I need of help/advice - play biting, pawing, ear posting solo

Mearntain

Jr Member
First off, I'll start this off by saying that I'm mostly the problem here, and not my pup. Please dont pass judgement, I've got no one else to turn to so thought I'd look for some advice here.

I've got a pup who's almost 17 weeks old now, and for the most part has been doing pretty well. My work life is horrible right now, as well as my home life and social life. I dread going to work and dread going home along with dreading the commute, sleeping at night is the only serenity I currently have.

I find myself, more times than not, wanting to sit out in the garage with my pup rather being inside. I feel almost as if I "cant" even go I side because shes always going 9000 mph, and I literally cant even take my eyes off her for 1 second. Simple tasks like replying to a text are even near impossible.

I feel like me and my pup are not bonding like we should. The only time she ever will even lay next to me is when she wants to take a nap, and those times are very rare (nap time that is). Especially when inside, but not as much when outside, I cant even barely pet her because she wants to bite (it is in a playful manner), but I cant break that habit.

Another horrible habit I cant seem to break, which drives me insane, is her pawing/lunging at her food and water bowls, spilling all the water out and exploding food out all over the garage floor.

I'd like to have her sleep in the bed with me, but that is something I cant bring myself around to attempting yet. I tried once, but she wouldn't stop moving around and chewing on the sheets. I just know if I do do it, I'm going to wake up covered in pee and everything in my room destroyed.

And then posting the ears...I dont even know where to begin. The stress created from that is enormous, and the lack of help to hold her still makes it that much more difficult (I live alone in the boons).

Before this is reccomended, I will make it clear that I have not and will not consider rehoming her. One way or another, I will make something work out.

Any advice or tips would be much appreciated. Sorry for the long rant - tried including as much info as I could.
 
First off, I'll start this off by saying that I'm mostly the problem here, and not my pup. Please dont pass judgement, I've got no one else to turn to so thought I'd look for some advice here.

I've got a pup who's almost 17 weeks old now, and for the most part has been doing pretty well. My work life is horrible right now, as well as my home life and social life. I dread going to work and dread going home along with dreading the commute, sleeping at night is the only serenity I currently have.

I find myself, more times than not, wanting to sit out in the garage with my pup rather being inside. I feel almost as if I "cant" even go I side because shes always going 9000 mph, and I literally cant even take my eyes off her for 1 second. Simple tasks like replying to a text are even near impossible.

I feel like me and my pup are not bonding like we should. The only time she ever will even lay next to me is when she wants to take a nap, and those times are very rare (nap time that is). Especially when inside, but not as much when outside, I cant even barely pet her because she wants to bite (it is in a playful manner), but I cant break that habit.

Another horrible habit I cant seem to break, which drives me insane, is her pawing/lunging at her food and water bowls, spilling all the water out and exploding food out all over the garage floor.

I'd like to have her sleep in the bed with me, but that is something I cant bring myself around to attempting yet. I tried once, but she wouldn't stop moving around and chewing on the sheets. I just know if I do do it, I'm going to wake up covered in pee and everything in my room destroyed.

And then posting the ears...I dont even know where to begin. The stress created from that is enormous, and the lack of help to hold her still makes it that much more difficult (I live alone in the boons).

Before this is reccomended, I will make it clear that I have not and will not consider rehoming her. One way or another, I will make something work out.

Any advice or tips would be much appreciated. Sorry for the long rant - tried including as much info as I could.
So a couple more questions to try and help. Do you two have a good consistent routine? What do you currently do for bonding? Play? Training? Do you use a crate?

I would try to focus her energy into something positive like training. They seem to have endless energy in the beginning:pullhair:

We now let our guy sleep in the bed but that didn't happen until he was around 7 months old. He had to prove that he could lay down and go to sleep at bed time.

When it comes to posting ears I did it myself too. Make sure to have as much prepped ahead of time. I would recommend trying to mentally and physical ware her out before hand too.

Have you tried the umbilical cord method and the nilif approach?
 
First, let me say; Don’t give up. Trust me it will get better but it will get crazy again when she reaches her doberteens.

A crate and training her to use it will greatly reduce your stress (after her crying all night for a week or two) until she gets used to it. I would feed her in her crate so that she becomes comfortable with it. Do not put any bedding in it since she is a chewer/shredder. You don’t want her getting a blockage from swallowing it.

Next and please don’t take offense but it needs to be said. You described your work and home life as less than ideal. Your girl is definitely picking up on those emotions and that could contribute to her behavior. Before you get home take some time to do deep breathing and shake off the negative emotions. This way when you see her and interact with her you will be calm and that will aid in her being as calm as she can being only 17wks.

First work on getting yourself in the best frame of mind possible. Mentally manifest the future of a beautifully trained Doberman and best companion ever. Do this meditation (manifesting) daily for 5-15min. It will produce positive behavior both in you and your little girl.
When she nips and bites redirect her to a tug toy and play with her. After a play session have all your posting materials ready and place her up on your counter to post her ears. Have treats ready to give during the posting process. Getting her up higher puts her outside of her comfort zone and they tend to be easier to handle. Praise effusively when she behaves. Eventually she will accept it and behave. Go outside with her and toss a ball (carry several) and teach her the drop or release command when she gets the ball. Put her on a 15’ lead and start teaching recall gently pulling and asking her to come. Treat when she does.

Get your head and emotions straightened out and I know you will relish coming home and spending fun and training time with her.
I know you have got this!! We are here for you any time!!
 
This sounds like you need help from a trainer familiar with working breeds. All of this behavior you have described can be taken care of with time and repetition and proper training.

A lot of the members here will chime in with techniques on this so I’ll leave my response short.

You should also crate train your dog. My guy sleeps on the bed now, however that wasn’t until he was 10 months or so old. Once your dog learns house manners, it should be easier.
 
Thanks for the input from everyone. Currently she is crate trained, and i was surprised how fast she actually learned to go in it on command. It only took about 2 days for her to learn that at 8 weeks old. Now I can tell her from anywhere we are in the house, and she will head to her cage waiting for a treat.

I certainly wouldn't argue the fact that shes picking up on my emotions, and I wish It wasnt the case. I want things to be better, but they seem to only get worse in that aspect, no matter what I try. Everythings great when I get home and greet her to let her out initially - I'm in a decent mood and she is too. That seems to quickly diminish though after taking her out. It's not that I'm angry, it's hard to put in words and explain the way I get to feeling.

I would say I have a pretty decent schedule with her. We get up in the morning, go outside for bathroom, come in the garage for her to eat and have free access to outside if she wants. After a short while, come inside for her to play with toys for a while. Then out again, and crate her for me to go to work. Afternoons typically start with a bathroom break followed by a couple laps around my property on a retractable leash (which I think I should do away with soon). Inside for play for a bit.Outside, play some more inside, outside, then I have to crate her for about an hour for me to have a few "me minutes", along with feeding my quail, sheep, and hogs and getting a shower. Another couple laps around my property on the leash, then play inside, and out a few more times before bed. That's my typical work day with her.

Currently the ears are impossible for me to do right now by myself. I even bought a grooming arm to try to keep her still but that doesnt keep her head still enough. Luckily someone from a facebook group helped me do it last week and taught me alot, but now I'm due to do it again, and finding that second hand to help is a task in itself. If someone holds her shoulder and muzzle while elevated on a table, I'm able to do it myself. Currently they're about to come out and not sure when I can get help with replacing them.
 
So she’s 4 months old, with pretty much only 2 months being with you. It’s still early days, I think. You’re both learning what will or won’t work.

One thing stood out to me: You have tons of space for her to run free. The kind of problems you describe, I would have expected this to be a dog living in the city with a small yard. I’m going to guess she’s over stimulated for her age. Of course SHE wants to keep going, she’s a puppy AND she’s a Doberman puppy which makes her...guess what...a psycho puppy ;) They are relentless terrorists if we let them be!

Re the ears, we often overwhelm ourselves thinking something can’t be done alone when you’re dealing with a demonic beast dog, but I think it’s actually easier and less stressful for one person to manage it. When I first started cleaning his ears, or wiping him down, or brushing him, my hb would always say it was a 2 person job and wanted to leash him or hold him by the shoulders. Way easier to do all these things by myself and much faster. I may have to hold his collar if I do any of this in the yard, but inside the house, he stays put for whatever I need to do. If both of us are hovering around him, he’ll be constantly checking to see what we’re up to.

I like that you opened your rant with declaring yourself to be the problem :D Believe it or not, it’s often us mishandling the Doberbeast.
 
I love that you have her crate trained and have for weeks now – and that she will willingly trot over to her crate and go in and wait there! You have something really special there and it seems to me you could really take heart in this!! And use this!! I'm not saying have her spent an inordinate amount of time in the crate; but use it as a chance for you to take a mental/emotional break from the craziness. Don't send her in there in a way that seems like punishment if at all possible though.

She has shown her trainability with the crate thing.

I'm intrigued by Kaiser2016's overstimulated idea stated above.

I say don't be afraid to be a control freak with your pup. I consider the younger years of a dog's life to be boot camp. Yes, love them; but you are the master and they are the pupil. Don't take any crap. Be structured. Make them earn just about everything.

It can be simple. I have my Dobe hit a sit-stay while I get his food. He does not go for the food until I release him from the stay. I have him sit and stay while I get his water (Yes, I do not just leave water down for him). He waits for permission to pass through major doorways. All humans go through first while the dog waits. Build pack order and obedience into daily life. You don't necessarily have to set aside time for training sessions.

Your Dobe will be your best friend, but she is just too young right now and needs strictness and structure. I don't know if what I'm suggesting will totally solve the problem, but it should help a lot.

I wish you the best. I wish you peace and happiness.
 
It sounds like she is a smart girl if she picked up on crate training that fast! It also sounds like she gets a lot of play time! At 4 months I would add in some short, fun training sessions too. Maybe while you are out doing your laps work in recall fun. Taking 5 minutes here and there at a time to work on things like our sit, lay down, stay can also help mentally stimulate them.

I would also look into nothing in life is free approach if you haven't. At this age we had our guy sitting and waiting until he was released to eat. He also has to wait until released, and take breaks for water. Wait is a great thing we work on, waiting to get out of the car when we arrive somewhere, waiting for moms slow butt to catch up on hikes, waiting for mom to get into bed before he does Haha.

But as others have mentioned hang on for the doberteen phase because that part is not for the light hearted Haha our guy drove me mad. We finished our last training class just over a month ago and I'm just now finding the courage to start a new one Haha

They really are sensitive, at least our guy is, so watching our emotions is key. If I got frustrated I would give us both a little mental break and walk away. I know just last week we were talking finances and I was so stressed that our guy wouldn't even eat his dinner and just followed me around the house :(:( they pick up on more than we think they do
 
First off, Hi, and a warm welcome to DCF @Mearntain! :ntmy:

I commend you for being brutally honest and recognising the fact that the problems lies with you, rather than your puppy. Blaming a puppy is the easy option. Huge respect to you.

She sounds like a normal, healthy puppy with boundless amounts of energy.

I’m wondering if you’re experiencing the ‘puppy blues/post puppy depression.’ It may be that your first few weeks with her you suppressed your feelings and now they’ve come to the surface all at once. You feel overwhelmed and anxious because of her constant needs? Maybe the posting has also added to the pressure.
I want to assure you that this anxiety/depression is more common than you think. I think routine will definitely help you through this difficult time, baby steps everyday. Do some research and reach out for help.

After my first child, many many years ago I suffered terribly with post-natal depression. It was so overwhelming that it consumed me entirely. Not dissimilar from the post-puppy depression. So please, if you truly think that you are suffering from this reach out to others that have experienced the same thing and get the right help. Plenty of information and help online and FB groups, too.

There is light at the end of the tunnel. Remember, we are always here for support :thumbsup2:
 
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I would say I have a pretty decent schedule with her. We get up in the morning, go outside for bathroom, come in the garage for her to eat and have free access to outside if she wants. After a short while, come inside for her to play with toys for a while. Then out again, and crate her for me to go to work. Afternoons typically start with a bathroom break followed by a couple laps around my property on a retractable leash (which I think I should do away with soon). Inside for play for a bit.Outside, play some more inside, outside, then I have to crate her for about an hour for me to have a few "me minutes", along with feeding my quail, sheep, and hogs and getting a shower. Another couple laps around my property on the leash, then play inside, and out a few more times before bed. That's my typical work day with her.



I think I would cut down on some play time and replace it with some training time. Start by running through the basics and add more as she gets it. Keep it fun and lots of play reward with you. Have a favorite toy that is just for training time to reward her with, a tug or a ball on a rope works well. In our case we used a tugga wubba by Kong and it work wonderfully. It will help teach her that all fun comes from you and before long you'll have her walking on water because it means fun is coming.

And then posting the ears...I dont even know where to begin. The stress created from that is enormous, and the lack of help to hold her still makes it that much more difficult (I live alone in the boons).



I agree with the others. Doing it alone is actually easier. Try giving her something to distract her like a chew toy or a bone and reward her when she lays quietly. Another trick some use is to do it somewhere you can smear some peanut butter on the wall and let her lick it off while messing with her ears. Also teaching 'stand' can help. A very useful command for other things as well. Don't forget to start the process after she has been fatigued both mentally and physically.
It can all be very overwhelming if you let it. Just step back for a minute and break the process down into steps and conquer one at a time. Before you know it, you'll both be at the top of the stairs smiling.
 
Sorry the groom arm did not directly work, but keep at it...

I think the battle you are having with her while doing her ears is typical with what we all went through. Through your patience, persistence and unwavering yield, she will learn that you are master and to be respected. It is also a learning curve for her to realize when play time is over and time to be serious.

Back during the puppy time, I think the biggest thing I learned was that I had a fallacy idea that after a bunch of training sessions, my Doberman puppy would magically get better and start listening, behaving and calming down to nap at my side. It took me a pretty good while to understand that my Doberman puppy was an all out psycho bull (just as @Kaiser2016 stated). While all this was going on, my wife and kids kept giving me that “oh shit, what have you gotten us into” look... So I became more determined to have that Doberman that we all have in our minds. I doubled down on the time, bonding and training and it paid off. It took 12months of persistent effort and knew I had it by 15months.

What I am saying is that you are dealing with a high energy puppy that does not want to slow down especially when she finally gets to see the one thing she desires- YOU. You are the fun, great thing in her life..... Yay!!! He is finally home, time to play and act stupid.

After a long day at work and a commute home, you are dead dogged ass tired....I truly get that and dealing with a crazy puppy for hours on end is difficult. BUT, if you stick with it and do it right, when she finally calms down and matures, you will have the best friend you will have ever had. She will go everywhere with you and watch/protect over you. It just takes a shitload of time, patience, perseverance and consistency. ALOT....

Read this forum front to back- everything here.

Train with her daily....do not waiver. Stay positive and happy. This is hard but it’s a must. She will sense your frustration and disappointment. It will come- if you stay with it, it will slowly start to emerge and you will see her start to grow.

To be honest, it’s amazing how big and fast they grow.
 
Wow! I would have never expected to have so many responses this morning already! Thanks a ton from everyone, all the tips/tricks/advice are very much appreciated. I wish I could come through and respond to each message individually.

I'll definitely start working with some of your recommendations and see how they work out. I've always had a dog in recent years, but it's been a long time since I've had a puppy, so it definitely is a little overwhelming to say the least, and that's not even adding the ear posting and doberman energy on top of that one!

Once again, thanks a ton to everyone. I'll start working with some of your suggestions and report back here on this thread.
 
^^We are a friendly group:)

I saw you mention early the flexi (retractable) lead and that you were hoping to ditch it. That would be a good idea as with these there’s always tension on the cord.

If you can purchase a well-fitted harness complete with a long-line that would give her extra room to roam but with the added bonus that you have her on the end of the line at all times. A 10 foot line is a good starter. One word of caution, don’t get your feet caught up in the slack. Always be vigilant.
Engagement and attentiveness are half the battle in dog training, no matter which end of the leash you’re on.
 
Well, i had the first bit of extreme stress hit again, but at the same time managed to make a big step forward too.

I managed to scramble down an older neighbor to help hold her for me to post today, and to put it lightly, she couldn barely hold her still at all. First posts made it in, but werent pretty.

About an hour ago, she was getting all crazy and got one of the posts out and it was flopping around and she was going crazy to get the other out as my stress levels went through the roof. I managed to cut off the bridge, and leave the one ear posted in which she stopped messing with the other as much. Being the time of day it was, finding an extra hand to help was not a possibility, and even in the morning was questionable.

After a few minutes of deep breaths and putting her in an exercise pen for a few to calm down, I decided I had to try and atleast do something temporarily. Dont ask me how I did it because I have no clue, but i managed to get the one ear reposted, along with a new bridge by myself. It looks horrible still, but looks better than the original and will hopefully hold out now. Still kind of in shock that Inended up being able to do it. But i did have the help of the grooming arm this time.20190621_214103.jpg

On a side note, ears are leaning slightly forward, is that an issue? Is not by much
 
That looks really good.
Good for you.

Keep doing what you are doing and it will get easier. Promise.

One suggestion: put him on a block or something to not allow him free access to move around when posting.
 
That looks really good.
Good for you.

Keep doing what you are doing and it will get easier. Promise.

One suggestion: put him on a block or something to not allow him free access to move around when posting.

I wouldnt go so far as calling them "good", but thanks. Ha, I see them more as functional for the time being, but they're definitely much better than they were before.

I've got a work bench I can put her on, but the groom arm isnt tall enough there, that's why I attached it to the steps. I guess I can always screw a block of wood to the bench to raise the groom arm up, so I may try that.

I just got done dealing with an infection in both her ears which resulted in them having to be down for 8 days. They just got reposted last Saturday for the first time with the help of someone from a Facebook group. If it wasnt for her offering to meet me to help, I dont think I would have caught the infection on my own without her help until much later, so I was definitely thankful for that.

Being that they've only been back up for 1 week since being reposted again, I was really surprised with how well they're standing already - they were completely flopped over for those 8 days.

20190621_175951.jpg 20190621_174727.jpg
 

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I just want to share that, as I read what you wrote about stress, I was reminded that I described the time when Oji was a puppy as one of the most stressful times of my life. Looking back, that seems extreme; but I do believe that's what I said.

I had a fairly young child at home and was in a newly renovated house that we had just moved into and could not tolerate any potty accidents or chewing of anything, or any excessive noise when anyone was sleeping. My pup had and still has separation anxiety and could not deal with me stepping out of his sight or he would start yelping.

So I can relate at least somewhat on the stress thing.

It will get better. My fairly high-drive working Dobermann has been settled into a routine for years now. He knows what to expect and has adapted to our lifestyle.
 
His left ear is leaning in a tad bit. I would stop using the bridge. You do not want to inadvertly create pockets.

And yes your posting looks good. My first month of posting was borderline animal cruelty.



E691B018-01BE-4BA6-8257-1F73C27BEFED.jpeg
 
As of this morning within 5 minutes of lettering her our her cage, shes back to having it off again. So looks like I'll be attempting this again. Hopefully with better luck this time, I surely have no clue what I'm doing and hope this doesnt become a 1 of 20 times this weekend thing.

In regards to the bridge comment, I thought the bridges purpose was to help prevent pockets? I seriously have no clue though, that's why I'm asking.
 

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