Dog Fight: What does this tell you about my Doberman?

Question

I have a very lovable, smart and obediant Doby but... I'm a little worried.

I keep him on a 100 foot trolly with a 20 foot cable so that he has plenty of room to play when I am not walking him. Another dog (Black Lab mix.... bigger than my Doby) used to run up to him, just out of his reach and bark and growl like crazy.

One day my Doby broke his cable and attacked the Lab after one such episode. The fight progressed under the house (crawl space) where my hubby followed and finally seperated the two dogs by hitting and pulling my Doby. There was blood everywhere.

My Doby never even tried to bite my hubby and after it was over he was his usual lovable self. But this fight has scared me a little. "Max has always been *my* dog. He has taken up with me the most and obeys me immediately when I give a command. What will happen if I am walking him and this happens again? Will I be able to handle it by myself?

I guess I am asking, Should I be afraid of my Doby now?

I just wanted to add... the owners refused to pin or leash their lab and there are no leash laws here.

When I called the Humane Society they said that unless the Lab is threatening a person, there is nothing they can do...

My yard is fenced, the reason "Max" is on a trolly is so that he doesn't jump the fence. If he ever did I am afraid that someone would hurt him because everyone seems to think that Dobermans are mean dogs.

The Lab jumped the fence into my yard. I have taken to keeping a small BB gun around.

Answer 1

The lab was the aggressor. I HATE it when people won't confine their dogs, and you can bet if your Dobie had killed the other dog, you and your dog would have been the ones penalized. You have no reason to be afraid of your dog, he is not at all to blame.

There are things you can do to your fence to keep the lab out. You could run strands of electric fencing outside of it . I have also seen someone put large pvc pipes along the top of the fence so that they roll freely, then the dog can't get a hold to get over and they simply roll off. Worked VERY well.

When you have your dog out it is not a bad idea to carry pepper spray or a bat. I carry pepper spray to protect my dogs from roaming dogs.

Answer 2

Who owns the other dog and why it it allowed to harass your dog! Get that sorted out quick smart. As for your dog,he was defending his territory and pack, you and hubby! Do you walk him on a choker chain?This give you extra control. If your really worried you can get cloth type muzzles. But, what is he like with other dogs on neutral territory, like the local park. If he's OK then you should be alright.Once again, the dog came onto YOUR property and had a go at your dog so I don't blame your dog going him. Doby's are usually pretty good family dogs, so don't panic. And the fact he didn't bite your hubby when he was in a fight in an enclosed space if nothing short of fantastic. He was a good dog to have the presence of mind not to bite him.

Answer 3

You don't have to be afraid of your Dobie - sounds like a great dog. He was attacked and he defended himself. Even if he had bitten your husband in the heat of battle, that wouldn't mean he was dangerous.

Tasting blood doesn't make a dog vicious. Killing another dog doesn't mean that he will turn on humans. When you walk him, carry a heavy cane, so you can help him fight off any dog that might threaten either of you. Best to put up a real big fence, so other dogs can't torment him in his own yard again.

Answer 4

Male Dobies are most often dog aggressive to other male dogs.
This lab come onto his turf and he fought with it. You are lucky that no one was hurt and the dogs were not killed.
Many dobes will fight until they kill the other dog.
Males are not very tolerant of other male dogs and many times just other dogs that they do not live with.
You need to be very careful walking this dog if there are other dogs around. He is doing exactly what he was bred to do personl protection. He sees it a protecting and gaurding.
I would not walk in a area where you could run into other dogs that are loose. As long as yours is on the leash you could pull him back but if the other one is loose you could have trouble.
Good luck.

Answer 5

Aggression towards dogs and aggression towards people are two different things. You likely have nothing to worry about as far as your dog being aggressive towards you. What you must have is control of your dog in ALL situations so when it happens that you come upon another dog your dog knows that you decide what's acceptable behavior. This takes a lot of training with firm and calm demeanor and may never completely go away.

My GSD has a dominance issue with other males and can lead to a fight if I let it escalate. He's a wuss around people though.

You also need to deal with the free roaming Lab by whatever means necessary.

Answer 6

Let me start by saying...I LOVE DOBES , Mine recently died and I miss her terribly... NO you should NOT be scared of your Dobe! What you witnessed was CLASSIC frustration...aimed at a specific target... you would have done the same thing. The Tie outs do tend to add to the frustration but I can tell from your post that you thought it out and are doing it to protect your own dog! Given the necessity of the tie out... I would try to work extra walks into his schedule... and socialize him with other dogs as much as possible... this can become a learned behavior and your dog could generalize to despise all dogs.... If you are not equipped for that a good behaviorist can help and for more tips I would purchase "Feisty Fido" by Patricia McConnell ... it is full of hints to help your dog over come such a bad experience!

Answer 7

Your dog loves you and as long as you keep treating him the same and keep taking him for a walk he will be fine. I don't think you should be afraid of your own dog. Try walking with a golf stick so if another dog does come out to cause trouble with your Doberman then you'll have something to separate the fight.
Your dog only reacted this way because he was provoked as you would do the same. Try locating the Lab X's owner and asking if it were possible to keep their dog locked up.

Answer 8

Your dog loves you and wants to behave in a manner that makes you proud! Don't change how you treat him as a result of this incident and DO NOT be afraid of your own dog. He was simply protecting his territory and pack.

Try walking with a Ziplock bag of ground pepper in your pocket. If another dog does come out to cause trouble with your Doberman, simply throw a handful of the pepper in the dogs face. It burns slightly and causes them to sneeze. Trust me, that will take any interest that dog has in your Doberman or you away!

And FYI -- Pepper is a better tool for breaking up a dog fight than trying to pull two dogs apart -- or using water. Pepper...its an amazing spice!

Answer 9

It seems that you don't think much of your Doby's cognitive abilities, they know the difference between humans and dogs. That was a natural reaction to another male dog, and if he is over aggressive or to large then you should have your husband walk him.

Answer 10

You should never be scared of animals because then can sense it. If your scared then you'll just make him nervouse and it will be worse. If your walking him and he's on a short lead theres no way he can fight another dog unless you let him go.

Don't be scared of him just make sure it doesn't happen again. All dogs fight it's their nature. I doubt he would harm you if he's as good with you as you say. Never forget that dogs are very noble animals and would never harm their owner. Just be sure if there is another fight don't get in the middle of it.