11 month old doberman refuses to listen.

by Denece
(Chesterfield, MI)

I am going insane. I had a doberman for 9 years, what a good doggie he was. I trained him so well, and he was so very smart. He passed away last year from cancer, and I had to get myself a new buddy right away... Boy oh boy. Now that I am 10 years older, I realize I am too darn old for a puppy again. What a mistake!

My dog has 2 major problems. Yes he is going through his rebellious stage, but I am just ready to pull my hair out, maybe someone here or you will have an idea to help me.
(I cannot afford training classes at the moment unfortunately)

1. My dog seems to think what a wonderful game it is to take his toys and drop them behind couches and things then get right in your face and bark at you till you get it for him. I discipline him every single time, every single time, never fail. Yet he refuses to stop and has been doing this for about 6 months now. If you ignore him and say oh well its "all gone" then he will start digging at the carpet or couch etc. This drives me utterly insane!

2. His 2nd problem is similiar to the first. He will put his toys in your lap and want to be played with. When you set the toy on the ground and say no or go on or something he will get in your face and bark at you. I also discipline him every single time he does this.
It has been almost a year of this. I am slowly loosing my mind. ;/


I have a kennel cage for him, a muzzle for him (worked great to stop the biting...)Pinch collar, and I have even resorted lately to a whiffle ball bat to the butt lol. I tried the banging pan lids together when catching him doing bad things unawares. I have a set time that I put aside and play with him for a half an hour every day. He gets plenty of outside time. I have 2 kids and a husband that play with him daily too.

Do you have any ideas on how to stop the incessant barking?

Signed,
Lady with a headache :)


Hi Denece
Sounds as though your big guy is causing you some grief there!

Of course, having had a pup of this breed before you're aware that he's an adolescent, and is flexing his muscles as it were. Male pups from guardian breeds such as Dobies, Rottweilers, GSD's etc. often act this way when they're maturing, they want to be the 'alpha' and go all out to win the spot.

Although normal behavior, it's obviously one that can't be tolerated and you're right to be concerned about it. Again, many of these pups are extremely stubborn, and yours seems to be that way inclined.

The barking to retrieve his toy or play with him is blatant attention-seeking behavior and needs to be treated that way. He's attempting to exert control or dominance over you by insisting that you pay attention to him.

Right now you're corrections and discipline are attention of sorts (as far as he's concerned any kind of attention - even negative attention - will suffice right now). I would recommend that as soon as he starts this behavior that you totally ignore him.

Fold your arms, avoid eye contact, turn your back on him, even walk away or leave the room if you have to. It's very important that you do this consistently as he's been receiving attention for this behavior for some months now and it's an ingrained habit.

Don't shout at him, smack him etc., just ignore him. I know it's difficult, but if you are patient and consistent I believe he will 'get the message' given some time. If you can't leave him in a room by himself, or he starts to get nippy with you when you ignore him, simply tell him "No", put him in his crate and walk away.

It's not ideal to use the crate as a punishment, but in this case it's only to reinforce the isolation as a result of his behavior. Dobermans are very intelligent, and it sounds as though your guy is no exception, he will make the connection soon enough.

I have another suggestion also. Although you and your family do play with him every day, I would recommend adding two good, long walks to his daily routine. There's a lot to be said for the saying 'a good puppy is a tired puppy'. At his age and size, your pup needs A LOT of daily exercise to work off his excess energy. I think you'll find you have less behavior problems with him if you increase his exercise level.

Although you think you can't afford exercise classes right now, I'd recommend enrolling him in an obedience class just as soon as you can. It will make a big difference in his behavior, and in your ability to handle and deal with any problems that arise. A qualified instructor will also be able to watch your pup and make more accurate assessments of his behavior and how to handle it, than it's possible for me (or anyone else) to do via the internet.

Other benefits of group classes are the socialization aspect for your pup (especially important for guardian breed puppies) and the mental stimulation which will help tire him out and calm him down.

Until you can attend a class, I would suggest taking a look at my Basic Puppy Training page. Then set aside a certain amount of time every day to work on the basics with your pup. This will help him respect and listen to you more. There are also some excellent dog training books that I've reviewed and recommended on my Dog Training Books page.

I wish you the best of luck with your pup. Hopefully things will settle down a bit soon!