Need serious training advice

[Mearntain]

I have a bad habit apparently of wording things the wrong way and giving the wrong impression, so as a fore-note, dont take this the wrong way, just looking for some help.

I've got an almost 5 month old dobe pup, and pretty much feel completely lost right now. Being inside is almost "prison" like. I feel completely at a loss and unable to do anything at all. Literally feel like I dont even have 5 seconds of peace to take a deep breath. Doing it all alone with no help adds to the stress.

While sitting outside in the miserably hot garage, shes perfectly calm and willing to lay right next to me after pondering about between the garage and outside fenced in area. Same for outside in the fenced in area. She gets a little crazy when walking her on the leash, but it's mostly manageable. So basically long story short, I find myself sitting in the miserably hot garage for extended periods of time with her just to have some peace to be able to look something up online or reply to text, make a quick phone call, etc., definitely not the fact that I enjoy sitting in a 98 degree garage.

No exaggeration, I literally cant even remember the last time that she layed next to me to cuddle or let me pet her while inside. If I go to pet her inside, 9 times out of 10, she wants to nip or get all crazy playing. I understand shes still a puppy and full of energy wanting to play, but I feel it's just absurd while inside at all times. No joke, it's probably been atleast 6 weeks since the last time she has took a nap next to me or just layed next to me while inside. At one point I was able to "occupy" her for short periods of time with a bone, but now those events only last about 5 or 10 min.

Any tips on how I can help this issue out? I know I have some "soul searching" I need to do myself as well, but just trying to figure something out. Currently when it gets to the "I can't take this anymore" moments, I end up putting her in the exercise pen next to me, which also makes me feel bad for having to do that, and it seems to be happening more often recently too. Of course while shes in there, she calms down and eventually will take a nap after a while.

 

[JanS]

This is a phase that many first time owners go through at this age and a good reason why crate training is so important.
If she's settling nicely in her exercise pen, she's going to rest better in a regular crate and she needs to get used to it. Right now she is running your life and it shouldn't be like that at all.

She might pitch a fit in her crate for a few days, but don't acknowledge it at all and don't feel guilty and she'll come to find it her safe haven.

If she's more calm outside, it's most likely that she needs more exercise and thinks if she goes outside she's going to get some mental stimulation and physical activity, which is essential for this breed.

 

[Mearntain]

She is currently crate trained and has been since I first got her at 8 weeks. Maybe I just think about it too much, but I feel like she already spends too much time in there during the week. I'm not at a point yet where I feel comfortable enough to let her sleep put with me yet, so she gets an average of 7 or so hours in there while I sleep, she comes out for about an hour before I go to work for 8 hours. Out for a couple hours when i get home, then i put her away for an hour so I can shower and feed my livestock outside, and back out for a couple more hours till bed. Weekends she gets more time out.

I feel like I give her plenty of exercise and plenty of opportunity for exercise. She has access to her outside area for probably 2 hours of the day, but doesnt do much out there but walk occasionally and look around. We probably walk close to 3/4 mile every day between her multiple walks around my property. Any suggestions for exercise that I could do or help encourage her to do while shes out in her area with me?

 

[Mearntain]

This is her right now, completely calm and laid back, sitting next to me. I can pet her all I want and she just enjoys it all.

Now I'm about to go back inside and the spawn of satan is about to be born... Haha. And then eventually I'll take her out to go to the bathroom when I've had enough and it will be bed time for her.

 

[jazzies mum]

It sounds as if it might be mental exercise that is a bit lacking. She is being quiet for 8 hrs while you are at work and I know after work the last thing you need to do yourself is try to entertain a pup, but that is what will help. I wonder if there is an intense game you could play that could stimulate her brain as well as burn the physical energy. This will help increase your bond as well. I think the flirt pole would be ideal but she could be too young for that yet. Maybe other members could give some ideas. At the end of each play session you can teach "enough" which will be a helpful command in the future.
I remember my Dobe mix girl being "difficult" like this when she got to about 4 months and as a first timer I was shocked and confused that all the training methods for puppy rearing that had worked in the past with other breeds were next to useless with her! It is a stage and will pass, so try to be cool and calm, which will help your pup too!

 

[My Gal Gretel]

She sure is cute and definitely has a mischievous look on her face!

With Gretel, I’ve found that mental stimulation is as equally important as physical exercise. She’s 16 weeks, and just 2 or 3 minutes of training at a time makes a big difference in her behavior in the evenings. Otherwise she’s wired between 5 and 7pm. Just like my sons were when they were toddlers! Simple things like repetitions of sit or calling her name and giving treats for making eye contact improve her behavior. She loves her training and is so much calmer when I’ve spent bits of time on it with her.

 

[Mearntain]

I've been trying to work on training with her as much as I can recently, which i can admit probably hasn't been enough. We started obedience training this past weekend and I've been trying to work on "turn around" commands while walking. Stop commands, come on occasion since then as well. When throwing her toy have been working on "paying attention", fetching it, and dropping it. I wont lie though, I've been overwhelmed a bit recently and havent been able to do as much as I like, but I'd like to think that's getting better.

I'll try to come up with ideas for more mental stimulation for her.

 

[Mearntain]

Might I add to that she has free access to tons of toys, both chew toys and squeaker toys while inside, along with a few bones. So its certainly not like theres not enough for her to occupy herself with. It certainly could be alot worse, but I definitely cant say it's good right now.

 

[My Gal Gretel]

I googled “diy mental stimulation games for dogs” and found some good ones that are easy to do. Our favorite is the muffin tin game with tennis balls. I also made a feeder-type toy out of a disposable Tupperware container (like the gladware ones) and cut a hole just larger than her kibble in each side and the bottom and put a handful of food in it. She bats it around and gets part of her supper that way. It’s noisy but she loves it and it keeps her busy while I’m busy in the kitchen.

 

[jazzies mum]

Maybe you could hide treats all over the place and then release her to go find! I did find that the sniffing seeking mode burned a LOT of energy out of my girl. If you have hardwood floors one member used a jar lid which was belted all over the place like a hockey puck! That worked! Mostly though I think you will find your Dobe will want interaction with YOU and will probably annoy you til she gets it!

 

[Panama]

You are her focal point for EVERYTHING. Training is a must or she won't know what you want from her. The interaction has to be there.

 

[Kaiser2016]

I recognize some of what you’re saying, because, like @JanS said, it’s typical of first timers. First off, why are you in the garage if it’s so hot? And second, why not take the dog with you to manage the livestock? They not only NEED a job, but they LOVE that! Thirdly, heat is your friend - it’s like Kryptonite! Fourth, if you want your dog to eventually sleep in your bed, this is not something you need to wait for. She will probably be the happiest and quietest in that situation!

 

[Ladydi]

Yeah...at 5 months old they are babies.....and babies upset our schedules......so much energy.
And puppies much like human babies will fight taking a nap when there are interesting things going on around them. Oh ...as I read your thread it brought back so many memories.......Hoss is 3 years old now.....I would say he started mellowing as he approached 18 months or so..........so the good news is you will get your life back eventually .....but for now you have a newborn in the house that wants all of your attention at all times. Crating or using is pen is fine......they are growing and really need all that sleep even though they fight it at times. Mental stimulation is best because I found I could never wear Hoss out physically at that age. Pups need to chew at this age...have you tried using a Kong. I use ice cube trays.....take kibble ...place in tray......fill tray full if kibble with water.......then freeze. You can place the ice cubes in the Kong ..for a frozen treat. Might give you 30 minutes to yourself! Good luck.

 

[Mearntain]

Thanks for the tips from everyone, I will try some of those ideas out. The Kong chew toy was something I had considered in the past, but havent seen one yet when at the store, maybe I just havent been looking hard enough or need to order one online.

I dont mind being occupied by her and playing with her, my main issue right now is I feel like every 5 seconds (no exaggeration), I'm having to say "No" or "Stop", and it just gets exhausting. Certain bad habits that i thought i had broken in the past are returning, such as nose diving under the couch and chewing on that hairy looking stuff and pulling it out (hopefully yall know what I mean by that). Its literally to the point to where I dont feel comfortable even walking away for 30 seconds to run to the bathroom or even preheat the oven (havent been able to actually cook a meal in a long time - hungry man dinners have been my go-to recently).

I certainly am not afraid to admit that I am most of the problem here, just need to figure out how to fix myself.

I'd love for her to able to come out while I take care of my other animals, but dont feel comfortable doing that yet either due to several reasons. Also, that is one of the few moments of "peace" that I have each day, along with going to sleep at night.

In regards to why I spend so much time in the garage, it's because it is seriously one of the few calmer times I have with her. My garage is full of anything and everything you could imagine at ground level, within reach of my pup, and she wont mess with any of it. She'll lay around, watch me do what I'm doing, ocassionally play with her ball or bone, but never gets to the point of "annoying" me out there nor does she get into anything shes not supposed to. If inside, something as simple as letting my phone slip off the couch onto the ground prompts her to dart at it and want to run off with it, but that same event outside, cues no response from her.


This is her right now in the garage as I type this. I would never be able to have her sit next to me like this inside, allow me to pet her like this inside, or even allow the time to reply to this post.

As for the sleeping in bed part, I've tried it on 2 or 3 different occasions, and she wont stay still and continually chews at the sheets and pillows, so every attempt has been short followed by her being put in the crate.

 

[Ladydi]

Hey.....if the garage is the only place for peace ! Go for it ! .......It will get better in time.

 

[HakuTheDoberman]

Hey.....if the garage is the only place for peace ! Go for it ! .......It will get better in time.

Maybe but at the same time I think even though there’s no peace less time should be in the garage.For one makes you miserable and hot for the most part but also she may start to think of the garage as the chill and house as the place to go nuts and that’s become a routine for her. Just a thought

A second the flirt pole I don’t think she is too young just don’t lift it up so she jumps for it. Cause you don’t wanna do a lot of jumping till the growth plates finish growing. I usually just run along side my dog while he has it in his mouth ( which is good cause if it wasn’t in his mouth and I was running beside him he would be nipping at me lol)

Frisbee and fetch are good too! Just wear her out so she is tired and wants to take a nap. Do all your livestock, dinner and stuff and then take her out and do it again, but then just hang out with her. Inside too not in the garage and if she goes nuts just become boring and try to let her simmer down, y’all softly and gentle with her when you try and interact with her.

I’m not expert and I don’t have too much experience on the matter our puppy has generally been a couch potato and never went nuts I’m the house

 

[HakuTheDoberman]

Talk softly and gentle *

 

[Ddski5]

1. She is not properly physically and mentally stimulated. If I did not wear out Ragnar when I got home from work (I was beat and did not really want too), he would wear my ass out come 6-10pm.

2. Just part of territory buddy, you have a Doberman puppy....you have to work/train her DAILY and sometimes more than once- remember that a good Doberman is a tired Doberman.

3. One of the things that really really helped for me was to throw a rope over a tree branch and tie a large squeaky toy to it and let him have at it. Kinda like a rope swing over a branch. I will post a picture when I get home. A good tug play situation and you can participate or she tugs against the tree. A lot of the times Ragnar would sit and stare at me until I participated though. Which leads into....

4. You must actively interact with your Doberman.

Might I add to that she has free access to tons of toys, both chew toys and squeaker toys while inside, along with a few bones

This is not good enough, it has to be with you- just like @Panama stated, you have to interact with her. Many owners think that with the big back yard and 50 toys, the Doberman should be good to go. No sir, they want to suck every little bit of sustained energy out of us....we have to actively engage- just not the same to them.

I did find something, I think this is from last year. Kinda like the idea/purpose of the flirt pole. You can make them run, chase, tug or jump if you want.

Yes, it takes a lot of time and energy but I found that after 12-15months Ragnar settles down some. Because of age or the everyday training/discipline given to curtail his crazy exuberance?? I think some of both but mainly the daily regimen of training/discipline.

I would play tug or rope really hard for 10mins and then go into a set of obedience commands for 10mins and then reward the obedience with rope tug....he loves to tug some rope.

Good luck.

 

[kathyp321]

I have a bad habit apparently of wording things the wrong way and giving the wrong impression, so as a fore-note, dont take this the wrong way, just looking for some help.

I've got an almost 5 month old dobe pup, and pretty much feel completely lost right now. Being inside is almost "prison" like. I feel completely at a loss and unable to do anything at all. Literally feel like I dont even have 5 seconds of peace to take a deep breath. Doing it all alone with no help adds to the stress.

While sitting outside in the miserably hot garage, shes perfectly calm and willing to lay right next to me after pondering about between the garage and outside fenced in area. Same for outside in the fenced in area. She gets a little crazy when walking her on the leash, but it's mostly manageable. So basically long story short, I find myself sitting in the miserably hot garage for extended periods of time with her just to have some peace to be able to look something up online or reply to text, make a quick phone call, etc., definitely not the fact that I enjoy sitting in a 98 degree garage.

No exaggeration, I literally cant even remember the last time that she layed next to me to cuddle or let me pet her while inside. If I go to pet her inside, 9 times out of 10, she wants to nip or get all crazy playing. I understand shes still a puppy and full of energy wanting to play, but I feel it's just absurd while inside at all times. No joke, it's probably been atleast 6 weeks since the last time she has took a nap next to me or just layed next to me while inside. At one point I was able to "occupy" her for short periods of time with a bone, but now those events only last about 5 or 10 min.

Any tips on how I can help this issue out? I know I have some "soul searching" I need to do myself as well, but just trying to figure something out. Currently when it gets to the "I can't take this anymore" moments, I end up putting her in the exercise pen next to me, which also makes me feel bad for having to do that, and it seems to be happening more often recently too. Of course while shes in there, she calms down and eventually will take a nap after a while.

I have a 5 month old male. First 4 months he would go into these nipping and biting frenzies, the only way I can explain it. I was spending all of my time trying to correct. My arms looked like I fought my way through razor wire. I found that more actual play with him, even for short periods of time gave the result of less biting frenzy. We're also going to training, taking him to dog parks, walking him with a walking group of older dogs. When he acts out, he always gets a time out in his crate, which seems to have a calming effect on him. This dog is fearless, so takes a lot of stimulation. My previous Dobie was very timid, and much less time consuming. Like us, they all have a different personality. Good luck with your precious pet! One more thing, he gets maybe 20 minutes of bed time with me every night, but sleeps in the crate after that for the rest of the night.

 

[Tropicalbri's]

Sounds like you are experiencing what we women call postpartum blues.

I needed to record and play on a loop the words, NO, STOP THAT, DROP IT, LEAVE IT, HEY COME HERE NOW!! LAY DOWN, SIT, STAY, NOOOO, NO, NO, OFF, MOVE, LEAVE THE CAT ALONE, DON’T EAT THAT, STOP BARKING, QUIT WHINING because these are the words that were constantly being said with an occasional Good Boy, Good Girl thrown in.

I would tie her to my waist and take her with you to feed all your farm animals. If will have her mind working like crazy and it will teach her patience and restraint. I truly believe it will tire her out. Then a quick game of ball or tug afterwards then in the house with you. She will learn the routine through repetition and you might eventually be able to let her tend the animals with you off lead as she grows more.
Put her breakfast food in your pockets and every time she responds positively while you are out with your livestock give her some of it until eventually she is eating her food from you while working. It builds a bond and helps train her to respond positively and obey your commands.
It is not easy, I know as I raised two puppies (litter mates) at once and everyday was a challenge. You have to get creative and you will amaze yourself with what you can come up with to tire them out. She will grow out of this, it just takes time. Hang in there and a year from now you will be glad you did. By that time you will have established the groundwork for further training and engaging her for different activities. My two were wearing dunce hats until around 18mos. Then they became amazing, still with outrageous energy but I set up a routine with them everyday for physical activities. They bring me their leashes or will get their harness and sit by my bike, all indicators they are ready to start the day with their routines. These dobes are intelligent and that is why they are difficult to get through the puppy, teenage period. Just learn to stay two steps ahead of them and remember they can read your mind.