Is my Dobe becoming aggressive?

[Tizpear]

This is a long one….

Fellow owners, I need your help again! Jolene is 19 weeks now. UP UNTIL THIS WEEK, she has been the perfect dog. Like, I have been laughing to my husband about all the articles I read before getting a Dobe about them being hard to train, aggressive, etc. Basically thinking they were full of sh*t or people didn’t know how to train a dog. Well, I have been humbled by 2 experiences within 3 days that has shook me to my core. I admit defeat and am asking for advice.

On Sat. night, hubby and I were watching tv on the couch. Jolene’s bed is next to the couch. I must have dozed off and woke up to my 2 yr screaming and my husband screaming at the dog. He said Jolene was sleeping in her bed and Reed must have run by and stepped on her or fell on her. Jolene sat up and immediately bite my son an inch from his eye AND THEN CONTINUED TO SNAP AT HIM 2 more times. (I’m not actually sure if the bite happened on the 1st, 2nd or 3rd snap.) Now, I say bite bc I don’t want to downplay it. She DID NOT break the skin, but did leave teeth indents. It’s not a snap, which to me is more at the air and does’t make contact and a nip (to me) is more playful. There was no growl Maybe I have my terms confused. Anyways, I grabbed my son to see if he was okay and my husband grabbed Jolene by her scruff and used his scariest voice screaming “NO!” repeatedly. She was doing her “I’m terrified yelp” that she did at the vet’s office when he removed her stitches, so I know she understood…something?? She laid down & He told her to stay while we all walked away. Of course, she didn’t move and laid there with her ears back. After my son relaxed and I was sure he was okay and Jolene was calm, about 15 mins. I went over to her. Made her come to me and sit. I then began to pet her. She was doing “I’m sorry” licks like crazy & was incredibly submissive. I then called my son over to ask he wanted to pet her. (I didn’t want him to be afraid of his own dog.) He sheepishly patted her a few times and said “Joween, be good girl.” Little while later we went on a walk together. Jolene stayed clear of my husband until they made up later that night.

I don’t know if this was handled right, but it was all instinct & in the moment. We have rehashed the incident many times. We came around to the fact that Jolene was just so soundly asleep and he either hurt her or scared her and she reacted. Not her fault. Not my son’s either. Just something that happened, a pure accident. However, my husband was freaked out she went after him a total of 3 times. I reminded him that Dobes bite in rapid succession & this is her nature. I’m not excusing it, but I’m not blaming the dog. Also, if she wanted to break his skin, she would have.

So, her bed has been moved to the opposite side of the room, by the tv. Away from the couch, that way kids won’t be running by and chance falling on her or stepping on her. I have been talking with all the kids about when Jolene is on her bed THAT IS HER SPACE. We do NOT sit in her bed with her. Especially to my 5 year old daughter who just wants to love on her. Stay out of her face, if she’s sleeping to call her name to wake her up before touching her, etc. We have been doing this since she was 9.5 weeks old, but maybe got complacent bc she is such an awesome dog. My little ones are NEVER in room with the dog without me from the day we brought her home.

So moving on to last night…husband is out of town and I am getting the kids ready for bed. Out of nowhere, Jolene jumps up into the Lazy Boy. She has never been allowed on the furniture. I was getting my 2 yr old’s diaper ready (2ft away) and told my 11.5 yr old son, who has been my 2nd in command for training her/ feeding her, etc. to tell her to get off. He did and she jumped down. 2 seconds later she jumped back into the chair. I told my son she was testing him and to tell her to get down again. He did and she didn’t move. He went to grab her collar and tell her to get down and she nipped at him and made a sound. Not a snarl, not a bark or a growl, just a “I’m pissed” sound and she nipped him. Got him in the belly. Didn’t break skin, but got his shirt and pinched his belly. Since I was 2 ft away and saw it, I immediatly smacked her butt once said no and made her get in her bed. After I checked my son’s stomach I made her go to her cage for bed for the night.

I admit, I’m freaked out. I grew up with labs, raised a half shepherd and also a half pit. I have never seen this. My husband thinks she is perhaps entering into her teenage phase a bit early and trying to assert her dominance/ independence. I understand this. Today, I handfed her 1/2 of her breakfast and my 11 yr old will be handfeeding her lunch and dinner. This is a dog that while out walking, if she picks up a bottle cap she lets my 2 & 5 yr olds remove it from her mouth. She has no food aggression and no resource guarding. She will let anyone take her special “presents” or bones from her mouth. From the day we brought her home, we have played with her feet, ears, gums, etc together her used to touching. The worst she has done is knock down the littles and lick them to death or perhaps nip at their clothing while they were running with her in the yard. As soon as I yell, she stops. Typical puppy behavior. In fact, she has been so good I even told my husband I want a male when she is 3ish. Even her puppy biting hasn’t been bad.

I called and left a message for the best trainer in the area I could find. He trains police dogs. (I think he’s a cop, too.) I didn’t do his basic puppy obedience class bc she knows sit, stay, place, leave it, guard, wait, okay at recall (still reinforcing) and all the buzz words of eat, treat, present, ball, walk, etc. (His puppy class is for dogs up to 20 weeks. After 20 weeks, it becomes a more 1 on 1 advanced level, which is what I was waiting for.)

Is there anything I can do or should be doing? Do I get a prong collar and keep it on her with a leash to “pop” in the house if needed? She walks pretty well, so I haven’t needed one so far. I constantly praise her when being good for no reason. We’ve only done positive rewards training so far. Me smacking her butt once last night was the 1st time she’s ever been hit. I feel bad about that, but that’s just how I reacted.

Am I missing anything? I am just shocked at her behavior. Am I reading too much into it as perhaps “aggressive?” If she was a Lab, I’d probably be like whatever…but she’s a DOBERMAN. (If that makes sense.) Thank you for any insight or advice anyone can offer!!

 

[LifeofRubie]

*NOT A TRAINER*

I think there are a couple of things going on here. Your dog is telling you her space is VALUABLE to her. She also seems to be a bit of an overcorrector. I would not call it aggression as it's being presented right now.

Falling on her while she was in her space and asleep would most likely mean skipping the side/whale eye and growl and go right into protecting her space, unfortunately. A true accident. I think your reaction in moving the bed to a less trafficked area and having the additional conversations with your kids that her space is important to her so be mindful was wonderful! I know it's easy to feel complacent when they're doing well but that may be something that she feels she always needs to protect.

For the incident on the chair, I think this is a bit trickier. If the rule is not to be on the furniture and she breaks that rule, then the expectation is that it's enforced. The enforcement your son did sounds reasonable but her jumping right back up after having gotten down by his direction the first time seems like she's being testy. What is hard to say is if someone with 'higher authority' should've gone in for the second enforcement. I would say her response the second time was over the top but she may feel like she was 'protecting her space' the second time.

Did you happen to notice any body stiffening or whale eye or any other stress indicators when your son removed her from the chair the second time?

We don't have kids so take this for what it's worth but if a dog gives off warning signs and they're ignored, punished, or pushed to the limit, dogs can learn to skip those and go right into escalation. Think of all the photo's you see of kids sitting on dogs and the dogs mouth is tight, whale is is visible, and their ears and tails are showing displeasure but the caption is "OMG SO CUTE." Then, weeks, months, years later, this dog bites a child "out of nowhere" and needs rehomed or worse. I'm NOT saying that is your situation at all. I am suggesting there is a lot of value in learning her 'signs' and listening to them. Kids can pick up these pretty easily as well once you all know what to look for.

I'm sure others with more/better experience will chime in!!

 

[Tizpear]

*NOT A TRAINER*

I think there are a couple of things going on here. Your dog is telling you her space is VALUABLE to her. She also seems to be a bit of an overcorrector. I would not call it aggression as it's being presented right now.

Falling on her while she was in her space and asleep would most likely mean skipping the side/whale eye and growl and go right into protecting her space, unfortunately. A true accident. I think your reaction in moving the bed to a less trafficked area and having the additional conversations with your kids that her space is important to her so be mindful was wonderful! I know it's easy to feel complacent when they're doing well but that may be something that she feels she always needs to protect.

For the incident on the chair, I think this is a bit trickier. If the rule is not to be on the furniture and she breaks that rule, then the expectation is that it's enforced. The enforcement your son did sounds reasonable but her jumping right back up after having gotten down by his direction the first time seems like she's being testy. What is hard to say is if someone with 'higher authority' should've gone in for the second enforcement. I would say her response the second time was over the top but she may feel like she was 'protecting her space' the second time.

Did you happen to notice any body stiffening or whale eye or any other stress indicators when your son removed her from the chair the second time?

We don't have kids so take this for what it's worth but if a dog gives off warning signs and they're ignored, punished, or pushed to the limit, dogs can learn to skip those and go right into escalation. Think of all the photo's you see of kids sitting on dogs and the dogs mouth is tight, whale is is visible, and their ears and tails are showing displeasure but the caption is "OMG SO CUTE." Then, weeks, months, years later, this dog bites a child "out of nowhere" and needs rehomed or worse. I'm NOT saying that is your situation at all. I am suggesting there is a lot of value in learning her 'signs' and listening to them. Kids can pick up these pretty easily as well once you all know what to look for.

I'm sure others with more/better experience will chime in!!

Thank you so much for your response! No, Jolene didn’t do any whale eyes or stiffness or anything. She just jumped back up and looked at him. I didn’t take eye contact as anything bc this breed always looks people in the eyes. I do think you are right though…in hindsight it should have been me to make the second correction on the chair. However, I was trying to reinforce to the pup that my 11 yr old is higher than her in the ranks.

Today she is not herself. Not following me around and she is MY dog. She usually cries if she can’t see me. (I thought she was just mad at me for yelling at her and swatting her butt last night.) However, she is really tired. She even went into my bathroom to sleep in her bed there. Usually she sleeps wherever we all are. I went in to check on her. I was petting her and 2 & 5 yr olds were with me. 2 yr old asked to pet her and I said yes. He went to pay her on her butt and she went for him. Not a snap or a bite, but you know how a pup goes to mouth you? It was like that - BUT FAST. Again, no warnings. I told all the kids do NOT touch her today. Do not go near her.

I’m thinking something is wrong with her. 2 weeks ago she had a uti. No signs, except peeing when walking - not even squatting, & the pee that hung off her was cloudy. She has been on antibiotics for 2 weeks (with 2 more weeks to go.) I noticed that her pee is still cloudy or cloudy again. The vet’s office is closed until 2pm for lunch. After 2, I will get her an appointment.

I am hoping she’s sick and that’s all and we can fix that. Or maybe she’s going through a growth spurt and really tired? Whatever is going on, it’s escalating quickly and scaring me. We all love her, but I can’t have a family dog that my kids can’t be around. My kids come 1st. Like I said, up until Saturday she has been perfect.

 

[Cferg]

What kind of training have you been doing up to this point? Also if you can give us what a typical day for your dog looks like. That will give us some insight to what might be going on.

I had a similar event with my then 8 year old daughter when my dog was probably a year and a half. My dog was sleeping and my daughter fell on her. Teeth never made contact but I think her snout hit my daughters face. I draw the line with kids. So when it happened I immediately let my dog know that if she ever did that again she would meet her end and it would be at my hands.

My dog shows a lot less aggression towards children than adults. But that being said she isn’t the kind of dog kids can do whatever they want to. They need to be respectful of her boundaries and her space. I personally think some dogs aren’t the best fit for a house full of kids. To be honest I don’t think I would’ve kept my dog if our children were any younger. Now that we’ve lived through all this and our kids will be almost grown up, I feel I’m ready for anything with the next one.

 

[Ravenbird]

My first response is similar to what @LifeofRubie said in her answer, but now you are adding in a possible UTI or other ailment. So, vet check is first and while you are there get a baseline blood work done. It's good to have anyway, our vet does a basic one for pre-surgery to make sure nothing is out of kilter. Thyroid (high or low) can cause personality changes. An infection or otherwise pain internally could cause snapping and getting defensive of her space. Going off to sleep away from the crowd is unusual, and not following you around is not right, so I'm leaning towards eliminating a physical ailment as the culprit.

That said, I think you know by now that a Doberman is waaaayyy different than any other dog and yours sounds like she's quite a confident pup. Not all are like this, but when they are you really have to set your boundaries tightly. It does sound like you've done everything right, but I want to tell you one thing I observed in your post. I think you & hubs are clear leaders and to be respected. Your kids do what you say and ask first to pet the dog. From your puppies point of view I think she knows that the kids are on HER level and she has gotten to an age to try to get to be above the 3 kids in pecking order. So you, being Queen, must let her know that she can never be the boss of anyone under the roof, ever. The sassing back will happen with a strong willed dog and this is where the obedience comes in. Because your kids are so young they can easily be manipulated by a strong willed puppy. No doubt she knows when she wins a game of chase or other play out in the yard with them and she is now calculating how to not take orders from them. Lots of management on your part, advise from your trainer, talks with the husband about this act. Nothing to be taken lightly, for sure.

 

[LifeofRubie]

Yeah, if she's not feeling herself, that could be a whole other thing. I hope the vet can help you get some answers and I hope you hear back from the trainer!

 

[Kswoodssue]

Sometimes the antibiotic doesn’t work well and they need a different one. Personally I think I would put another cage in your family room for her bed to be in. Leave the door open for her to escape into. I think maybe caging her for the night before the kids go to bed might be good too. She should be zonked by 8 pm. I worked ER for a while in hospital. I have seen children who were bitten, and usually in the face. Once that is done, there is no taking it back, and it doesn’t matter whether the kids were at fault, or the dog. I am sure that you will work it out.

 

[Tizpear]

Thank you everyone for your responses! Jolene has a vet appointment today at 3pm. I told them she might still a uti (or maybe traveled to a bladder/ kidney) infection and that her mood for the last 3 or so days has changed and she’s biting/ nipping. I will ask for a full blood panel as well…THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THAT TIP! Besides blood and urine culture, is there anything else I should ask for?

Her training up to this point has been me, of course with my family following in line. She does really well. We have 3 indoor cats that like to go outside. We have 19 acres. She can be chasing a cat at full speed and I can yell “sit!” and she will freeze and sit 60-70% of the time. This is with me 50+ feet away. She is super smart. She hasn’t destroyed anything in the house or chewed anything except her toys. I really am hyper-vigilant about her.

I agree she respects me and my husband. I do think she thinks my kids are her litter mates. How could she not? They run and play with her on a different level that I do. HOW DO I GET HER TO UNDERSTAND SHE IS BENEATH THEM IN THE PACK??? They feed her and make her sit and stay for her meals. They hand feed her treats and her daily presents. They practice her commands with her. (It’s rather cute to see my 2 year old make her perform her commands. However when he tells her to “guard,” she just looks at him like Dude, there is no way I will fit under you legs!) All of them can put their hands in her food bowl while she’s eating and she backs away, no problem.

She pretty much slept until 6:30pm last night, which we all know is not right for this breed. After she ate her dinner, she seemed back to her old self again. Something was off with her. I am going to continue with the kids today that they cannot approach her to play. If she comes up to them to snuggle or play, that is okay. Otherwise, she is off limits to them. I’m hoping that it is her uti or just perhaps a growth spurt and that’s all that’s wrong with her.

A cage for her bed in the family room seems to be a good idea as well. Her cage is in my room right now and she never goes in it on her own. (Our bedroom is right off the family room.) Only at night when I tell her to. Perhaps an earlier bedtime, before the kids get ready for bed, as was suggested, is a great idea as well.

Thank you as well to everyone not bashing me for getting a Doberman with young kids. There are reasons we specifically chose this breed, such as living far out in the country, my husband constantly traveling for work, people showing up and looking through our windows at night, and now a creepy male neighbor that is always wandering over. (Seriously…we have 19 acres for a reason. Don’t need a man coming over at weird times unannounced.) We researched for months, spoke with the breeder, and vet before deciding to get a Dobe. Up until a few days ago, I have never questioned my children’s safety, besides being knocked down or biting at their clothes when they run past her. (Not always…only when she is REALLY crazy playing.) She is a good girl & I just need to find out what is going on.

 

[Rits]

HOW DO I GET HER TO UNDERSTAND SHE IS BENEATH THEM IN THE PACK???

Do you have any obedience classes or 4H out there that your son could get involved in with her? Building a bond and trust through training is really the best way to have your dog respect you.

Prevention for the younger ones will be the best way. Continuing to keep her off furniture, have her stay in her "place" or bed on the floor and everyone must respect her space once in it, keeping a short leash on her for corrections so that you do not have to grab for a collar only when you correct, or if you can't keep eyes on everyone giving her a break in her kennel.

While it's great your kids can stick their hands in her bowl, I would stop practicing this. There really is no need to test her and eating time should be another "off limits" time that she gets her space respected and not have to worry about anyone coming to take it. I've never done this with my dobes and they have no issue with me picking up their bowls if I forgot their supplements. I did practice this with my previous dog (before I knew better, bc the world recommended it at the time) and it made her eat faster and be worse. Now I understand much more about earning my dogs trust. I worry she will become worried and correct...little fingers near an eating dog do not mix!

It does sound like something is going on and she's in pain with the amount of incidents and over corrections from her at such a young age. This is not normal puppy behavior, imo. I hope you can find some answers for her.

 

[Doberman Gang]

I will second @Rits on the don’t stick your hand in the food dish. Not sure what you are going to accomplish with that. It would be more productive to set the food dish in a table and have you kids hand feed for training. Once the good bowl goes on the floor, or for me preferably in the dog kennel, the dog is free to eat without the worry of people coming up to trick their hand in the bowl. If your dogs starts becoming worried or getting nervous so sone will definitely get bit. Not fair to the dog. If the dog it’s in their kennel/crate they feel safe and will not feel the need to start resource guarding.
As for the other incidents the one with your 2 year old sounds like it was just unfortunate accident. Kids need to be taught rules of being around the dog just as the dog needs rules. As for your older child. Of he told the dog to get down and the dog gets down then jumps back up, or just doesn’t get down. You or your husband need to step in to reinforce your sons command. Your dog is testing things. You are the leader and make the call on things, your dog will quickly understand pecking order. Your children can train but are not old enough to reinforce or give corrections yet. This should be taught by a trainer at a training facility so they can read the dogs behavior during the process.

 

[Two Dobes]

Just a thought, but could she be getting close to her first heat? 5 months could be young, but she may be having hormonal changes. I hope there is nothing wrong with her, and they just need to change her antibiotic.
Please keep us posted!

 

[Tizpear]

Thank you all again for your helpful replies!!

Update: Jolene had blood in her urine. He gave her a different antibiotic. Also said he thinks she has growing pains and prescribed 10 days of painkillers for her. He also suggested she maybe going into early onset puberty. He said if she’s not better in 10 days to come back for a full blood
work up to check hormone levels and thyroid.

He said she is not aggressive at all. He has seen her every 2-4 weeks since we brought her home. He said if she was truly aggressive, he would have seen some sign of it at that appointment with him, a vet student, and 2 techs cornering her and trying to work on her or in the waiting room with other dogs and strangers.

In addition to her meds, I will continue to have the kids stay away from her when sleeping or in her bed. Also, the dog will set the pace for play and snuggles. If she comes up to the kids, they are allowed to play with her. Otherwise, she is off limits to rest and recover.

I was under the impression that putting your hand in their bowl showed them you could touch their food & they shouldn’t get mad bc they will get it right back (or something along those lines.) I saw a bunch of trainers recommending to do it on YouTube so your dog will not resource guard their food. (In case a child who didn’t know better touched their food they would know not to bite, as their food won’t be taken away.) Anyway, noted!! We will no longer be practicing this.

Question though…does that mean I shouldn’t take her bones/ presents from her occasionally? Again, trying to mimic a child taking something out of the dog’s mouth that the dog really wants.

If she ever needs a second correction, it will be me or my husband. Thank you for that info! As for the little kids, I will pull back on them trying to help in training and feeding. I will focus more on prevention and safety. I really did think that by having them more as mini trainers, the dog would respect them more/ earlier in the pecking order.

A big thank you again to everyone. I hope this is a big reminder to everyone that if something seems off, please get your pup to a vet!!

 

[Tizpear]

Just a thought, but could she be getting close to her first heat? 5 months could be young, but she may be having hormonal changes. I hope there is nothing wrong with her, and they just need to change her antibiotic.
Please keep us posted!

That’s what the vet said could be a possibility! Great…We have a creepy neighbor that is backyard breeding labs. His dogs are always wandering over to our land.

 

[Rits]

Question though…does that mean I shouldn’t take her bones/ presents from her occasionally?

I wouldn't. If she has a bone she should have it in her kennel where the kids aren't able to mess with her. This wouldn't be any different if there were two dogs in the house with high value bones. They get their own area where they don't have to worry about the other dog coming to take something. You can practice drop it or leave it with something not as high value and trade off with a nice high value treat like a hot dog. Then when you do need to take a bone, that drop it will be so rock solid and your dog will know you have something better for them that it becomes habit/second nature to spit it out.

As for the little kids, I will pull back on them trying to help in training and feeding.

Oh no, they can definitely take part in training! Training and hand feeding would be wonderful for them, especially the older one. I would get the 11 year old into obedience class or 4H Dog club actually with your girl! Great lessons are learned there and it is a lot of fun for both kid and dog. I think what everyone agrees with is to not have your kids partake in corrections as much, or at all, especially if the first command is ignored.

Glad you were able to find some answers medically. I bet she will be feeling much better now.

 

[JoeJoe]

I’m not a trainer, but have had 4 dobies. First of all, if any of mine are surprised woken up, especially if it’s their tail end, they come unglued. I think it’s more surprise than anything and they all are protective of their back side. Or all of mine have been. Even with just me here, I will always say the dogs name before touching if one is sound asleep. The back side is a vulnerable area of them and if asleep, they will react. Or mine have. I don’t know the science of it, I just know what I’ve experienced with every one of them.

Secondly, she is at the right age to start challenging if she’s on the furniture. They become very territorial of a comfortable place and will challenge you. Exactly what she did to your son. Do not allow her back up on the furniture at all. One growl, one nip is too much in my book. What I have done may well be frowned upon by a formal trainer. But, every single one of my dobies have became too comfortable on the couch And each one tried me at around 5-6 months of age. In my book, off means off and I mean right now and don’t get back up Unless I say so. I have grabbed them by the collar and jerked them quickly off the furniture into the floor and told them “off“. I didn’t give them time to growl or cop an attitude. It worked well for all of them. I do allow mine to lay on the couch, but if I say off, they immediately get up and get off. She’s getting to the age of trying you. Formal training also helps tremendously. My older female was formally trained. My younger female has not been formally trained other than me working with her. They are so smart and like to please. They are also very head strong and will try to take the lead. She’s going to try to boss whoever she thinks she can get away with it. Hats off to your son for doing as he’s been instructed. But, he should be able to walk up and give her an oral command and never have to grab her collar.

I also hand fed mine so they knew who the food came from. You don’t bite the hand that feeds you. Try having your son hand feed her and make her work for her food. Set the bowl out of her reach and he can feed her her bowl full, make her sit and wait on every bite. It may take a little bit of time, but she will understand, she is not to bite the hand that feeds her.

But, jerk her butt off that couch telling her off. Then she’s not allowed back on it until you say so. But your son should not have to pull her by the collar. If she growls for any reason or nips, she has to be corrected immediately. if mine growled over a toy, I took it away immediately and said sorry, you’re done with that. Don’t ever correct one by hitting them, even if on the butt.

This is just my 2 cents worth of what I’ve done and what has worked for me. She’s just trying you and will be the best dog ever for you and your family. It’s growing pains and she’s in the toddler stages!!

 

[Ravenbird]

I was under the impression that putting your hand in their bowl showed them you could touch their food & they shouldn’t get mad bc they will get it right back (or something along those lines.) I saw a bunch of trainers recommending to do it on YouTube so your dog will not resource guard their food. (In case a child who didn’t know better touched their food they would know not to bite, as their food won’t be taken away.) Anyway, noted!! We will no longer be practicing this.

Question though…does that mean I shouldn’t take her bones/ presents from her occasionally? Again, trying to mimic a child taking something out of the dog’s mouth that the dog really wants.

From a dogs point of view this is a display of total unfairness. As a young puppy they may not mind, they are hungry and you do give it back. Maturity and possessiveness start kicking in and then they think, #%@ this is MINE, and start to get assertive, then defensive and will resource guard just *thinking* you might come take it away. It's a really bad idea, I agree you need to stop doing this. It's on you to make sure no one is allowed to take something from her. As @Rits said, teach the command "leave it" or "out" with toys, then low value food like dry kibble on the floor. I would not do it with the food bowl at all or in the area where she eats her meals. She should not have to stress over her meal time ever.

I will pull back on them trying to help in training and feeding. I will focus more on prevention and safety. I really did think that by having them more as mini trainers, the dog would respect them more/ earlier in the pecking order.

I think I would keep them involved, just close supervision, especially the youngest two. Co-ordination and reading dog language is a big part of training and that's something they won't have. As Jolene hits the Doberteens she can become more pushy and test the kids harder and you can't expect them to understand what Jolene is doing in her own mind. If a kid gets tired of her pestering in play and quits the game to go inside, Jolene may chalk it up as a "win" in dominance. I'm not saying she does or will, this is just an example. But yes, keep them involved but respectful of her space.

Thanks for updating us, especially the vet report. Hopefully that's playing a big part of it and things will get better soon. Still good to be reminded of the training issues though!

 

[LifeofRubie]

@Tizpear I did want to comment and say that you are killing it over there with kids and dog, managing everyone while your husband travels, and making sure the whole family is on the same page and respectful while being involved. I'm sure it's not easy (actually it's probably overwhelming a lot of time!) but your willingness to take feedback and make it work for your family and Jolene is commendable. Hats off to you!!

 

[Kaiser2016]

Also said he thinks she has growing pains and prescribed 10 days of painkillers for her.

Interesting. I was going to suggest that maybe she was a little sore from when one of the kids fell on her, but the growing pains make sense. Did the vet call it Pano, short for Panosteitis? Kaiser had it as a pup around 5 or 6 months old. They do need pain management for it. Is she resting more than usual?

You can practice drop it or leave it with something not as high value and trade off with a nice high value treat like a hot dog.

This is what we do and it is great when the dog gives up something he likes because he trusts you to give it back or to give another treat instead.

Do not allow her back up on the furniture at all.

Kaiser is almost 7 years old and we still don't let him up on furniture. We tried it around age 4 or 5 yrs thinking he could handle it, but the power went to his head!

 

[Ravenbird]

Kaiser is almost 7 years old and we still don't let him up on furniture.

Yup. Asha is allowed on my bed and that's it. She never even tries to get on the couch or chair that Reckless is allowed to. She's perfectly content about it all.

I did want to comment and say that you are killing it over there with kids and dog, managing everyone while your husband travels, and making sure the whole family is on the same page and respectful while being involved.

100% agree. It can't be easy!

 

[DracoDobie]

Seems like you already got plenty of good advice! But I've got some more things to add.

Draco snapped at me, my boyfriend, and my sister, at around 4 months old, after being hugged. He loved (and still does) getting hugged by us, my sister went
over to him, hugged him, and he had a growl and snap at her. I went over to him, he did the same thing. I got scared, and thought something wasn't right with him. Turns out, he wasn't feeling well, and had severe diarrhea some hours later. Maybe Jolene's actions are caused by pain, he would do the same as her, snap quickly, but don't make contact.

For the furniture inccident, Draco is allowed on furniture, and our bed, but just because he has a bomb proof "off the furniture" command. If I say get down, it means get DOWN till I allow you to get back on. He learned that really fast, if he didn't get down, then I'd grab his leash, pull him down and make him go to his place, no more being on the couch till next day, and he definitely understood.

Sounds like you are a really good and caring owner, and I understand your worries. Having kids that young around a powerful breed can (and is) scary. But you are taking all the correct steps towards having a good family dog. Be kind but fair to her, my dog thrives on structure and sctrict limits.