A dog that's peeing in inappropriate places is simply not housebroken. Back up to housebreaking 101.

Housebreaking a dog is about confinement, direct supervision, and taking them to the appropriate place to pee on a frequent schedule so that you can "catch" them doing it correctly and then rewarding.

Any mistakes made are the fault of the human for not following the routine long enough to ingrain the behavior. IMO, punishing a dog for peeing will just teach him to never pee in front of you (he'll just sneak off and do it on the back of the couch). Instead, the dog should happily want to pee in your presence, in the correct place, because you're standing right there, giving him the command word to do so, and praising him for it.

Doesn't matter to me whether it's a few squirts as a mark or a full bladder release--any pee in the wrong place means the dog isn't housebroken and has more freedom than he has earned.

 Quote: Elizabeth Anderson

But how would you tell if a female was dominant?

Marking everything does equal dominance as I said before in a post. Dominance is in the dogs temperament, like drive, its genetic. Dominant dogs are very confident, they expect to be in charge, they don't lead by aggression...its a huge subject to get into, there's articles and threads on here about it.

A lot of marking behavior is just lack of house breaking, insecurity not dominance (anxious dogs mark)....EITHER WAY do NOT wait to fix this. Do it now, don't wait for convenience! Crate him, tie him to you, do not allow it! If you're reluctant to correct this then there is likely lack of leadership elsewhere. You said he's hard to correct for his size, size is not a factor in correcting a dog. No matter the size, same principles apply. Keep talking to us here, we'll help you.

Beautiful dog BTW!

Few things work as well, and work to correct a range of problems, as tethering a dog to you. Tie a 6-foot leash to your belt and put the dog on the other end. Housebreaking, leadership, attention, simple heeling, bonding--it works for all those issues. Any time the dog isn't tied to you, he's in his crate. Problem solved. He can't pee, chew, fight, wander off, or ignore you at the end of a tether.

 Quote: Tracy Collins

A dog that's peeing in inappropriate places is simply not housebroken. Back up to housebreaking 101. .... Doesn't matter to me whether it's a few squirts as a mark or a full bladder release--any pee in the wrong place means the dog isn't housebroken and has more freedom than he has earned.

HUGE ditto.

100% handler error. That's good news, because it means 100% handler-fixable.

And this is golden advice:

 Quote: Tracy Collins

Few things work as well, and work to correct a range of problems, as tethering a dog to you. Tie a 6-foot leash to your belt and put the dog on the other end. Housebreaking, leadership, attention, simple heeling, bonding--it works for all those issues. Any time the dog isn't tied to you, he's in his crate. Problem solved. He can't pee, chew, fight, wander off, or ignore you at the end of a tether.

 Quote: Elizabeth Anderson

Thanks everyone...

I guess I am going to have to tackle this problem later if it has to be complete confinement...

Tether him to you. "Later" is NOT a good term for training issues.

Just some input on the unneutered issue. Tanka is going on 3, not neutered. I spent about 2 months straight with him having to pee, it seemed, every 10 minutes, then it got better and better very quickly, and he is wonderfully housebroken, and has been since he was a puppy.

Tanka is a pet for all intended purposes but I don't want to take all his testosterone away for joint/health issues, so I have not neutered. Every day I wonder if that is a mistake.

I allow him to lift his leg, but I have recently begun teaching him he cannot when I say so, like on a neighbor's shrub on a walk. He is learning that very well. He is a BIG marker. Giving him nothing to pee on does not keep HIM from hiking, he will hike in the grass if there is nothing to pee on. Only very seldom does he go out for the "before bed pee" and squat, and he seems to give me a sheepish look while he does it, although I know that is not so.

Really bad idea to let it go for longer. An ingrained behavior is sooo much harder to break than one that you nip in the bud.if you are building a camoer, take him with you, and restrain him there. I try to keep Tanka with me as often as possible. I tame along some extra patience, and allow soem extra time to get the job done. You get the added benefit of the dog learning to behave with different things going on and in different situations. Best thing is that the problem gets solved right now, and doesn't take as much time and effort as it will later. Best of luck!!

Julie

I totally agree that "later" is not a good term in dog training... Problem is that I have WAY to much going on right now. I have been trying but with all the responsibility's that I have to my folks and other dogs and, and, and.... I am feeling REALLY overwhelmed. I am just not able to do the whole job, I work on it but miss something. Thanks for your understanding and help.

A steer sleeps under a tree in the shade: an adolescent bull tries to push the tree over. It is not all that different with a dog, in my view. Testosterone makes a fella "always wanting to be doing something". Without it, the animal, whatever the species, tends to act more like a retired gentleman, comfortable with good food and sports on TV.
Castration does limit the potential of a dog, because it removes drive, and perhaps has negative influence on orthopedic soundness. OTOH, realistically, some huge doggy-dogs intact are just too much for folks to cope with. For these dogs, castration +training can keep them in their homes, with their families, for a long and happy life.
So, if your dog just gets to be "too much" despite your training efforts, I'd encourage you to keep an open mind about castration, and not to consider it a "failure" on your part should you go that route, but a reasonable management decision leading to a more peaceful home for the long term.

Betty, I am considering that to be about my post as well even if it is not. I have been wanting to start a post on hormone replacement in dogs. If I have some extra time today, i think I will, so as not to hijack this thread. I would love to discuss it. J

Betty, are you talking neutered young vs neutered later having that effect? If they're neutered before maturity that's going happen. Just like a stallion or bull is lively and muscular, gelding or tender steer is not in comparison. I see the same in dogs...particularly is they do it young or don't keep up the exercise. So they are easier to manage.

My question is, if a dog is too much, why did they pick THAT breed? I know I'm preaching the the choir here. I look at that as the same logic as charging something on your card because you don't have the money for it...if you don't have the energy or means for the breed, just get something else, get a cat, a fish.

Oops is guess this thread is kind of hijacked. Sorry Elizabeth, any questions will still get answered. Sorry you're overwhelmed right now, that's frustrating, hang in there.

One more thing, I wonder if for some instead of totally neutering them, what if they left one nad or one ovary, I wonder what effect that would have. I have heard of it being done to preserve health and has some of the other benefits too, so they say.