[Retics]

I have an 8 month old black dobe, So far training has been up an down with mostly positive results. basic stuff sit stay come, lay down. no prob.
I'm having a bit of a prob with him pulling,,so much in fact that he has pulled the lead out of my hand,,an when it retracts , hits him in the rear quarters he thinks I hit him an bolts off,,,I have had to chase him through down town traffic while he is crying cause he thinks he is getting beat.
I really don't want to get a prong collar,, any other suggestions ?

I have been trying to start bite training but he does not seem to have much interest in pulling on ropes or bite pads, any way to bring his confidence or drive back?

He is not shy,,very territorial of our house and yard,,gets along with people and other dogs when he is OFF leash. seems to hate other animals when on his leash.
Thx guys.

favorite toy....the cat.

 

[voodoolizard]

we struggled for 18 months with out a prong.. got one and life is so much easier.. i thought they were horrible things but my thoughts have turned around.. and training is going great !! remember a prong is not forever.. just for training !! go get a prong and make your life easier !!

 

[GunnersMum]

I honestly wouldn't use a retractable leash on a dog especially in high traffic areas. It only takes one second for a dog to bolt sideways and into traffic. You may find that the prong will save your shoulder socket and if used correctly are better than a choke collar.

When doing tug games I found that getting myself excited helped alot to get Gunner into it, that and praise, praise, praise!

 

[Pitts]

Definately do not use a retractable leash, this allows your dog to move away from you and takes away both your power to control him physically, but also takes away your pack leader status. You should use a leash that allows you to keep your dog next to you, The dog should walk close to you on walks, And using a prong collar on a dog of that age is fine and will benefit you greatly, the prong collar is in no way cruel to the dog, and its actually better than a choke collar because a choke collar does just that, it chokes the dog, a prong collar is made to simply apply pressure to the muscles in the neck and to simulate a dogs mouth, to give the same sensation as an alpha dog giving a mouth correction to another dog. But if you get a prong please make sure it fits correctly, it is ineffective if its too loose or at the base of the neck. the prong should fit snugly around the top of the neck just below the ears and jaw. If you try these I will bet you have a much much more pleasent walk with your guy and your training will go much better.

 

[doberkris]

I have an MRI scheduled next week for my elbow (thanks Morgan) I bought a prong a little too late for my elbow, but it's great. Try one on your own arm...it is supposed to mimmick the mom nipping them - corrcetion the way a pack leader would.
I do use a flexi-lead for exercise, but for walk a 6 ft. leather with the prong. She can sniff when I give the word, otherwise it's right by me...have you thought of using a traffic lead in public?

 

[von Cosack Dobermann]

Hello try changing your tempo on the walk (fast medium slow) also quick direction changes right turn ,left, about face, circles, fiqure eights. Mix it up he's probaly bored. As for equipment I use small link choke chain for quick corrections and I have russet leather you would be alright with latigo. Oil it(lightly) after a year and then once a year. There is something your doing on leash for his attitude to change towards other dogs, if he's ok off leash, I don't think he's being protective and if he is he's reading the situation wrong. Check your feelings in those situations. Maybe your nervous or some other reason for negative energy to be passed to him. train em up.

 

[bubsy]

Definitely get rid of the flexi lead...it rewards the dog for pulling, which is the opposite of what you want to do. If you're just looking for a loose lead walk, I believe there are a few past threads with detailed advice. But here are some articles with some good strategies for mastering the LLW. Good luck.
ClickerSolutions Training Articles -- Loose Leash Walking: The Total Picture
and another Clicker Training Lessons - Loose Leash Walking

 

[Retics]

Thanks for all the advice guys,,I'll be getting my prong today, Ill keep you posted. Most of the flexi-lead is for when he is running around an I don't want him to get into trouble or too far away but still in control.:thumbsup:

 

[von Cosack Dobermann]

Sorry missed your comment on drive for bite work? Where did his drive go or why did it go? He is to young for real bite work, play tug with him get a long towel and knot it be careful of his new teeth, and he must win all encounters, you build confidence. Are you experienced in evaluating his temperment for bite work, many american lines don't have the character to perform the tasks. Your OB needs to be very very good before any aggression work begins. OB on & off leash perfect ,before bite work.

 

[RommelsDad]

I am in the same boat as you. In the house Rommel is great. Outside on a leash he is a terror. I started obiedience training a couple of weeks ago and we are now on loose leash walking. I currently have a martingale collar that just is not working.

I have started the method of as soon as Rommel pulls, I stop and/or change direction has helped a little. I treat him if he is beside me after I click. He made some progress today but I have a prong collar on order that I hope that will help more.

 

[RedFawnRising]

I have an 8 month old black dobe, So far training has been up an down with mostly positive results. basic stuff sit stay come, lay down. no prob.
I'm having a bit of a prob with him pulling,,so much in fact that he has pulled the lead out of my hand,,an when it retracts , hits him in the rear quarters he thinks I hit him an bolts off,,,I have had to chase him through down town traffic while he is crying cause he thinks he is getting beat.
I really don't want to get a prong collar,, any other suggestions ?

I have been trying to start bite training but he does not seem to have much interest in pulling on ropes or bite pads, any way to bring his confidence or drive back?

He is not shy,,very territorial of our house and yard,,gets along with people and other dogs when he is OFF leash. seems to hate other animals when on his leash.
Thx guys.

favorite toy....the cat.

Hi Retic, just curious, what made you decide to pursue bitework?

It sounds as if your primary purpose with this dog is as a family companion, so, just wondering.

I would ditch the retractable lead. Do you have a secure fenced area you can let him get his zoomies out?

Are you currently working with a professional trainer and/or going to class?

 

[Retics]

In the area where I live there were some break ins,,an when it happened to my garage out behind the house is when I wanted to look into bite work. I'm not looking to make a vicious dog, Pet is always my first choice.

Fully fences area,,both front and back yard as well as try an get him to the dog park once a week.
Nothing yet as of professional help,,nothing I have found worth while in my area for bite work,,I'm trying to do what I can on my own before i do that. Will be looking at other training methods from a trainer later on as well.

 

[bubsy]

In the area where I live there were some break ins,,an when it happened to my garage out behind the house is when I wanted to look into bite work. I'm not looking to make a vicious dog, Pet is always my first choice.

Fully fences area,,both front and back yard as well as try an get him to the dog park once a week.
Nothing yet as of professional help,,nothing I have found worth while in my area for bite work,,I'm trying to do what I can on my own before i do that. Will be looking at other training methods from a trainer later on as well.

I will leave the protection training advice to those who are experienced...but I gotta say I don't think this is something you can do on your own.
Maybe someone has some recommendations for good trainers in your area.

 

[Retics]

Yea that would be great,,,anybody know of or heard of good trainers in Edmonton AB?

 

[RedFawnRising]

... I treat him if he is beside me after I click. He made some progress today but I have a prong collar on order that I hope that will help more.

I don't know how experienced you are in clicker training, or if you're in a class, maybe you just mis-typed, here, but you would only click at the precise instant he offers you the behavior you want (i.e. stepping alongside you) not before or after. Don't fall into the mistake of using the clicker as a command--it's just a marker. Your commands should be limited to verbal or hand signals, or I train my dogs to read flash cards, to amp it up a level.

Suzzane Clothier at Flying Dog Press has some good free articles on her site, and talks about common sense use of the prong collar. Might be useful to you to check her out, if you're not already familiar.

I will leave the protection training advice to those who are experienced...but I gotta say I don't think this is something you can do on your own.
Maybe someone has some recommendations for good trainers in your area.

Yes, that was what I was getting at. So much misinformation out there as to what even the definition of "bitework" is, much less folks trying to do it on their own.

It's not a light undertaking to prepare a dog for protection work, OP. Please consult a reputable, ethical professional to help you, with both your basic obedience, and then eventually this, if you feel it's something you still want to pursue.

Just the presence of a Doberman will deter most of your criminal types--and the ones it will not--you probably do not want to mess with anyway. We've had many discussions on the board about home protection and the roles our dogs might play. I personally do not count on putting my dogs in danger to protect me--that's what a good handgun is for :biggthump

 

[Retics]

YouTube - MY DOBERMAN

 

[Retics]

Thx guys for all the help. Picked up a prong collar 2 weeks ago slows him to a dull rawr lol.

 

[caramella]

I highly recommend you get into OB classes and teach the heel command. The changing directions on walks on lead, will train your dog to pay attention to you, so he knows where to go as YOU lead him on the leash. I would never use a flexi-lead and especially in traffic. In those scenarios he should be attending to the heel command, so that you control him. I use a choke chain and a 6' leather lead. It does take training time, but is so well worth it to take a pleasurable walk with your dog, without all the pulling. I am new, like you, and OB training and following the directions from those I admire on DT has been so helpful and I recommend it to you. As an aside, be careful when allowing your dog to tear apart stuffies (that he found? Where? From who?) as they can swallow those pieces with much medical difficulties to follow. Bella no longer gets stuffies that can be torn apart, only the 'heavy duty' ones that she can't tear open. What an adorable doggie you have there.

 

[caramella]

I goofed! OOooops, I was reading two threads at once and responded in the wrong thread...I apologize for my goofiness

 

[Kaiserboy]

I've found lately I have had to go back to basic's with my 11 month Kais. We trained him to walk to heel with a check chain and a leather training lead. Worked well until now he has started to pull again even after the correction.
I wanted to try a head collar before buying a pinch. It has actually made walking Kais very easy. I have also been able to train him to walk by my side just by giving him the command and holding him by my side also using the changing direction method this has worked very well. He has a training lead that you can make into 3 different lengths so when I make the lead longer and say 'go on then' he knows he can have more freedom to sniff and then 'heel' means he has to come back to walking by my side. It seems to be working for me great but if I start having problems again I will def be getting a pinch.

Also in regards to the PP work, I used to volunteer with dogs being trained in PP by professionals, I used to join in training sessions and always found the training enjoyable, these dogs spent months doing bits of PP work every day to become the best PP dog. I used to spend time ragging with dogs and rewarding them when they did well. I've also been at the other end, in a bite suite, this was scary but the situation was always controlled.
My advice is that its a long process that you don't want to make any shortcuts. These dogs have to know exactly when to switch on and when told have to be switched off straight away. A professional is the way to go