Never Sits down

jack · 10-22-2007, 02:41 PM

Question, Jack is now 1 1/2 years old fixed male that gets plenty of exercise. The problem we have and it could be a dobe thing is that no matter how much exercise he gets he still never sits down...ever.. we could go on a very long walk and then play Frisbee in his 1 acre fenced in play area for hours, and he still acts as thou he just woke up. Is this something not out of the ordinary for a dobe this age, if so when will they start to settle down and actually lay down for 5 minutes..haha Just curios?

**ddsalazar** · 10-22-2007, 02:46 PM

Our Jack was a very high energy Dobie. He played an average of 30 to 40 minutes and had a half an acre to run around in, but he was always ready to play. People would tell me he would mature at 3, but he was 6 when we lost him and he mellowed a bit after the age of 4. He just loved life and lived for playtime and treats. Gotta love them, but it does gets tiring for us.

Windiez · 10-22-2007, 03:16 PM

Well my experience of dobes is that they are always ready to play and they have sooo much energy that If I could have at least a tiny amount of that I'd go on like a Duracell bunny for hours... If you want your dobie to relax/sleep at home try tracking/obedience (or something else) training. Giving your dobie's brain some work makes him more tired than trying to exhaust him physically! This works at least for my girls!

**Kratty** · 10-22-2007, 03:23 PM

You might need to try some mental stimulation exercises too. A stuffed Kong, one of those treat dispensing toys, bullysticks or something that takes sometime to work on. Besides physical, mental exercise can help. I have been thinking one of those treat dispensing toys for some time now.

dobesanddragons · 10-22-2007, 03:29 PM

I have one like this, amazing amout of energy. Does it get better, in most cases yes, but don't count on it for awhile, at the very least 2.5-3 years of age, easily even more. All dogs are different. Some mature at 2, some at 3, some at 4, some never do! LOL.

Try tracking, agility, roller-blading and biking with your dog to help tire him out. I find swimming is the best exercise, be sure and have your dog wear a lifejacket if you are training him or if you feel he will tire himself out too much (some dogs will push themselves too much, it is up to us to assess the situation).

I find at least an hour per day of exercise, walking, running, fetch, etc. is important to a Dobermans overall health and helps them mentally and physically.

Keep in mind no road working or forced exercise on young Dobermans, you want to wait for those and jumping activities until the Dobermans growth plates have closed (around 18 months is a good rule of thumb).

Dobermans are a high energy breed and many thrive on daily exercise and time with their owners. I know many breeders and rescues will only place young Dobermans in homes with fenced in yards - as Dobermans need space to run hard in a safe place to blow off steam and exercise their muscles.

Also, some people say a tired Dobe is a good Dobe, which is true. However, don't rely too much on this, it is not needed to make your Dobe so tired he just sleeps all the time or is up and crazy. You want your Dobe to be obedient and well mannered regardless of exercise on that day, so doing obedience daily and enrolling in a good obedience class is important to your Doberman.

alwayshadpets · 10-22-2007, 03:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jack

Question, Jack is now 1 1/2 years old fixed male that gets plenty of exercise. The problem we have and it could be a dobe thing is that no matter how much exercise he gets he still never sits down...ever.. we could go on a very long walk and then play Frisbee in his 1 acre fenced in play area for hours, and he still acts as thou he just woke up. Is this something not out of the ordinary for a dobe this age, if so when will they start to settle down and actually lay down for 5 minutes..haha Just curios?

Those boys.

You can hold out hope, at least until he`s 2.

**Burns** · 10-22-2007, 04:12 PM

oh man, I'm so lucky I don't have this problem! Red is in his crate when we're both at work (usually 4-5 hours alone), then has a few hours of running around and doing his own thing in the yard. We'll go out and play fetch with him everyday, and do some obedience work out in the yard, and I take him for 45-60 minute walks a few times a week (not even every day since my work schedule is always different), but he always knows that its time to settle down when it starts getting dark out and my hubby and I are in front of our computers.

I give him an Everlasting Treat ball stuffed with kibble/treats, Bully Sticks, cow hooves, or pressed rawhide for something to do in the house. He usually entertains himself with these for awhile, then he'll stare at me for awhile and we'll do some obedience stuff or play Hide & Seek in the house, then tries to play with the cats until he gets yelled at, and then just goes to sleep until we're ready to go to bed. Then he goes straight into his crate and will sleep til about 9am in the morning. He's such a good boy!

But yeah, the Everlasting treat ball, and any house-appropriate long-lasting chew toys are great for keeping him occupied and quiet inside.

jack · 10-22-2007, 04:15 PM

Thanks for the feedback, yes I do use kongs and the ball he pushes around the house and treats fall out of it (this is his favorite toy by far). I know they are high energy dogs and to me they are the only type of dog that I would ever want, I love this breed!!!! I just thought it was a little strange no matter how pooped out he is he will not lay down, I dont think the thought ever got into his head. He even eats his pressed bones standing over his Dog Bed... He is a great dog, and he is a very large part of our family, he has passed two levels of obedience and we continue to work with him, but I do wish once in a while he would lay down instead of pacing the house...haha Thanks again for the reply's.

DLS · 10-22-2007, 04:31 PM

People ask me if Dobies are hyper, I say NO they are BUSY dogs heehee. Over the years I have had a few who were very busy dogs. Right now I have an 18 month old neutered male that I got back from his original owners because they could not handle this dogs constant activeness. He was becoming quite destructive in and out of the house. Now a lot of his problems were due to pent up energy because he spent the days alone while his owners were at work. But I am glad that they contacted me and am glad he is back with me cause I DO have the time and energy for him. But I find that most males start to settle down at around 3 to 4 years of age. Good luck with your boy and have fun with him.

But I have got to tell you that the best Dobie toy I have ever gotten was a spayed female Pitty named Pearl. She will play all day. And we have all fallen in love with her too. She is such a clown.

bean · 10-22-2007, 11:35 PM

Practice down-stays with him - mental stimulation and direction. Our Henneh was the same way when I first started living with her at 3 years old. It took a lot of me telling her to lay down (there was a bed to make it more enticing). We would also practice having her stay when I got up. (sooooo hard!!!)

I then would pay close attention to notice if she laid down by choice, and would go right over and give her a nice long love/belly rub session. At least some calm verbal praise. It's easy to forget this part as they're usually being kind of quiet at those times, but I think that's one of the most important times to pay them positive attention! Now she's much better... of course she's also 9.

She rolls on her side now and gives me the sappy sweet look - I'm a sucker everytime.