Thanks for your replies.

I use positive training on him. When he is being good he gets lots of pats and attention. When he is being bad he gets ignored or put outside (depending on what he is doing)

I am very determined to get this marking issue resolved. I have had him since a puppy (i was 16 years old) - While he lived at my parents house, he was TOTAL top dog with both my parents! He marked ALLLLL over their house and furniture, beds, they even had a wall where his urine peeled off the paint - all this for almost 7 years with little discipline.

Even now when she comes to visit, and Spunky jumps all over her, she bends down and pats him saying in a sweet voice "good boy, calm down, good boy...stop jumping" - That is her way of discipling him. Grrr it's is sooooo frustrating as she doesn't get that what she is doing is encouraging the bad behavior. Anyway, he was basically spoilt rotten for the first 7 years of life, until my mum couldn't handle his marking problem any more.

My husband and I have finally bought our selves a brand new house with secure fences and mum said it's time for me to have my dog, or she will give him away to someone else - I love Spunky, he is basically completely under control (with the other spoilt issues he had) , and I am more than happy to have Spunky in our lives, I just don't want him marking in our house!

He almost has this whole estate to himself - there are only a few dogs in this area and there is nothing that he seems to feel threatened about.

I have used a bit of Andrea's method, and a bit of Ajshep1984's method.

He has his bed which is his safe zone, he spends a lot of time there (un leashed). Before i started leashing him to his bed at night, he would mark all over the family room, on the sofa, on the kids toys, on the carpet, on the table legs etc etc. Leashing him at night has stopped the night marking all together - he will NOT wee on his bed.

I have bought him a Large kennel for him to have outside when we go out - It's coming into winter here, and I don't want him to get cold and wet.

I feed him after we have eaten, and I don't let him sit on our furniture, jump on us, lick us etc.

He is not top dog in this house (thats my hubby and I), but I think he is not BOTTOM dog either, which maybe makes him think it's ok to mark my sons bed, and the kids play area in the family room etc.

My kids are 2 and 4 years old. Is there something that can be done to give them a higher doggy ranking????

__________________