# Raising the first boy - what should I know?



## fjm (Jun 4, 2010)

Freddy is the first male puppy in my life - even my childhood family dogs were all females. I have had male cats but they were all neutered at 6 months. So - are there differences between male and female pups I should be aware of? Tips to make adolescence easier all round? 

I can see that indoor peeing may become more complicated when he starts to lift his leg, which means aiming to transition to outside only fairly soon - he is now 14 weeks old.

Amber, the little Yorkie across the courtyard has not been spayed, and there are several other entire males in neighbouring houses, so I am aware things might get competitive, although Gus and Elton seem to manage to remain friendly through her heats.

What else do I need to be planning for?


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## Misteline (Mar 10, 2019)

fjm said:


> Freddy is the first male puppy in my life - even my childhood family dogs were all females. I have had male cats but they were all neutered at 6 months. So - are there differences between male and female pups I should be aware of? Tips to make adolescence easier all round?
> 
> I can see that indoor peeing may become more complicated when he starts to lift his leg, which means aiming to transition to outside only fairly soon - he is now 14 weeks old.


A number of members choose to discourage leg lifting and some have been able to eliminate it entirely. You just watch them closely and if they start to lift you push that little leg back down again. Eventually they get it.


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## cowpony (Dec 30, 2009)

Walks will become a little slower, as boy dogs want to sniff and then pee on so many things. It's almost guaranteed that one of the things he pees on at least once will be Sophy's head. She will to be sniffing something he thinks needs to be marked, and Oops. 

I haven't had any particular issues with aggression in my male dogs, whether intact or neutered.


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## fjm (Jun 4, 2010)

We are used to the perils of getting peed upon - Elton marks his gate when the girls are outside it, and as the gate is made of widely spaced bars the pee gets shared between them! Sophy is a dedicated sniffer - most walks are off leash which makes life so much easier. She also marks, standing balanced on her front paws to get the pee as high as possible - it would be interesting to see if Freddy could learn to only leg lift to mark and to continue to squat in the house...


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## twyla (Apr 28, 2010)

Leonard still squats in the house, though he has had his moments by running up and marking Gracie while she lay in her chair. That and any other marking was stopped because I tethered Leonard to me, he learned all fun stopped the moment he hiked his leg inside, wasn't mean just you get to sit close to momo instead of playing with his sissies.


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## fjm (Jun 4, 2010)

Sounds like much the same method I am using to discourage Freddy from teasing the other dogs - thanks Twyla, I shall aim for outdoor leg cocking only. Did you notice any big differences between raising Leonard and the girls?


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## Liz (Oct 2, 2010)

I don't suppose they make a pee pad fire hydrant for boys? Perhaps one with a back splash?


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## Skylar (Jul 29, 2016)

What do I need to know about male poodles? 😱. 🥰


Theo, my minipoo is 5.5 months. There’s a chiweenie (chihuahua dachshund mix) who is also 5.5 months old in his puppy class. This dog piddled a few times in class and the instructor said he was probably maturing and starting to mark. This reminded me that Teddy is growing up and I need to be...




www.poodleforum.com













Oh no, he lifted his leg, now I need to think about...


I know Theo, my minipoo is on the brink of teenage hood, or maybe he's already there? He's 8 months old. Today he lifted his leg to pee mark for the first time. This was outside across the street at his friend's house after he squatted to pee on our lawn. He got his first two mats, one behind...




www.poodleforum.com





I'm a few months ahead of you on raising my first male. 

What surprised me was how few drops a dog could make when marking ..... I don't mean when they have lifted and marked a million times and still lift and the tank is empty. Nope I mean I saw a puppy in class repeatedly mark over several weekly sessions mark with just a few drops of urine. If you see a small amount of liquid in the house that's unexplained, it can be marking. I drove my husband nuts for a couple of weeks looking at any and all drops or potential drops in case we had marking inside. None. Thankfully.

'Theo regularly goes to different dog training facilities either for his classes, Babykins classes or my teaching. I've also had him in numerous stores where other dogs have peed, pooped and thrown up - even nearby and he has never shown any interest in marking inside - never had a peep or poop accident either thankfully. However he is a prodigious pee marker outside. Can't go more than a few steps. Pee marking can be like a regular pee or they can lift their leg - depends on what they are marking.

I'm also thankful he never lifts his leg near doors to buildings - although we have discouraged him from post boxes - trying to stick to places his pee won't damage anything.

They do make a pee hydrant to be used with pads for indoor use - however he may just continue to squat inside if there's not high pee smell to draw his leg up.

I'm not aware if Theo has been around bitches in heat or about to go into heat. We're in a lot of training places with generally savvy dog owners, but not all are and potentially there have been, I don't know. I have no idea how he would react. He is very interested in Babykins - sniffs her butt after potty, pee marks where she peed etc. 

I have not had any humping - something else to watch for and train to decrease.


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## fjm (Jun 4, 2010)

We don't have fire hydrants in the UK - except pretend ones for dogs to pee on. Wrap your brain around that idea...!

Thanks Skylar, comments and links are very useful. It is reassuring to read that marking mostly comes down to training - I think Sophy will manage any attempts at humping firmly enough to ensure Freddy quickly learns better!


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## For Want of Poodle (Feb 25, 2019)

fjm said:


> We don't have fire hydrants in the UK - except pretend ones for dogs to pee on. Wrap your brain around that idea...!
> 
> Thanks Skylar, comments and links are very useful. It is reassuring to read that marking mostly comes down to training - I think Sophy will manage any attempts at humping firmly enough to ensure Freddy quickly learns better!


Ok now I really need to understand.... How do fire fighters put out fires without a hydrant?


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## Starla (Nov 5, 2020)

Added to the useless knowledge bank! I also have to know what you do if there’s a fire?!! I love learning things like this that make you think!


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## fjm (Jun 4, 2010)

There are hydrants, but they are underground, indicated by a small yellow metal plaque marked with a black H: https://totalsafeuk.com/what-does-a-fire-hydrant-look-like-no-really/ Some of the signs are on small concrete blocks, but they are not the pee target that they are in the USA. They are used to refill appliances from the main water supply rather than to directly power hoses.


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## twyla (Apr 28, 2010)

fjm said:


> Sounds like much the same method I am using to discourage Freddy from teasing the other dogs - thanks Twyla, I shall aim for outdoor leg cocking only. Did you notice any big differences between raising Leonard and the girls?


Other than the yikes moment when he first hiked his leg in his xpen peeing right through it, I bought a pee pad holder that has a back for boys. 








Len's urge to nark diminished after her was neutered, well that and the training I mentioned. The looks I got from my boy as I escorted him to his peeped were priceless. 
Other than that training him has been similar to all my girl's. 
Because of his early training as show dog material Len is a breeze to walk, recall is amazing, the only naughty things he does is try to get into the trash and given a chance will counter surf.


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## fjm (Jun 4, 2010)

Well, I just let Freddy out of his pen after a settle-down-time and he dashed to the front door, was escorted out to the favoured pee spot, where he angled his leg out as he peed against the stone pillar there. It may just have been that the grass was a little long and wet, but I think we may be on our way already!


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## twyla (Apr 28, 2010)

Let the adventure begin


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## Skylar (Jul 29, 2016)

Once they lift they will continue…. But they will squat too.

Theo has never lifted his leg on a fire hydrant. We have one on our property. He passes it every time he’s walked. Instead he pees on the little bush nearby. He pee marks bushes and bush like flowers. He rarely does stop signs even though Babykins always finds inspiration to pee at them.

Theo does seem to have a routine of pee marking on the same items. Freddy may make that stone pillar one of his regular spots too if you let him. I’m encouraging marking where his urine is less likely to kill off plants or damage property. I may be ignorant of gardening but I think the best is peeing against a bush where the pee falls into an area of mulch.


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## Johanna (Jun 21, 2017)

For Want of Poodle said:


> Ok now I really need to understand.... How do fire fighters put out fires without a hydrant?


We don't have fire hydrants here, either. In fact, that's generally the case for rural and semi-rural areas in the US. When there is a fire, the fire department brings water tankers. In fact, when there is a fire, all the fire departments in the area send tankers. I used to be a member of our local volunteer fire department and usually served as a tanker driver. I had to know where all water sources were within about a 15 mile radius and how to use them.


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## PeggyTheParti (Sep 5, 2019)

Interestingly, the one and only male dog I’ve had in my life did not mark at all. But my girl Gracie did. I wonder if having her in the house discouraged him from marking territory that was clearly hers?

Maybe Freddy will be similarly respectful of Sophy’s kingdom.


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## Dianaleez (Dec 14, 2019)

None of our male dogs have ever marked in the house, but we had an orange tomcat who developed dementia and marked several wooden chests in the house. That was expensive!


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## Basil_the_Spoo (Sep 1, 2020)

There was a thread a while back about red lipstick.


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## Skylar (Jul 29, 2016)

We haven’t seen Theo’s lipstick. Yet? Maybe never?

I did have to explain my cat’s lipstick to my young daughters. This cat routinely enjoyed his lipstick and my kids just saw it normal once they understood the cat wasn’t sick.


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## fjm (Jun 4, 2010)

Lipsticks I can cope with - I had a male pony once. I have to admit to slight shock the first time he utterly relaxed...


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## Puppy Love (Aug 10, 2015)

Neither of my male toys ever marked in the house. I used a tray with high walls like the one in the link with a pad laid inside when they were young. Both learned to squat indoors and both hiked their legs outdoors. They didn't use the pee peg, they are removable. 









Pet Dog Toilet Puppy Potty Urinal Lavatory Basin Pee Training Tray Pad Plastic | eBay


Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Pet Dog Toilet Puppy Potty Urinal Lavatory Basin Pee Training Tray Pad Plastic at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!



www.ebay.com


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## Dechi (Aug 22, 2015)

Misteline said:


> A number of members choose to discourage leg lifting and some have been able to eliminate it entirely. You just watch them closely and if they start to lift you push that little leg back down again. Eventually they get it.


I would be very hesitant to suppress this type of natural behavior in a dog. It’s a very important way to communicate for them. Some dogs never lift their leg and that’s fine. But those who do, do it for a reason.


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## Mfmst (Jun 18, 2014)

Buck squats or lifts outside, depending on the terrain. Lifting is not a deal breaker or even an issue if it’s outside. I agree males want to mark everything on walks, pee mail. That’s why we always walked with a leash. In the US most dogs are neutered and leashes are required by every local ordinances. Buck is a yard dog on 4 acres. ( I had so many near death experiences with my last Scottie, walking in the neighborhood so we stay inside the yard.) Humping with males can be an issue, but that’s sorted with training. My guys were never humpers, thank goodness. A neutered male and and an unaltered male are likely to have problems. My last Scottie was not neutered and he was a target, because every other male here has been desexed. 

In my last neighborhood, I had a nice neighbor with a very adorable and spoiled, male Havanese. She had all of these paper towels at the corners of everything in her house, because she did no training whatsoever. Fidel ruled like his namesake.


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## Rose n Poos (Sep 22, 2017)

I'm adding just a few personal experiences. Remo and Neo are my first boys too.

As young puppies and til almost a year old, they were fascinated with each others boy bits, lots of sniffing and licking going on. Remo was the primary brotherhumper but Neo was happy to reciprocate. This stopped a month or so before they were neutered, at a bit over a year old.

To my knowledge, the only times there was indoor marking, it was Remo, we were visiting out of town, once was about 6m, the other was about 7m, and probably only coincidental, a girl dog was present each time.

It almost seemed to me that they were unknowingly teaching each other to raise their leg to pee when outside by sticking their noses under to sniff, literally causing the recipient to raise his leg. That happened before 6m but I don't remember how much before.

Remo also had his lipstick stuck out for quite a while when even younger. Poor boy, looked so confused. I'd read something in passing before this happened so I knew to give it some time to see if it retracted on it's own. It hadn't in about an hour so I saw that his hair around the shaft had drawn in and was keeping the lipstick from retracting. Some water and applying something like a finger trap technique got that resolved. This has recurred over the years when the hair gets to a certain length so I just try to keep them both manscaped.

It's funny how so much of the differences for us first time boy owners are about peeing and the apparatus .


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## fjm (Jun 4, 2010)

I suppose I am so used to dealing with female heats that I hardly have to think about them, especially as they only come around every 6 months or so. Dealing with potential shenanigans every day of the year definitely means forewarned is forearmed! And I was not aware of the non-retracting hairy lipstick issue, which sounds decidedly uncomfortable. 

Freddy is trying a little puppy humping but is easily discouraged and redirected to a tug toy - much more easily than Sophy, whose tummy is itchy with milk and considers humping my arm the best way of relieving it. All part of life's rich tapestry...


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## Minie (Oct 4, 2021)

With the exception of two, I have always had male dogs. Only one (an adorable but unintelligent basset hound) marked indoors. Luca squats to relieve himself the moment we go out if he has been alone for hours. The rest of our walk, he lifts his leg to mark. He is trained not to mark on parked cars, bikes, doorways and steps. But that is just because I think it disrespectful towards people's property. 
Marking and lifting is important and natural behaviour, but there is nothing wrong in teaching the dog what is the acceptable place when you live in a city. Thankfully poodles are so intelligent that it really isn't hard if you are consistent.


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