"Scent marks" refers to the specific smells left by animals to communicate with others of their species. It's a way for them to mark their territory, find mates, or convey information about their presence.
Full definition
This normally leaves a small amount
of scent marking fluid that other dogs identify one another by.
However, most reputable experts now believe that dog anal glands serve to
scent mark territory and feces.
And certainly in the case of females, they are more likely to
scent mark around the time when they are in heat.
They pay much more attention to
higher scent marks than those lower down, which suggests they use the marks to gauge the body size of competitors.
... If the urine is on vertical surfaces, and appears in the same places over and over, then it is
likely scent marking.
Although male dogs are more likely to mark urine than females it is not unknown for a female dog to
scent mark too.
They will sometimes through anxiety feel the need to
scent mark unfamiliar items such as a new pets bedding, or the suitcase of a guest in your home.
It is essential to understand the importance and function of
feline scent marking if we wish to control the behavior.
From tigers to ferals to house cats, all felines stake out a territory and
leave scent markings on objects.
Some dogs
scent mark by urinating small amounts on vertical surfaces, usually while raising a leg.
While many cats find rubbing the scent glands that are located on their face and paws, to be efficient
for scent marking, others may take more drastic measures... especially during mating season.
This may be the reason that declawed cats continue to scratch — they are leaving
scent marks on objects they scratch.
Banded mongoose engage
in scent marking, somewhat similar to dogs, and the TB was being transferred through these markings used for social communication.
The male panda moseyed across a bigger range than any of the females, leading researchers to speculate that he spent time checking in on the surrounding females and advertising his presence
with scent marking — rubbing stinky glands against trees.
They also
use scent markings left by their scent glands in various parts of their bodies to denote ownership and territory boundaries.
Sharpe's study is the first to show that
handstand scent marks can signal an animal's size, says Ronald Swaisgood, a panda specialist at the San Diego Zoo.
Adult male dogs may occasionally
scent mark indoors, but they will never intentionally release urine while playing or any other activity.
Cats scratch to (1) condition their claws by removing old nail sheaths, (2)
scent mark objects with the glands on their paws, (3) visually mark objects by leaving shredded matter as evidence, (4) stretch and exercise their forelegs, and (5) enjoy a pleasant sensation.
As is the case with female cats, male cats spayed later also will demonstrate aggressive behavior
like scent marking instinctively.
All dogs and cats have these two small glands (sometimes referred to as anal sacs) near the anal opening that typically release a few drops of
scent marking fluid whenever your pet defecates.
In contrast to previous studies on olfaction, the present study used a species which does not have any distinct scent glands and does not
perform scent marking typical for olfactory communication among conspecifics.
If scent marking is a problem there is further reading here: Prevent urine marking inside the house
Typically,
scent marking tend to be an outdoor activity (although occasionally some dogs can become extremely territorial!)
Even the most housetrained dogs
often scent mark a new territory, so keep an eye on your dog when checking into a hotel room or vacation house.
Wolves are innately driven to perform regular and
systematic scent marking by visibly patrolling, urinating to leave a scent, defecating to leave a scent and visual marker, and leaving bodily scent along the borders and trails of their territory.
Kicking up some dirt not only leaves
scent marks from paw pads, it may also leave visual cues that warn trespassers the territory is already owned by an alpha cat.
These glands normally release a small amount of a foul -
smelling scent marking fluid every time your pet defecates.
Actual pottying typically happens on the floor
while scent marking is frequently performed on a vertical surface like a table leg or a door jamb.
Scratching is a normal behavior that serves a variety of purposes
including scent marking, visual marking, stretching of muscles and grooming of claws.
It is used as a visual and
scent marking technique; to stretch tight shoulder and back muscles; to condition the claws by removing the damaged outer layers; and to relieve stress.
Most male dogs and some female dogs
who scent mark raise a leg to urinate.
Finally, follow common house training methods, cleaning away all traces of
previous scent marking, constantly supervising your dog to interrupt and correct their marking and so on.
Similarly, free - ranging mother dogs are
seen scent marking near their dens which may suggest an effort to discourage intruders from entering that area.
Most animals can empty these glands voluntarily
for scent marking or in self - defense, like a skunk might do.
These artificial pheromones mimic those released from the cat's cheeks and paw pads that are used to
scent mark territory.
However, directly after feeding (sometimes he interrupts his feed to do this) he pees or
scent marks on the carpet.
This eventually leads to an optimization of the path: Since pheromones are evaporative, the scent is the stronger the shorter the trail is — so more ants follow the shortest trail, again
leaving scent marks.
The animals normally live in territorial groups of between 6 and 30 individuals and both sexes engage
in scent marking.