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Biting and Jumping

Anya's Mumsy

New Member
I'm new to this forum. If there's any group that might be able to give some good useful advice it must be from this forum.
This is our first Doberman breed, she's 7 months on the 7th of January. Bought her from a reputable breeder; only set back was that in NC breeders can give puppies to new owners at 6 weeks old. Anya never learned bite inhabitation from her mother and siblings. This has been our number ONE issue with this sweetheart. At 3 months old we sent her to Behavior Modification Training for two weeks; came home a different dog but still tried like to bite as before; used all commands that were taught and for 95% of the time she listened. Now were coming up to 7 months, and she's come back with a vengeance to me (her now mother). Even with her prong collar on, she's not effected by the corrections. Yes, we're having the trainer come out to reevaluate the situation but in the meantime any purposeful suggestions???
I greatly appreciate comments, advice and any positive reinforcement that anyone has......
Thank you,
Anya's MumsyAnya's pic.jpganya_7mo.JPG
 
Welcome from Minnesota!

She's a pretty girl and the trainer needs to work with you to know how to correct the behavior. At 7 months she's hitting the age when she's going to want to challenge your authority so you really need to stay on top of it.

Usually the puppy nipping and jumping goes away by the time they're done teething so it definitely needs to be addressed.
 
Train, train, train! Training will be much more successful if you train her instead of someone else. If possible, maybe you could find a dog club that has obedience/manners classes. Since Dobies are pretty much velcro and personal protection dogs, you doing the actual training will teach her who is in charge! Training every day at home besides going to classes is the only way to get the results you want. Patience will be required, but you can do it!
:ntmy:
 
Welcome from Minnesota!

She's a pretty girl and the trainer needs to work with you to know how to correct the behavior. At 7 months she's hitting the age when she's going to want to challenge your authority so you really need to stay on top of it.

Usually the puppy nipping and jumping goes away by the time they're done teething so it definitely needs to be addressed.
Thank you for you input. I’m actually waiting to hear back from our trainer for a session this week.
I’ll keep the forum updated as this progress to the positive.
 
Train, train, train! Training will be much more successful if you train her instead of someone else. If possible, maybe you could find a dog club that has obedience/manners classes. Since Dobies are pretty much velcro and personal protection dogs, you doing the actual training will teach her who is in charge! Training every day at home besides going to classes is the only way to get the results you want. Patience will be required, but you can do it!
:ntmy:
Thank you for your input and recommendations.
 
In the meanwhile, read through these training/behavior threads! Tons and tons of info you will find that match your puppy, her problems and the answers for what to work on in specifics. Some more specific examples would be helpful to us also - but as mentioned train train train is the bottom line. Make it fun, be her best friend, but also draw the line and stick to it. Also, the prong is much more effective if you fit it snug just under the ears at the very top of the neck. Mine is very insensitive to any physical pain so I understand where you're coming from.

She's a good looking girl - keep asking questions & read thru this forum!
 
Train, train, train….

Not only to teach obedience but to:
-build discipline
-build the respect that you are the master/leader
-build confidence
-build trust
-build strong relationship
-establish boundaries
-establish routines: feeding, potty, play, train

You can teach through training that the behavior is just not acceptable.

Good luck!
 
Take a few links out of her prong collar will help a lot in the effectiveness of your corrections. She shouldn't be wearing her prong around the house either as it is a bit dangerous (she could get stuck on something) and can cause irritation on the neck.

Untitled.png

I would also go with smaller links. The smaller links have a bit more bite. Larger links are better for double coated breeds.

I second finding a dog obedience club to attend classes. Start building that bond and work through the issues together. At 7 months she shouldn't be biting you anymore so maybe time to try a different trainer? But then they also go through phases were they try to challenge the training you've put in so it could be "normal" for her. Don't give up! Its a lot of work and struggle the first year or two.

You can search for kennel clubs here and see all the classes they offer: American Kennel Club - Obedience Training Clubs Looks like there are a fair amount in VA!
 
In the meanwhile, read through these training/behavior threads! Tons and tons of info you will find that match your puppy, her problems and the answers for what to work on in specifics. Some more specific examples would be helpful to us also - but as mentioned train train train is the bottom line. Make it fun, be her best friend, but also draw the line and stick to it. Also, the prong is much more effective if you fit it snug just under the ears at the very top of the neck. Mine is very insensitive to any physical pain so I understand where you're coming from.

She's a good looking girl - keep asking questions & read thru this forum!
Can you include a picture of the position of the prime collar?? Anya’s isn’t there and not sure how to fit her. Our trainer is the one that fitted her for her first and second collar?
 
I think most of us use the 2.25mm prong collar. It is much smaller than the larger prongs and seem to work better.
 
Can you include a picture of the position of the prime collar?? Anya’s isn’t there and not sure how to fit her.
@Rits just posted a good photo of where it should fit. And I agree the smaller prongs for a harder dog who tends to ignore your signals.

If your trainer works mostly with pet dogs, lots of times they are not use to seeing working type attitudes and don't understand how hard they can be. Hard meaning the type of dog opposed to soft, behavior-wise.
 
Anya’s isn’t there and not sure how to fit her. Our trainer is the one that fitted her for her first and second collar?
That is a little worrisome. If a trainer is recommending the prong as a tool they should know how to fit it and use it...
 
Take a few links out of her prong collar will help a lot in the effectiveness of your corrections. She shouldn't be wearing her prong around the house either as it is a bit dangerous (she could get stuck on something) and can cause irritation on the neck.

View attachment 131218

I would also go with smaller links. The smaller links have a bit more bite. Larger links are better for double coated breeds.

I second finding a dog obedience club to attend classes. Start building that bond and work through the issues together. At 7 months she shouldn't be biting you anymore so maybe time to try a different trainer? But then they also go through phases were they try to challenge the training you've put in so it could be "normal" for her. Don't give up! Its a lot of work and struggle the first year or two.

You can search for kennel clubs here and see all the classes they offer: American Kennel Club - Obedience Training Clubs Looks like there are a fair amount in VA!
I’ve got her collar position corrected. Yes, she’s more responsive to corrections.
Thank you for your help 🐶
 
I was having this same issue with my 4 month old, Axl. I used the technique shown in this YouTube video. It worked wonders for me - though, it only seems to work when I do it. Hope this helps!

 
I had the same problem with my boy at that age. She has hit the Doberteen Phase. She will continue to do this for a while testing the boundaries. Put a long lead on her and pop the collar to correct when she nips at you. Inside keep her on a short leash tethered to you showing her that you are in control. If you don't have a leash on her in the house for some reason, buy a collar tab to put on prong collar for some kind of control. The other that helped us a lot was a 2-3 minute timeout in the kennel/crate. Calmly place her in there by collar with a Firm No Bite, no yelling and close the door. Do not engage or make eye contact during that time. I always set a timer for 2-3 minutes then allowed him out after because I didn't want his den to become a negative thing plus if in there too long, they don't understand why they are in there. Continue to do this every time she does it. It took many times and a few days before he got the message that we weren't entertaining this type of behavior anymore. Trainers told me to just walk away and don't engage, but that never worked for me, he would just do it more. Every Dobie is different. You just have to try and see what works with yours. Hope this helps and good luck!
 

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