Puppy behavior
- Thread starter Bren
- Start date
Short answer: it is up to you to not allow unwanted behavior. You set the rules and boundaries of what is allowed and then firmly stick to it. Whatever it takes. Altering doesn't change anything except the fact that he can't make puppies, has nothing to do with behavior or training. Never leave the two dogs alone together.
When you say aggressive, what is he doing? What is her reaction? Put a collar and a leash on him and correct him. Don't allow him to play with her which can escalate into aggression. Put him in a crate or another room. Those are actual *things* to do about it. Most of all though, he needs you to spend lots of one-on-one time with him, training, playing and doing things together with out the female dog involved at all. Put her in another room or leave her in the house and go out with your puppy. Take him places with you that allow dogs and train there so he learns that you are the important thing and all the other excitement is not his business. You are approaching the most difficult time of puppyhood - what so many of us here call the Doberteens. It can be trying on everyone under the roof, and setting boundaries and constant training is the only way I know of to get through it successfully. Best of luck and keep asking questions!
Welcome to Doberman Chat, where most of us have already been through your ordeals!
When you say aggressive, what is he doing? What is her reaction? Put a collar and a leash on him and correct him. Don't allow him to play with her which can escalate into aggression. Put him in a crate or another room. Those are actual *things* to do about it. Most of all though, he needs you to spend lots of one-on-one time with him, training, playing and doing things together with out the female dog involved at all. Put her in another room or leave her in the house and go out with your puppy. Take him places with you that allow dogs and train there so he learns that you are the important thing and all the other excitement is not his business. You are approaching the most difficult time of puppyhood - what so many of us here call the Doberteens. It can be trying on everyone under the roof, and setting boundaries and constant training is the only way I know of to get through it successfully. Best of luck and keep asking questions!
Welcome to Doberman Chat, where most of us have already been through your ordeals!
It's weird. They get along all day. They sleep on the couch together with us in the evening. Mostly when we have aggressive issues is when they come in from outside. It doesn't matter if they are coming in together, if she's coming in or he's coming in. As soon as they are both inside he attacks her. It seems like play for about 1 sec then escalates immediately. We have a very large back yard so they go out often alone. I accompany them several times a day and play after their done pottying. Ball, catch or just crazy doggy games my girl has played since she was a puppy. It still doesn't matter as soon as we enter the house if he isn't grabbed and crafted he's after her.
We have been trying to catch him as he enters and crate him for 10-15 minutes. Then they are fine till some one goes out again.
I've noticed he's worse when the neighbors dogs are out (other side of our fence) those dogs are aggressive with each other all the time. Is he trying to imitate them? Why only upon entering the house?
We have been trying to catch him as he enters and crate him for 10-15 minutes. Then they are fine till some one goes out again.
I've noticed he's worse when the neighbors dogs are out (other side of our fence) those dogs are aggressive with each other all the time. Is he trying to imitate them? Why only upon entering the house?
That is strange and different than I was picturing, so thank you for clarifying... but still, the answer is the same. Management & Prevention is best. It will be a bit of trouble at first, but you must be consistent to break the cycle/habit. Sounds like what is called re-directed aggression. The neighbor dogs grumbling and snarling on the other side of the fence may build up some frustration in your pup since he can't jump into that fight, he comes in and attacks your other dog. It sounds strange but it is a real thing that happens with both dogs and cats. If it were my situation I would (A) not ever let your two dogs out in the yard together in case the neighbor dogs get into a fight and your Dobe attacks your female and (B) when you let one dog enter the house from outside always always always have your male pup on a leash. Instead of trying to "catch" him as he enters, go outside & leash him up and lead him in. Put him on a down by your feet or put him in the crate to de-escalate. If your female is outside, leash him up before you let her in & don't allow him to sniff or "talk" to her in anyway for a few minutes - watch his behavior at all times. He needs to learn before he gets to be an adult that what happens on the other side of the fence is not his concern. If at all possible turn him out when the dogs next door are quiet. In fact, if they did not use to do this, and they just fight when your dogs are out, it's possible they are attacking each other because they themselves are frustrated that they can't get to your dogs.
None of it started until the neighbors daughter moved home with a second dog. They think the dogs get along great (their dogs) that the fighting in the yard is okay.
Only letting mine out when theirs are inside doesn't work. They have doggie doors so as soon as they hear ours they are out. I try as soon as they get out to bring mine in.
So other than leashing him to come in we are on the right track?
Only letting mine out when theirs are inside doesn't work. They have doggie doors so as soon as they hear ours they are out. I try as soon as they get out to bring mine in.
So other than leashing him to come in we are on the right track?
Is she 8 years or 8 months? He was too young to be neutered at that age but that point is moot now that it's said and done.
At 7 months he is getting to the challenging age so you need to stay on top of his behavior every minute so he knows he's not alpha.
Kswoodssue
Hot Topics Subscriber
It may just be his anxiety response to the other dogs, but sometimes they just get a little obsessive compulsive and repetitive behaviors become hard to break. I think @Ravenbird is right.
Kaiser2016
Well-Known Member
Love the idea to leash him upon entering the house so that his behavior doesn't become habit. Search NILIF on this site to see what else you can do to create some pack structure. The 8 year old is the resident dog and she should get everything before the pup does. Her food, toys, access to yard/house, she has to get it first. If you manage this stage correctly, they 'should' get along fine being that they are opposite sex.
Are the neighbors dogs the same sex? Maybe that is why they are always fighting.
Are the neighbors dogs the same sex? Maybe that is why they are always fighting.
That is a good opportunity to build the puppy's focus on you by playing with a ball or tug and turning his attention away from the neighbor dogs. We all have done this with our Dobermans because they are naturally curious about other dogs, but we teach them to focus on their people instead. This is the basis for having recall when the dog is off leash, and generally much safer for the Doberman so that they aren't approaching people who will be afraid of the breed.
Yes, as long as you are doing something along the lines I mentioned in my initial answer about day to day training. Also very good advise by @Kaiser2016 about playing with him in the backyard while the neighbor dogs are out. If you do this I'd keep a long line on him so if he ignores you for the dogs you can reel him in. In other words, don't set him up to fail. You call, he comes to you even if you have to bring him in with a long line. Then reward big time. If activity is too much while the dogs are outside, you might just take him out on a leash, sit down in a chair and do the "look at me" game with food. The point is him focusing on you under distractions. At this age he should sit, down, recall and go to his place (a bed or crate) in the house and stay. Not perfectly, but have a good concept of all these things on command. Then work on duration etc. Try to make every lesson fun with lots of food rewards and alone time with you without the other dog. Group obedience lessons with other people and dogs is always a good experience for them to learn to listen to you while other dogs are nearby but in control by their handlers.
Doberman Gang
Hot Topics Subscriber
Is it one sided rough play? Or do both dogs play rough. If it one sided then you need to let him know that’s not allowed. If he can’t play nice he may just need to have outside time alone. You make the rules and enforce them. It is not true aggression if they get along most of the time. He is getting amped by the other dogs then wanting to play rough. Dobermans love rough play and it can look scary but a true aggressive dog will have to be pulled of the other dog and typically one or both dogs will be going to the vet for stitches or staples. Again you decide what is allowed in house or even outside.
Hi! It's possible that your 7 month old is starting to have the hormones kick in, and fights can begin with this. That's my simple take on it. Good advice given above regarding watching them closely and you being in charge and not allowing what you don't want.
Years ago when my friend and I were inexperienced with the finer points of dog ownership, we brought up our dogs together – both males, mine a Dobe, his a GSD. The play sessions were epic, but one day it turned into a fight. From then on, it was serious business. We still could have them together and live together, but his dog would just up and attack mine when the urge struck him.
Years ago when my friend and I were inexperienced with the finer points of dog ownership, we brought up our dogs together – both males, mine a Dobe, his a GSD. The play sessions were epic, but one day it turned into a fight. From then on, it was serious business. We still could have them together and live together, but his dog would just up and attack mine when the urge struck him.
Update. I've taken all suggestions to heart. We still have time when they still want to fight. But I'm not sure how that its more rough play as my 8 yr old often starts it. They are still quickly separated and let know this is not acceptable.
It is not as often we have days everyone gets along nicely
It is not as often we have days everyone gets along nicely
I can't help but be curious why the adult female has not already explained that to the pup. In the normal way that a puppy would definitely understand coming from an older and well established in the home dog.
My housemate had a 5 year old intact female when I brought home my Doberman puppy. My puppy completely dominated her within 3 months. So I had this 5 month old (female) doberman puppy, just wanting to play, but rough play, and dominating, paw-slap, body-slamming play. The rule was if one dog is not having fun it all gets shut down. They get along fine now, but that first year was hard. We kept waiting for the older dog to say enough is enough, but she never would take that initiative. She wasn't afraid of the puppy, just didn't like her much. So we humans had to constantly intervene, mostly prevention which was never let the two dogs loose together without supervision. And that rule still stands today because they are both intact females.
Whenever we bring a new dobe home to the existing dobe, we make certain that the new kid is kept in line....many times the existing dog will not take charge, and we felt that they were here first, so protect them in a sense until the pup gets a little older and has learned it's place. When the first dog sets the tone, it's much easier 
Whenever we bring a new dobe home to the existing dobe, we make certain that the new kid is kept in line....many times the existing dog will not take charge, and we felt that they were here first, so protect them in a sense until the pup gets a little older and has learned it's place. When the first dog sets the tone, it's much easier
Saw a video one time at DVM360 from a Veterinary Behaviorist about aggression in multi dog households and how 'oftentimes' it was unknowingly caused / contributed to by the owner.
Paraphrasing here but essentially what he was suggesting was that owners would bring home a new dog and shower it with attention while inadvertently giving less attention to the existing dog thus causing confusion as to what should be the obvious pack order with the 'new' dog being the lowest dog on the totem pole and the existing dog being the highest on said totem. Older dog starts to feel their place in line (place in the pack order) being threatened and the newer dog starts to feel emboldened to be able to behave in ways that would not normally fly.
He suggested many different ways to let the existing dog KNOW that they were top dog and to be constant about those actions. Simple things like during mealtimes - Make sure the existing dog gets fed FIRST, going on a potty break - Make sure existing dog gets let out FIRST, Have some treats to dole out - Existing dog gets theirs FIRST, etc.
Made sense to me.
When I brought my current girls home as puppies I made darn sure that the existing adult female was always treated as the top dog and that the little ones were always treated as though they were dead last on the totem pole. Was no confusion between any of those dogs as to their place / order in the pack.
One personal example: Turned a mostly unused dining room into a 'puppy room' and more or less kept them there at first. (a more or less puppy 'safe' room for them with nothing they could harm themselves on / with and not a lot of stuff they could possibly damage) The existing dog had free run of the entire home just as she always had before. Even when I did eventually start to give the pups a little more freedom to explore the rest of the home they still had a lot of rules they were not allowed to break. Couch privileges being one - Existing dog knew the rules (your butt better be on your blanket if you are on MY couch) and had those couch privileges. Puppies were not allowed anywhere near any furniture.
Was in the kitchen one time doing some stuff and heard my older dog growling so I popped my head around the corner to see what was going on and saw the older girl in her spot laying on her blanket on the couch growing at one of the pups that was standing there towards the other end of the could looking like it was considering trying to get up there. I quickly shooed that puppy away from the couch and back into the puppy room.
Not understanding what that has to do with anything here.
Behavioral Effects of Spay
DOES SPAY/NEUTER CAUSE NEGATIVE BEHAVIOR CHANGES IN DOGS? Many guardians of spayed dogs report significant behavior changes (skittish, aggressive, anxious) after their dog fully recovers from the s…
healthyandhappydog.com
or as noted from this study:
Behavioural risks in female dogs with minimal lifetime exposure to gonadal hormones
Spaying of female dogs is a widespread practice, performed primarily for population control. While the consequences of early spaying for health are still being debated, the consequences for behaviour are believed to be negligible. The current study focused ...
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
or the studies done by Laura J. Sanborn, M.S:
Health Risks Associated with Spay/Neuter in Dogs - Dogs Naturally
If you're thinking about spaying or neutering your dog, it's important to weigh all of the long-term risks and benefits. Here's what studies say about both.
www.dogsnaturallymagazine.com
Currently raising my 6th and 7th female Dobermans and thus far have never had one altered or so much as considered it. Plenty of peer reviewed studies out there relating to aggression and longevity as it relates to spay surgeries and many of them do not jive with what the people pushing doggie population control want me to think about it.
At one point had 3 intact females all living here together and did not experience any sort of armageddon when they all decided to have their cycles at the same time.
Absolutely blows my mind how healthy female dogs can 'sync up' like they do when living together
Last cycle here the time difference in starting was measured in hours and difference in finishing was only a few days. Experience tells me that if they are not in sync to a certain degree - one may be having some sort of health issue that needs looked at (would definitely be having thyroids checked for example here).
Last edited:
