the problem.
* distract him from urine marking by offering him attention or reward. But he only urine marks when the owners are at work. So, not a practical suggestion!
Small breeds like the Chihuahua gets away with urine marking because their urine pool is small. Chihuahuas can also be trained easily not to urine mark.
"Well, there is one way to prevent urine-marking," I said. "One owner told me a very effective method. The male dog must not be exercised near any vertical object outdoors and not to see other male dogs urine marking!
"I can suggest that you confine him to the kitchen area when he is home alone. He may urine-mark your kitchen cabinets. Try and train him not to urine mark in the living and dining area as visitors can smell the accumulated stench of urine."
I don't know what suggestion he would accept. Daily exercise is still the best alternative. But Singaporeans work 12 hours a day. It is a dog-eat-dog world nowadays. So, it is difficult for people to exercise the dog daily.
"When he is home alone when we work, he urine marks in 3 spots in the living and dining areas. He sprays urine on the leg of the dining table."
"How about the beds in the bedroom?" I asked.
"No."
"Urine marking makes the apartment smelly over time. The owners cannot smell the stench of urine because their noses are not sensitive anymore. Friends will not want to visit you after a while."
This is not a toilet training problem. Neutering the male Chihuahua at 6 months of age will likely stop the urine-marking habit. Now he is one year old. It may still be possible. Likely solutions if you don't want to neuter the male dog are:
* exercise downstairs every evening even though you may be tired from work. Morning exercise is not possible as the owners can't make the time. The owners said that the dog will start to urine mark if he is not exercise outdoors.
* neutralise the urine marked areas with white vinegar:water 1:3 so that the dog can't smell the area to urine mark. But this may not solve the problem.
* distract him from urine marking by offering him attention or reward. But he only urine marks when the owners are at work. So, not a practical suggestion!
Small breeds like the Chihuahua gets away with urine marking because their urine pool is small. Chihuahuas can also be trained easily not to urine mark.
"Well, there is one way to prevent urine-marking," I said. "One owner told me a very effective method. The male dog must not be exercised near any vertical object outdoors and not to see other male dogs urine marking!
"I can suggest that you confine him to the kitchen area when he is home alone. He may urine-mark your kitchen cabinets. Try and train him not to urine mark in the living and dining area as visitors can smell the accumulated stench of urine."
I don't know what suggestion he would accept. Daily exercise is still the best alternative. But Singaporeans work 12 hours a day. It is a dog-eat-dog world nowadays. So, it is difficult for people to exercise the dog daily.
posted by Photography by Sing Kong Yuen | 3:17 PM
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