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Pee pee dilema...the leg lifting (marking scenario)


anniegirl

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Hey!

So I was short listed for a little girl Cairn, but alas, offered a male pup in 6 weeks. That is still good news, I love the little rascals.! My only hesitancy was of course, my last guy, had a compulsion which he never got rid of. I got him at 6 months and had him neutered soon after, but the marking on anything on the floor, peoples furniture when visiting, on someones backpack at the beach...you get my drift...

I was always on high alert mode and I am hoping this time I can get a handle on it before it becomes his MO. My friend has a lovely little male terrier cross who we sit often and the little guy has never ever peed or lifted his leg in my house. So I know they don't all do it.

Any thought or advice will be welcome. 

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Annie you have to treat leg lifting just like any normal house breaking issues. Sam is intact, is 4yrs old this year and does not mark in the house. When he was about 8months he started marking the curtains so when I saw this I told him no and shuffled him outside, praising him when he did this out side. Within a week he stopped, I washed my curtains and that was that. That is my personal experience.

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Until one has loved an animal, a part of  one's soul remains unawakened.  - Anatole France

Adventures with Sam &Rosie

 

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I don't why some boys are better (or worse) than others. Our old Haggis wore pants (belly bands) his whole life but he was intact and had been bred so had plenty of opinions and wrote many 'letters to the editor' via pee mail. I am terrified to jinx it but Dundee (currently 10) has been fantastic his entire life and Elroy (short of two) has been trouble-free as well. Fingers crossed. Both are neutered, although marking is not necessarily related. 

I suspect your new boy will charm your socks off. 

Edited to add (posted while I was typing) I think @Sam I Am has it. The hard part is if they are sneaky you still have to catch them at it in order to interrupt, correct, and give them the opportunity to succeed. A few 'misses' can undo training, so vigilance is vital.

Edited by bradl
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Both my males never marked at home, but did so everywhere else, so as a precaution, they always wore belly bands whenever we visited friends and relatives.

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FEAR THE CAIRN!

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None of the cairn boys I have had (three so far, including the two currently in our home) mark in the house.  Like Brad's pup, they do spread their mark far and away on our walks, and I do allow them to dawdle, sniff, and lift legs to their hearts' desire then. (Walks with Mom are for investigation; walks with Dad are for obedience training -- they do understand the difference.) If I have not paid attention and our older cairn, Oban, needs to go out, he will seek me out frantically to let me know, and bark his little head off to make sure I understand him. I guess I am really fortunate...We are diligent in our training, but I think personality also accounts for their good habits. But training is sooooo important!

Regarding a little boy cairn -- I think you will be really happy with a little male. Ours have always been neutered (girls too), but generally I have found the boys to be much more interested in cuddling, sitting in my lap or by me in a chair, and seeking me out if I sit down on the couch to enjoy a book in the afternoon sun.  Oban in particular (now almost eight) is my constant companion -- I picked him up from the breeder the day after I retired, and he is with me almost around the clock. Such good company in the time of covid! Our younger guy, a rescue from Cairn Rescue USA (great folks, by the way), is about two, and still is a little puppy crazy (these dogs seem to mature slowly). But even he will join Oban and me if I sit down to read, and loves spending an hour or two in my lap. 

Puppies are sooo much fun...and of course a lot of work too. Please post photos of your little one when you get him -- we all seem puppy-crazy here, and love seeing the new pups in particular.  Congrats on your new addition!

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Angus was neutered at six months. For months he wore a belly band when out to visit. He became reliable at home but it took a while when elsewhere.

 

 

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With Spike, it's been more like a situation of relapse and recovery, though so far, we've been able to get him back on track when he starts slipping up.  They get three walks each day-- the morning walk is the big one, the evening walk is usually between a quarter and a half mile.  He can go six or eight weeks with no accident... then he'll start trying to mark in places that I don't see.  

Once I catch him, I do correct him afterwards, though not vigorously.  This may sound crazy, but I call him over, I gently but firmly explain that I'm very disappointed-- I never yell-- and make him watch me clean it up.  As someone here posted-- it might have been Sam-- I do think Cairns feel guilt, and I think he knows exactly what the deal is.  After that, I patrol the entire house for accidents, and if I find any, I draw his attention to them and make him watch me clean up.

The other key thing that I discovered with my older Bichon who passed away last year-- if you have a yard, they will often let you know if they need to go.  You just have to really watch for anything unusual about their behavior.  Spike will sometimes go to the door-- though sometimes only briefly, so blink and you miss it.  I always reward successful attempts at communication.  Sometimes they show other cues.  When Zippy, the Bichon, woke up in the middle of the night, his posture told me whether he needed to go out, or if he was just thirsty-- kidney trouble-- in which case, I'd grab a handy bowl of water and give him a drink so he didn't need to jump off the bed.  (And I didn't need to get up, or even wake up, really.)

The problem is, once Spike gets outside?  Suddenly sniffing around the barbecue or chasing bugs becomes much more interesting.  If I wait long enough, yeah, he'll usually pee-- and if he pees right away, I praise him and reward him if the treat bag is handy.  

It's not a great system, but he does seem to get back on track.
 

Edited by Catalyzt
Kept hitting shift-return by accident, then added more specifics.
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yes, i think it is wise to never assume a cairn won't understand. make it plain when you are hurt and when you are disappointed. they hear the voice, they understand the actions. 

i read with a start that Dundee is 10...

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  • 3 months later...

I’ve just read through this thread, and am grateful, as always, to find that there are already answers to questions I’m about to ask. We are thinking of getting another puppy, and I’m tempted to get a male this time. My one hesitation is that I know the guys can mark, and would hate to have to deal with belly bands at home. Taking that extra precaution at a hotel or someone else’s house is doable, but not something I want to deal with all of the time. It sounds like a bit of a gamble, but I’m glad to know that many boys learn not to mark in the house. 

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hey! Just wanted to say that I have had other male dogs in my house,  for visits..and they have never marked in my house. 

You just never know.

Good luck with your decision

 

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