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Hey! New Dobie owner soon to be here! As the title states, what do you wish you knew when you first got your puppy? Advice is welcome and appreciated! 
What do you wish you knew when you first got your pup?
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6,476 Posts
Wish I had known just how much sleep I wouldn't be getting. Being a little more prepared for that would have made the whole thing much, much easier.
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537 Posts
The whining.
Damn the whining all to hell.
I try to tell him he is a bog boy and there is no whining in baseball.
He whines about that too.
Sometimes he'll just be laying down and start whining.
If he is bored or we aren't paying him enough attention, he lets us know...by whining.
Damn the whining all to hell.
I try to tell him he is a bog boy and there is no whining in baseball.
He whines about that too.
Sometimes he'll just be laying down and start whining.
If he is bored or we aren't paying him enough attention, he lets us know...by whining.
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33 Posts
Anything you dont want them to do when their bigger dont let em do it now, you will regret!
Train Train Train, it be much easier in the long run!!!
& Routine, its important.
Train Train Train, it be much easier in the long run!!!
& Routine, its important.
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11,253 Posts
I wish I'd known...
...my knees would be in constant danger of being hyperextended.
...I needed a king size bed and a large sectional sofa.
...to wear jeans (not shorts, skirts, or easily ripped khakis), shoes (not sandals), and long sleeve shirts the first couple months of puppyhood.
...not to laugh with my mouth open when on the puppy's level.
...how to take a good head-butting.
...all flat surfaces in my house double as dog perches.
...how much free time I actually had pre-Dobe puppy days.
...nothing would ever be 'mine' again. Everything is now 'ours'.
...my knees would be in constant danger of being hyperextended.
...I needed a king size bed and a large sectional sofa.
...to wear jeans (not shorts, skirts, or easily ripped khakis), shoes (not sandals), and long sleeve shirts the first couple months of puppyhood.
...not to laugh with my mouth open when on the puppy's level.
...how to take a good head-butting.
...all flat surfaces in my house double as dog perches.
...how much free time I actually had pre-Dobe puppy days.
...nothing would ever be 'mine' again. Everything is now 'ours'.
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382 Posts
I wish I knew I was better off to spend the extra money and go with a reputable breeder than to cheap out on a BYB. I love my girl to pieces but have often wished that breeder support would have been there. Also hate not knowing her genetic history and health background.
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2,193 Posts
To teach him that being bored is okay; just settle down. He was ALWAYS the center of attention when I brought him out and now if we're out and he's not the center of attention (when I'm paying for things, everyone is busy, ect.), he'll whine and grumble and get pissed off about it all until someone shows him some love. I didn't know he could whine from 10 am to 6 pm, but he could. In a store. With 5 other people who probably were ready to kill themselves as well.
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625 Posts
...I echo all of the above.
My additions:
- Dremel and the nails. We are just starting this now, I wish I had much sooner.
- When people say "velcro dog" they mean it. Seriously. All the time. Touching.
- That I would never again pee alone.
- Do not wear my favorite sweatpants during the early "puppy" phase. They now have puppy teeth holes.
- To start formal training early, and keep up with it (in a formal class setting, not just at home).
- Work on recall sooner and with more consistency. I'm insanely jealous of all of the people who have Dobes with great recall. We don't, and it's all my fault.
- Same with loose leash walking. Koa walks awesome with a prong, generally like crap on a regular collar.
- Oh, the whining. I was unaware my big, bad Dobe would be such a WHINER.
- Be prepared for the dirty looks, snide comments and general ignorance of the public. WE all know how fabulous Dobermans are... I can't even count the times I've been asked "will he bite?" or "is he friendly?"
...I'm sure there are more, I'll try to think of them when I get home from work...
My additions:
- Dremel and the nails. We are just starting this now, I wish I had much sooner.
- When people say "velcro dog" they mean it. Seriously. All the time. Touching.
- That I would never again pee alone.
- Do not wear my favorite sweatpants during the early "puppy" phase. They now have puppy teeth holes.
- To start formal training early, and keep up with it (in a formal class setting, not just at home).
- Work on recall sooner and with more consistency. I'm insanely jealous of all of the people who have Dobes with great recall. We don't, and it's all my fault.
- Same with loose leash walking. Koa walks awesome with a prong, generally like crap on a regular collar.
- Oh, the whining. I was unaware my big, bad Dobe would be such a WHINER.
- Be prepared for the dirty looks, snide comments and general ignorance of the public. WE all know how fabulous Dobermans are... I can't even count the times I've been asked "will he bite?" or "is he friendly?"
...I'm sure there are more, I'll try to think of them when I get home from work...
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303 Posts
Let me preface this by saying that I wouldn't trade our three years with Major for anything in the world. BEST dog we've ever had! That being said....
I wish I'd have known....
...how stinky bully sticks are
...how much attention he would need
...how often he would wake me up before I'm ready(like a toddler)
...how very smart he is....he communicates to us all the time about the stuff he wants even though he can't have it...i.e...peanut butter in his kong, more bullies, tug-o-war
...how sensitive his tummy is. Better now, but we had some disasters when he was a puppy!
...to be sure I snapped his leash on the right loop on his collar!! I've made two mistakes by snapping it on the weak loop that holds his name tag and he could've gotten sersiously hurt!
...how prone to health issues this breed is. So far Major's been really healthy but I still worry.
...how much I'd grow to love him. It breaks my heart to read of dobermantalk owners losing their Dobermans. I dread that day.
I wish I'd have known....
...how stinky bully sticks are
...how much attention he would need
...how often he would wake me up before I'm ready(like a toddler)
...how very smart he is....he communicates to us all the time about the stuff he wants even though he can't have it...i.e...peanut butter in his kong, more bullies, tug-o-war
...how sensitive his tummy is. Better now, but we had some disasters when he was a puppy!
...to be sure I snapped his leash on the right loop on his collar!! I've made two mistakes by snapping it on the weak loop that holds his name tag and he could've gotten sersiously hurt!
...how prone to health issues this breed is. So far Major's been really healthy but I still worry.
...how much I'd grow to love him. It breaks my heart to read of dobermantalk owners losing their Dobermans. I dread that day.
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1,618 Posts
Wish I would have known:
*How nose pokies in the butt first thing in the morning would become routine
*How the switch from cute innocent puppy to crazed doberteen monster would happen so quickly
*How there is no such thing as privacy anymore. Velcro dog....literally GLUED to my side.
*How addictive and lovable this breed is. The timing is not right to consider adding another yet, but I'm sure one day we will have more than just Gunner. Dobermans are a class all their own.
*How nose pokies in the butt first thing in the morning would become routine
*How the switch from cute innocent puppy to crazed doberteen monster would happen so quickly
*How there is no such thing as privacy anymore. Velcro dog....literally GLUED to my side.
*How addictive and lovable this breed is. The timing is not right to consider adding another yet, but I'm sure one day we will have more than just Gunner. Dobermans are a class all their own.
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2,803 Posts
The whining...oh my lord the whining! Back from a four hour walk which included obedience training, off leash running, lake jumping, playing with other rough housing dogs, a jog along the grassy merge, and multiple visits in dog friendly buildings. I sit down to watch some TV, thinking I did a great job paying attention to Chase. As soon as my a$$ hit the couch, he looks at me....staring....then i hear 'the whine'. The nose whistle that is like nails to a chalk board to me. :rolleyesww:
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