I have been watching and rewatching the leerburg videos. In "dealing with dominant and aggressive dogs" Ed says not to let your dog mark too many times on walks. You choose when and where he goes to the bathroom. How do you enact this? Do you make a correction when he marks without being told?

Hi Kevin, welcome to the board.

I'm not sure about all males, but most that I know put a lot of "thought" into where they're marking - sniffing, teeth chattering, positioning their body juuust so up against the target... If you march along with your dog at your side, he shouldn't be able to start even step one of that whole process without you noticing, and urging him on with a simple "AH-AH" or other voice cue, or leash tug. If he's gotten to the point where he's already got his leg up and is peeing, it's too late. Distract or correct at the first sign of interest, not in the middle of the deed.

~Natalya

Is this only an issue with males? I have a 5 month old female APBT mix. She hasn't really shown any signs of dominance but just trying to put into practice what Ed is saying.

I think I am doing well establishing myself as the pack leader. I try to do the "Nothing in Life is Free" approach and make sure she does a command before food, attention, going outside ect.

The only thing I do notice is that sometimes when she is very comfortable in her crate or in a dog bed and I go to pick her up she will make a little growling noise. It is hard to tell if it is a growl or more of a grumpy little moan for being moved. Is this a problem that I should correct for or nothing to worry about.

I have a female that would mark everywhere outside if I let her. When she is in heat she will actually lift her leg to pee. When we go for "runs" off leash in a secure area, she is free to pee wherever. When we walk on leash through the neighborhood, she must maintain a loose leash and walk with me, not in front and we stop when I stop and let them go.

As for the growling, I have never had to deal with this, but I will tell you what I would do. If she is sleeping or comfy let her be. If she is not wanting to be picked up all the time, I would resort to marker training to build up her confidence in being picked up.

So maybe start with kneeling beside her, then mark and reward for calm submissive behavior...maybe try this after a long walk or exercise session. Then when she is good, move onto kneeling beside her while touching her back, then to putting your arm under her, then move to lifting her an inch, then a foot, then all the way. When you can lift her all the way with no reaction, make sure you "party down" afterwards so she knows that being picked up without growling earns her a lot of affection!

The key is to be patient, marker training sessions short and frequent, and let the dog tell you with her body language that she is ready to move on.