Sit Still - Doberman Forum : Doberman Breed Dog Forums

Kane2011 · 11-21-2012, 12:26 AM

ok my dog kane is right under a year and he just wont sit still I wanted to know if there is any help for him and he also chews on everything he knows he shouldnt so what should I do?

falnfenix · 11-21-2012, 12:34 AM

what kind of training have you gone through with him?

Kane2011 · 11-21-2012, 12:37 AM

he can sit and lay and stay for the most part he is alittle hard headed I think but I did the treat training then a shock collar which didnt work and know I think its time for some help lol

falnfenix · 11-21-2012, 12:38 AM

yeah. find a trainer in your area and get your dog into a class, or pay for one-on-one time with the trainer.

Kane2011 · 11-21-2012, 12:43 AM

There isnt a way I can do it myself without a trainer

GingerGunlock · 11-21-2012, 01:22 AM

What kind of "sit still" are you looking for? On cue, or do you just want him to go and do his own thing, while you do yours?

How much exercise does he get in the course of a day? How much "face time" with you? I know my Elka does well with a decent amount of physical exercise (an hour + walk and some tennis ball time in the back yard, in addition to playing tug), and also some mental exercise (playing around with tricks, eating her food out of a puzzle toy, etc.) She also wants to be with us pretty much all the time, and for the most part I don't mind accommodating that. But, I knew Dobermans were a high energy, high attachment breed when I got her, so I've had to be careful to be fair. She's not a "go lay down" kind of dog, that's unfortunately not how it works.

**Brandy&Melanie** · 11-21-2012, 01:39 AM

Puppies, especially Dobies, generally are quite pushy, but they nap a lot of the day as well

Brandy can be entertained for a couple hours with a bone, or a puzzle treat toy while I do my homework or other things like that. Is he crate trained? He can go for some down-time in there while you are busy for a bit.

I taught Brandy "relax" which basically means I am done being rowdy, and want to do something else, so she has learned to just chill out and go find a toy or something.

**MeadowCat** · 11-21-2012, 10:51 AM

I highly suggest you find a different trainer. This is my go-to listing for qualified trainers: Search for Professionals

What kind of exercise and activity does your dog get? It sounds like he may be bored and underexercised. Does he have a lot of things he's allowed to chew on? Dogs need to chew, so you have to provide them with things that are appropriate to chew on.

kpal4978 · 11-21-2012, 11:19 AM

Just curious... why are you opposed to an outside trainer?

Dave_L · 11-21-2012, 03:11 PM

A good game to play is to hide their toys around the house and ask them to go find them.

It is true that Dobe puppies are very pushy. Lexi is in my face no matter how much exercise I give her.

I've been at the dog park for 2-3 hours at a time and when I come home and sit on the couch here she comes dropping her kong, bones, balls etc on my lap as if I hadn't done anything for her. lol

Anyway, if your pup is chewing things he shouldn't be...it's best to remove anything that he can get into. If you catch him, I'd give him a firm "no!" and then give him something that he "can" chew on. My house has random chew toys all over the place of various sizes and noises.

Anton-Caesar · 11-21-2012, 06:42 PM

sounds like a bored puppy too me. this is exactly what Caes will do if he doesnt get out for a decent walk, he doesnt chew much but he does prowl around in and out in and out.

Matt Vandart · 11-22-2012, 02:13 AM

He could be bored or the timing of stopping it could be wrong.
A run down of a typical day would be good.
In answer to your question, yes you can teach him to sit still on your own.

Here are some tutorial vids:

calm

calmtwo

I would suggest you watch all Tabs vids they are great.

Rambo_007 · 11-22-2012, 07:06 AM

Our dogs know 'bed' and in Rambos case we also taught him 'go lay down' and that means to go grab one of your abundance of toys and settle down with it. Play is over and it's time to start winding down. We only use this at night. Rambo would go all night if he didn't have a wind down time, he will fight sleep until he can't hold his head up. His 'go lay down' is also not to a certain area he gets to choose where he does this. If he chooses the floor or dog bed that's fine but most of the time it is on our bed with us for a bit, on the couch with us, or on our feet. We keep it his choice so he doesn't think it's a punishment. Now that we're in the habit we can usually time it and he's out like a light in about 10-15 minutes.
Important thing is they get plenty of physical and mental activity during the day so they can calm down. It isn't fair to them otherwise.

Sent from my iPhone using Petguide.com Free App

Jenn · 11-22-2012, 07:25 AM

Yep i agree with matt vandart..
Tabs videos are very clear and very useful!
Also kikopup is great to watch on youtube.

Kane2011 · 11-24-2012, 05:01 AM

his days are active I let him out for a couple of hours 2 times a day but when he comes in he will just pace through the house but he has got alittle better since the post he found him a spot on the couch that he likes and he will go sit or lay in that spot he knows the commands and he follows them half the time I think I just have a hard headed dog but he is good

falnfenix · 11-24-2012, 08:44 AM

do you walk him and work on training daily?

brw1982 · 11-24-2012, 09:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kane2011

There isnt a way I can do it myself without a trainer

At the risk of being Captain Obvious, apparently not. If your understanding of dog training goes from treat training directly to shock collar you're missing a vast amount of training possibilities. I'd also wager a bet that you've "trained" the shock collar improperly. People think you can stick the collar on a dog and zap 'em every time they do something wrong. You can't unless you want to screw up your dog and ruin the use of that training tool. Also, shock collars, IMO, are best used to fine tune previously trained behaviors. It's like putting a finishing touch on a behavior the dog already understands and responds appropriately too, but you're looking for more precision or solidifying a desired response. If you've never been shown how to properly train on an e-collar then you really needed a trainer for that, too, but until I invent a time machine there's no undoing things of the past.

And if he's chewing on something, then apparently he doesn't "know he shouldn't." Just because you think you've made it clear to him in the past doesn't mean you have. And it means your continually setting him up to be allowed to chew on things he shouldn't. If I don't want my dogs to chew something I don't leave it where they can get to it. And if it's something that must be where they can get to it - like a table leg or the sort - I don't leave them alone with said object. If I know they may chew something I don't want them to it's up to me to either put up the object or put up the dog when I can't watch them. It's not my dogs' responsibility to ensure my personal belongings remain free of teeth marks. It's mine.

You need to hire a trainer or enroll in class because YOU need to be trained how to work with your dog. People so often think training is all about the dog or fixing a dog. It's not. It's about showing the person how to communicate what they want with their dog. If training were all about fixing a dog then you'd just drop your dog off with a trainer for an hour once per week and the dog would come home remembering and doing everything he was shown in class without you.

Your idea of "active" and mine are 2 completely different things. His daily routine sounds very "inactive" to me, personally. Turning a dog out in the yard alone for a few hours per day is not exercising them. It's not stimulating them in much, if any, way at all. I'm surprised he's not become destructive in your backyard or started barking at every thing that moves.

IMO, you need to be exercising him and you need a trainer. Try taking him for a walk once or twice per day, try going out in the yard with him and playing together, and get him enrolled in a class.

Matt Vandart · 11-24-2012, 10:11 AM

^^^^everything is right with this post ^^^^

Good advice, take it.

smudgeid · 11-24-2012, 10:26 AM

I got a trained adult dog in June & the first thing I did was join a beginner obedience class. The problem wasn't the dog - it was me not knowing how to give commands or what to expect.

Whatever you do, you've got to be consistant & you've got to keep doing it. I still work on things (new & old) with my 5 year old. Reinforce, reinforce, reinforce. It's great structure for them, will solidify your bond & will keep them thinking - which is really important for dobermans. You need to tire them mentally as well as physically.
Kate

Qoach · 11-30-2012, 10:19 AM

You need to listen to the advice given to you. Seriously!

You bought a doberman and expect him to be a typical dog.

Without work on your part, as described above by others the road you're on will lead to unhappiness for you and the dog, and its the dog that will suffer most.

A doberman isnt a just is dog. They require alot of owner interaction and training. That requires time and dedication from you.

What gets me the most is people that see a well balanced doberman and says i want one too, without finding out anything about the breed. That is why there are doberman rescues.

YOU need to read what others are going through too, understand the advice given, and apply it to your situation. AND from the way it sounds, YES PAY FOR A BEGINNERS COURSE, it will help you understand the other animal at the other end of the leash.