another dobie question?

Question

I actually acquired this dobie from the neighbor they abandonded him and i took him he came back and gave me his papers and said he didnt want him. i just acquired the dog week ago and he is a BIG challenge. he runs and jumps on the kids he bites them he barks at u if u say NO! I use a rolled up newspaper and this works the best with him BUT the minute u turn ur head hes right back at it jumping and knocking the kids down or biting them in a playful way... This is a question I want answered by people who are actually trying to answer with KNOWLEDGE of what im talking about. He also is humping things now like my son,pillows, and whatever he can find will he always do this and how can i make him stop that. I am not neutering him because his bloodline and his beauty he is a GORGEOUS blue doberman and he is 4 months old and HUGE!! he is about 55 lbs already but he is just very very very wild!! he does have the brains to learn he just dosent do this!! are all dobies this way as puppies?

Answer 1

All puppies who are not fixed can be this way. If you want to keep your pet unaltered you have to take responsibility and spend a LOT of time and effort in training your dog. It sounds like your dog needs a TON of exercise. That is not just exercise where he goes and runs by himself in the backyard, that hardly phases most dogs. He needs MENTAL exercise.

You have gotten the dog from a neighbor who abandoned him. This probably means that they let him learn a lot of habits that you find unacceptable and will take a lot of time and training to get out of him. Beating your dog with the newspaper is probably not going to get the point across. He probably has a high tolerance of pain and as a doberman, he is later going to see this as something playful, or worse yet, he might come back at you.

I don't know what you have taken the time to teach him but it sounds like he doesn't even know his basic commands. The ones he really needs to know for basic survival are "come" and "stay" even in the midst of distraction.

Most training, when you first start, needs to happen where it is quiet and there are the minimum of distractions allowed. Since it is a puppy, you should also not let the dog unsupervised anywhere in the house except its den.

If you don't know how to train your dog, you have a lot of research you need to do. Google dog training, go to your library, and if you can talk to a local trainer for tips. There are a lot of things that need to be done CONSISTENTLY and with LOTS OF PRAISE. Especially since I am sure you want to get away from trying to do things with a newspaper.

The good news is that your dog is still a puppy and if you act now and put a lot of time into your dog, he can still be a good pet for the entire family. It is not going to happen all at once and it is going to take effort on the part of the entire family. The entire family must be taught how to deal with the dog when he is doing something unacceptable and anyone who is not able to do that must not be left unsupervised with the dog until they can.

Answer 2

If he is humping things at 4 months & you don't want him neutered then you can't stop him.. It is your responsibility as a pet owner to learn about a pet BEFORE you get one. He is a puppy & it sounds to me like he may be a bit too much dog for you.... That can only lead to more problems. An animal MUST respect it's owner without the owner having to resort to force to or hitting. Your best bet would be to have him neutered to protect your children & the dog. You are asking these questions about a dog you aquired from a neighbor who abandonded him & gave up his papers. You claim his lines are good, how do you know if you don't know about this dog???? I have been around dogs my whole life & I worked as a Vet. Tech. for 12 years & I have NEVER heard of any Dobie being "BLUE" A Doberman is BLACK & Tan. I think there is a reason the former owner just handed the dog over... Have him neutered, this whole thing sounds off....


To: A Veterinarian
I stand corrected. I guess what I should have said was that "I" have NEVER seen one that was blue... Thank You for correcting me.....

Answer 3

Take you and your pup to a trainer and learn how to deal with him properly.
Dobies are very smart and they are thinkers.

Though for a start, tell the kids not to shout and squeal around him. He thinks it is his litter mates.
If he starts to get over excited. turn your back and walk away. Only pay attention when he is being quiet and good.

As for the humping, this is a hormonal thing and he will continue to do it. This could become dangerous for your kids as this is also a dominance thing with the kids.Because he is such a gregarious dog, as soon as there is a ***** in season anywhere near, he will be up and off after her. I have seen dobbies scale very high fences and even go through them.
There is another problem with dobies, because their skull is the size and shape it is (through breeding) they are candidates for neurological disorders and early death.

Answer 4

This is why I love Dobes. Your boyfriend thinks he knows what he's doing with smacking him and doing whatever other form of discipline he seems to think is appropriate - eventually that dog is going to run his life. Keeping a high energy breed like a Doberman in a crate all day when they are puppies is probably not a good idea either. The dog will become destructive and maybe even neurotic if he isn't getting adequate exercise. You can't discipline a dog after the fact anyways - you would have to have caught him in the act and discipline him then. I hope your boyfriend there knows that too. What was the wrong spot exactly? Was it still outdoors? YOU gave the dog a place to relieve himself - that is not the dog's fault whether or not he "knew" it wasn't his designated potty spot. That is your fault.

Answer 5

DO NOT hit the dog...it sounds like to me he has been hit before and it obviously doesn't work.

I have some suggestions to help you but first off you should crate train him...right away. Then I would suggest tackling the basics...sit, down, stay, off is one he really needs to learn. Neutering would help a lot but you said you aren't willing to do that...and it will be MUCH harder to make him stop humping if he is not neutered...at that age he is starting to (excuse the term) get horny. It's normal but a lot easier to fix in a neutered dog.

You should see a behavioralist to learn how to deal with the specific problems but to get control you have to earn it. This can be done with basic training classes as well. Once he starts understanding sit...he will start to listen to no.

However the behavioralist I work with/the other one I saw say that you shouldnt' use the word "no" with a dog because they dont' understand what "no" means. Instead you need to teach words with behaviors. Such as "off" when he jumps.

If you have more questions...you can e-mail me but I hope this helps a little.

by the way....pinning a 55 lb dog is very dangerous...be very careful if you try this....there are other ways to "show dominance."

Answer 6

Right now he is the leader of the pack and you have to show him that you are going to be the leader. if you let him continue this behavior he will always run the house and you can't have that. he will learn by repetition. put him on a leash walk around with him if he jumps up jerk him down and say NO. If he does it again repeat the same action. he will learn but it takes a lot of Patience and a lot of work he will not this learn over night. Good luck !!!

Answer 7

first of all DON'T HIT HIM because when you do this it makes the situation worse. the way it sounds is as if he was abused while in the hands of the other owner. usually when they are playing they do jump, play bite, and sometimes don't listen but the thing you might want to do is to get him in an obiedience class because they maybe able to help you with this problem. but it sounds like that he was abused. til you get him in a class the thing that you can do is to try to work with him at home but be firm but not loud and don't shout at him. he is doing these things because he was taught to do this. he maybe young but they still can learn all this stuff at that age. call a trainer and see what they can do to help you. i had a dog like this and i put him in an obiedience class and it helped with his behavior and he became a good family pet. see puppies are like kids they want to see how many buttons they can push with you and see what they can get away with before they get in trouble. just be patient because it will all pay in the end after he is trained. good luck.

Answer 8

I have a LOT of knowledge about this....

Most importantly, 55# at only 4 months of age is TOO big...he is going to be very prone to developing a condition called Wobbler's syndrome, as well as other orthopedic problems such as panosteitis, OCD of the shoulders, UAP, hip dysplasia, etc. etc., as well as Doberman cardiomyopathy (causes sudden death) which is more common when they're too large. Please do NOT breed him unless he is medically screened and determined to be of breeding quality (it sounds like he probably is not)....that is how our beloved breed got so screwed up during the height of their popularity back in the 70's and 80's. (Indiscriminant breeding by people who thought that 'bigger was better.') We're just now getting them straightened back out from all of that.

He won't stop humping until you neuter him....so just get used to it. The longer you wait to neuter him, the less likely it is to correct that problem.

You need to consult an experienced, professional trainer ASAP. From the sound of your post, you're not going to be able to handle this on your own.

Edit, to Apak: Most of your post was correct, but blue Dobermans have been quite common for YEARS...it is the dilution mutation of the black and rust color pattern, just as fawn is the dilution mutation of the red and rust color pattern. Those are the 4 'standard' Doberman colors. Blues and fawns are prone to certain skin disorders. ("White" Dobermans are another situation altogether....and a very UNdesirable color mutation, as they generally have all SORTS of genetic problems.)

Answer 9

Almost all dobies are like that if hitting the dog does not work try locking him in a cage kinda like a time out and if that does not work i would give it away.

Answer 10

No,he needs some obedience training to control the jumping on the kids and barking. The biting is not good. The males are more agressive than the females but the breed in general is very nice to raise.