[SouthernPride]

I am new to Dobermans and I will be getting my first puppy in September, so I would like to go ahead and outline my plan for training him. I am a hunter and wouldn't mind having my dog along while in the woods. I use a suppressor and usually subsonic ammo to hunt, so you don't need to worry about me damaging the dog's hearing. I would of course like him to be good around children and other dogs, but be a good guard dog for if my wife is at home alone.

If it would be more beneficial to take him to a professional trainer, I would be willing to do that, since I want to give him the best training possible. I'd love for him to have the obedience training of a Police dog.

What would be the recommendations on training him as a hunting dog? Should I find a professional hunting-dog trainer?

Also, what are the recommendations for sending him to a professional trainer vs training him myself for general training?

Lastly, if anyone has any recommendations for professional trainers in the NC/SC/GA area, please let me know.

 

[bigfootlives]

If you want a hunting dog you should get a hunting dog, honestly lol. Dobermans are not hunting dogs. My SO hunts all the time but he wouldn't think of bringing our dobe with him. He brings him fishing but that's about it.

I would NOT send your dog away for training.
a) you lose the opportunity to bond with your dog through training. This is how you and your dog bond, through training and play.
b) they use a heavy hand. shock collars, prong collars, and strong corrections to punish the dog for messing up.
c) it is a kennel environment. dobermans are incredibly social and they are very velcro to their people. At a board and train they will sit on a cement slab for 22 hours a day and are only brought out to train.
d) you don't know what actually happens there. or how your dog is treated.
e) why would your dog protect you when it comes home, or bond with you if you abandoned them at some random facility who uses brute force to train? they have no incentive. Our boy is protective of me and my SO because of the relationship we formed with him through training and bonding. You don't get that when you send him away.

I recommend finding a club where you can take classes WITH your dog. You need to learn together! It is a great way to develop a relationship with your dog.

 

[Gretchen_Red]

Welcome!

I can't speak to training to hunt much, although most dobes seem to be trainable to do anything because they're are extremely intelligent.

Reasons why I wouldn't take my dobe hunting:

1) They never stop talking. Either barking, growling, whining.... She's the loudest dog I've ever owned, and NO it's NOT because she's a female

2)She NEVER sits still unless she's sleeping! Granted she's only a year old but my other dobe was similar. It was either go, go GO, or sleeping and don't wake me up.

I believe in being trained by a trainer while working with my dogs. You gain nothing by sending your dog away to someone. Also, the next time you get a dog you'll be knowledgeable enough to possibly do it yourself! Good luck! It would be nice to have a few hunters on this forum!

 

[HarvestMoon]

I would tend to agree with Big Foot Lives, if you want a hunting dog, get a hunting dog. In general, hunting is not something Dobermans are used for. My dobe has such high prey drive she would be a nuisance on the field, trying to chase birds and other prey. Same with my last doberman.

You might want to message Adara, a member of this forum, as she actively hunts with Vizslas and also has a Doberman. I am pretty sure she does not take her dobe hunting. At least I've never seen pics of her dobe in her hunt pics! She hunts with her Vizslas.

 

[SouthernPride]

Thank you for the response. I never planned on sending my dog away to a trainer. I meant that I would find a professional that would train 1 on 1 with me there the whole time. Similar to your recommendation for finding a class where I would actually be doing the training. I will look around and find someone to do this.

Thanks for the suggestions about hunting too. I know that Dobes are not the perfect hunting dog, but good training can make them a good hunting companion. Still, I can easily wait a couple of years and get a different dog for hunting. Probably a Boykin Spaniel.

If there is anybody in the Greenville, SC area that knows of clubs/classes for Doberman training, please let me know.

 

[bigfootlives]

Ah, my bad. I took 'sending him to a trainer' as shipping him off somewhere. I've never trained one on one before but I'm sure it's tremendously useful!

I don't know if they would make a good hunting companion... As GretchenRed said, they never stop moving and are very vocal. Throw in a strong prey drive and you are asking for trouble! They need constant stimulation and I doubt sitting in the woods would be satisfactory. Our boy gets bored at training and try's to crawl in my lap! And he's 16 months old! They are ridiculous. But by all means give it a whirl do what you think is best.

We will probably add a female hunting dog here in the future as our boy, despite all the training he has gotten, is not the right type for hunting. We are looking at German short haired pointers

 

[Gretchen_Red]

Love GSP!!! Great Choice BFL

 

[bigfootlives]

Love GSP!!! Great Choice BFL

I've never met one before! My SO has and he says they're awesome. I've heard good things about their health too. Have you owned one before?

 

[Rosemary]

Well, I did find an obedience club in your area. DOCG - Website of the Dog Obedience Club of Greenville, Inc

I agree that a Dobe probably wouldn't be the first choice for hunting (I'm assuming birds?) I think Adara's Dobe has been known to tag along sometimes, and has even retrieved a few birds, but she's not what you'd call a hunting dog.

Also, it's hard to find a field trainer who doesn't use an electronic collar. They are used on both pointing and retrieving dogs extensively.

 

[Gretchen_Red]

I've never met one before! My SO has and he says they're awesome. I've heard good things about their health too. Have you owned one before?

No but my boss had one at my last job and since I was the only one constantly in the office I had to watch all of the dogs. Granted she was 6 but I loved her sweetness and how alert she always was! Her name was Henley! I loved the name and the dog!

 

[BTD544]

What did you want to hunt. I am a hunter and I want to get a Doberman at some point in the next year or two. You mentioned hunting with a silenced rifle so I assume you are hunting deer or other big game? If yes, dogs don't really play a role (by law in some cases) on big game hunts. But, from what I've read dobermans can track very well which can come in handy for tracking a downed animal after the blood trail is gone. A dog found a 6 point buck for me 2 years ago!!!

I also have a buddy that trained his 11 year old mutt to hunt grouse and pheasant. But dobermans coats wouldn't be able to tolerate the cold water of duck hunting (from what I've read). I've seen my buddies labs shivering in the bottom of the boat from the cold water and they are bred for it!