Sudden sign of aggression

[vanztastic]

The other day I brought my (almost 2yr old) Doberman to the dog park. (Something I typically don't like doing) He found another dog and immediately put all his attention on him (a young great Dane). He’s always been drawn to high strung dogs because they’re more playful and this one was super playful . While playing his body kept humping everytime he got close, but never jumped on top of the dog. We laughed with the other dog owner for a while and after about 15 minutes of back and forth trying to draw their attention away, the owner took his great Dane and left. When I went to grab my dog he turned at me and started viciously snapping at me. I turned in a circle as he followed snapping but never connected. He was obviously angry at me but I'm assuming he would have connected if he wanted to hurt me. I’ve never seen this type of behavior in my dog and it gave me a bit of a shock. To be honest, I was embarrassed. I put his leash back on and we left. From that point I’ve been cautious of him.

This past weekend we left out of town and had a friend watch him. Someone who has watched him before for us. She texted us and said he kept burying his nose in her crotch. She admitted that it was that “time of the month” and assumed that was why. He’s been an inappropriate sniffer in the past but because of his recent behavior, we told her to kennel him up if he wouldn't stop. I had a hard time being away because I was worried, “what if he doesn’t want to listen to her?”

When we came back, my 7 year old was in the room with him and said when I went to pet his head he growled at him. My son likes to tell stories and exaggerate them, but nonetheless, I can’t help but think of the time at the dog park.

It’s been a week and a half since the dog park and I’m worried. He’s not a rescue, we’ve had him since a pup. Came from a reputable breeder who was listed on the DPCA website and respected by other breeders here in FL. He’s not fixed, so I’m wondering if fixing him at this point would help.

I love my pup and want to handle this correctly. When I was young, my dad was a breeder and would have put a dog down for such behavior. That’s not what I’d want to do.

Advice?


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[AresMyDobie]

What type of training does he have ? This sounds like a case of no boundaries and consistency ... I would start immediately with nothing in life is free training. He wants something he has to work for it. What are his walks like ? Does he get mental stimulation ?

 

[vanztastic]

He works for everything. Nothing's free since he joined the family. He gets a 5k (3.1 mile) run everyday with me and sometimes a 15 minute walk on top of that. It's a constant battle with the crotch sniffing and the only thing I can do when people are over is put a shock collar on him and beep him when he starts. Having trouble breaking him of that one. The aggressive part came out of the blue, no earlier signs towards that behavior.


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[Viemarangelrock]

The inappropriate crotch sniffing, a way for a dog to get a better sense of a human being. Do you tell him off when he does it? If so, it may well make matters worse. We shouldn't punish a dog for a behaviour that's instinctive. No matter how embarrassing it is. Not that I'm saying he should carry on, no! I would use the 'sit' and 'stay' command. Give yourself (visitor, whoever) a boundary. There's no need for a dog to get up too close and personal. They can get all the 'information' from far away.
Dogs can sense woman's cycles, pregnancy, and sexual intercourse. Some dogs are just more zoned in than others.
Embarrassing as it is it is up to you to help kerb it. Consistency is the key.

 

[Tropicalbri's]

While I am certainly no dog behavior expert, it sounds to me that his hormones are getting the better of him and a calm, firm training regime is in order for him. He is at that age where he is testing you for pack leadership I would think.

I know my first red boy challenged me around that age and again around four years old.

There are a lot of people here that will sign on and help you with this. They are knowledgeable and very experienced so you should receive some great advice soon.

Best of luck to you and your boy
andto DCF from Fl.

 

[Archer]

Welcome from Kansas. I know that your boy has had zero issues up to now, but aggression never comes on suddenly unless you are dealing with rage syndrome, which this does not sound like. Typically this behavior is the result of a Doberman that has entered adulthood (typically between 18-24 months of age) who has either not been trained properly or does not respect leadership. It can also be a result of a medical condition (pain, thyroid, adrenal issues etc) so I would schedule an appointment with your vet for blood work to make sure he is ok internally. If everything ends up to be normal and there is not a medical reason for the behavior change, I would move forward by seeking the professional opinion of an animal behaviorist (not a trainer). His behavior is not appropriate, and if you don't correct it properly it can lead to more serious issues in the future.

You say your breeder is reputable. Have you contacted them to discuss this issue? Breeders know their lines temperament and can often be a great help when behavioral issues arise.

I am sorry you are going through this. It is very easy not to trust him at this point, but you can't act nervous or afraid around him, or it may feed the issue. This is another reason why it may be a good idea to find a behaviorist to assist you. Also, I would not have him around other dogs (especially dog parks) or people until you can figure out what is going on and correct it or this could end badly for you both.

As far as the sniffing is concerned, it's a dog behavior. If you don't like him doing it, then stop the behavior from happening preferably before it happens. Redirection works well.

Neutering is not a fix all for behaviors like this and some times it can actually aggravate the behavior. Dobermans are Dobermans. They are not Golden Retrievers and it's breed standard for them to have a sharper temperament. I am not making excuses for his inappropriateness and I think this needs to be corrected, I am just saying that you are dealing with an intelligent, fierce and determined breed that is not for everyone.

What kind of training have you done other that NILIF? How often do you train?

We are here for help if you need us. We are also here to vent to. Keep us posted. I hope you find an answer.

 

[vanztastic]

Ethel, thank you. Besides Nilif, he knows sit, heel, stay, go, down, leave it, drop it, off, kennel up, all the basics. He's struggled paying attention when desirable attractions come into scene, but he's getting better. With no distractions or calmer atmosphere he's an absolute champ and people are blown away.


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[vanztastic]

Archer, thank you for your insight. I have an appointment with the vet Thursday. I'm not nervous or afraid of him, my wife and kids aren't either. The nerves came when we had our friend sitting him and thinking about how "obsessed" she said he was acting with her crotch. Thinking of the dog park when I pulled him away from what he was obsessed with and how he acted concerned me about how she would handle it.
I will speak with the vet and reach out to the breeder as well as work more with him daily on training.


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[Oh Little Oji]

Hi, and welcome!

You've received some good advice already here but I may throw in a few thoughts.

I am very glad to hear that you are doing so much training with your good-looking boy! Sounds like you're really doing well in that area. Now, do you ever use negative reinforcement? In other words do you ever correct him? Or do you employ positive-only training? I believe dogs need both positive and negative reinforcement – in balance with the individual dog. If you have a dominant Doberman you may need a higher level of firmness with him.

With the Dobes I've had I have expected absolute compliance and will not settle for anything less. I use appropriate, humane corrections of course but I rarely if ever let them get away with not obeying a command that they understand. Yes, I motivate them with what they want as well – like I said, a balance. So I'm just curious about this with your boy. Now, I am not recommending dramatically changing your handling of him right away because if not done properly things could go a little bit wrong.

Beyond that: I think that when your boy is getting into the humping and really feeling that way it is likely that he his feeling sexual excitement and interest but dominance is also tied into it. Once he has been allowed to get into that mode where he is humping just being near a certain dog it doesn't seem too surprising that he may act a little different. It is shocking and saddens you, I know, that your Dobe would get aggressive with you; but I think there are some physical and mental realities in play here. Hopefully this is just happening to a greater degree right now because his hormones are really pumping at this age.

I would try to prevent the humping behavior with other dogs before it starts. Nip it at the first sign. If people think you are being too "controlling" or whatever with your dog you can explain to them when you get a chance why you are doing it.

As for crotch sniffing: While I understand it's natural I also think we can disallow them from doing it. We allowed our current male to bury his snout in crotches when he was very young. That was a mistake. I outlawed it at a few months of age and it is still a struggle to get him to not do it when my wife comes home. He just likes to burrow into comfy places, but I'm sure there is the scent aspect involved as well. So we just give him the "no" sound when he goes to do it.

I agree though: I would be concerned that he may get aggressive with the woman who babysits him. It may be similar to what took place in the dog park.

Wish you the best! Keep us posted.

 

[vanztastic]

Everything came back fine from the vet, they actually said he was their favorite pup there that day (but maybe they say that to all the owners haha). We're adding more time on training. Will go from there


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[JanS]

the owner took his great Dane and left. When I went to grab my dog he turned at me and started viciously snapping at me.

I don't think it's been covered, but some dogs don't like when people or other animals leave and can react like that. Albert is that way and will start snapping his teeth at someone (not connecting either) when they leave. We've learned to be proactive with it since it seems to be the only time it happens.

 

[vanztastic]

Thanks for everyone's responses!