9mo Male Doberman Aggressive

[Moemoe]

Hi all, recently my male Doberman pup has shown signs of aggression toward my two other dogs, one male English bulldog, one female Doberman. This seems to me like a territorial or possessive thing because he usually snaps at them when he is near me or my husband or if he is cuddling with us on the couch. Any ideas on how I can prevent this behavior? Besides this he is a really sweet pup but he did nip my mom when she was watching him and she tried to stop the aggressive behavior. He is trained to sit, stay, down, off, leave it, and to go to his crate. Vet says he is healthy.

 

[Ravenbird]

This sounds like resource guarding and not respecting your authority in the "pack". Many Dobermans, being the velcro critters they are, may want to get possessive of you with other dogs around. You will need to step up and put him in his place (equal to the other 2 dogs in the household) with you and your husband being equally in charge. I would start by putting him on his own place on the floor level when you are settled on the couch. No furniture. Regarding your mom, one thing I always remember is that a trainer told me "Dogs don't "turn" on their owners/handlers. They are simply reinforcing what they believe is their place in the pack. In other words, if he believes he is in charge and someone tells him what to do, he will "correct" that person for issuing a command. It should be understood that nobody challenges the one(s) in charge. You & husband should be in charge and when he snaps at the other dogs you instantly correct him. Just like having 3 kids, if one keeps bullying the other sibling, the parents step in, they don't just let them take over. When your mom is in charge he should never challenge her either. If he can't be controlled by voice commands then keep a leash on him for a sharp correction if he even gives the other dogs a stink-eye. Also same-sex aggression is a real thing, and evidently more-so in this breed, so as he matures you may have even more problems with him, especially with the male bulldog. Definitely begin some serious training to get a handle on this before he gets much older.

 

[Moemoe]

This sounds like resource guarding and not respecting your authority in the "pack". Many Dobermans, being the velcro critters they are, may want to get possessive of you with other dogs around. You will need to step up and put him in his place (equal to the other 2 dogs in the household) with you and your husband being equally in charge. I would start by putting him on his own place on the floor level when you are settled on the couch. No furniture. Regarding your mom, one thing I always remember is that a trainer told me "Dogs don't "turn" on their owners/handlers. They are simply reinforcing what they believe is their place in the pack. In other words, if he believes he is in charge and someone tells him what to do, he will "correct" that person for issuing a command. It should be understood that nobody challenges the one(s) in charge. You & husband should be in charge and when he snaps at the other dogs you instantly correct him. Just like having 3 kids, if one keeps bullying the other sibling, the parents step in, they don't just let them take over. When your mom is in charge he should never challenge her either. If he can't be controlled by voice commands then keep a leash on him for a sharp correction if he even gives the other dogs a stink-eye. Also same-sex aggression is a real thing, and evidently more-so in this breed, so as he matures you may have even more problems with him, especially with the male bulldog. Definitely begin some serious training to get a handle on this before he gets much older.

Thank you so much for your reply. I will implement more serious training and the other tips you gave me. Super appreciative of this community.

 

[Oh Little Oji]

Letting the dog on the furniture commonly leads to problems. I hear so much talk of dogs on the couch and of snuggling. I just don't relate.

 

[Ravenbird]

Thank you so much for your reply. I will implement more serious training and the other tips you gave me. Super appreciative of this community.

There are many more threads similar to this that you can find if you just scroll through this training and behavior section. Many have led to some lively discussions and stories... read through them as you may see your situation and more suggestions with more detail. It's been kinda quiet on the Doberman Chat lately - I don't know where everybody is!

 

[Kswoodssue]

Chair time for Sasha is like cell phone time for the grandkids. The Alpha gives it and the Alpha can take it away.

 

[Ddski5]

Yeah….I truly think that Dobermans come in all types of different mentality’s. The difference is that with all the other Labs, Curs, Beagles, Heinz 57’s that I had through the years, never did one challenge my authority or try to establish pack order.

I think when folks get a Doberman, they may not realize or have not encountered this as a trait, either active or recessed in their personality. And if one doesn’t understand it, one may take it as aggressiveness or being a rank dog.

True words being said: A Doberman is not a dog, it is a Doberman. Some folks get a Lassie in a Doberman….I’ve never seen it. Most of all the folks who post aggressiveness problems on here seem to not understand that Dobermans need rules, they thrive on discipline and training. If you don’t give them that, then you get a crack head Doberman that will get really awnry and challenging.

Not implying the OP is a poor handler. Just putting in my 2cents cause I haven’t been around lately. @Ravenbird lol…..

 

[Kaiser2016]

All great advice! Hopefully @Moemoe is making progress?