King Charles Spaniel - 11mths - Need Help

Question
My Dog is an outside male dog. The dog keeps urninating on our balcony over everything - marking. He used to always do it on the grass. He has torn out outdoor setting and Scratches on our windows for attention. I just do not know were to start to fix this. I really dont want to sell him as my daughters would be devistated. Please help. Thank you.

Answer
I'm assuming you haven't neutered him yet? At 11 months, he's an adolescent. That's the age when they begin to mark. At this point, if you neuter him (and train him) that might be really helpful. If you wait until it's a well-developed habit, no so much.
Outdoor dogs can be a challenge to train for a number of reasons. The biggest reason is that you can only train them if you are with them. You have to be present to be able to discourage behaviors you don't like (when they are happening - punishment after-the-fact may make the dog look guilty, but it doesn't teach him how to avoid the punishment) and to reinforce behaviors you like (also when they are happening). Otherwise the dog will reinforce and "train" himself. And what he will each himself is normal doggie behavior - like marking territory and using stuff as chew toys that you have other uses for. And the more he is able to reinforce himself, the less he needs from you. In order to train the dog, you have to be relevant to him. That means you are a big part of his life and the controller of the things that he wants. When he's outside without your presence, this simply doesn't happen.
Right behind the need for supervision and management as a reason outdoor dogs are more difficult is the need for social contact. Dogs who are outside alone are frequently bored and lonely. This would account for the scratching to get to be with you. And many behavior issues crop up in these situations. Add to that fact that CKC spaniels are bred for centuries for one reason only - to be human companions, and you can see how difficult it is for one of these little guys to be a yard dog.
My suggestion as to where to start - in addition to neutering - is to make him a house dog. Bring him inside, crate train and supervise him (closed doors/baby gates/tether him to you) so you can properly housetrain him (as if you were training a baby puppy, except he's old enough to have more bladder control). Go out with him and show him where you want him to eliminate. Find a good positive training class and start building his brain and his vocabularly, and the ability to communicate between the two of you. Give him physical exercise, and more importantly mental exercise. And let him learn to be the terrific pet he was bred to be. Sandy Case MEd CPDT www.positivelycanine.com