Doberman Forum : Doberman Breed Dog Forums banner

Im new! Meet Axl my dobe puppy!

671 views 11 replies 7 participants last post by  Euroaxl 
#1 ·
Hi guys, I'm new to DT but like many new members, I've been reading this forum for a long time!

I've always wanted a Doberman since I was kid. I grew up with mostly pits and GSD. I somehow ended up with a chihuahua and a yorkie once I got older whom I love with all my heart. My chihuahua and yorkie are both agility trained as well as know every trick you can think of! The even push mini shopping carts, know how to 'pray', etc. But I've always wanted to get more into dog sports which of course wouldn't be suitable for little dogs.

My house was burglarized earlier this year and being that we have about an acre of property, I decided it was a perfect time to get a dobe. Especially since it would give me an excuse to work him in schutzhund. From everything I read, people say they're Velcro dogs, need constant attention, are always making you laugh...you are all right!!! Funny how with this breed, it's not just some of the Doberman are Velcro dogs, it's like you're guaranteed to have a Velcro dog if you pick this breed :)

Btw, Axl just turned 11 weeks.
 

Attachments

See less See more
2
#3 ·
Thx! And hopefully you'll get another one soon! At times when I'm really worn out from him I might even tell you to take him lol. I'm literally typing with one hand and holding his tug rag with the other. I swear he never sleeps!

Yes his name is Axl! It's a German name like his breed so I thought it was appropriate. Plus my chihuahua's name is Slash! Corny I know, but hey...
 
#6 ·
Thanks guys! He's a good boy...when he's not biting me or ramming me with his metal antlers, which is almost always :)

Any tips on how to stop him from biting my hand when I give him a treat when we're training? Even when I make my hand flat with the treat on top, instead of licking it to get it he bites down like my hand is a sandwich! Maybe it's just a puppy thing. I really don't remember my GSD or Pits ever doing that as puppies though.
 
#8 ·
LOL... Doberman puppies are not called "Dobersharks for nothing! Me.... I grin and bear it and wait several months for my"wounds"to heal.

However, most veteran owners would disagree with me and can offer many options to mitigate this behavior.

The good news is that they do outgrow it. Still be prepared to accept the fact that your dog will probably always play rougher and more intensely than most other breeds. This is a very important thing to remember when you allow him to play with other dogs. IMO, very few breeds can successfully compete with a Doberman in a free for all interaction. This is why I now avoid leash free parks and only allow our dogs to play one on one, with familiar dogs, under supervision.

John
Portland OR
 
#10 · (Edited)
In terms of him biting at you attempting to get his treat---for a nipping dog, I hold the food balled up in my fist. If he nips, the hand goes away. You can let a little of the treat poke out for him to work on, and fairly soon the dog will learn to lick and nibble at your hand, instead of chomping down on it. Again, if he bites, the hand (and treat) disappear. Generally he will learn the proper behavior fairly quickly, if you are consistent.

Biting and nipping at YOU while he’s playing is a somewhat different thing--but you can approach it almost the same way. There can be a lot of smaller steps involved (saying ouch (which in my dogs seem to make it more fun for them, but other people say that it works), taking away attention, turning your back and so on)--but if the behavior persists--YOU go away, for just a minute or two. Or HE goes away--in a dog safe place where he will get no attention from you. Keep the isolation short though, or he will forget why he is there. :)
 
#11 ·
If you are intending to work in Schutzhund, you may want to contact a club now for training advice because the traditional advice that pet owners might offer for these behaviours might interfere with the training you want to do later. It's my understanding that puppies intended for training in Schutzhund are raised somewhat differently than I would raise a puppy, and behaviours I'd be wanting to curb are behaviours that they might not want to curb.
 
#12 ·
Thanks for advise. I will try the ball/first trick.

I also don't discourage biting while playing. In fact I encourage it and work a lot with him on tugging, building prey drive, and puppy bite work ie; bite rag, tug toys, tug toys on a string, puppy sleeve.

I have actually visited the Golden State club (in Riverside CA) a few times and have received a lot of good advise. Of course new things come up every day and it would be helpful to have a contact on speed dial but I know the basic concept on what to encourage and what's okay to train him not to do but I'm by no means a world class trainer in Schutzhund.

I also wanted to visit a few other clubs just to have a 2nd home club but as we all know, if you don't have a GSD or Mal you're not always accepted and taken seriously.

If anyone else on this forum also works their dogs and has any feedback or give general advise I'm more than willing to listen. I love learning more about the sport and genuinely can't wait until he can get more into the serious training (although I know this will be a while from now!)

P.s. I do try to keep his time out very short as like you said, they forget why they're there!
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top