[Apollo'smom]

my question is: when i visited the breeders home to pick up my puppy, the parents were non-friendly and the male just growled at me. i am a dog lover and never encountered non friendly dogs until i met the dad. now my pup is 8 months old and very aggressive and hard headed. is this related to the parents being not friendly and un petable? should i have just walked away and waited till i found some friendly parents ? i am curious as my last dobie was very easy going, and not acting like a guard dog as this one does.

 

[OliviaB]

Yes, temprament should be a HUGE deal when deciding to breed two dogs. If the parents didn't have great tempraments, it could definitely affect your dog. I would have walked away from a stud who was acting like that. Are you working with a trainer? If your dog is already showing agression and other issues, find a reputable trainer asap.

 

[Tperkins]

A dog will be a direct reflection of its parents. It would depend on the context of the dog growling at me as to how I feel about it. If you were introduced to the dog by the breeder in a friendly manner and he growled still, I would see that as un-acceptable. Really in just about any situation where a dog growled at me I would find that un-acceptable.What does your breeder have to say about this. I'm assuming they own both dogs(not a good sign in a breeder), they would know there dogs personality better than anyone.

 

[TheStig]

The pops too was barking like a mofo when we went to visit the breeders home to see the puppies.

My boy will be 7 months old next week and the only time he brings out his big boy bark is when he spots something in the yard...one time was an opossum, one time was a hawk walking around and all the other times he sees 'something' that I obviously can't see.

I asserted my dominance since day 1 with our boy, no aggression what so ever as of yet. Mostly it is his ears laid back with lots of kisses for everyone. he gets a little rough when playing with the other dogs, but once our lab male tires of his tomfoolery, he lets him know.

Are you the master and commander of your domain? If not, what's the hold up?

If so, maybe the dog has an issue or two, health wise?

 

[sam&macksmom]

Who is the breeder in question?

What is your 8 month old doing that makes you say he's aggressive & hard-headed? Can you provide examples?

And finally, what formal obedience training have you done with him?

 

[Sam Erin]

OP, please re-read what you wrote. This is a no-brainer.

In case you aren't just trolling, I'll give some actual advise. Please find a good trainer and/or certified behaviorist as soon as possible. Aggression is a serious, serious issue. If you don't start working with your dog, you will likely have to put him down in the future after he bites you or someone else.

Editing to add: If the parents of a litter were barking non-stop during a visit, then I would most certainly walk away. Dobermans should be able to tell what is a threat and what isn't. Sorry, Stig.

 

[lolonurse]

Sounds like this was a back yard breeder, someone who just decided their dogs should have puppies - maybe to make a buck (OH how misguided people can be about this!). An unstable temperament is a flaw in a Doberman - and yes, it can run in family lines - but also, it means that the "breeder" probably didn't socialize those puppies at all, which is a no-no.

If you haven't already begun training your Dobe, you need to start yesterday! Perhaps also contact a good dog behaviorist to help you save the dog and you from heartbreak.

 

[PatchworkRobot]

If I had gone to visit a breeder (of any breed) and the parent(s) wasn't/weren't friendly I would have walked away and found a different breeder.

However, it's too late for that now. I second (or third?) the idea of taking some obedience classes, finding a private trainer, and/or ruling out any possible medical issue.

 

[sam&macksmom]

There's 1 board certified vet behaviorist in NJ if you wish to have him evaluated:

Find a Board Certified Veterinary Behaviorist ACVB

 

[odiakkoh]

If I had gone to visit a breeder (of any breed) and the parent(s) wasn't/weren't friendly I would have walked away and found a different breeder

I unno, id make exceptions for lgds (especially caucasian ovcharkas). If they didn't bark at me I don't want their puppies lol.

 

[PatchworkRobot]

I unno, id make exceptions for lgds (especially caucasian ovcharkas). If they didn't bark at me I don't want their puppies lol.

You got me there, good point!

Lets revise my post to say "except breeds in which it's expected" or perhaps "of just about any breed"?
Forgive me, I've had a long day D:

 

[odiakkoh]

You got me there, good point!

Lets revise my post to say "except breeds in which it's expected" ?
Forgive me, I've had a long day D:

Heh I'm half teasing.

 

[KevinK]

I would have to agree with the others... Firstly, I would have up and left if the parents were nasty, and secondly, I would have asked why both parents were there. Was this a breeding of convenience, because the owners have 2 dogs, or were the 2 dogs selected as mates because their genes had something worthy of passing on. Alot of times, you can tell the temperements of the pups by the parents. I would have asked what made these ill-tempered dogs worthy of being bred.

Is it fixable? That's hard to say online. I would recommend a good behaviorist to have an evaluation.

 

[PatchworkRobot]

Heh I'm half teasing.

Awe :]
But you had a great point.

 

[KevinK]

The pops too was barking like a mofo when we went to visit the breeders home to see the puppies.

My boy will be 7 months old next week and the only time he brings out his big boy bark is when he spots something in the yard...one time was an opossum, one time was a hawk walking around and all the other times he sees 'something' that I obviously can't see.

I asserted my dominance since day 1 with our boy, no aggression what so ever as of yet. Mostly it is his ears laid back with lots of kisses for everyone. he gets a little rough when playing with the other dogs, but once our lab male tires of his tomfoolery, he lets him know.

Are you the master and commander of your domain? If not, what's the hold up?

If so, maybe the dog has an issue or two, health wise?

Your dog has another full 2 years of maturing and personality change, so let's hope it stays that way. While you can do plenty of training, asserting dominance, and other things, there's only so much you can do with a poor temperement. Hopefully your dog doesn't turn out like the father, because for the most part, a dogs temperement is a dogs temperement. A barking, out of control dog can very well be a case of poor handling, but if it's not poor handling, and is related to the dogs temperement, your hands are kinda tied. Poor handling can be corrected with training. A poor temperement can not.

 

[MeadowCat]

Temperament is at least partly genetic. I'm sorry to hear that you didn't walk away and you are now having issues with your dog. I second the suggestion to get to a certified veterinary behaviorist ASAP.

 

[Elzajpn]

Yes, temprament should be a HUGE deal when deciding to breed two dogs. If the parents didn't have great tempraments, it could definitely affect your dog. I would have walked away from a stud who was acting like that. Are you working with a trainer? If your dog is already showing agression and other issues, find a reputable trainer asap.

I totally agree with OliviaB.

 

[TheStig]

Your dog has another full 2 years of maturing and personality change, so let's hope it stays that way. While you can do plenty of training, asserting dominance, and other things, there's only so much you can do with a poor temperement. Hopefully your dog doesn't turn out like the father, because for the most part, a dogs temperement is a dogs temperement. A barking, out of control dog can very well be a case of poor handling, but if it's not poor handling, and is related to the dogs temperement, your hands are kinda tied. Poor handling can be corrected with training. A poor temperement can not.

Who said he was out of control? He was sectioned off from the rest of the females and seemed to me like he just wanted some attention, hence the barking like a mofo.

Lets not up and run to Johns Hopkins or the mayo clinic over a stubbed toe.

 

[KevinK]

Who said he was out of control? He was sectioned off from the rest of the females and seemed to me like he just wanted some attention, hence the barking like a mofo.

Lets not up and run to Johns Hopkins or the mayo clinic over a stubbed toe.

I guess we have a diference of opinion here... If I was going to a breeder, and the father was barking like a mofo, I would expect the breeder to tell the dog to settle down, and I would expect the dog to then settle down. Dogs bark, and whine, and that's fine, but I wouldn't want to see the sire of my pup barking his head off because he needed attention.

I know we disagree alot, and that's fine, but my advice was not only directed towards you, even though I quoted you. It was also for the op.

 

[RedMaro]

Barking is one thing, but growling is a whole different story. The growling could be acceptable if you provoked it, or even if it was just from the second you walked in the door. When I met the parents of this upcoming litter. It took a matter of two seconds before both of the dogs were completly comfortable, and all over me with kisses. I would suggest getting some serious training down now while you can.