Expected behaviour from a 7 month old

[Mishka]

Hey all,

Would anyone like to share thoughts on what would be expected behaviour of a 7 month old. Mine is male if that makes any difference.
He is my first dobie and i’m putting a lot of effort into training him. Having good social manners and leash manners mostly. He is far from perfect on a leash still but he is learning.

lately i’ve gotten some comments that my dog is out of control and today i went to check out a dog accommodation, just in case if i would need to leave him somewhere for a few days in the future. The place seemed fine so i left him there for 2 hours just for him to get used to it slowly slowly.

He panicked a bit and cried the whole time and tried to escape the kennel. The kennel had a glass window and he also managed to jump on the handle and open the door. Later the owner of the place told me my dog is raised badly and not socialised at all. Also that he doesn't know how to be alone and they had to take him out for a walk because he would have broken the kennel.

i feel horrible for leaving him there now because i didn’t even expect him to just stay there calmly since it’s his first time being away from me. But i also didn’t expect to hear that i’m doing a bad job raising my dog. Normally he sleeps in a crate and i have no problem leaving him home alone when he is in the crate.

Long story short now i’m sitting here and doubting my handling skills and thinking have i failed in training and socialising him. He is only 7 months and he is still very much a puppy in my eyes. He has been a bit of a nervous and cowardly ever since i got him so i’ve been trying to raise his confidence levels and i felt like i’ve succeeded a little bit. Now i feel like i lost my own confidence as well.

what would you expect from a 7month old pup ? Which skills and how much are they supposed to be able to handle different situations, commands, life in general? All dogs are different of course but surely there is some things that are normal for them to know at this age.

Thanks anyone who is willing to share their thoughts on this.

 

[LifeofRubie]

He's still very much a puppy and males mature slower than females (not unlike humans ). He may be entering the Doberteens, as well, which is a challenging time for even the best trainers. He'll test you and the boundaries you've set for him.

Something that may help is a CGC class. Among other tests, one is for your dog to be left with a 'stranger' for 2 minutes while you're out of sight. They can watch for where you went and make a little noise but they shouldn't express utter loss of control. Being in a group setting class will also help with proper socialization: that his attention should be on you and not to fuss about other dogs and people being nearby.

For others who've commented that your dog is out of control, what behavior(s) are they witnessing?

Be confident, concise, and consistent in your communication to him as well as fair. Dobermans are also notoriously velcro so leaving them somewhere can be challenging. Sounds like perhaps the facility you used isn't well-versed in our demanding breed.

The daycare/boarding facility we used to use did not like Rubie. They said she played too rough and was "out of control." She was 6 months old!

We found another facility in which dogs do not have group play but one-on-one interaction with an employee and play-time with other dogs of the same home. As in, both our dogs get to play with each other throughout the day but only with each other, no other dogs. We were very up front about how rough they play and the facility was more than happy to accept the information and step in when they need to.

Being handled by strangers is certainly something that most dogs should be comfortable with. From vets to groomers to daycares and even if you ever get into any sort of competition. I compete in several things and occasionally someone who is not me will need to at least be able to hold her leash while she remains under their control (I've actually had strangers release her in Fast CAT competitions, too).

 

[jazzies mum]

I relate to your feelings of insecurity as my Dobe mix girl gave me a real workout when she was a pup. She wasn't my first dog, but the first one that had me questioning my training ability. It helped immensely when I found DCF as I then knew that what I was dealing with was normal and I wasn't the only person to find their hands full and questioning themselves............far from it!

I think the best advice I can give is to stay patient and calm yourself no matter if your pup is bouncing off the walls. Try not to take the general publics opinion too much to heart and try to find a puppy daycare where they will treat your boy with calm and consideration while he settles. Soon you will start to see some breakthroughs that make you proud, and in the end he will astound you with his intelligence and loyalty. Then you forget the baptism of fire!

Oh, and have a good read through the Doberman puppy threads. It will be an eye opener and probably help your confidence levels!

 

[Kaiser2016]

expected behaviour of a 7 month old.

It is sadly but hilariously true that their normal behavior would look rather psychotic to anyone who did NOT have Doberman experience. I’ve had my own family members tell me THEY were exhausted just watching Kaiser move around in the house - not playing, just moving! He walks really fast, it’s like a gliding shark swirling around us all day every day. A shark on steroids, but looks like a horse, acts like a donkey. Great huh

Then you forget the baptism of fire!

I can’t forget!

 

[Oh Little Oji]

I would be slow to blame the owner. A lot (most?) Dobes will act quite distressed when left.

 

[Mishka]

Well the thing is he listens to me at home, i’m happy with his progress outdoors as well. I can leave him with a stranger for 2 minutes and even for longer it’s not a problem at all. I also leave him at home in the crate and he is fine.

But visiting this dog hotel was extremely stressful for him. There was a lot of dogs barking and he was so anxious to begin with. Once i left him in the kennel he was fine at first. But after i left i have no idea what happened. They said he didn’t settle at all and they had to let him out. Which is something i don’t understand. And the owner of the place explained later that he is not socialised at all and he needs to learn how to behave and he is not at all trained can’t relax and so on. They said they have experience with dobermans.

In my mind i didn’t even expect him to be 100% okay with being left in a new place with complete strangers. I knew he was going try to cry his way out of the kennel. He is always testing what he can get away with and it worked in this case.

The other comments from other people have been quite similar. Why it takes so long for him to settle why he is so exited and hyper all the time and so on.

I thought its normal puppy behaviour. And he is a big puppy so maybe people tend to forget he is indeed still not a mature dog. I don’t know sometimes i feel like i’m doing a good job with him and sometimes i just feel like a failure.

He has been extremely complicated to train ever since beginning. He has close to 0 food motivation and he is just not that type of pup who would want to please people. I constantly find myself trying to bribe him to do something. There is no group training sessions here so i can’t actually practice obedience with him around other dogs. The trainers only do board and train where i am for absolutely ridiculous money. Which is something i don’t feel like i need, i would like to train my dog myself to build a bond with him. It’s just frustrating at times. Like everyone else's dogs were born obedient and with good manners while mine is completely nuts and hyperactive?

 

[jazzies mum]

He has been extremely complicated to train ever since beginning. He has close to 0 food motivation and he is just not that type of pup who would want to please people.

Ok. Same with my girl and I know there are a few here whose pups offered that particular challenge. You have no doubt worked out that bribery doesn't work very well! I also had no trainers available to me and didn't find this wonderful forum until I was past the worst stages so don't despair! I STILL ended up with a wonderful well behaved and affectionate dog!

You obviously are making progress at home so it is just a matter of keeping his focus when elsewhere and that will come with age and exposure. If there is a toy he is totally enthusiastic about then maybe you could use that to keep his attention on you when in exciting new places, having short training sessions with play with his favourite thing as a reward.

Not sure how you will deal with the kennel stress but it is an important part of their training. Do you have any other kennels around where he hasn't already had a bad experience? My kennels run a daycare service where dogs can have fun activities through the day, with periods of quiet time in the kennel. The young guy who spent time with Jazz said she was full of crazy energy but basically obedient and fun! To this day she is keen to get in through the reception door, gladly trots off with whoever comes to collect her and never seems unduly distressed by her stay. Hope you can find something similar.

 

[Mishka]

His never been in kennel before or been left anywhere outside of home. I will give it a try with another place because there will be times where i need to leave him with someone at some point and i want to eb prepared for that.

One of our big problems is jumping up on people and it’s been so extremely difficult to get through to him that it’s not acceptable. Also there are certain people who don’t care about the rules i have for my dog and encourage jumping up because they think it’s a sign of affection and so cute, which makes me so angry. I’m trying my best to avoid these situations all together but still happens sometimes.

He knows all the basic commands like sit stay wait heel middle lay down etc but chooses to nit listen at times. I’m kind of doubting myself if i should start using an e-collar or not. My biggest fear is that if the corrections are too strong he will turn into a nervous anxious dog. But he doesn not care about a small leash correction for example. it seems to misbehave even more. And purely positive just does nothing for this dog. It’s great when learning new things but doesn’t work when he decides outside world is more interesting then treat/toys/attention.

He loves balls and i’m using them for training quite successfully just on the streets it’s a bit difficult because i can’t really throw the ball for him yo retrieve it. At home, in the garden or on a field it is great yes.

He is most likely just a dobertreen just not sure what to do here. Wait it out? Keep practicing, start e-collar training? His energy levels are so high but i can’t exercise him too much physically because he had a knee injury and also his hips are not so good there are early signs of dysplasia and subluxation in one hip. Mental stimulation only doesn’t do the trick cause not being able to run seems to make him frustrated a lot.

 

[Kaiser2016]

Ecollar can only be used if he already knows the command first, so I think it would be premature to introduce that right now, but in the long term, yes, it’s the extra reinforcement you need for a strong headed male Doberman. Males are quite the handful till at least 2 years old. Ours was full on crazy for a long time and sometimes still is First time Dobering is really challenging, but if you’re committed, you will get there. Use the ball toy to build your bond. For jumping, put up your knee to block him and he’ll get the message real quick.

So many injuries already? How did that happen?

 

[Mishka]

Ecollar can only be used if he already knows the command first, so I think it would be premature to introduce that right now, but in the long term, yes, it’s the extra reinforcement you need for a strong headed male Doberman. Males are quite the handful till at least 2 years old. Ours was full on crazy for a long time and sometimes still is First time Dobering is really challenging, but if you’re committed, you will get there. Use the ball toy to build your bond. For jumping, put up your knee to block him and he’ll get the message real quick.

So many injuries already? How did that happen?

Yup been using the knee trick always, he simply doesn’t seem to mind that at all. He seems to think he is bulletproof. He hurt his knee when jumping over something. Just a little bump but enough to cause a problem. And there has never been any signs of hip problems at all but when we got the x-ray done for the knee, there was also signs of dysplasia. I don’t trust my area vets at all so i got a second opinion and i will check his hips again when he is a bit older. Was advised to keep an eye on it, not over exercise him and he will most likely be fine. I have no experience with dysplasia and i would like to think his joints are not fully developed yet so theres a chance that he will outgrow it. The knee is his first injury, i’m not sure what you mean about having so many injuries already? Maybe confusing us with someone else?

About e-collar yes he knows the commands and he knows them well. He just chooses to ignore sometimes. I wouldn’t use a tool like this unless i find it absolutely necessary. I would prefer to exhaust all other methods first.