problem. Mine is a chihuahua mix. I crate him more, and may buy him a diaper if he doesn't stop. The pet store owner recommended the diaper.

I think its just temporary, until he gets used to the changes. I've had friends who medicated their pets for anxiety, but I wouldn't do it. Doggie diapers would be my advice.

Someone for him to boss around? Just a guess and maybe not what you'd want to hear.

and I agree, it has to stop. I don't have answers, but it is odd to me that it is marking on "outerwear". That sounds to me like it means there are scents on the coats/whatever that he wants to re-mark. Since dogs have such sensitive noses, you probably have no idea what it is. But he smells it. Are you around other animals while you are out of the house? Has he met these other animals?

Have you tried sprays that are used to repel dogs? Sprayed on the outerwear? Have you talked to the vet? It seems to me that this is really odd since it has just started after that much time with you. It could be changes in your household, but I think that it is saying something more since it is marking on outerwear only. Your dog is telling you something, but I don't know what that is.

I haven't talked to the vet yet. This started pretty recently. Some of the coats and jackets in question would have other animal scents and others wouldn't. None are new smells, though. At least not that I know of. My sister has a horse and spends time at a barn with horses and dogs and cats all around and he has hit up her jackets, but she's been going there since long before we got the dog. It is just coats and jackets. We first noticed because when we come in we tend to just hang a jacket on the back of the kitchen chair at least for a while. Well, we did. We don't do that anymore, of course. But it doesn't seem to make a difference. It can be jackets you only wear to work or the horsey ones.

One other thing about Franklin is that he doesn't like people to leave. It's not that he exhibits separation anxiety once we're gone. The dogs aren't really left alone much as my husband is retired and home, but when we are all out at once there's no sign that anything goes on while we're out except a lot of sleeping. But he might just try to prevent us from leaving in the first place. Also guests. He doesn't like them getting away either. He'll put himself between us and the door and make noises that could be construed as alarming if you're not used to them. Never had a dog do that before. That's not new. He started doing that as soon as he felt a bit at home here. It's not hard to deal with and it's easy to make him stop it. We do try to have him out of the area when guests who don't know him are trying to exit. Unless we don't really want the guests back again.

He also gets upset when large objects are removed from the house. Anything the size of luggage or bigger going out upsets him. I know that he was surrendered by his first family because they had to move and couldn't find a rental that took dogs. I'm guessing he was still with them when they started moving the stuff out. Anyway, today, so far, haven't found anything.

It must be very hard on him to have those feelings of being deserted. Although I would not want to tolerate the marking, that breaks my heart. His insecurity has to be intense. You have to have a talk with him about how much you love him and promise you will not leave him. I hope you find a solution.

That "doesn't like people to leave" thing makes me remember a dog I knew years ago. The biggest freaking Doberman I have ever seen. And the sweetest. But you learned really fast that you did not go pet him and play with him, then turn your back and walk away....he would bite you in the ass to get you back. He did love his attention!

Is there a female in heat anywhere around? Neutered males can still get interested in females in heat but not anywhere near as much if they still had their equipment. Maybe this is a dominance issue? With the changes in the household maybe he's taking that as an opportunity to elevate his rank over who's left? Is he generally very territorial? Huh. I just don't know.

I never heard of this one before. Outdoors, sure, but marking in the house always seemed to me to be an un-neutered male thing.

You might get some good advice on the Leerburg forum. There always seems to be someone there that knows any kind of strange issue and what to do about it... http://leerburg.com/webboard/forum.php

I'm really stumped on this one.