RexsMom
Notable member
My boy will be 10 months in 2 weeks. The dreaded Doberteens His parents were very well trained & both had great temperaments. I had done hours and hours of research before I decided a Doberman is the breed I wanted in my life. I knew from the beginning that they were a strong stubborn breed & not like the others I've had in my life (poodle, greyhound, & pits). Rex is by FAR the biggest challenge compared to the rest when it comes to training, so I knew immediately "positive reinforcement" training wouldn't do anything for me when it came to obedience.
Rex is a great dog. He is super friendly towards people (including kids) & other dogs, but behind closed doors he is a totally different dog. My main problem with Rex currently is the nipping. I was hoping after his teething stage he would grow out of it like most people say. Not the case for us. He is now around 75lbs & when he gets too hyper or wants attention, he will start nipping. And if it escalates too much, it's full on biting. I'm assuming it's a dominance thing rather than aggression issues since he only does it to me.
I've had 2 trainers come in to help me out, and they both told me almost immediately the problem with Rex is that he doesn't respect me as pack leader and that I need to work on my energy towards him. For a while my energy switched from "Ahh razor sharp puppy teeth coming at me!" to when the adult teeth came in it was "I ain't having none of your crap!". But now I'm genuinely afraid because he is getting really strong & realizing this is not something he is just going to "grow out of". And he can tell I'm afraid, so he is taking advantage of that.
Hours of research was studied, everything was tried. NILIF since day one which I will do the rest of his life, time outs, redirect, side submission, crated, eating before him, you name it I did it. Today I just started trying keeping him leashed up to me which seems to be making progress so far hopefully!
My main question. What did you find helped most for you to get your dog to respect you? Is this just a Doberteen thing that your pup grew out of?
I should also add Rex HIGHLY prefers men over women. He will nip at my boyfriend from time to time, but he is always hesitant when he does. He also gets a ton of exercise! Big walks, runs in the field, & playing with other dogs multiple times a day.
Rex is a great dog. He is super friendly towards people (including kids) & other dogs, but behind closed doors he is a totally different dog. My main problem with Rex currently is the nipping. I was hoping after his teething stage he would grow out of it like most people say. Not the case for us. He is now around 75lbs & when he gets too hyper or wants attention, he will start nipping. And if it escalates too much, it's full on biting. I'm assuming it's a dominance thing rather than aggression issues since he only does it to me.
I've had 2 trainers come in to help me out, and they both told me almost immediately the problem with Rex is that he doesn't respect me as pack leader and that I need to work on my energy towards him. For a while my energy switched from "Ahh razor sharp puppy teeth coming at me!" to when the adult teeth came in it was "I ain't having none of your crap!". But now I'm genuinely afraid because he is getting really strong & realizing this is not something he is just going to "grow out of". And he can tell I'm afraid, so he is taking advantage of that.
Hours of research was studied, everything was tried. NILIF since day one which I will do the rest of his life, time outs, redirect, side submission, crated, eating before him, you name it I did it. Today I just started trying keeping him leashed up to me which seems to be making progress so far hopefully!
My main question. What did you find helped most for you to get your dog to respect you? Is this just a Doberteen thing that your pup grew out of?
I should also add Rex HIGHLY prefers men over women. He will nip at my boyfriend from time to time, but he is always hesitant when he does. He also gets a ton of exercise! Big walks, runs in the field, & playing with other dogs multiple times a day.