[rzabees]

Hi

Yesterday I purchased an 8month old doberman male from a breeder. Beautiful dog, but seems very timid. He will approach and lay by my wife and daughter, but will not stay in the area by me or come by me. When I approach him he just lowers his head and seems to freeze. He even jumps back at slightest noises like coughing. I have tried treats but he will not even take treats from me. He is not very playful with any of us either. Does not really respond to any toys, except a soccer ball outside. I was able to see him and his mother play when I purchased him and he has it in him. I guess the good thing is he does not even seem interested in the cat we have and he shows zero aggression.

Am I just worrying for no reason? Does he just need to get use to us?

 

[DogsR4Life]

Was there a reason why the breeder had an 8month old for sale? Have you had him health checked? It can take time for a dog to be accustomed to their new family, but what your describing sounds more than just a little discomfort. If I were you, I would seek professional advice, maybe a behaviorist. Be careful pushing him out of his threshold, they can become fear aggressive and feel the need to protect themselves.

 

[kwhite30]

My puppy was shy the first few days we had him however he was 10 weeks and was just taken from his mom and litter mates so it was an adjustment thing because within 3 days he was being loving and fun and a normal puppy. I think he may be getting used to you or something may be wrong I'm not sure. I think it's strange that a breeder had an 8 month old puppy but I could be wrong. I'd take him to the vet and get him checked out and make sure nothing health wise is wrong.

I agree with the seeking professional help. You don't want it to become worse or for him to become aggressive.

 

[rzabees]

Breeder said they had planned on using him for breeding, but said his feet were flatter then he liked. I was worried a little about him when I was there, but after driving 2 hours with family to get him it was hard to go home empty handed. He does seem to like being around the girls in the house at least. He will wag his tail around them and lick them. I guess I was hoping to be able to play with him right away, but a lot of work is needed i guess.

 

[Beaumont67]

Breeder said they had planned on using him for breeding, but said his feet were flatter then he liked. I was worried a little about him when I was there, but after driving 2 hours with family to get him it was hard to go home empty handed. He does seem to like being around the girls in the house at least. He will wag his tail around them and lick them. I guess I was hoping to be able to play with him right away, but a lot of work is needed i guess.

Use your girls and wife, to your advantage...maybe it will take 2 weeks, maybe a bit longer.
I suspect a man, was mean & absured her a time or two.
Puppies are born to equally love M or FM...unless something bad has happened / if they differentiate now, between the sexes.

Let her learn to trust and love the male of the family...by watch you interacting with your children.
She will come around, and be a most wonderful dobe, but don't try to hard, to make it happen...early on...so it don't backfire.

What is your boys name ??

 

[RedFawnRising]

Hi, welcome to the forum.

A few things come to mind, when you describe your pup's behavior.

I would want to know what sort of socialization efforts the breeder made with this pup during his critical learning period. I would want to know what sort of breeding program was behind this pup--and what sort of family traits he may have inherited, as a result.

Were his parents titled in any venue? Have his ancestors had the necessary temperament to go out into the world and work and compete, with steady nerves?

What sort of temperament did the breeder describe this particular pup as having?

If you can find out all that, it will help with suggestions for you.

The first thing I would recommend that you do ASAP is get this book: On Talking Terms with Dogs: Calming Signals, Turid Rugaas.

It's cheap, about ten bucks, a fun, fast read, but worth its weight in gold, packed with info and great pictures which are illustrative of Rugaas' points, and will give you a huge head start on reading your pup's stress level, and how to de-escalate it. Your communication and understanding with him will greatly increase.

Don't force the issue with treats right now. The Rugaas book will go into more detail on why your guy might be too uncomfortable when approached head-on with treats to feel like eating them, but just know it might be too much, too soon, for the pup.

Kind of like when you're the shy kid in the room and your loud, exuberant Aunt Sylvia insists on a bear hug and noisy, slobbery kiss

 

[rzabees]

His name is Rameses btw. I took him to the vet today, and he has lots of ticks(We thought we got them all and used frontline) He also had round worms... We made a huge mistake with trusting the breeder took care of him. He is still a very pretty dog and very sweet. At pet smart he was doing very well with other dogs and the Lady vet techs and and woman vet. He show he was aware of the shot by backing up near me, but when they were giving it to him it did not phase him.

Thank everyone for the advice and me and my family will continue to work on rehabing him.