Moving House Has Unsettled Our Dog

We adopted our dog a little over a year ago. 6 months ago we moved into our house and 3 months ago she started urinating small amounts in the same small area. Why is this and how do we make it stop? (Tanya - Tennessee)

As is common with a lot of pets, your dog may have been emotionally affected by your move. Even though his bad habit did not begin until a while after you moved, there is bound to have been more upheaval with lots of different people coming and going, furniture being moved and painters and decorators perhaps paying visits. It seems like this has disturbed your dog's sense of stability and of having his own 'patch'.

His urinating probably signifies an attempt to mark out his territory and thus inform these 'intruders' that this is his home, not theirs. Despite this being a result of some slight emotional disturbance in his life, it is still important that he knows this is bad behavior. I am sure that with time, when you have all settled into your new home and have it just the way you like it, your dog will begin to settle and may well stop this behavior without further help. It may be helpful to take him for a walk or have him locked in his own secure room when you are having renovations carried out.