Dominant Puppy

[Brooklyn1794]

Hey guys, I’m brand new to this page so forgive me if this concern has been addressed before. I bought a full blood AKC registered Doberman puppy and brought her home at 6 weeks old. She’s 5 months old now. She is bonding really well with my husband and my two daughters and listens to them on command. If he tells her to lay down, she goes and does it. I don’t know why, but she is very aggressive and dominant with me and my son. If we bend over she comes up behind us and tries to hump us. If I tell her to lay down she doesn’t. she doesn’t listen to me at all actually. She’s constantly putting her butt up and showing her teeth at me and jumping at me. Her tail is wagging when she does this so I know she’s not actually trying to attack me. She doesn’t do this with anyone else in the house, only me and my son. She’s my first dog so I don’t know if any of this is normal. I’ve tried closing her mouth shut to let her know it isn’t ok to bite me, and sometimes when I am absolutely at my wits end I’ll put her in her kennel and just pray she calms down. She goes on walks twice a day and we have 3 acres of fenced in area that she runs around and plays all day. I’ve tried giving her treats when she listens and I try to pet her and show her affection but when I do this she immediately goes to mess around and start nipping again! Her behavior gets worse when my husband is gone. I really want to bond with her and it breaks my heart, I feel like she doesn’t respect me. Tonight she was acting insane, barking, nipping, jumping up and trying to get to me. I made her lay down and then gave her a bone and she seems fine now but I feel like when she’s done with her bone she will be right back to acting like a psychopath. My husband and I are both retired military and we stay home with her all day. What do I do

 

[JanS]

Welcome from Minnesota and thank you for your service!

It sounds like she's playing you big time so you need to do some structured training with her to let her know she isn't alpha over you. Do you have any trainers with Doberman experience in your area? They can usually help a lot.

 

[Brooklyn1794]

Welcome from Minnesota and thank you for your service!

It sounds like she's playing you big time so you need to do some structured training with her to let her know she isn't alpha over you. Do you have any trainers with Doberman experience in your area? They can usually help a lot.

Unfortunately the only training spot we have in our area charges an astronomical amount of money and their reviews are not good at all. My husband has raised pit bulls his entire life and has a lot of experience with dogs, but this is our first time adopting a Doberman. I’m currently crying because I feel bad for yelling at her and putting her in the kennel. I let her out and gave her a bone but I feel like every time I yell at her, I damage our relationship even more. Is there a way to reverse this? I’m at a loss. We can’t afford the trainer near us right now as we are actually trying to move (to Minnesota!) in a few months.

 

[Ddski5]

Hmmm….want her to bond with you?
Want her to listen to you and respect you?

Your prior military? Then go back to basic training with her- minus the yelling and screaming. She doesn’t respect you nor your son. You need to set rules and boundaries and make damn sure she adheres to them- period end of story.

1. I would stop feeding her dog food in a bowl- her breakfast would be from my hands as she is going through commands of sit, down, stay, go to kennel, stay in kennel, come out of kennel, place on rug, stay on rug, come sit next to me, lay next to me, 3 mins later call her name and every time she makes eye contact say (emphasize) yes and treat her. All of this with small portions of her dry kibble until her morning breakfast is done.

I may let her eat from bowl for lunch.

Dinner- back to training and her treats for good conduct and discipline is small portions of her dinner.

You need to take control of this and you are capable of doing this. It is called the NILIF principle- look it up.
Nothing in life is free….she must work and listen to you in order to get fed, receive toys or receive any kind of praise. NO EXCEPTIONS.

You cannot be a lush about this. You must be consistent, firm, persistent and patient. If you work on this with the energy and focus that got you through basic training then you can most definitely form a deep bond with her and win her respect/love. For example: I worked and trained with my first Doberman everyday in the yard for almost 15months straight. And I am not talking about highly skilled training/trainers…everything and the only thing I knew back then was what I read on this site and YouTube videos of how to teach a dog obedience skills.

If you do not and continue to allow her to push you and disrespect you…the behavior will only get worse. You must put in the time, work and energy.

Lots of good people on here with great knowledge and ideas, don’t hesitate to ask questions.

Good luck and welcome from Louisiana.

 

[Brooklyn1794]

Hmmm….want her to bond with you?
Want her to listen to you and respect you?

Your prior military? Then go back to basic training with her- minus the yelling and screaming. She doesn’t respect you nor your son. You need to set rules and boundaries and make damn sure she adheres to them- period end of story.

1. I would stop feeding her dog food in a bowl- her breakfast would be from my hands as she is going through commands of sit, down, stay, go to kennel, stay in kennel, come out of kennel, place on rug, stay on rug, come sit next to me, lay next to me, 3 mins later call her name and every time she makes eye contact say (emphasize) yes and treat her. All of this with small portions of her dry kibble until her morning breakfast is done.

I may let her eat from bowl for lunch.

Dinner- back to training and her treats for good conduct and discipline is small portions of her dinner.

You need to take control of this and you are capable of doing this. It is called the NILIF principle- look it up.
Nothing in life is free….she must work and listen to you in order to get fed, receive toys or receive any kind of praise. NO EXCEPTIONS.

You cannot be a lush about this. You must be consistent, firm, persistent and patient. If you work on this with the energy and focus that got you through basic training then you can most definitely form a deep bond with her and win her respect/love. For example: I worked and trained with my first Doberman everyday in the yard for almost 15months straight. And I am not talking about highly skilled training/trainers…everything and the only thing I knew back then was what I read on this site and YouTube videos of how to teach a dog obedience skills.

If you do not and continue to allow her to push you and disrespect you…the behavior will only get worse. You must put in the time, work and energy.

Lots of good people on here with great knowledge and ideas, don’t hesitate to ask questions.

Good luck and welcome from Louisiana.

I appreciate your response very much. You don’t think it’s a bit too late seeing as she is already 5 months old? I will absolutely start this tomorrow morning though, being a veteran and working with canines in my career field was very important and I always envisioned having a loyal pup by my side. I’m determined to make this work!

 

[Ddski5]

It is never too late…and 5months is still young. Are y’all posting her ears?

She is in the Dobershark- pushing boundaries stage (3-7ish months) and moving into Doberteens (7-12ish months) of disrespect and reluctance. Stay persistent, consistent, patient and hold the line on rules/expectations you set. Don’t give an inch- you do this and you’ll see improvements within a week.

Other members will chime in soon and you will get some more ideas and suggestions.

 

[Rits]

brought her home at 6 weeks old.

She left her mother and littermates much too soon which is why you are seeing behavioral issues. She didn't learn proper doggy skills like what is rude and what isn't, bite inhibition etc so you will have to work hard to teach her this. Puppies shouldn't leave until 8 weeks old. Closer to 12 the better.

Stop yelling at her. You can make them mind with a whisper. Yelling is you getting emotional and yes it can damage your relationship with her. Breathe. Try to find a kennel club nearby to train with.

 

[Brooklyn1794]

It is never too late…and 5months is still young. Are y’all posting her ears?

She is in the Dobershark- pushing boundaries stage (3-7ish months) and moving into Doberteens (7-12ish months) of disrespect and reluctance. Stay persistent, consistent, patient and hold the line on rules/expectations you set. Don’t give an inch- you do this and you’ll see improvements within a week.

Other members will chime in soon and you will get some more ideas and suggestions.

Yes her ears are posted and healed

 

[Ddski5]

So are you posting her ears? because this takes a lot of direction, focus and discipline on both of your parts.

If you are not posting her ears…learn how to and start doing it yourself. The bond form between you two, imo, starts here.

Be smooth and calm yet stern and persistent. Don’t give an inch. You use food as a lure- something she will definitely want- and you will win the day.

 

[Ddski5]

@Ravenbird

 

[Ravenbird]

@Ravenbird

I don't think I can add much to what you said!

A couple of things I'll comment on -

If we bend over she comes up behind us and tries to hump us.

Physically stop her. Take her by the collar, put her in her crate. Don't make it a game. No talking or yelling, just put her up.

If I tell her to lay down she doesn’t. she doesn’t listen

Ask her once, if she ignores you take the collar and put her in a down. No words, no repeating "down", no emotions. Just down the dog. Then tell her good dog and a kibble. (100% agree to carry her daily ration of kibble in your pockets all day, not treats except for special training).

She’s constantly putting her butt up and showing her teeth at me and jumping at me. Her tail is wagging when she does this

This is a classic play bow. It's an invitation to play. Her way of playing is with teeth and play bites. I would simply say "no, not now" and not engage. This is to break her from demanding and telling you what to do. I would also change it to you asking her to play. Put her toys away, don't leave 10 toys all over the house. She can have her chew bones freely. That makes a tug or a ball or a knotted rope something you get out and invite her to play with you. Set the rules of play to suit you and when you are ready to quit or if she breaks the rules of play, stop all the fun. Use your play for training!!! Be outside, ask for a sit, reward her with throwing a ball. build her desire to please you! How old is your son? If he's old enough, have him do the same things. If he's not quite old enough to demand respect from your pup, don't allow them together unsupervised. Teach your son that she is a puppy and doesn't know how to be polite yet and he has to help you teach her by not allowing her to be rude.

As @Rits mentioned, puppies learn a tremendous amount from their littermates and mother, especially bite inhibition. The younger your puppy is when they leave their litter, the less they were taught in a way they understand. When 6 - 10 week old puppies play and bite each other they learn that if they bite so hard they make their sibling mad, then they get bit back and it hurts! Same with weaning. When mother says don't bite so hard it hurts, and puppy doesn't listen the mother dog will often snap at them to get them off her sore teats. Those puppies learn "no means no", and even though they will play and rough-house and bite at their new owners, they have a better understanding of consequences than one without this experience. Do not over-worry this! Your puppy is very young, you can make lots of mistakes and still be fine. Follow all the tips you can from this forum, read a lot of threads from the Puppy section and the Training and Behavior section. You'll find you aren't alone! You'll find answers to things you hadn't thought to ask yet!

Welcome from New Mexico, we wish you the best!

 

[Brooklyn1794]

I don't think I can add much to what you said!

A couple of things I'll comment on -


Physically stop her. Take her by the collar, put her in her crate. Don't make it a game. No talking or yelling, just put her up.


Ask her once, if she ignores you take the collar and put her in a down. No words, no repeating "down", no emotions. Just down the dog. Then tell her good dog and a kibble. (100% agree to carry her daily ration of kibble in your pockets all day, not treats except for special training).


This is a classic play bow. It's an invitation to play. Her way of playing is with teeth and play bites. I would simply say "no, not now" and not engage. This is to break her from demanding and telling you what to do. I would also change it to you asking her to play. Put her toys away, don't leave 10 toys all over the house. She can have her chew bones freely. That makes a tug or a ball or a knotted rope something you get out and invite her to play with you. Set the rules of play to suit you and when you are ready to quit or if she breaks the rules of play, stop all the fun. Use your play for training!!! Be outside, ask for a sit, reward her with throwing a ball. build her desire to please you! How old is your son? If he's old enough, have him do the same things. If he's not quite old enough to demand respect from your pup, don't allow them together unsupervised. Teach your son that she is a puppy and doesn't know how to be polite yet and he has to help you teach her by not allowing her to be rude.

As @Rits mentioned, puppies learn a tremendous amount from their littermates and mother, especially bite inhibition. The younger your puppy is when they leave their litter, the less they were taught in a way they understand. When 6 - 10 week old puppies play and bite each other they learn that if they bite so hard they make their sibling mad, then they get bit back and it hurts! Same with weaning. When mother says don't bite so hard it hurts, and puppy doesn't listen the mother dog will often snap at them to get them off her sore teats. Those puppies learn "no means no", and even though they will play and rough-house and bite at their new owners, they have a better understanding of consequences than one without this experience. Do not over-worry this! Your puppy is very young, you can make lots of mistakes and still be fine. Follow all the tips you can from this forum, read a lot of threads from the Puppy section and the Training and Behavior section. You'll find you aren't alone! You'll find answers to things you hadn't thought to ask yet!

Welcome from New Mexico, we wish you the best!

Thank you so much!

 

[Ravenbird]

Thank you so much!

There are a few of us here who have had extra-challenging puppies. Once you've been through it and it all comes together, you'll have the best dog in the world and we jump on the chance to convince you it will all be OK.

 

[Ddski5]

Alt of folks don’t realize that Dobermans thrive off of discipline, boundaries and training. Mine hate to sit around and do nothing. They love to go out into the yard for skills and training no matter if it’s new stuff. They may act like they would rather play ball but discipline through play is ideal.

My first Doberman, Ragnar, bonded to me hard and ignored my wife and daughters- because I did all the training, they did none. I always had pockets full of kibble and rewarded him every time he did something correct or made eye contact with me.

We got our 2nd Doberman because Ragnar ignored the rest of the family and they said they would do training with the second, Freyja. They did do some and she bonded with them. All was pretty good.

Then Ragnar passed and I started training and doing more things with Freyja. Her bond grew stronger with me and lesser with them.

Bottom line is that who ever trains the Doberman more will have a stronger bond and will gain respect/love a lot easier.

 

[Kaiser2016]

but she is very aggressive

Let me reassure you, it’s not aggression, it’s just a normal Doberman puppy

She’s my first dog so I don’t know if any of this is normal.

First time Dobering is a real trial by fire, but if you follow all this great advice, the situation will certainly improve. They are very smart and you just need to get on the same page by asking for help like you are now.

she will be right back to acting like a psychopath

That’s also normal for a Doberman

But seriously, one thing I wanted to highlight is that you have to stay calm. They can read your energy and they will only follow a stable calm leader. I know that is easier said than done with these Dober Devils, but keep this detail in mind as you interact with her.

 

[jazzies mum]

But seriously, one thing I wanted to highlight is that you have to stay calm. They can read your energy and they will only follow a stable calm leader. I know that is easier said than done with these Dober Devils, but keep this detail in mind as you interact with her.

This was the one thing that made the most difference to my getting cooperation from my crazy pup! There are some pups that seem to FEED off Chaos. Take a deep breath, relax, and have fun. You will have the best dog ever when you come through this stage!