Urine marking, when a dog (usually a male) leaves a small amount of urine around the house, differs from house-training problems. It establishes the dog's territory and may occur even after he seems to have completely relieved himself outdoors. Neutering a male almost always eliminates all inside marking and diminishes the frequency of outside marking, too. If a dog is neutered early enough, marking can usually be prevented altogether. Spaying a female, on the other hand, has little effect. To quash this annoying behavior keep your dog on a leash in the house so you can correct any initial moves toward marking. Always thoroughly clean and deodorize any marked areas.

Dogs may also attempt to mount humans, although it is not clear why they do this.

• Keep the dog on-lead for control, say: "No!"
  
• When the behavior occurs immediately isolate the dog for a few minutes.
  
• Avoid touching him, as this rewards him and reinforces the behavior.
  
• Then command him to sit, reward compliance and play with him.

Followed consistently, this routine should reduce or extinguish the behavior.

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