Doberman Chat Forum talk about Doberman Pinschers - Training & Behavior

Buddy and the Flirt Pole

MyBuddy — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 15:37:47 GMT

After reading about Rosco's digging problem, I had suggested more exercise and to try the Flirt Pole. I have been wanting to try this myself with Buddy for a while now, so after I made the suggestion, I thought it was time to take my own advice! :D

I took the lunge whip that I use for my horses and tied a toy on the end of it and went outside with Buddy. At first he was a little afraid of the whip itself! :eek: But it only took about 5 minutes of teasing him a bit with the toy to get him engaged! A little chasing and then I let him 'get it'. That's important so he didn't get discouraged and bored! Once he caught it a few times, he was ON! He loved it! I can see this will be a fun exercise for him! We will also be able to work more on "drop it" and "leave it" commands!

Here's a couple of videos of us playing. Excuse the wind noise please! ugh It's a tad windy and that always makes so much noise on a microphone!

Interviewing Trainers

Dobiegirl — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 00:35:39 GMT

We have two different trainers coming next week, any suggestions on questions we should ask besides the basics? I sent out 5 e-mails and only 2 have replied back so I don't have much of a choice here, want to make sure we get the one who will work with us...we had one when we first got Logan but he gave us no help except to take Logan on a lead by the animal..... he did fine while on the lead the minuet he was off he went wild again....

I feel we have tried everything to curb Logan's obsession with the neighbors animals...they now have 2 ducks, 4 cats, 4 dogs and a horse....Logan barks at the animals and the people....I swear he knows these people are evil and remembers how they screamed at us.....they were pretty nice for awhile but we were burning some cardboard and papers as everyone around here does and he went off on us the other day:ego: Logan barks the minuet he see them out and of corse the cats and ducks have to sit there and torment Logan on a daily basis....So the e-collar has done nothing, as the one trainer I spoke with said it didn't surprise him if he has such a high prey drive, I also asked if he felt Logan could be feeling the frustration we have with these people and remembers all the time they would scream at me with horrible language and he said yes. Logan does not bark at the neighbor on the other side of us at all, even when they had company who brought a dog with them and it was running in the back yard....so I'm leaning towards yes he remembers......

Not knowing Logan's past we have no idea so this had been a huge challenge for us not being able to get control of this obsessive barking at these people and their animals....Makes daily life a challenge to say the least.....

Thanks for any input.....

Rosco Digging

Sandiino1 — Sat, 28 Aug 2010 03:32:50 GMT

Hi I need some help real bad to get Rosco to stop digging in the yard I'm not sure why he does this he has bones out in the yard but I don't think he wants to bury them. He just digs where there is no grass and the old man is getting pissed, Fred told me to put his poop in the hole that didn't work I'm now trying to if the hole in then put the poop on top but once the poop drys out hes back at it again. I think part of the problem is that he's not getting enough exercise as in the evening I'm in the house getting things cleaned and ready for the kids to come the next morning and since watching the baby I'm having problems with my knees. When we got him I said good now I can take him out and run but I can't do now I will have to make an appointment to see a Dr. about my knees. But puppy if finding him self in a lot of trouble that I don't think is fair to him after all he is just a puppy and needs to get all that energy out but the digging problem is the main problem right now and will take all the help I can get..... thanks

aggression vs play - I can't tell!!

Amber — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 15:53:35 GMT

hi :)

so, Mika is 5 and have had her since October. I know she was bullied by an older male doberman at her old home (and has the facial scars to show for it), but she was relinquished back to her breeder with like 5 dobermans that she lived with.

I really should take a video of her behavior because I don't know how well I can describe it, but here goes. sorry if this gets long, I'm pretty long winded! :eek1:

when we first got her she did NOT like other dogs at all, and displayed what I would interperate as aggression... teeth, growling, stance, etc. the nurses at the vet confirmed it when she did it at the vets office. I discussed with her breeder who said she felt that Mika was going through such an adjustment and that it'll go away once she is 'at home' with us and knows she can trust us to control her environment or whatever.

So things aren't like THAT anymore... I can pass dogs on walks and she is able to walk past them without making a scene. But when Mika is around other dogs closely without a fence separating them (I've had friends walk with us with their dogs and have taken her to the dog park... combined total of about 10ish times) I can't tell anymore if she's being aggressive or if she's being playful. I'm so paranoid because the whole damn world is so sue happy that I'm afraid her sharp teeth will cut a dog and I'll have some big problems on our hands. Mostly at the dog park... when i walk her with friends i've learned if we start off walking in the same direction at opposite sides of the streets and slowly get them closer she's fine.

I'd say she like, 'warns' them to go away or something, she curls her lips up and if they stilll get in her face she'll open and snap her jaws, like bite at them but not a bad 'im gonna make you bleed' bite... more of a get outta my face snap. she looks defensive. she doesnt' knwo how to play. she doesn't chase or chew or fetch or wrestle with us, other dogs, or toys. she carries her toys and chews them. I feel bad for her... her last owners cared enough to teach her how to be a well behaved dog, but obviously didn't care to play with her or teach her tricks. probably explains her former weight problem when she was with them (she was 130 lbs).

I dont' know I guess what I'm asking is... how can i socialize her when she's already 5?? how can i teach her how to play? thanks for any advice.

5 Month Old Barks at me!

AxelRose — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 20:48:29 GMT

Hi Everyone,
Here is my situation. 5 month old male Axl. Last month he started this thing where he will just start barking at me. It could be when I've removed him from doing something wrong, or when he is bugging my poodle, become a little too pushy with her, after a good walk when we;ve returned into the yard he'll start. Sometimes I can be watching TV, he'll just get up from his toy, start staring at me, then bang....he starts barking. It starts off sounding bold, then if u speak to him, or say 'eh! in a assertive tone he gets even worse. Yes....I've given him a smack, not nice I know, but if u catch him (which in the yard he bolts if u go towards him) he will lie down right at your feet. It's like he knows it's wrong, but does it anyway..lol. No laughing matter really, but now he even starts to come towards you if u ignore him, and he will nip at fingers, your butt, and then run like hell. Usually that part of the behaviour is when he is loose in the yard. But in the house he can get pretty loud, teeth and all. If u just make one move he runs under the coffee table and talks back...whinning and low barking. U have to try not to laugh...the other day he did it to my boyfriends son, who unfortunately is afraid of him....he's getting better, but not completely.

Anyway, today he did it and I chased him until he gave up...3 times.
I feel it is a combo of being pushy, with a little "needs more exercise".
During the day (I work from home) he is so quiet and relaxed...after 6pm..wow, whole difference ballgame...I call it 'axlhole hour'...until at least 9pm. He goes for a 40 minute walk, plus sometimes a 10 minute jog with me on the bike, and still a goof. He doesn't like to play with you, like run around in the yard, that really gets him going...so I've been working on that..everyday going outside and getting him to play, without jumping at me or barking.

Any takers on what I should better be doing. I know the 'ignore' part. The little bugger will follow me around the house barking at me. Usually I end up in the bathroom....lol. I've also started using sqeaky toys to divert his attention..it works sometimes....

Let me know of any ideas.

Rose

Need Immedate help (Re: create training and sleep at night)

Sammi's Dad — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 14:20:10 GMT

We are the proud owners of a 8 week old baby girls that we brought home this past Saturday.

Night 1) Saturday night was great. We did not have a cage for her yet, but we had just moved so there were plenty of boxes around. She went to bed around 8pm. We woke her up maybe twice after that to go to the bathroom, and we put her to bed for good around 10pm. We put a blanket in the bottom of a box and she was fine. She slept til about 6:30am, we took her outside, and put her back in the box. She went back to sleep, but woke up about 3 more times before 10am when we finally got up with her. She got up early, but she slept through the night. I was like, "This isnt bad at all".

Night 2) My dad gave us his old cage he used for his Boarder Collie. It was big, but had a divider, so we set that up, covered it in some sheets so it would be enclosed for her, and set it right next to our bed. She fell asleep like she did on night one, and we woke her up a few times to take her out before finally putting her to bed at about 11pm. She screamed like crazy for the first 15mins or so after we put her in the cage. We just let her go at it, and she finally went to sleep. She then woke up crying at about 3am, we to her out, put her back in the cage. then she woke up at about 6:30am, and I finally got up with her for good. Not as good as night 1, but still not terrible.

Night 3) HOLY CRAP!! She fell asleep on her own just like the past two nights, we put her in the cage, and she woke up, and started screaming just like on night 2. Also just like night 2 we are expecting this to go on for about 15mins or so until she fell asleep, WRONG. She screamed like she was being tortured non stop til we took her out of her cage at 6:30 this morning. I'm not lying when I say did it for about 7 hours straight. That had to be traumatizing for her. We never once acknowledged her, or anything. I laid there and listened to it all night long, probably only got an hour or two of sleep. It was awful.

I need advice from, anyone who has been through this. I'm completely amazed that she screamed and banged around in her cage for 7-8 straight hours. Something has to be wrong with that. Should we put her back in there tonight?? What should we do?

Howling when alone

tatlim — Mon, 23 Aug 2010 16:47:32 GMT

We have only had Bruce (formally Zeuss) for 4 days and hes settling in well but he hates being alone, i had taken to sleeping on the sofa as he howled when we went to bed, as my son is up about 5am i didnt think it fair for him to be kept awake.
Last night i went to bed and my husband followed a bit later leaving the telly on....no howling, does he just need a bit of sound for reassurance.
Hes been abused so dont know if that has anything to do with it, i also know he used to be crated overnight and i suspect most of the day, there are no crates in my house, many people like them and use them with no problems but i just dont like them, i guess thats the british in me, they are a fairly new phenomenon over here.
If any of us leave the room or house he cries and paces for a while.
What do i do to make my boy happy and secure.
xx tina

We Passed!!! Both Girls Passed CGC & TDI!!!

Trinitydobes — Sat, 21 Aug 2010 18:03:46 GMT

I am so thrilled and excited to share that My Jazmine passed the TDI testing this morning!!! she was a star!!! what an amazing girl this is she aced every exercise!!! so she is now officially Long Gate's Sweet Dream Baby, CGC, TDI!

and my little girl Macy who is only 15 months old passed her CGC and her TDI as well!! she is now officially Trinity's Rejoice and Be Glad, CGC, TDI!!!

Macy' passing is especially rewarding as her owner gave her up the last week in May because her owner said she was people agressive and dog agressive and not trainable, that she was a "dominant bitch" - the owner did not socialize her with people or other dogs as per my contract, she did not complete 1 much less the 2 obedience courses required as per the contract. She totally blamed Macy's lack of manners and not being well behaved on the dog - the lady took no responsiblity for the 10 months she had Macy, 10 very crucial months!!!

It took a solid 10 weeks working daily to rehabilitate Macy (to get her socialized with other dogs and people) to the point where I felt I could press on with the real obedience work and the goal of getting her CGC. I think it is most telling that with only 1 month of concentrated obedience exercises that she passed not only the CGC but the TDI portion!! She is now becoming the dog I knew all along she could be!! the testing today was the icing on the cake!!! I am a very proud momma!

Macy / Me / Jazmine
[IMG][/IMG]

Any WAE suggestions??

hrd2gt — Mon, 16 Aug 2010 22:09:33 GMT

End of October my club is gonna join the Austin club and hold a WAE.. show..thing.. :D I am thinking of entering Fate as I think she would be able to do the boogie man thing, not convinced yet on Karma (after the truck stop on the way to cali deal)

Has anyone done this?? Any suggestions for practicing?

I know they say to walk on a x-pen on the ground and maybe a tarp or plastic, which I can do at home... thinking of over things. We will have a practice before then... but of course being the over acheiver I always want to get ahead of the game :)

3 year old male dobe being very territorial in public

jangs77 — Mon, 16 Aug 2010 12:20:36 GMT

Hi I have a 3 yr old male dobe who I show and is very well behaved at shows good towards other dogs female and male!.... However when he is being walked on the footpath around the streets or in parks on a leash he barks at any dog he see's I dont get it??? he has been well socailised since a pup never have a problem at training or at shows with all types of breed of dogs any thoughts on my dilema?????? Am steering towards maybe excitment?? as he knows he isnt at work could I be right??? and how can I correct it its driving me mad!!

Taking the Delta therapy dog test in Sept - input? (long, sorry)

bean — Sun, 15 Aug 2010 21:52:57 GMT

Silas and I are currently taking a Delta therapy dog class. (It's required, or you can self-study and take a test but I thought in person would be better.) The evaluation is mid to late September.
The first part of the test is basically the CGC. The second part is more therapy-specific tests like full-body hug, clumsy petting, a person walking funny, etc.
Delta Society - Becoming a Pet Partners team, STEP 3

I'm not worried at all about any of the physical stuff - grooming, full body hug, clumsy petting, or the weird stuff like loud noises or visual distraction (we tested him on popping an umbrella open and he didn't react, then sniffed.) He is excellent with walkers, wheelchairs, etc. One thing I'm worried about is leave it with a child's toy - you have to walk by it. We have been practicing this a bit in different stores and he's doing really well with it now that we've been keeping at it (and I've been giving high-value treats for him looking at me.)

The thing I'm most worried about is his distraction in a new, stimulating environment. Part of this is maturity... Once we get used to a place, it is easy for him to focus. Even after one repetition he gets better. But when we first get into a new class, new store, etc. he is less focused on me and more spacey. And we cannot use treats or toys during the test, or I'd bring a ball and some tripe! We can also not use corrective collars, like his "secret" prong which does help keep him in line.

I know I need to step things up as far as being religious about working OB during the week, which I've been slacking on lately. I was thinking that we should consistently practice looking at me when I say his name. Practice "Watch Me" in new environments. He can be excellent at this, esp. when I have food, or we are in a familiar environ, but sometimes he just ignores in a very puppy-ish way, pulling at the lead. The tricky part is finding new environments that he can go to that he's not used to - Home Depot is now "routine" and so is PetSmart and the closest pet stores. (Time to branch out!)

We passed the CGC but because he can be distracted I still worry on the harder tests like greeting a stranger with a neutral dog- again, sometimes he is 100% focused on my face. When we practiced with all the dogs in class, he was the best at it! But the trainer brought a new dog in last week to practice with and after we stopped and greeted, and then started to go on our way he snuck behind me to say hi to the dog! Grrrrr....

Anyway, I really want this so maybe that's why I am so concerned. I know the day of I should give him exercise, practice maybe some basic commands before entering the building, and make sure he's gone to the bathroom, and take deep breaths and have fun! But I'm so open to any other advice.

So any tips for me for those of you who may have taken this test or another similar test? Either for things to practice in the meantime, or day-of tips?

Next week in class is without the dogs - we will get to watch a run-through of the test, which will be helpful in preparation. Then the following week we are going to an assisted living facility to see how they do for a practice visit! That should be fun.

---------- Post added at 02:52 PM ---------- Previous post was at 02:50 PM ----------

Weird - it won't let me edit my post. Here is the link I meant to put in, it put it in as text (near the top.)
http://www.deltasociety.org/Page.aspx?pid=264