Advice for 6 month puppy behaviour

[National Hunt Dom]

Hello all,
New to the forum and this is my first post. As per the title I’m after some advice regarding our 6 month old pup Sherman. My partner works full time and I’m a stay at home dad with the kids. When my partner is at work Sherman is the best dog ever, however, as soon as my partner comes home his behaviour changes completely. When she is home he has started to bark and whine a lot, he also soils in the house (he’s completely clean when she is at work) but the worst thing is he will not do anything she tells him and when they are together he constantly jumps up at her trying to bite her arms and clothing. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks in advance
Dom

 

[Doberman Gang]

She needs to do some one on one training with the puppy so the puppy see her as a leader.

 

[Tropicalbri's]

Has she done any training with him or gone with you for training classes?
She needs to be involved in his training and feeding and play time. The pup does not see her as a strong leader and is trying to control her.
What does your partner do when the pup jumps on her and bites at her? Does she correct the pup? Do you intervene?

This behavior needs to be corrected immediately by your partner so the pup learns that jumping and biting will not be tolerated.
The more she becomes involved with working with the puppy and can be calm, assertive and consistent with training, the pup will learn to obey.
At 6 mo the house soiling should not be occurring.
What type of training are you doing with Sherman? Is he in any puppy classes? If not, I would definitely find a trainer and get him started and both of you be involved in the training classes.
Sherman is starting the doberteen phase so be patient, firm and strong leader. It’s a very frustrating and trying period for you but hang in there as they will grow out of it.

Soiling in the house is most likely marking since his hormones are developing. Is he just urinating on things or does he defacate inside too?
That needs to be addressed by her immediately to curb and stop it.

 

[National Hunt Dom]

Thanks for the replies, the majority of Sherman’s training was done by myself due to the fact my partner could not attend due to work. When she comes in from work she gives his his tea time feed, walks him and plays with him but the jumping up and biting is getting worse. Initially I would correct this behaviour but on advice of the breeder we have been told that my partner should be doing this, however, if she tries to correct him he just continues to jump and bite. Regarding the soiling in the house, he is just urinating but this only occurs when my partner is home.

 

[Ddski5]

Agree with the above.

One or two things OR both of them together.

1. Sherman is jealous of your partner and does not want her to intrude on y’alls private time and is acting out.

2. Sherman does not see your partner as a leader. Instead, sees her as an equal or lower than himself.

Dobermans see things as in a pack structure. Respect and listen to the leader or else. Everybody else is fair game that Sherman wants to be above of. I saw this with my Ragnar, I have three daughters (18, 16, 13). He tried to bully all of them including my wife because they were not being assertive, consistent and disciplining him enough. He would jump on them, bite their arms/legs, snap at their pony tails, etc....

They would look at me and say help...I told them they had to take control of the situation and let him know who the leader was, if not then he would get all over them. Sometimes, since I am the leader/alpha of the house, I would step in and stop/correct the situation but they really needed to step up and take charge. All of them have also participated with giving him obedience commands and feeding him.

A really kinda funny situation happened last weekend. Ragnar was kinda acting up with our cats and I told him to sit. Then, my oldest (18) and I got into a rather heated argument. During a pause in the action we both looked at Ragnar who was sitting in erect posture a few feet away. He never moved during that situation. He acts like a saint when the leaders are going at it.

-Got to take control or he will take control.

 

[blacknrust]

I experienced this with my first Dobe Bruno with the the roles reversed. He was well behaved for my husband who worked and a terror to me. Our trainer said it would only be corrected if I did the classes. It worked, by the end of several sessions I had Bruno responding to just hand signals. He had to learn that I was an authority figure.

 

[Oh Little Oji]

Welcome!

This sounds familiar. My Dobes have respected my wife much less than me over the years. Oh, hi, I'm a stay-at-home Daddy too.

It's been alluded to above already, but I will confirm it has also to do with the different dynamic when someone else comes home. The dog gets all uppity and the peace and order that has been established gets broken. It's not just that dogs get silly excited about people coming home, it's about the dog seeming to feel stressed or uncomfortable with another living being coming in and having access to its person.

My current male is 4 1/3 years old now and to this day it is a bit of chaos when my wife comes home.

It took a lot of work and some time to get Oji to stop putting his paws on people. First I was able to eliminate it with me. Then, with my wife and daughter. When he meets strangers away from the home, he still strays quickly into putting his paws on them. Of course, Oji has a thing about meeting strangers where he gets gradually more excited and really just below the surface is the urge to hump them.

But yeah. It was a priority for me to get him to stop jumping on my wife and little daughter! I had my daughter (wife is less interested and willing) do some of the training with him. This is a key element. Make sure your partner does it precisely the way you do! (Hopefully, you are doing things precisely with your pup). Make sure your partner follows through and expects prompt obedience without a lot of repeating commands – hopefully zero repeating. Oji must show total respect of my daughter and obey her as unquestioningly as he does me.

It also helps to have your partner feed your dog and to make the dog hit, say, a sit and hold it then wait for her release command to commence eating.

We do specific processes regarding going in and out doors and gates too. All humans who need to pass through do so first, then the dog (who is waiting their turn without trying to cross the threshold) is released to pass through.

The more you can have your partner command your Dobe, the better. Scenarios like above, where your Dobe is waiting for a release command from them.

Now, if I could just get Oji to STOP putting his nose places it does not belong when my wife and daughter come home! We've forbidden it from the start, but it's a lost cause. Edit: I guess on the first night we had him home as a 12 week old, we did let him bury his snout between our legs. We thought it was cute and endearing that he wanted to do that, and we of course wanted him to feel at home and to love us. But sheesh, not THAT at home.

 

[Tropicalbri's]

@Oh Little Oji the funny was for your last sentence.

If I have learned anything at all with raising two puppies at once, it is they will do what you “allow” them to do.

A firm quick correction will definitely curb the unwanted behavior. She can tie Sherman’s leash to her waist and make him go wherever she does in the house and can stop unwanted behavior immediately. When Sherman realizes she is an alpha leader too, he will come to respect and obey her with consistent training.
This is an extremely intelligent breed so you can’t use positive only training. They need to understand consequences for bad behavior. Start training with Nothing In Life Is Free (NILIF) which means Sherman has to earn everything he gets including toys, food, play time.

 

[LifeofRubie]

When's he's jumping and biting at her... is it in a playful manner or aggressive? Perhaps sine she does do the evening feeding, walking, and playtime, he's super amped up for it and knows what's coming.

A few things you could change immediately, I think (mirroring what has been said already): she needs to put him in a sit before petting him when she comes home, before feeding him, and when getting his collar/leash on before walks. When they're playing, how are they playing? With a ball? A tug? It's very easy to incorporate training and start working on control during play. Make him do some tricks before throwing a ball/playing tug. Work on "drop it's" so she can easily retrieve the ball/tug (this works best when you have a pocket full of treats or another play thing to entire them to drop an item), etc.

When he jumps up, she should knee him in the chest and keep her hands clamped down. I would even just ignore him for a few minutes when she comes home. When he's relaxed, she can give him attention.

I'm surprised there are no training classes with schedules outside of her work schedule? All our classes are evenings and weekends because we both work but our trainer also has day-time classes for people who either don't work or work atypical schedules. Sometimes just one of us goes, sometimes both. But we work on reinforcing independently at home and talk about what the other missed in class if they couldn't go.

Good luck!!

 

[AresMyDobie]

Someone needs to be much more firm with him.
For instant me and my SO have worked with all the dogs together and separate. What he says means as much as what I say.
My dogs do not see us as their equals they see us as their leaders, this is called respect and with four dogs we must keep the order so the pack runs smooth.
When she enters the home she should completely ignore him. Don’t talk, don’t touch, don’t even make eye contact. Why cuz all these things encourage his behavior. Now once he’s calm she can engage him calmly not with a high pitched voice or fast motions.
Another thing I would work on is “place” making him go to his place and stay there ten mins before she comes home so she’s not getting jumped on and this is also good for the dog as a mental exercise and capping his excitement.
I agree she needs to spend some one on one time working with him to gain his respect. Especially during feeding time I would install a “wait” so she can make him sit and wait till she gives the ok for him to eat.
I think her walking him in a structured walk not letting him do whatever he pleases would also be beneficial
Love his name btw

 

[National Hunt Dom]

Hi this is Karen, Dom’s partner. i have just come off shift and read everybody’s comments, I appreciate all the comments and helpful tips you all have given regarding Sherman. I would love to go to puppy training classes as I know this would help greatly, but unfortunately due to my shifts been different each week and the fact I can be called into work at any time makes it difficult for me to attend. For me it’s so frustrating because if Dom gives him a command Sherman does it instantly, where as if I do the same Sherman takes no notice of me what so ever, also I know Dom forgot to say that Sherman is constantly trying to mount my leg. I’m already doing some of the things you have suggested but also going to introduce other tips you have given that I’ve not tried.
Thank you for all your advice.
Karen

 

[Tropicalbri's]

I would love to go to puppy training classes as I know this would help greatly, but unfortunately due to my shifts been different each week and the fact I can be called into work at any time makes it difficult for me to attend.

Would it be possible for Dom to video the training classes so you can view them and get an understanding of what it entails.
My husband is somewhat in the same situation as you since the pups will do things to him that I absolutely forbid them to do.
I have been guilty of correcting the pups instead of giving my hubs time to do it and mean it.
It’s usually my female that tries to get away with trying to put her paws in his lap and lick him in the face. It takes him several times issuing a command and physically pushing her off. If she sees me coming she immediately will get down and sit, knowing full well that isn’t allowed. These dobes will push the envelope to see what they can get away with. Humping someone or each other will get them a quick run through obedience lesson, then separated to regroup.
Humping is a trait of dominance so once you are able to eliminate that behavior firmly, then that is the start of Sherman being demoted to where he is supposed to be in the pack hierarchy.
A lot of my friends think I am too strict with my two but when I see their dogs jumping up on people, barking, growling and being totally unruly, I use that as my point in case. It’s the reason that friends visit my house but I don’t visit theirs. I would be popping orders to their dogs and that would upset the owners so I choose not to put myself in those situations.
I have no doubt you will learn the necessary ways to correct Sherman’s behavior and have fun working with and training him. Consistency is key in training.
We are always here if you need us.

 

[Regalis]

If she sees me coming she immediately will get down and sit, knowing full well that isn’t allowed.

This is sooooo Kaizer! He will jump on hubs, climb into his lap, lick his face, etc. Hubs then wonders why he only does it to him. Uhhhh. Cause I've never allowed that behaivor?! And they know when I give a command, I mean business and don't repeat it twenty times before a correction is implemented. Not saying kaizer is perfect, he's still a 2 year old doberman (mix, but boy his personality didn't get that memo), but he doesnt goof off nearly as much with me. The following a command but "grumbling" about it is honestly pretty funny, though.

 

[Tropicalbri's]

The following a command but "grumbling" about it is honestly pretty funny, though.

Bogie loves to sass talk whine me. I agree it’s pretty funny but it doesn’t get him what he wants.

 

[Regalis]

Bogie loves to sass talk whine me. I agree it’s pretty funny but it doesn’t get him what he wants.

Kaizer rarely whines. He usually does this weird growl/grumble/sigh thing. Cracks me up everytime. I swear if he could roll his eyes at me, he would! He's just a vocal twerp in general, though.

Hubs is getting better. Consistency is the big thing. It will take time to see real changes. But don't be discouraged. When it finally clicks, you will be so glad you stuck it out.

Being 6 months, I'd also implement a form of NILIF. No attention or anything until he is doing things properly. Make him work for your attention.

Also agree with Ares - ignore him when you come home until he is settled. Hubs is *really* bad about this and the dogs bombard him when he walks in the door ... Because he rewards it by petting them. They don't do that to me, because they know full well that if they act a fool I will put them in a down/stay until they take a chill pill. I don't interact with jumping, mouthing, buttheaded dogs.

 

[Oh Little Oji]

I'm glad it has been recommended to ignore a dog when coming home to them. I, myself do that. For one thing, your coming home is wonderful and exciting enough if you think about it.

Glad also that kneeing the dog in the chest when it jumps up was mentioned. A simple, straightforward technique. Some, like Oji, may however grab your leg and wrap theirs around it. In several ways, Little Oji requires me to be athletic. Like throwing a knee or a kick in martial arts or self defense, snap your leg back quickly, and be ready to throw another one and snap it back as well. But thats with a rather extreme Dobe like Oji. One can also step in with the other leg if the front one is captured, and step on the dog's hind foot. Put your elbows up defensively to block the dog from coming up at your face if you try this. This is getting into some stuff you need to be capable and careful with.

 

[annemarie_73638]

Hi this is Karen, Dom’s partner. i have just come off shift and read everybody’s comments, I appreciate all the comments and helpful tips you all have given regarding Sherman. I would love to go to puppy training classes as I know this would help greatly, but unfortunately due to my shifts been different each week and the fact I can be called into work at any time makes it difficult for me to attend. For me it’s so frustrating because if Dom gives him a command Sherman does it instantly, where as if I do the same Sherman takes no notice of me what so ever, also I know Dom forgot to say that Sherman is constantly trying to mount my leg. I’m already doing some of the things you have suggested but also going to introduce other tips you have given that I’ve not tried.
Thank you for all your advice.
Karen

PLEASE READ..3 TECHNIQUES THAT I THINK WILL HELP A LOT!!
I'm not an expert but i recently got a dobie too.
Harper (my 4 month old dobie) would not respect me at all..
She would act fine around my parents and around me but sometimes she would get into a whole different mode.
She would jump on me and bite me. A couple things that worked for me..
1. Get a muzzle. Although a muzzle might sound bad for the dog its not a bad idea. If the dog bites you, put the muzzle on it. Don't have someone else do it. Karen please try to do it yourself so she knows that you are in control of her. If she doesn't let you, have your husband hold her while you put the muzzle on. Let her calm down a bit and once she is fine, take it off. While she has it on pet her and show her how to bond with you.
2.While playing with her or just in general, if she bites you, make your hands into fists, cross your arms, turn around and ignore her. Eventually she will get bored and move on.
3.This should be the last resort for bad behavior. I have never tried it but I have seen it work for other people: A pet corrector.
I believe it is a can of air and when the dog is being bad, you spray it next to them. The sound is loud and they will immediately stop. Always have it at hand. When the dog bites, spray it next to her. Use this only if the other techniques don't work. Hope this helps!!