A couple weeks ago my dad and i got a new dog, a doberman pinscher, and she seems to be very aggressive, we give her love and care and enough food and water sometimes a little treat or two. But one day she was sleeping and I came to pet her and she was growling at me and she snapped at my dad. He grabbed the blanket she was in and she went tottaly nuts! she growled and snapped and slobbered all over the place! What is wrong with her? Se has gotten all her shots and is fixed. and she is the only pet we have. What is wrong? Oh and when she did is she wasn't tired because she did it once when she was fully awake and out of her blankets.
2007-03-03 09:10:27 · 12 answers · asked by Carolyn 1 in Pets ➔ Dogs
She is an adult
2007-03-03 09:27:13 · update #1
I've had dobermans for about 26 yrs. Have NEVER had one turn on me, my husband our children, or show aggression to "welcomed guests".
If you got her from a shelter as an adult, you have no idea what she'd been through (why she is at the shelter). In most cases idiots that don't know how to properly raise a doberman mistreat them, and they eventually lash out in self defense and the owners say they're too mean they can't handle them anymore.
Your dad is going to have to find out what her issues are, why she is behaving like that and how to stop it or someone is going to get hurt, and possibly severely.
Miss Trouble: Wobblers and vWD have NOTHING to do with aggression issues WHAT-SO-EVER.. anyone can copy and paste general info....but knowing from experience that is FALSE information!
2007-03-03 09:57:52 · answer #1 · answered by Pam 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
You need to show her who is the master, which is the both of you. It will take alot of time, patients, and consistency to train her. This can happen with any dog, esp if adopted as an adult. You don't know how she was raised, trained or what's happened to her in her past. She needs training fast. Are you letting her sleep on the couch? If so, kick her off! Until you've established dominance, don't allow her on the same level as you. There are many different methods to training. You'll probably have to try a few ways to get it right. Don't listen to the ignorance of people when they say dobermans are an aggressive breed and your 80 something % bound to get bit. These are not facts, and can be proved absolutly wrong. I'm on my 2nd dobie. The 1st was an adult. I had to establish dominace. Don't let her get away with anything! Everything has to be your way! Don't let anything slide. My dog ended up the best behaved dog I ever saw. now If i can get my puppy that way......
2007-03-06 00:22:28 · answer #2 · answered by nito 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Health Problems
Generally healthy; possible cervical spondylitis (wobbler syndrome) due to fusion of neck vertebrae and compression of spinal cord; possible inherited blood disorder (Von Willebrands disease); obesity in middle age. Also prone to bloat, hip dysplasia, and congenital heart disorders. Veterinary check is advisable before purchasing a puppy. The gene which produces the albino (White) Dobermans is the same gene which produced the famous white tigers and lions owned by Siegfriend & Roy in Las Vegas. The gene is said to be a masking gene, meaning it "takes over" and masks the color that the dog would be otherwise. There is no evidence, that this gene carries with it any deleterious or adverse health concerns that are sometimes associated with all white animals such as deafness, blindness, or unstable minds. Some breeders beg to differ claiming the gene does cause health issues.
I would suggest speaking to the vet, when I was growing up a friend of the family bred Dobbie's and swears to this day that around 5-7 years old.. some of his dogs behaviors had changed "masked" and became unstable...
2007-03-03 17:27:48 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
At least she hasn't bitten you yet, and you don't seem scared to deal with her; that is good.
First, I'd say your dog needs to understand that humans are the boss; an obedience class can be extremely helpful.
Other things you can do are to make her work for her treats; sit, down, or whatever. Whenever she acts up, put her on a leash and make her do a little obedience training. Most dogs actually enjoy obedience. Some dogs feel such a need for hierarchy in their lives that, if you don't show that you're in charge, they will feel obligated to fill that position.
When she is not acting up, place your hand over her snout now and then. To a dog, this is a friendly signal of dominance.
2007-03-03 18:09:03 · answer #4 · answered by The First Dragon 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
First is this dog a pup or full grown dog? Was it abused before you got it? Dobermans are very head strong and she needs to know one person in the family is number one and they are the pack leader/or boss.Never show any fear to this dog and even though you may be scared or leery of her don't show it. I think she probably needs to be trained by a professional!!! Is this your first time owning a Doberman? This breed isn't for a novice owner!!!! She isn't tied up outside is she? These dogs don't do well being away from the family. I wish you all the best with her.
2007-03-03 17:33:25 · answer #5 · answered by ® 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You will need a special collar called a gentle leader and very good trainer.
Your dog has dominance agression issues. Proper training can reduce this.
If you get a good trainer and each member of the household establishes themselves as higher in the pack order, you will not have any more trouble. But you should always be cautious of new people and animals around her... she may still display agression toward them.
Adult dogs belonging to breeds with known agression issues should only be adopted by people with extenisve experience.
2007-03-03 17:25:32 · answer #6 · answered by Tiff 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Doberman Pinschers can be very aggressive. Is it a puppy? Or did you get it from the pound? If you got it from the pound or someone else, then they might have been raised that way or they might've fought her [in a dog fight]. The best thing to do would probably be to see if she keeps acting this way. If it continues and gets more violent, you sadly will probably be forced to put her to sleep..........I hope it doesn't come to that though. Your best bet would to probably take her to the vet for another check-up and explain the problem to her. She could give you more options than I can.
2007-03-03 17:19:15 · answer #7 · answered by Matty :] 2 · 1⤊ 1⤋
First of all don't go and bother dogs that are asleep. It startles them and they wake up sometimes snapping. You don't know this dog so give her some space and don't bother her or go near her when she is asleep. Call her name and wake her up before you pet her. If she is attacking you for no reason when she is awake that is a different story and I think you will have to return her.
2007-03-03 20:58:43 · answer #8 · answered by avalon_bz 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Dobermans are extremely aggressive dogs by nature. When I was 5 years old the neighbors had a doberman. I would pet him and play with him all the time. Then one day I was riding my tricycle in my drive, the guy that owned him was walking him, he broke loose and started to maul me. My Mom came outside with her broom and started beating him with it to get him off me. The dog became so aggressive after that they had to put him down.
I would try taking your dog to a trainer and see if this will help. Good luck, I know you love your new baby, but just remember his true nature.
2007-03-03 17:18:57 · answer #9 · answered by justcurious 4 · 1⤊ 2⤋
No dog is aggressive by nature. You must use calm assertive energy to show the dog that you are the pack leader. Read Cesar Millan's book.
2007-03-03 23:21:03 · answer #10 · answered by just_curious 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋