5/6 Month Old Behavior Changes

[Caloni]

I have never had a Doberman or any other large breed puppy ever, so I thought this the best place to ask. Do Dobermans (especially males) go through any behavioral changes quickly around 5-6 months?

Luca has been an easy to get along with pretty soft natured dog just about his whole life. But just in the last 2 days he has completely changed into a dog that I do not want in my house. He has started to chew furniture, rugs, and items that do not belong to him right in front of me despite me telling him "NO". He has jumped on furnture repeatedly after reprimands, started biting family members feet, been very pushy and demanding for attention, whining in the crate, and whining and grumbling on down stays.

The whining/barking in the crate and whining on down stays was something we fixed a few months back, and have had to manage now and then, but it is back with a vengeance. I have been as consistent as I can to tackle the problem but he keeps pushing the limit and my buttons.

In addition to all of this he really made me steaming mad tonight when he did not want to do commands that he has known how to do successfully since he was 8 weeks old! I corrected him, put him in the position where he was supposed to be, told him he was good, and then tried it again. He did not want to have anything to do with me or the training session and bolted away from me!! Something he has NEVER EVER done. When I went to get him I told him "NO" and lead him back to the training room. I was not harsh with him till he started peeing all over the floor. I told him "NO" very loudly where he proceeded to try and run away from me out of the room still peeing. When I held his collar so he couldn't run he started SCREAMING in a full blown temper tantrum.

I know he was faking the temper tantrum and the submissive peeing (if that is what it was) because all he wanted to do when I was trying to get him to the back door was go for his food and toys to play and eat. What a friggin' BRAT. I did not let him have the food or toys, but instead made him go outside and stay there till he did his business. When he came back inside, he still only wanted his food so I made him work for it.

We had a moderately good training session with him showing at least some effort, but it surely wasn't his best. He ate dinner fine, played hard and acted like nothing happened. My question to you is: what in the WORLD happened to my sweet boy?? Will I ever get his lovable willing to please personality back? Is this something that happens to all dober boys?

 

[Caloni]

Does anyone have any suggestions or information about their attitudes while growing up?

 

[JanS]

Welcome to the entering of puberty. I just got off the phone with my friend a few minutes ago and her boy is going to be 6 months on January 4th and she said the very same thing about how she had never seen this side of him until last night when they had some guests over. I asked if the guests were at all pushovers he thought he could take advantage of, and she said "oh yes". With Doberman's being as smart as they are they watch for every opportunity they can to find someone they can pull something over on and that's exactly what her boy must have been doing.

This is the age when most Dobermans or other large breed pups wind up being given back to the breeder, rehomed or in a rescue when people get fed up and think it's always gong to be this way so they give up. I know you'd never do that, but it does try your patience and the sweet little puppy we once knew has suddenly changed as they get older and more independent.

You mention yelling and getting mad at him, which is something that's only going to intensify the situation. The key is to stay calm and assertive, without raising your voice and of course consistency is a must. Usually with the consistency they really start settling back down by the time they're 8 or 9 months. It's not just males either since our "perfect pup" Della chewed several holes in the walls and carpet when she hit this stage. Never got our personal items, but had to hit us in the pocket book.

 

[Ingrid H]

This sounds quite normal but on the extreme side of things. Hold firm, keep making him work for what he wants, and ride it out

 

[Dragonborn]

Oh god can I tell u how many rugs we went thru in this house during that stage! At least 6 of em! It gets better... its a stage.. Jan said it best. Just breath & hang on for the ride. Yelling does nothing, even tho you wanna scream sometimes!!

 

[Marinegeekswife]

Welcome to the teenage phase! Spock was a TERROR as a teenager, mainly because we didn't know how to handle it and he knew it. Got some great advice on here and made it through. Do some searching on here for Nothing In Life Is Free (NILIF), it is a great set of rules for making their lives very basic as you regain control. Most of what you did was correct, however you need to remain calm. Like Jan said, yelling only makes things worse. I found that the best way to handle his temper tantrums was to grab his collar and, without saying a word or making eye contact, take him and make him go in his crate. It gave us both 5 min to calm down and let him know that I meant it when I said to knock it off. If he came back out still cocky and misbehaving, he could go in for another 5. This did give him a bit of resistance to the crate when he got older but he got over that naturally once it wasn't used for timeouts anymore. Good luck!

 

[Caloni]

Thank you all so much for the kind words and help. Yes, I do need to work on remaining calm and consistent. I had heard this happened with the dobies but I wasn't prepared for it to start till around 8 months. I am hopeful that some day soon I will see my obedient boy come back out.

When should this stage end?
Is there another stage like this one when they get older?
Most of the dobies in rescues here are around 2 years old. I sure hope this is the only time we experience this madness.

.....I should have asked Santa for Xanax! Oh well, cat nip will have to do for now.

 

[Dragonborn]

Thank you all so much for the kind words and help. Yes, I do need to work on remaining calm and consistent. I had heard this happened with the dobies but I wasn't prepared for it to start till around 8 months. I am hopeful that some day soon I will see my obedient boy come back out.

When should this stage end?
Is there another stage like this one when they get older?
Most of the dobies in rescues here are around 2 years old. I sure hope this is the only time we experience this madness.

.....I should have asked Santa for Xanax! Oh well, cat nip will have to do for now.

LOL the stage ends depending on the dog. Bells started to act more like an "adult" when she was around 10 months. When she hit the year mark, she was muchhh better. We could lay rugs down with no problem!

 

[Caloni]

Yikes! I don't know if I can handle this for another 4-5 months, but maybe it will be doable with days like today where he sleeps and chews on a bone....

 

[Dragonborn]

Yikes! I don't know if I can handle this for another 4-5 months, but maybe it will be doable with days like today where he sleeps and chews on a bone....

bella was a hellion wen she was younger lol so that's probably why it took her so long...

 

[dh8]

The joys of owning a puppy! I always try to counsel adopters towards the dog or pup that will best fit their situation. People hell bent on puppies often act like they're too smart to be fooled into taking an older dog but appreciate me trying. All I can do is chuckle and shake my head when the same people hit this stage of normal pup development and call in frustration. The second adoption is always much smoother and easier for everyone...

You have to drop all frustration and anger. There is no hiding it from a Doberman. Stick with the basics of training and go back however many steps you need to get him back on track. Set him up for success by working on keeping his attention and go from there. Don't give commands when he is focuses elsewhere because it won't work. Stick to NILIF.

As always, exercise helps tremendously! Good luck!

 

[Caloni]

yes, we have been doing the NILIF since he was a puppy. But that does work when the whining alone is a reward for them because it feels good for them to do it. I knew this stage was coming, but I thought it was more like the 8-10 month range. I have fostered many older large breed dogs, and honestly for what I am using him for and training him with the older dogs are just a lot more work.

 

[firetruck89]

Hang in there

Declan is 7mos right now, and a little s-word..Him and Luca have overlap in behaviours. With my first Dobe,Titan, I really noticed a difference once I started enforcing NILIF on my Dad (he was the weak link!). I live on my own now, but my mom is horrible for not listening to NILIF at all when she visits.

Dobermans definitely test you..Can I do this now...what about 5 miutes from now, what about an hour from now, what about a day from now, what about next tuesday? ..I'm counting down the days until our obedience class starts.

 

[mandym]

My Daisy will be 6 months tomorrow and I can feel it coming! She has started being naughty and pushy. Even this morning she got me in the eye with her paw. I also will need some help soon Never heard of the NILIF but will definitely check it out. So Caloni, I guess I'm there with you too. haha

 

[Dobs4ever]

While puppies do get braver and more confident as time goes on and more assertive as well iti s usually easily handled by proper training. If he is not doing training commands that you issues and say he has known since he was a puppy then you have not made it fun enough for him to want to follow through. By this age the commands so be so well engrained through fun and games that he is excited to comply. If you allow yourself to get angry then he is not sure he can trust you and hence the submissive peeing. He is confused on what you want and exactly how you are going to get it.

He needs basics - through positive reinforcement and do overs not frustration if he does not get it right. Soon he learns that good comes from compliance and nothing from non compliance. He sound bored and confused. Learning should be FUN and REWARDING..... I would strongly recommend you find a good training school and both of you attend to learn better ways to handle challenges than frustration. Good luck and keep us posted.

 

[Jeff]

I am smiling as I am training my third dobe female who turned 6 months a few days ago.
Yes, dobes do go through phases as they grow, and I have the ruined furniture to prove it!
Love your pup and breathe deep, the worst is yet to come! Fortunately, it does get better,
and the destroyed furniture will be a reminder of their training and growth and if it were
such a negative, I would have never had another dobe after my first, but, the way they worm
their way into our hearts, it is unbearable to live without a dopey dobie around to entertain
and love!