Dogs are territorial animals. This means that they "stake out a claim" to a particular space, area, or object. They let other people and animals know about their claim by marking it with a variety of methods and at many levels of intensity. Some pets may go to the extreme of urinating or defecating to mark a particular area as their own. Urine-marking is the most common of territorial marking behaviors. Many times, it's because your pet has a conflict with other animals in your home. When there's instability in the pack hierarchy, a dog may feel a need to establish his dominance by urine-marking his territory. Or, if one animal is intimidating another animal, the bullied animal may express his anxiety by urine-marking.
I went through this with two of my dogs - Memphis and Captain. At first, when Memphis was a puppy, Captain loved him - because Memphis was still small, and Captain presumed that he still maintained the dominant role in the house. But, once Memphis began to outgrow him, and surpass him in size, weight, and, presumably, dominance, Captain began to have STRONG issues against this change in dominance. There began to arise a dominance STRUGGLE within our household. First, Captain began marking his territory everywhere. Then, the 25 pound puggle began trying to attack the 80 pound full-blooded pit-bull, as if he could really do some damage to him - trying to show him who was REALLY boss of the house. Just as dogs have struggles when there are instabilities in pack hierarchies, and they are intimidated by these changes in the hierarchy, and these changes necessitate the dogs marking their territory, humans are intimidated by changes in hierarchies, and ALSO feel the need to mark their territory.
Displaying male dominance is a major part of the flirting and dating scene. Historically, women need a mate who can protect her and their offspring, as well as provide for them until they can fend for themselves. One main thing women seek is a male with 'Alpha Male' dominance characteristics. Men playing the 'flirting game' display their 'Alpha Maleness' in subtle ways. For example, men stake out their territory when they are seeking a woman. Men mark their territory by stretching out their arms and legs to take up more room, plus set out their personal positions on a table or bar: car keys, drink, and coins. These behaviors are much more desireable than peeing on the furniture like some animals do, in order to mark their territory! However, female territorial marking is much more lude. They are much more 'subtle,' yet vulgar and unrefined. Women will do things such as, leave an item of theirs behind in your house, intentionally, when you are not officially together, in case another female comes over, just so that if another woman DOES come, she will know that someone else is 'supposed' to be there, leaving a sign for others to 'back off.' Or, specific to the current facebook fad we are all in now, she will do things like post certain comments or pictures on 'his' FB page, so that any other possible female callers will be forewarned that he is happily 'taken.' Even if he is not. But what is the worst, most crass, most uncouth, vulgar of all things the female does to mark her territory? The backlash. When she sees something that another female does that threatens her and who she sees as 'her man,' she feels threatened by it, and she feels the need to mark her territory and display her dominance over him, and respond with some sort of directly related snappy retort, but she attempts to mask it with some sacchariferous statement. When she does it in this fashion, only other females will know what she is doing (being calculating, malicious, and just downright evil), yet the unmindful male at hand is completely oblivious to that which is going on around him.
Case in point ... a facebook status I posted ... "What's the minor heart attack of the day? That would be the pit bull hopping the back fence in order to chase the seductive, manipulative cat next door. What's the lesson learned for the day? Those that you love always come running back home." Keep in mind, my status is on MY profile, which is private, so the female 'responding' to this does not have immediate access to see this, nor did my information somehow get posted to her. Someone either showed it to her, or she hacked into my page through someone else's account. She then 'responded' by posting a picture of her and the someone i was referring to (about coming home) with a tagline that said "My heart is home," and tagged him in the picture, so that it also showed up on his page. Within a few hours of my status. So ... like i said ... territorial marking. In nondescript, premeditated, manipulative ways.
Dogs mark their territory. So do people. Both cases are equally annoying. Some examples can go so far as to leading up to the gag reflex. We need to really watch what it is we do. And watch what it is those AROUND us do. And be AWARE of what is going on, and not let people manipulate US, or the situations we're in. Nobody wants to be standing in a puddle of piss. Or worse, wake up next to a bed wetter. Words to the wise ... Think on these things ...
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