we bought a 10mo westie & he was supposedly potty trained.  Well, needless to say...pees everywhere & even after going out, never goes over to the door & we've been working with him for 4mos.  He's now 13mos old.  He marks territory on the sofa any rug or material around. He's  been fixed & our other small female dog is also fixed & wonder if because we have a male & female in the house this will continue.  He's kept only downstairs, in the crate during day while kids are at school & in crate when we go to bed. holds it if in crate, but don't want him always in the crate. Our vet says some males are territorial & will always be.  Any suggestions? He's ruining the house & wrecking our nerves!

Hi,
As both your dog and bitch have been neutered you can rule out hormonal marking, so no need to worry on that score (as long as your bitch's spaying was one of the rare occurrences of incomplete removal).

I feel the length of time that he is crated could have a bearing on this. If he is crated most of the day and all night as well, it's quite possible that he still feels like a 'visitor' in his own home, because his scent is in limited areas. If he were mine I would have him out of the crate during the day (unless I popped out shopping for an hour or so) and had him around the house with whoever's home. Go back to basics and train him like you would a new puppy - out every half-hour or so. You have the advantage that he is old enough to be taken out for walks as well!  And let him have more run of the house with you so that it smells (to him) like his home, and not that of a stranger.

Good luck.
:)

My male rescue westie does this it is a complete nightmare. It is usually on a rug or the settee if he ever gets chance to go on there. He is alot better but he still does it now and again. I am at a loss as to how to stop him altogether.