10 month old uncontrollable off leash

dsut

Jr Member
Was wondering if anyone has the same issue or would have an explanation for a 10 month old Dobe needing a leash at all times or she misbehaves by nipping and darting, jumping, pulling at clothes, not listening, refusing to be caught etc.
She’s obviously much better when she is on a leash but none of the behaviorist/trainers we’ve called in have been able to explain why she behaves like this and the only thing they can say is to keep her on a leash at all times.
She was taken away from her mother at 3 weeks and did not learn bite inhibition and has been a handful since we got her at 6 weeks. She has not shown any aggression to dogs or humans but even the dog walker has recently complained that she jumps and nips him off leash on the mountain and she does the same at dog training classes when we practice recall. Thought this was puppy play behavior but getting worried that she won’t outgrow it.
Any comments/advice would be much appreciated
 
Hello!

I could venture a theory or two, but if your trainers and behaviorists don't have an answer, I'm not sure I'll be of help.

My thoughts are:

She was separated much too early from her litter. Not your fault of course!

She has developed a habit of romping and being crazy when allowed the freedom of being off leash. It's an outlet for her and, well, just fun!

Yes, for her safety and to avoid liability, keep her on leash; but don't give up hope! There are ways to gradually train a dog to behave and be fairly reliable off leash. One of these is to use a long line – some 30 feet or so. Start, however, by slowly increasing the length of the leash that you use. This may involve some hassle on your part, but you might get a full-length long line and have it rolled/bundled and secured up so that there is only just a foot more slack than the standard leash you have been using. Give her walks with that length for several days or even a week or more, and also do training with her at that length. Then, you can add another foot of length to be available to her. Now, I'm not saying it's a good idea, or safe, to go for walks in the city or near auto traffic with a longer than normal leash – be careful about that and probably stick with a standard 6 foot leash in those scenarios.
 
Thank you! I agree re keeping her on leash outdoors. My issue is that she can’t be off leash in home and garden as she gets too boisterous and nippy. Not sure if this is the norm for young dobes. Our previous one was calm and wanted to please so we weren’t prepared for this
 
Thank you! I agree re keeping her on leash outdoors. My issue is that she can’t be off leash in home and garden as she gets too boisterous and nippy. Not sure if this is the norm for young dobes. Our previous one was calm and wanted to please so we weren’t prepared for this
I wonder: Just how long will/can she keep up her tearing around and being a pest – I mean, how many minutes and hours straight? Seems to me she would calm eventually.

Perhaps you can give her a nice long walk, then set her loose in your yard and maybe position yourself so it would be hard for her to jump on you and nip you. Sit back with a cool drink and let her tire herself out.
 
what I did and do is purchase a cheap leash, cut off the part that has the hand loop so it can't catch on anything and let my pup wear it around the house it makes it easy to control unwanted behavior
 
Training, training and more training. 10 month is pretty young to be off leash unless you are talking about in your fenced yard. This has nothing to do with the age your puppy was when it was taken from it’s mother. You have had her since she was 6 weeks so lack of training proper behavior is on you now. Mark and correct unwanted behavior. Mark and reward good behavior. It is as simple as that but you must be consistent and give her a clear picture of what you are asking.
 
Hi there!

Sorry to hear you are going through this :( My boy was the same way from when he was brought home to at this age (10 months). The darting, jumping, the same problems on walks (which I found to happen when I wouldn't let him sniff something for an hour :facepalm: ) ESPECIALLY nipping uncontrollably (my legs are scarred for life now :eek: ) although he was brought home at 8 weeks. I have seen a few people now with this problem with a Doberman around this age including myself. A few reasons why,
1. They're bigger making it more difficult to cope with.
2. It's been going on for so long that you're fed up & will think it'll never end
3. Doberteens (those hormones are raging!)

I can't provide you with much help when it comes to training, we had private trainers that helped out. All telling me I needed to assert myself & show NO weakness. But no matter how assertive I was, I was just a big chew toy. I also tried the leash, I did it for a day & found it helped a bit, but I do agree that maybe it's time to retire it.
But with my personal experience, at 10 months of age is when I noticed Rex suddenly started growing out of this behaviour. There was a bright light at the end of the tunnel, so don't lose hope, it's not too late! He is now 16 months next week, and although he's still got that puppy sass, he is the biggest suck.
Every now & then if he doesn't get what he wants he'll jump on me or lightly graze he teeth on me, but I stand still, arms crossed, and give him "the look" and he knows what it means haha. Unfortunately my father is scared of Rex, so Rex takes for advantage of him by treating him like a doggy playmate :nono: So make sure you stand your ground.
Hope this helped give you some hope for the near future! Don't give up on your dog, the trauma will be worth it :spit:
 
I wonder: Just how long will/can she keep up her tearing around and being a pest – I mean, how many minutes and hours straight? Seems to me she would calm eventually.

Perhaps you can give her a nice long walk, then set her loose in your yard and maybe position yourself so it would be hard for her to jump on you and nip you. Sit back with a cool drink and let her tire herself out.
Oh she can wear anyone out She’s very high energy. Thing is she can be very well behaved and then suddenly flips a switch and becomes unmanageable, which is why it’s easier to keep her leashed so it’s easier to control her
 
what I did and do is purchase a cheap leash, cut off the part that has the hand loop so it can't catch on anything and let my pup wear it around the house it makes it easy to control unwanted behavior
Yes I do that too. Just wonder if it’s normal to have to keep a leash on at all times
 
Training, training and more training. 10 month is pretty young to be off leash unless you are talking about in your fenced yard. This has nothing to do with the age your puppy was when it was taken from it’s mother. You have had her since she was 6 weeks so lack of training proper behavior is on you now. Mark and correct unwanted behavior. Mark and reward good behavior. It is as simple as that but you must be consistent and give her a clear picture of what you are asking.
Yes I do that but unfortunately my husband is not consistent so she treats him like a playmate. I don’t expect her to be off leash outdoors but just wonder if it’s normal to have to keep leash on in the house to stop her from misbehaving.
 
Hi there!

Sorry to hear you are going through this :( My boy was the same way from when he was brought home to at this age (10 months). The darting, jumping, the same problems on walks (which I found to happen when I wouldn't let him sniff something for an hour :facepalm: ) ESPECIALLY nipping uncontrollably (my legs are scarred for life now :eek: ) although he was brought home at 8 weeks. I have seen a few people now with this problem with a Doberman around this age including myself. A few reasons why,
1. They're bigger making it more difficult to cope with.
2. It's been going on for so long that you're fed up & will think it'll never end
3. Doberteens (those hormones are raging!)

I can't provide you with much help when it comes to training, we had private trainers that helped out. All telling me I needed to assert myself & show NO weakness. But no matter how assertive I was, I was just a big chew toy. I also tried the leash, I did it for a day & found it helped a bit, but I do agree that maybe it's time to retire it.
But with my personal experience, at 10 months of age is when I noticed Rex suddenly started growing out of this behaviour. There was a bright light at the end of the tunnel, so don't lose hope, it's not too late! He is now 16 months next week, and although he's still got that puppy sass, he is the biggest suck.
Every now & then if he doesn't get what he wants he'll jump on me or lightly graze he teeth on me, but I stand still, arms crossed, and give him "the look" and he knows what it means haha. Unfortunately my father is scared of Rex, so Rex takes for advantage of him by treating him like a doggy playmate :nono: So make sure you stand your ground.
Hope this helped give you some hope for the near future! Don't give up on your dog, the trauma will be worth it :spit:
Thanks so much!! Feel so much better knowing I’m not the only one with this issue. Shes much better with me than she was a few months ago but my husband is not consistent and she doesn’t listen to him at all and he has the scars to prove it. Funnily since I posted a few days ago she’s actually been a little calmer and I’ve even left the leash off for short periods. Perhaps she’s finally growing out of it?! Thanks again for sharing your experience :)
 
Yes I do that but unfortunately my husband is not consistent so she treats him like a playmate. I don’t expect her to be off leash outdoors but just wonder if it’s normal to have to keep leash on in the house to stop her from misbehaving.
You can attach a tab to the collar you can grab to give a correction. I like ones around 12” long.
 
Mark and correct unwanted behavior. Mark and reward good behavior. It is as simple as that but you must be consistent and give her a clear picture of what you are asking.
^^^^^^ This!

Every now & then if he doesn't get what he wants he'll jump on me or lightly graze he teeth on me, but I stand still, arms crossed, and give him "the look" and he knows what it means haha. Unfortunately my father is scared of Rex, so Rex takes for advantage of him by treating him like a doggy playmate :nono: So make sure you stand your ground.

Shes much better with me than she was a few months ago but my husband is not consistent and she doesn’t listen to him at all and he has the scars to prove it.

You see here how a dogs behavior develops when you are showing weakness instead of Pack Leader!
 
Oh she can wear anyone out She’s very high energy. Thing is she can be very well behaved and then suddenly flips a switch and becomes unmanageable
Exhausting isn’t it? Their puppy phase is just out of this world. When you say “refusing to be caught” does this mean you’re chasing her? If so, they love the game of chase. You’ll never catch them and they know it, so just walk away and hopefully she will follow you. Praise her and reward if she stays close by. I agree she’s too young to be off leash. With the next psycho puppy, no off leash till 2 - They need to earn that freedom!
 
Exhausting isn’t it? Their puppy phase is just out of this world. When you say “refusing to be caught” does this mean you’re chasing her? If so, they love the game of chase. You’ll never catch them and they know it, so just walk away and hopefully she will follow you. Praise her and reward if she stays close by. I agree she’s too young to be off leash. With the next psycho puppy, no off leash till 2 - They need to earn that freedom!
I used to chase but no longer playing that game she’s difficult to ignore though because she jumps and nips for attention. By saying she’s too young to be off leash, do you mean in the home too? I feel bad about keeping leash on her all day but she’s so unmanageable even in our home. So glad to hear she’s not the only psycho puppy around!
 

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