I am desperately trying to train my pinscher who is now 13 months old. I leave him out during the day?

Question

in a small grass patio. He plays all day the moment he comes in he marks everywhere, beds, furniture you name it. He even pees in his plate. What must I do? He is so quick I am just running after him. I tried to tie him up at night with no luck.

Answer 1

It doesn't matter if you leave him out or keep him in, tie him up or leave him loose, he won't learn anything unless you take an active part in teaching him.

First, consider castration. He is clearly maturing, and wanting to mark out his territory. Over time, castration will reduce his need to emphasise his status and leave him less driven by the instinct to mark. If he's a show dog, obviously you have to skip this step. Castration is not a replacement for training, but it usually does make it easier.

That he's so lively and uncontrollable implies that he's not getting enough exercise. You will struggle to get him to concentrate on any training until he is being properly tired out. Running around the house or patio is not enough. You don't say which variety of pinscher you have, but even a Miniature needs exercise - at least 20 mins/half-an-hour for Mins, and an hour or more for full sized dogs, of walking twice a day, every day. The Pinscher breeds were originally developed to do work - if they're not working they need to get rid of all that energy somehow, and if you're not burning it off in exercise the dog will find ways of using it!

In addition, you need to start actively training him. It is not enough to tell him off when you catch him at it - he needs to learn the right thing to do, rather than what not to do. Take him out to pee first thing in the morning, last thing at night, after every meal and at regular intervals during the day until he settles into a routine. Don't just turf him out onto the patio, put a lead on him and take him out yourself. Every time he pees outside, you need to be there to praise him lavishly for doing so.

Consistency is the key - you have to keep it up until he develops new habits. He is quite old to be learning this, so he may well take longer to learn it than a 16-week-old pup would. Be patient and determined, and you will get there in the end.

I would also strongly recommend that you seek out a local training class. These are useful for settling dogs down, socialising them, and encouraging maturity, as well as teaching owners how to train their dogs, and providing a constant source of experienced advice.