Quote Originally Posted by .sarah
Sue - Kaige isn't neutered right? Have you had problems with him marking?

In general aren't larger dogs supposed to start marking around 12-18 months? I hope to neuter Buck around then, but I have to avoid marking because I'm getting ready to plant two gardens in my backyard!

You are correct, Kaige is still in-tact. He has not had one single behavioral issue associated with being in-tact, as of yet. ~~knocks on wood~~

He does not mark at all. He will stop ALL the time to smell where other dogs go but hasn't once pee'd where they pee or the like. He has also never lifted his leg yet either. And he's 9 months old, well in a few days he will be anyways.


I have always heard that males start marking when they hit puberty, no matter what breed or size, which is usually between 4-9 months or so. Like you said though, it's generally speaking. I'll have to do some further re-search on it & see what I find.

In my personal experience I usually see male dogs starting to mark around 6-12 months of age.
I also personally think that a lot of it has to do with what the dogs overall behavior is like, what they are exposed to & how they are trained. Like for ex. a more laid back, friendly dog tends to mark later on in life if at all, one who is laid back BUT is exposed to other dogs marking may pick up on the habit a little sooner. A more aggressive dog or one who has to compete over food, shelter, attention, toys etc... usually starts to mark earlier, even if they are lower ranking in the pack. Some shy/reserved dogs may start marking earlier & some may start later, it really depends on why they are shy to begin with. Like with Raustyk (yes she's a girl but she marks like crazy) is shy because she was abused, she was already lifting her leg & marking when I first got her at 6 months of age. My friends dog who is shy because he just isn't socialized that often (a 4 year old in tact male ) and he hasn't marked a day in his life & has also never lifted his leg.