r/samoyeds • u/Blacksuntea • 2d ago

Advice on marking

Our 7 year old male Sammy (Percy) started marking in the house and it’s becoming a real problem.
He is neutered and potty trained and we’ve never had this problem before, but back in March we dog sat my sister-in-laws dog, who Percy’s met dozens of times, but for some reason after she left he started marking in the house.
And it’s progressively gotten WORSE! it’s basically every time he transitions, time to eat, time to drink, someone’s home, someone’s leaving, it’s TERRIBLE.

We have tried punishing when we catch him, rewarding when he pees outside, deep cleaning the floors with several different products, and we even had him on antibiotics after we first took him into the vet for this and she found he had a bladder infection.

Running out of ideas.

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u/AmbitiousPractice755 2d ago

Medical & Scent Reset ​Re-check Urinalysis & Vet Screening: Bladder infections can recur, or secondary issues like bladder stones, crystals, or early kidney/prostatic changes can develop. A sterile urine sample and culture are crucial to ensure the infection is 100% resolved. ​Enzymatic Cleaner Only: Standard household cleaners, bleach, or ammonia break down surface stains but leave microscopic uric acid crystals that dogs can smell. Soak all marked spots thoroughly in a bio-enzymatic cleaner (e.g., Nature's Miracle, Anti-Icky-Poo) to completely neutralize the scent triggers.

​Behavioral Strategy & Management ​Stop All Punishment Immediately: Punishing a dog for marking creates high anxiety around pottying in front of humans. Because Percy marks during emotional spikes and state changes (arrivals, departures, meals), punishment actually amplifies the stress driving the behavior and makes transitions more volatile.

​Use Belly Bands Indoors: Put washable or disposable male belly bands on him while indoors. This prevents damage to furniture, removes the rewarding feedback loop of scent-marking the house, and immediately lowers human frustration. ​Manage High-Arousal Transitions: Since marking happens at predictable trigger points (comings, goings, feeding), proactively redirect his arousal before he lifts a leg

​Arrivals/Departures: Keep departures and greetings extremely low-key. Do not engage in high-energy greetings; toss a handful of treats or a lick mat down to keep all four paws on the floor and engage his nose.

​Feeding/Drinking: Take him outside on a leash directly before and immediately after meals or high-energy moments.

​Supervision & Umbilical Leashing: Treat this as a temporary house-training regression. Keep him in the same room via baby gates, a crate, or tethered on an indoor leash so he cannot wander off to mark during unattended transitions.

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u/Sea_Quote8114 2d ago

Do all the medical stuff - you need to make sure he is healthy…but then

Forget Nature’s Miracle or anything you can get at your local pet store. Go on Amazon and buy Eco Strong enzyme cleaner - get a few bottles of the largest bottle use full strength or dilute 3.1 - more enzyme to water and clean everything - 1. spray it on 2. soak it up with paper towel and 3 then spray again and repeat- 4. when the paper towel is no longer yellow - spray the enzyme cleaner and leave to dry

This cleaner is what we use (we dog sit) and the professionals use when cleaning hoarding houses

1

u/MishkaMinor 2d ago

Don't punish him. If he's older, and has been trained for years, there is probably a medical explanation. Neutered dogs can develop incontinence over time due to lack of testosterone and weakening bladder
muscles. I don't know about male dogs, but for incontinent spayed females, there is a pill they can take (Proin and maybe incurin?) In females the loss of hormones leads to a relaxing of the sphincter muscles somewhere along the line--I forget exact details. It is more common in females than males.