Training for Male Dogs

How It All Began

My work as an animal behaviorist involves going to the homes of people who have problems with their pets and designing a training program to resolve those problems.

 I was called to the home of Pat and Russ Stephens on September 4, 1993.  They wanted me to help them break their 13-year old male poodle, Cocoa, of marking in the house.  Marking is when a male dog urinates on an object to leave his mark or scent.  This is quite different from urinating because of a full bladder.  I learned that Cocoa had this problem most of his life.  His favorite place to mark was in the living room, particularly when no one was home, but he also would mark all over the house even when people were at home.  Pat had tried everything she could to control him, but nothing worked.  She couldn't leave him outside, because he would bark and disturb the neighbors, and she thought Cocoa was too small to wear a bark collar.  She definitely did not like the idea of debarking him.  If he were shut in a crate, Cocoa would become hysterical, so that was not an option.  If he were closed in a room, he would destroy it.  If he were confined with a dog gate, he would jump it.  She decided she would just have to live with the problem, and she did until she remarried.  It was Russ, her new husband, who said, "We're calling a dog trainer!"

 It was my job to find a solution for Pat and Russ that would not upset Cocoa and would also get results.  That meant we had to let Cocoa run free while stopping the inappropriate marking.  It was then that the idea occurred to me to fold a paper towel, place it against his penis, and wrap an Ace bandage around him to hold the paper towel in place. The Stephens loved the idea.  There would be no more urine around the house, and Cocoa would have his freedom.  We designed a schedule for when Cocoa would wear the wrap and also reviewed other strategies and techniques such as deodorizing (about which you will learn shortly).  The results were remarkable.  Cocoa quit marking after urinating in the wrap only three times in the first two days he wore it.  Once he realized that the only thing he marked was himself, he quit.  What was even more remarkable was that in less that one-month Cocoa no longer needed the wrap.  The results achieved with the wrap and Cocoa's other training contributed to a happier dog for the remainder of his life.  Since that time, I have found this method of training to be invaluable in a variety of situations.

I found, as I experimented with this method, that the regular elastic support bandage, which was held together with clips, was difficult to use.  The support bandage has so much elasticity in it that it is not very absorbent which is necessary for our purposes.  I do not recommend securing the wrap with clips or safety pins.  It could result in puncture wounds or an even more life-threatening situation if your dog swallows one.

 I have improved on the design, written this lesson plan, and am proud to introduce you to MarkOut^®.

Read Pat's follow up about Cocoa a year and a half later!

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