[Taka]

My Story
I got this dog in a very shady part of Detroit, gangs and what not. I know this because I used to live in that area and I would find stray pits all the time (some of them were used for fighting, one was definitely a bait dog…his teeth was filed) I would do my best to find these guys homes.
The people who owned this dog were being evicted. So I took in this 1 year old male blue Doberman (Taka) as my own personal pet. I also own a senior female German Shephard.
I don’t know anything about this dog really. He doesn’t respond to the name they gave him at all, so I renamed him Taka. He was covered in fleas and that is all I know.
The Good:
Taka is okay with my 14 year old Shephard. In fact she plays with him in the back yard. She is 14 so she does tire out much quicker than him. Still considering the fact she is GSD and how old she is; it is amazing she still likes/wants to play. (Sorry I have to brag about her a little bit she is my baby. The vet is always amazed how old she is…. She is in great shape for her age.)
He would bite her ears hard, and this would cause her to yelp. She whipped around and bit him really hard, left marks. He totally stopped that behavior.
He waits and lets her eat first.
Even though he is a year old he is pretty smart. In one morning I taught him sit, down, roll over, stay and shake. Seriously. The only issue is, is he tries to anticipate the command. I may want him to sit and shake, but he will already be laying on the floor rolling over.
The Bad:
He will follow me around a play nip. It is painful because he is almost full size.
I tell him NO!!! If he continues I put him in my spare bedroom for 10 to 15 minutes.
This method is not working.
My Shephard has always been very responsive to verbal cues. Discipline really wasn’t needed that much. I’m not an inexperienced dog owner, I just never been around Dobermans.
Exercise:
He gets walked twice a day for an hour. I sometimes get on a bike and let him sprint for a short distance, up and down the street (usually daily). Also I will sometimes play fetch with him in the back yard.
Is he not getting enough exercise?

 

[LindaH]

I think your time-outs are too long and he's forgetting why he was put away. When he nips you, give him three chances. I would use "quit" or "stop" as "no" gets so overused the dogs begins ignoring it. After he disobeys that third time, just walk him to the room and put him in for about two or three minutes. That's a long time for a one year old. Don't say anything to him as you putting him up as you want his last action to be remembered as to why you're disappearing. You talk, he looses that thought. When you let him out, again, be silent and neutral. You may have to repeat some, but my boy got the reason he was crated by the time he came out that third time. His was trash diving.

I suggest you get the book The Power of Positive Dog Training by Pat Miller. Dobermans don't do well with aversive training. They shine with positive based training. Keep sessions short and positive. Always leave him wanting to learn more and after a successful action


Exercise...growth plates don't close till 16 months and a little later, so you don't want to do forced exercise. A doberman won't lay down when they're tired or need to if the owner needs to be followed. They will often blow out knees and do other joint damage first. This is a breed of dog bred specifically to stay with and protect it's owner, a personal protection dog.

You can usually play with them, .no Frisbee jumping either. Toss a ball or stick, chase each other around. All those he should quit when he gets tired. You can take walks with him, but not a couple of miles, but no running or biking.

I wouldn't frequent dog parks. Try finding a fenced in area where he can run on his own. Dobermans love to stretch out and just run.

 

[melbrod]

How long have you been working on stopping the nipping? A set-in behavior in an adult dog can take a while to extinguish. Have you tried shoving a toy in his mouth whenever he gets nippy? Sometimes redirection works.

Alternatively, if that doesn’t help, putting him away as you describe is a good idea, but make sure you are giving him absolutely NO attention, either good or bad. Stop all talking to him, all interactions--simply take him by the collar (or you could even have him drag a leash so you don’t have to even touch him) and walk him to his time-out place.

Five minutes should be long enough for time-out; more than that and he’ll forget why he is there, except that he will remember that he wants your attention and may renew the behavior when he gets out. It sounds like he figures any kind of attention he can get from you is better than nothing, and a nip is a sure way to get a reaction.

When you are playing with him, you should continue fun training--maybe teach him to search for a toy you’ve hidden. Dobes are so smart they need to work their mind, and a combination of that and physical activity can really tire them out.

It does sound like he is eager to work with you. The kind of anticipation you describe shows that he wants to please you--but he’s not quite sure exactly what each command means, so he offers them all to you until he gets a positive reaction from you.

LindaH--you beat me to it this time! Quick work.

 

[LindaH]

LOL...pretty rapid one finger typing. eh