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Hi everyone :)

885 views 20 replies 10 participants last post by  XxIAmTheReaperxX 
#1 ·
Hi there!!

My fiancé came across this website and suggested I sign up as on Monday I will become the proud owner of a 1 year old Doberman by the name of Nemo :). I'm adopting him from a rescue group :).

I'm soo excited and trying to be 'sensible' is hard xD.

This will be my first dog and I know they probably aren't a great 'starter dog', but I've always loved the breed and I always knew I would get one :).

Any tips or tricks would be most appreciated :). I have been given a lot of general ownership advice, but nothing really breed specific, I'm hoping you lot can help with that!!

I will get plenty of piccytures of my gorgeous boy as my fiancé is a photographer :).

Thanks for reading!!
 
#3 ·
Welcome from Colorado!!

I got the following from zeldarules, another DT forum member, who got it from another site (website below). You might want to do some adjustment to what they propose (all dogs are different) but it would be a good idea to give some thought to the concepts here (a quick read in spite of length) as a place to start with a new adult dog.


Two week shutdown BulldogBreeds.com Forums

The First Two Weeks – Give’em a Break! WHY?

If I could stress one of the biggest errors people make with new dogs and foster dogs it is rushing the dog into the new world so fast . This shut down gives the dog a chance to say “ahhh” take a breath and restart into its new world.

From people I have helped I hear;
"I introduced her to 15 people the first day I had her!" ;" he was a bit leery but seems to like my other 3 dogs" ; "she went everywhere with me "
All in the first few days of the new home..... (!!!)

two weeks later we hear;
" I think we will have to rehome the new dog" "the new dog barked and nipped at my kid" - "we had a dog fight" ; “the new dog barked at me for moving him off the couch”

Ok, folks, here it comes, some feel this is extreme, why? I really do not know.
But when bringing in a new dog, post finding, adoption, buying, etc, Give it time to adjust to you and your family and the dogs in the new environment.
Just as if it were a new baby or puppy, we wouldn’t think of rushing out with a baby or puppy, yet with older pups and dogs we just expect them to take our lives in all at once!

TWO WEEKS - "shut down"
For the first two weeks, (sometimes even longer) a dog takes in the new environment, who is the top person, or animal, who ARE these people!? By pushing a dog too fast, and throwing too much at the dog we look like we are not the leaders,and the dog can feel it MUST defend itself , as the leader is surely no one he has met so far!

We coo , coodle, drag the dog to home to home to person to person, and the dog has NO idea who we are. We correct for things it doesn’t understand, we talk in a new human language using words he does not know.

A key thing to remember is "this is the dating period NOT the honeymoon"
When you first met your "spouse or significant other”, you were on your best behavior, you were not relaxed enough to be all of yourself, were you?
Just think of the things you do physically once you get to KNOW a person,
you wouldn’t run up to a stranger and hug them and squeeze them!
Imagine, if on the first date, this new person, was all over you touching you and having their friends hug you and pat you on the head, and jostle your shoulders, looked in your mouth then he whisked you off to another strangers home and they did the same thing.

Would you think this person normal and SAFE? Wouldn’t you feel invaded and begin to get a bit snarky or defensive yourself? Wouldn’t you think to push these people away for obviously your date is out of their mind, as they aren’t going to save you from these weirdoes!!
Yet we do this very thing to our dogs, and then get upset or worried that they aren’t relaxed and accepting of EVERYTHING instantly!

By shutting down the dog, it gives the dog TIME to see you , meet YOU, hear and take in the new sounds and smells of your home and all the people in it. In the 1st two weeks;
.
Crate the dog in a room by itself if possible.(Believe me, dogs are sensory animals, they know more than you think without seeing it).
Leash the dog (so I don’t have to correct it ..you don’t have that right yet!), give it exercise time in the yard on lunge line or in fenced yard..but other than that.. LEASH , (yes..leash in the house too.)
Do no training at all, just fun exercise and maybe throw some toys for fun, leash the dog if you don’t have a fence outside. But DO NOT leave the yard, AT ALL.

No car rides, no other dogs, (unless crated beside them), no pet stores, no WALKS even, nothing but you and household family, your home, your yard. (Unless of course the dog needs to go to the vetinarian)
Believe me dogs can live two weeks without walks. Walks are stressful for there is so much coming at you and your dog! And the dog has no clue who you are yet. The dog may react to something and we start correcting it with the leash and we just installed a VERY STRESSFUL moment to the dog in what should be a fun and learning walk.

TEACH the dog by doing the shut down, that YOU are the one to look to, that you are now here for the dog! He can trust in you and look to you for guidance. Then you can venture out into new situations one at a time, the dog knows he can trust in his new humans and can relax under the fair guidance of his new leaders!

In the house take the dog out only for about 20-30 minute intervals , post excercise/yard times.,and ALWAYS on a leash when in the house or in an unfenced yard. Exercise is important! Running and free time are stress relievers, but don’t set your dog up for failure, make exercise and yard time fun and relaxing and tiring!

Then PUT THE DOG AWAY. let it absorb and think and relax. Ignore crying or barking, just like a new born baby, he must find security when you are not right there, and if you run to him each time he will think barking and crying will get your attention.

I do not introduce resident dogs for these two weeks, they can be side by side in the crates, (not nose to nose for they can feel defensive) . Some dogs will bond instantly with the other dogs if we don’t bond FIRST with the dog, and this can lead to some other issues, as the dog will look to the other dog(s) for guidance and not YOU!

Literally in two weeks you will see a change in the dog and begin to see its honest and true personality. Just like a house guest.. they are well behaved and literally shut down and “polite” themselves these first few weeks, then post this time, they relax and the true personality begins to shine thru.

So, please,, if nothing else for your new dog, give it the time to LEARN YOU as you are learning who they are! This method works on shy dogs, confident dogs, abuse cases, chained dogs that come in, rowdy dogs, all temperaments!



Aside from that, with a doberman, it seems to me there are two things to remember--

1. They want to be around their people as much as they can be. Be prepared to spend time with them, training, playing, snuggling--they will not do well as a backyard dog or in a family that is so busy coming and going that they do not spend much time at home.

2. Exercise--lots of it. Dobes are a high energy breed with a big brain--if they are bored with lots of excess energy, they will FIND a way to entertain themselves--and it may not be pretty.

Thank you for rescuing--rescues are special dogs, and their owners are usually special too :)
 
#13 ·
Thank you for the welcome stryker2.

As he is a rescue dog and his history is unknown, we have deduced that he was probably abused.

He has issues with children and we live in an area with loads of children - he goes berserk if he sees one and there's nothing you can do to calm him down. As we live in an area with a lot of kids, it's a major risk to everyone.

He used to mouth hands and feet, but it has now turned into nipping. He has injured my fiancé's leg and foot and also my foot.

Don't get me wrong, he's a great dog, good natured and very affectionate. He just has problems that we aren't able to help him with. He will find a home with people who can help him and he will be an amazing dog for someone. I have no doubts about that. He has so much potential, his problems are stopping us from reaching it and we just don't know how to get to it.

It's very upsetting to all of us, but at least he can have another chance instead of being euthanised because he hurt someone. I know this is the best option for him and for us, it doesn't make it any easier.

I might get a few pictures of him up to share this fantastic, gorgeous boy with you all. Thanks to everyone for all the kind welcomes and the comments.
 
#14 ·
I'm sorry he didn't work out for you. Sometimes a particular dog just doesn't work for a particular home. I think it's important to recognize you may not have the right skill set he needs for his issues. That's nothing negative against you.

Good luck to you. Hope you can make a dober love match again :)
 
#15 ·
Thank you sam&macksmom. Yes, my thoughts exactly.

If he didn't have his problems, there would be no way you could take him away from me. He's just so unpredictable and we can't live our lives looking over our shoulder or glancing out the window every 5 minutes to make sure there aren't any kids about. We were unaware of his issues and so was the lady we got him from. Now that it's known that he has issues, they can be worked on by someone who knows how to do it.

Thank you and I look forward to having another try when the time is right.
 
#16 ·
Don't beat yourself up about it. He might have never even been abused, he might have just never been socialized much. I went through the same thing with a rescue dobe I wanted to adopt before getting my puppy. He was never socialized and I went as far as I could go with him when it came to training, he was just a project dog meant for a different type of home. Don't fret, that perfect doberkid will find you :) I have a rescued GSD who is a doll, and a dobe from a breeder, there are great dogs out there on both sides of the fence!
 
#17 ·
We only think he might have been because he is terrified of children and we can't work out why. He barks and growls aggressively, unless it's an irrational fear from lack of socialisation as you say. We just don't know and we've no way of knowing.

That's how we're looking at it, he was meant for a different type of home with different people who know how to handle and help troubled dogs. We've done as much as we can and it's not working, it's better this way even if it is hard.

I just hope I do find the right one xD. If I could, I'd like to rescue and give a deserving dog a very loving home. We'll just have to wait and see :).

Thank you.
 
#18 ·
I got my Dobe at 5 months from a great breeder. I know that he was never abused but it is likely that he did not have much interactions with children during the crucial socialization windows because when I got him, he would literally go postal if he even heard children voices on the television. He hated/"feared" children with a passion(did the whole barking/growling/full hackles raised/lunging) and I worked with him extensively on socializing/desensitizing him to kids. He is crated when there are children in the home to be on the safe side, but the transformation has been like night and day since working with him. He is completely fine and non-reactive around kids in public and does great with them, even enjoys to be petted by them and he did absolutely wonderful with my young niece at our family reunion last year. You never know, all you can do is try :) You are making the right and responsible decision for both human and dog.
 
#20 ·
Thank you ZeldaRules. We can't afford to take the risk of introducing him to children as we just don't know what he'll do. If he's on the lead and they're in his line of sight, he has a look and carries on walking. If they're too close for his liking, he backs off and starts whimpering. He did then approach when he calmed down and saw they weren't a threat. It is heartbreaking, but it is what's right for all of us. I'm devastated.

Stryker2, he was with the rescue group for a month and he never showed any of this behaviour, she was totally unaware of it. He was in her kennels, not her house so we think he just doesn't know how to behave in a house. We did try and we gave it our best, but he's just not right for us and we're not right for him. Thank you.
 
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