Doberkid

My little girl is unable to go outside by herself for more than two minutes.

She will scream, dig at the door, jump up at the back window, launch herself at the door and slam into it and then take to digging up the back lawn or ripping plants out of pots.

I have been ignoring this behavior and trying to wait it out but she does so much damage and doesn't seem to settle at all. Yesterday her screaming went on for two hours, she smashed three pots, chewed my outdoor table and ripped out half the lawn.
I am able to crate her by herself with no problems so I don't think it's separation anxienty, more like a tantrum as she doesn't want to be out there.

She gets exercised daily, both on the leash and off. I also go through basic training excersises to keep her mind active. She has bones and toys outside that she ignores unless the other dogs are eating them.

She loves our yard when I'm there, but turns into a little monster once I shut the back door

odiakkoh

Is there a reason she needs to be outside by herself?


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Kekly

I think she wants you with her at all times. Two hours is a long time to listen to a dog howl, I hope you don't have close neighbors. Sounds like she can't stand to be alone. Dobermans are people dogs. You are a people. She wants you. You need to get some professional training or very good advice on how to be seperate from your Doberman at times. Good Luck.

falnfenix

this is precisely what i want to know. Deckard wasn't fine with being outside alone for more than a few minutes until he was almost 9 months old. 2 hours would never be acceptable to him UNLESS we were with him.

DogsR4Life

IMO, they should never be left outside alone.

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smudgeid

Chanel is 5 & she's been outside alone for about 15 minutes max. She's only left out when the weather is awesome & she doesn't want to come in with me. A couple of times she whined to come in (and I had the window open & was paying attention), a couple of times I checked on her & she was standing at the door ready to come in.

I'd never leave her out alone if she didn't want to be there. That's not part of the deal when you have a doberman.
Kate

dapple

Lily....my old female....never wants to stay outside if I'm not there.
Both the males I've had enjoyed time outside. But I'm always watching them. Out the window and checking them a lot. To make sure they're not up to anything. Or hurting themselves ect. I bring them in if there is a problem. And if they want to to come in, no problem. I would never try and make a dobe stay outside alone. They are not independent yard dogs. Why do you want to keep her out there? Get a dog bed and use her as a foot rest. She'll be much happier.

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GingerGunlock

I've tried to send Elka outside on her own to potty in the back yard. She stands in the middle of the yard and barks at the house. Or did, the two times I tried it. We pretty much just go everywhere together instead.

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Rouleaux

I don't like letting Rouleaux in the yard by himself. My fear is him eating something he shouldn't. I have already had my scare with foreign objects and him eating them... nope. won't do it again! He would much rather romp in the woods with me on a hike than be alone inn the yard, though! I quite like the velcro temperament of a dobe

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ajp240

I don't suggest leaving your dog outside alone. If I ever send my dog out to go potty (we have a fenced yard) I watch her through the window.

-Do you have a safe fence that you check for openings daily?
-Do you make sure your gates are always closed and locked?
-Are there any poisonous plants in your yard? Do you know and have identified each plant to know it is safe in case it is ingested?
-Can you be sure your dog won't eat mulch, rocks, etc?
-Do you always check for critters before letting your dog out?

Sorry but all of those factors are too many for 99% of us to safely leave our dogs outside for more than a few unsupervised minutes.

dobebug

My puppies never really wanted to be out alone--I usually have more than one dog so if I want a puppy out for exercise I send them out with at least one other dog and keep a close eye on them while they are outside together.

But mostly with puppies I have them go out with me when I'm working in the yard or I go out with them and play with them for awhile.

I did have one puppy who was very content to go out with the cat (back when I actually lived someplace that was safe to have cats who were indoor/outdoor kitties.

Generally I really want to know what puppies are doing at all times so I pretty much plan on either going out with them or having them follow me around the house as I did things inside.

Doberkid

I don't leave her out there all day, and I know exactly how dobermans need their people. She is my third dobe.

She is never alone, she comes to work daily with me and sleeps in the bedroom with me.

My yard is fully fenced and I know there is nothing nasty out there.
The problem is I need to feed her outside as she is pushing my other three out if their food. My house is very open plan so she just barks at the others until she can get to their bowls.
They are all fed the same thing, so it's not like theirs is tastier.

I also like her to be able to have alone time and be okay by herself. If something ever happens to me or I need to leave her with someone I can't have her destroy their house.
I am not one for encouraging separation anxiety.
Her breeder has told me off for her being so dependent on me after she tore through her crate at our last show.

I do expect her to be able to toilet by herself and be able to eat a bone outside whilst I mop the floors.

Asmit

That very last sentence of this post sounds completely logical however I still am unsure as to why 2hours outside is necessary? Most of the dobermans being bred now are not independent dogs and some simply aren't stable and strong enough to handle being alone that long. My adult dog goes out to potty and comes straight back. He'll stand out there peacefully forbhowever long I need him to, but he's pretty independent and likes being out by himself. Most importantly he's not a 5 month old puppy.

From the anxiety you mentioned with the crate that sounds like a crate training problem more than an anxiety problem. If she was properly crate trained age would learn tht being in the crate is her time to relax regardless if you are there or not. If you are concerned with the separation anxiety, use the crate for her down time, not the back yard. Being crated in the house calmly is equally important to being calm outside. Backyard should be a place to potty and that's it. It's not a calming place to lock a dog for hours at a time. If she doesn't know how to settle herself in a closed controlled environment ie crate, how is she gonna be able to settle herself outside?

NINKOjIN

Riley loved to snooze outside in the summer, but now, he pretty much runs out to pee/poop, then runs back inside. He's pretty good about not whining, but that's because I trained him not to whine indoors behind a baby gate first... which kind of translated to doing the same outside with doors. He'll still whine if I ignore him for too long, but I usually let him in within a few minutes anyway.

Now he whines behind a baby gate again, lol... pretty much every supper time in this house is accompanied by the sound of dobe cries.

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