I have a 12 week old female Chessie. She has shown some dominant traits. I believe I have done an ok to good job of socializing at this point. The question I have is about when I take her anywhere or even around my house she squatts and marks quite a bit. Like 2-3 second intervals up to 5-6 differnt times in differnet spots. is this a dominant thing? I have read you should be consistant and bring her back to the same place where she does her business. Is this a valid concern?

Thanks and appreciate any feed back.

Hi,
Have you ruled out a urinary tract infection? Some young Chessie females are very prone to these. The most obvious symptom is lots of small urinations.

It is also true that many Chessie bitches will mark to establish their territory and/or dominance, but I would take a container worth of fresh urine to a vet for lab work before starting any behavioural modification.

Claire

Sorry, don't think it's a dominance issue - I have had a couple of dominant females - neither of which marked territory till they were over 2 yrs of age.......I would take her to the vet and see if she has a UTI....

Juli

I too agree with Claire and Juli. A 12 week old pup doesn't have the smarts yet to show dominance. Have her checked out for a bladder infection (UTI) which is a common occurance in pups!