Some of the older members may recall that one of my first posts here was about frustrating issues I was having with an asshat Doberman. I had to get control because I had to save face to wife and kids. “You got in over your head with this one....”. Two abdominal obstruction surgeries, destroyed potted plants, running into wife/kids so hard- knocking them down, counter surfing, zero recall, launching into doors and cracking door frames, on and on.
Present day:
It just cracks me up on how my wife has completely changed her tune on Ragnar since he is now obedient and not so puppy/teenager wild as he use to be. He still gets into that wild zone but if you see it before it starts, you can stop it from occurring if you know.
My wife watches that damn ID channel all the time. You know the ID channel that has all the tv shows of serial murders, Evil Next Door, Murdering Fiancés, Evil Among Us.....I watch it sometimes with her but jeesh, enough is enough.
Anyways, the issue is that if you watch enough of these ID shows, it really makes you a lot more conscious and somewhat paranoid on the “what if’s”...
Here comes Ragnar- from puppy to 12months he was a wild child, full of energy that had to be relieved. Once and a lot of times twice a day, he was/is no couch dog and never will be. He tried to rule the house busting through doors, counter surfing, nipping, growling- the same complaints as I have read from recent new members. The wife/kids really did not want much of him, they just could not handle his asshat antics.
Through the last two years of training, he has come a long way. More settled, more understanding to what we need of him and his role as a part of our family. IMHO, it has been established in his mind, he is a sentry for our family. I can hear him at night make his rounds and check on us and the girls as we sleep. He will come into our room stop and look at me and then slightly nose butt me to see if I am in bed. He will then go around the bed and do the same to my wife. Then I hear him travel down the hall to the girls rooms. Back to our room to lay down near the door or to the living room couch.
Here recently, I have become even more aware of his Sentry characteristics in which when I let him out of my truck, he will run around the yard on alert looking around and then come back to my side; and then also when we enter the house. He runs in looking around, room to room and then settles at my side.
The only reason I bring all this up is because this last weekend, everything came to fruition. Last Thursday night somebody/something got in the back door to the garage. House alarm went off, I got up and secured the house with Ragnar. He then searched and found a big possum in the back yard. Be it the possum or intruder that got in the back door?? IDK, but Ragnar sounds very scary at 3:00 a.m when barking/growling and the overall incident shook up my wife and girls.
So Friday night, I drove to New Orleans for an all weekend soccer tournament with Tristen and Kelsie- wife and oldest daughter stayed home.
At home, Ragnar slept in the bed room all night keeping watch on wife and oldest daughter. I was surprised the next day, they loaded him up and drove the 60mins to the soccer fields. The truck was bouncing when he saw me walk over to release him out of the truck. We had a great day at the fields and many a person came up complimenting how well behaved Ragnar was.
So, the plan was for him to stay with me at the fields and then stay with us in New Orleans and Wife/Payton would go back home. NOPE....the wife would not have that, she had to have Ragnar home for security and their safety. I tried to argue the point that he wants to stay with me at the fields, NOPE- the wife wouldn’t have it!! She grabbed his back pack/leash and he went home with them.
She later told me that when they got home, he walked with her into every room of the house. He would walk in, sniff around and then back to her side as in saying, “all is clear”, then on to the next room. This is so awesome because he would do that with me- yes but with the wife?? He sure did and damn, was she ever proud of her/his accomplished relationship.
I knew Dobermans were stoic, regal and protective animals but I really did not think Ragnar would develop into a sentry type protector. Needless to say, the wife and kids treat him like he is the “shit” now. They are sooo proud of him and what he has become- and they did all the work, right.!.!.!..
Present day:
It just cracks me up on how my wife has completely changed her tune on Ragnar since he is now obedient and not so puppy/teenager wild as he use to be. He still gets into that wild zone but if you see it before it starts, you can stop it from occurring if you know.
My wife watches that damn ID channel all the time. You know the ID channel that has all the tv shows of serial murders, Evil Next Door, Murdering Fiancés, Evil Among Us.....I watch it sometimes with her but jeesh, enough is enough.
Anyways, the issue is that if you watch enough of these ID shows, it really makes you a lot more conscious and somewhat paranoid on the “what if’s”...
Here comes Ragnar- from puppy to 12months he was a wild child, full of energy that had to be relieved. Once and a lot of times twice a day, he was/is no couch dog and never will be. He tried to rule the house busting through doors, counter surfing, nipping, growling- the same complaints as I have read from recent new members. The wife/kids really did not want much of him, they just could not handle his asshat antics.
Through the last two years of training, he has come a long way. More settled, more understanding to what we need of him and his role as a part of our family. IMHO, it has been established in his mind, he is a sentry for our family. I can hear him at night make his rounds and check on us and the girls as we sleep. He will come into our room stop and look at me and then slightly nose butt me to see if I am in bed. He will then go around the bed and do the same to my wife. Then I hear him travel down the hall to the girls rooms. Back to our room to lay down near the door or to the living room couch.
Here recently, I have become even more aware of his Sentry characteristics in which when I let him out of my truck, he will run around the yard on alert looking around and then come back to my side; and then also when we enter the house. He runs in looking around, room to room and then settles at my side.
The only reason I bring all this up is because this last weekend, everything came to fruition. Last Thursday night somebody/something got in the back door to the garage. House alarm went off, I got up and secured the house with Ragnar. He then searched and found a big possum in the back yard. Be it the possum or intruder that got in the back door?? IDK, but Ragnar sounds very scary at 3:00 a.m when barking/growling and the overall incident shook up my wife and girls.
So Friday night, I drove to New Orleans for an all weekend soccer tournament with Tristen and Kelsie- wife and oldest daughter stayed home.
At home, Ragnar slept in the bed room all night keeping watch on wife and oldest daughter. I was surprised the next day, they loaded him up and drove the 60mins to the soccer fields. The truck was bouncing when he saw me walk over to release him out of the truck. We had a great day at the fields and many a person came up complimenting how well behaved Ragnar was.
So, the plan was for him to stay with me at the fields and then stay with us in New Orleans and Wife/Payton would go back home. NOPE....the wife would not have that, she had to have Ragnar home for security and their safety. I tried to argue the point that he wants to stay with me at the fields, NOPE- the wife wouldn’t have it!! She grabbed his back pack/leash and he went home with them.
She later told me that when they got home, he walked with her into every room of the house. He would walk in, sniff around and then back to her side as in saying, “all is clear”, then on to the next room. This is so awesome because he would do that with me- yes but with the wife?? He sure did and damn, was she ever proud of her/his accomplished relationship.
I knew Dobermans were stoic, regal and protective animals but I really did not think Ragnar would develop into a sentry type protector. Needless to say, the wife and kids treat him like he is the “shit” now. They are sooo proud of him and what he has become- and they did all the work, right.!.!.!..