Understanding the Doberman Before You Decide To
Purchase
(this is of paramount importance)
Too many people nowadays don’t do enough research about
this breed and don’t spend the time to learn and understand the
characteristics of its temperament, which will often result in problems
with behavior.
The Doberman is a ‘highly’ intelligent breed and by
virtue of its physical prowess and mental excellence, one of the most
formidable of all the working guard breeds. The Doberman is a finely
tuned protection ‘weapon’, capable of doing considerable harm or damage to
its foes. Due to the natural temperament and physical superiority,
the Doberman must be ‘managed’ properly right from puppy-hood. This means
kindly and patiently and respectfully nurtured along – giving appropriate
discipline when necessary to make your point or by correcting undesirable
behavior.
The sad part here is that most people that have never
had a Doberman, don’t fully understand what ‘undesirable’ behavior really
is, and in fact, tend to encourage undesirable behavior thinking it is
cute or makes the owner feel ‘tough’ because they now have a Doberman and
have to make it ‘tough’. Those are the people that are so very wrong
and are doing the breed a huge disservice. Don’t talk baby talk to the
dog/puppy. Don’t tell the dog that doesn’t comply with your demands that
it is a good dog – it isn’t! Remember – what you teach your puppy will be
what it remembers as an adult – so if that looks like you are allowing the
puppy to control you and manipulate you, then it will continue to do so
right through its life … when a dog refuses to listen and comply, it isn’t
cute – it needs to be corrected NOW!
Be AWARE that **** THE DOBERMAN IS NOT A BREED FOR EVERY
PERSON OR EVERY FAMILY **** This is the reality of the breed. It is a very
demanding breed and requires constant, CORRECT attention and guidance from
the family.
How Behavior Problems Start
With the mobile society we all live in, and where often
two people in the home are working or out of the house for extended
periods of time everyday, the possibility that the Doberman will not be
nurtured properly is a very distinct possibility. This sets the
scenario for trouble to follow.
The first year of a Doberman’s life is absolutely
critical to the proper development of correct behavior patterns and the
establishment of the ‘ORDER’ that must be present in every Doberman’s
family – one in which the ‘people’ are the leaders, not the dog. The
Doberman must comply and follow the lead of its ‘people.’ Poor
behavior, lack of proper discipline, dangerous displays of aggression
towards family members and other acceptable people are the consequences of
MISMANAGEMENT of the Doberman in some manner.
As a rule, behavior problems follow improper training
attempts, inconsistency with training, inappropriate or too sever
discipline, lack of proper bonding to the family because the Doberman has
been locked away and has not integrated itself within the family, and
total lack of ‘quality, available time’ spent with the Doberman that
demands quality efforts to train.
BEFORE you look to purchase a Doberman – do your
HOMEWORK. Study the breed, read everything you can on Dobermans.
Study and read about proper training methods and how Dobermans are
different than the great majority of breeds. Talk to reputable
breeders, visit reputable breeders and get to know them and their dogs.
Watch how the breeder deals with the Doberman on a daily basis. Ask the
reputable breeder questions – no question is a stupid one. The only
stupid one is the one that wasn’t asked. Go to AKC or CKC dog shows
to establish breeder contacts if you haven’t been able to find reputable
ones. Spend time around the Dobermans learning and observing their actions
and reactions. Observe several different obedience classes and how they
are taught and watch how the dogs respond to the different methods of
training. Find out what is so important about crate training and its
proper use in the training process. Learn about body language of
both humans and animals – this is very important. ASK, LISTEN, OBSERVE,
LEARN – THEN REPEAT ! VOLUNTEER to come and spend time with a
reputable breeder who is willing to mentor you, while learning, learning,
learning about the breed – what better way to find out if this is the
breed for YOU or your family!
Don’t be in a hurry to get a Doberman – don’t be an
impulse buyer just because your friends have a Doberman or just because
you saw a movie with a well trained Doberman that went after the ‘bad guy’
and the Doberman looked ‘beautiful’. These are all the wrong reasons
to get a Doberman ….
Here is a behavior scenario :
- 1.
you have always wanted a Doberman and now that you have a young baby, you
want a Doberman to ‘protect’ your child and your wife while you are away
or out of town. The wife has never been around Dobermans and is a little
intimidated by the ‘look’ of a Doberman and because of all the ‘stories or
myths’ about them.
- All
is well for the first little while …. The puppy is allowed to jump up on
the couch with wife and baby… the puppy takes food from baby in highchair
… puppy is allowed to dominate family because it’s cute, the puppy ‘plays’
with baby/toddler by chasing it and ‘nipping’ it, baby cries and puppy is
harshly disciplined for being a puppy and wife is now ‘afraid’ puppy will
bite baby so locks puppy in porch or basement or somewhere else away from
baby….
- 2.
OR, puppy is never allowed time to bond properly with family and
child/toddler, is always disciplined when near child/toddler out of fear
of dog, is never taken to obedience classes because don’t have the time
with the baby, puppy is leery of children, has never properly ‘bonded’
with people and is leery of people, puppy is out of control because of
lack of training and appropriate discipline …..
-
Result … baby is afraid of dogs… puppy grows up not being ‘properly’
socialized or supervised and when the puppy is now an adult, dog is again
allowed to be with family and visitors come and dog growls at people when
asked to do something it doesn’t want to do, growls when children
approach it out of fear … owners believe the dog is not trustworthy and
dog is taken to pound or shelter due to aggression issues and family’s
inability to deal appropriately with the dog … dog is put down … breeder
is blamed for poor temperament ….
3.
puppy was brought home, loved beyond belief, allowed to do anything its
little heart desired, was treated like a human, never disciplined because
it was just too cute, allowed puppy to dominate people as it saw fit, THEN
….. one day the owner wants the dog to go into crate and dog doesn’t want
to go … dog growls at human … human becomes afraid of dog…. Each time dog
becomes more and more ‘aggressive’ towards human giving dog orders … WHY
is this happening now???? Because the humans have allowed the dog to
be ‘ALPHA’ and when the humans have decided its time now for the human to
be ALPHA, the dog is not willing to give up dominance or its alpha role in
the house …. Result…. The dog increases its aggression towards human
attempts to control and human becomes increasingly afraid of dog … result
– dog gets put down for aggression or returned to breeder for same reason.
Who is at fault? The human family that allowed the dog to be Alpha
in the first place and then decided to take over dominance from the dog…
A Lesson in becoming Alpha :
· my
dog just tried to bite me! All I did was tell him to move over so I
could sit on the couch next to him
· my
dog got into the garbage can and when I scolded him/her, s/he
growled at me. What’s wrong? I thought s/he loved me.
· Our
dog is very affectionate most of the time but when we try to make him/her
do something he/she doesn’t want to do, s/he snaps at us.
What do these three dogs and scenarios have in common?
Are they nasty or downright vicious dogs? NO – they’re ALPHA! They
have taken over control and leadership of the family because they have
been allowed to. Instead of taking orders from their people, these dogs
are giving the orders. Your dog can love you very much and still try
to dominate you or other members of your family. Alpha dogs often seem to
make good pets because they’re smarter than average, more confident and
can be very affectionate. They can be great with children and strangers –
until someone crosses him/her or makes him/her do something s/he doesn’t
want to do, then suddenly this wonderful loving dog growls or tries to
bite and no one understands why.
Dogs are social creatures and believers in social order.
A dog’s social system is a ‘pack’ with a very well-defined pecking order.
The leader of the pack is the ALPHA, the ‘supreme boss’, Top-Dog.
S/he gets the best of everything – the best food, the best place to sleep,
the best toy, etc. the leader gets to be first in everything – gets to eat
first, is first to leave, first to get attention, etc.
Some families encourage their dogs to be ‘alpha’ without
even realizing it. They treat the dog as an equal instead of as a
subordinate. They give them special privileges like being allowed to sleep
on the bed or couch, don’t train the dog, let them get away with
disobeying commands, etc because of many reasons like ‘they are so
cute, I just couldn’t get mad at the dog, he/she didn’t really mean it’. …
Alpha doesn’t have anything to do with the size of the
dog. It has everything to do with how you treat the dog and what they are
allowed to get away with just because ….
In the real dog ‘pack’, the alpha dog doesn’t have to
answer to anyone and no one gives him/her orders or tells him/her what to
do and the other dogs respect his/her position as alpha leader. They
alpha dog will quickly and swiftly put any dog in its place for trying to
challenge the alpha leader by either growling, or using teeth. This
is natural, instinctive behavior in a dog’s world, but in a human family,
this behavior is unacceptable and dangerous. \
Dogs want and need leaders. They have an instinctive
need to fit into a pack and need and want the security of knowing their
place and what’s expected of them at all times.
Becoming leader of the pack:
Your dog watches you constantly and reads your body
language. The dog knows if you’re insecure, if you’re uncomfortable in a
leadership role, if you are not willing or able to enforce a command.
This behavior confuses the dog, makes the dog insecure and if the dog is a
natural leader or has a social climbing personality, it will only
encourage the dog to assume the leadership role because of your inability
to, and tell YOU what to do.
Practice being alpha. ‘Alpha’ is an
attitude that involves quiet confidence, dignity, intelligence, and an air
of authority. Stand up straight with your shoulders back, walk tall.
Practice using a new tone of voice that is deep and firm. Don’t ask the
dog to do something for you – demand it! There is a big difference and the
dog knows the difference too. As an alpha, you make the rules and
give the orders and the dog instinctively knows it. A dog can sense
this attitude almost immediately because it is how he/she lived within the
litter.
Most dogs will recognize a change in attitude and
certainly obedience training is a must.
These things should be practiced from day one of getting
your puppy. Once the dog has been allowed to become the ‘alpha’ you
will have to use your brain because the alpha dog is not going to want to
give up his/her ‘power’ of leadership without a confrontation.
Hitting, shaking, using the ‘rollover’ technique will not work because
they can be downright dangerous to you and other members of your family as
an alpha dog will respond to these methods with violence and someone could
be seriously hurt. An alpha dog will automatically respond to
anything viewed as a threat or challenge to his ‘status’ with violence.
The bottom line folks is that if you are not able to be
in command of your dog at ALL times through quiet, confident, intelligent
authority and allow the dog to take over, the DOG’S LIFE IS ON THE
ULTIMATE LINE – in other words, if the dog growls or bites because of your
inability to be the dog’s leader, the dog has to be put down so it won’t
be a threat to anyone, ever, under any circumstances. This is very
serious business and not to be taken lightly or for granted with this
breed. A dog that bites or threatens people is a dangerous dog, no
matter how much you love him/her. Our society no longer tolerates
dangerous dogs – think lawsuits, think your right to have a dog is taken
away, think – the breed becomes extinct because of ignorance and inability
to be the leader at all times, because society WILL dictate the extinction
of the breed for threatening or harming through BSL (breed specific
legislation).
AAA (Alpha Attitude Adjustment) – Canine Boot Camp
I will offer you a non-violent method of removing your
dog from its alpha status and putting him/her back at the bottom of the
family totem pole where s/he belongs and needs to be. In order for this to
work, the whole family needs to be involved and requires an attitude
adjustment from everyone and a new way of working with your dog.
From this day forward, YOU are going to teach your dog
that he is a DOG, not a miniature human being. His mother once taught him
how to be a dog and take orders and somewhere along the way, he has
forgotten, either through lack of training and leadership,
misunderstanding of intentions. With your help, he can re-learn what he is
and how he fits into the world and in the process, he may even like it.
Dogs were bred to look to humans for food, companionship
and guidance. An alpha dog doesn’t ask for what it wants, it demands it
and lets you know in no uncertain terms when he wants his dinner, to go
outside, to play, to be petted, to do or have anything. You’re going
to teach him that from now on, he has to earn what he gets. This will be a
huge shock to him/her but you will also be pleasantly surprised how
quickly he learns and actually ‘wants’ to please you.
You need to stay one step ahead of your dog at all
times. Anticipate his each move. THINK …..
1. if he used to get into the garbage and growled when scolded,
remove the garbage so that it is inaccessible.
2. if he used to bolt out the door ahead of you, put a leash on him,
make him sit and wait for you to go through the door first and then give
him permission, like ‘okay’ to go or come out.
3. if he never comes when called while outside, don’t let him
outside without a leash on, which means you will take him for a potty
walk. Without a leash, you have no control and he knows it.
4. if you allowed the dog to dive into his dinner bowl without
sitting first, make the dog sit before giving him his dinner. If he
refuses to sit, walk away and don’t give him his food. If he comes
to you for his food, try again to get him to sit – the food is a reward
for doing as he’s been told to do. If he still refuses to sit, walk away
and put the food away. He will eventually WANT to do what you want
in order to eat.
5. WHEN YOU WALK AWAY FROM THE DOG FOR NOT DOING AS HE’S BEEN TOLD
TO DO, IGNORE THE DOG – DO NOT PET HIM, DO NOT TALK TO HIM, DO NOT LOOK AT
HIM, DO NOT ALLOW HIM TO MAKE CONTACT WITH YOU AT ALL. PERIOD. When
he is ready to comply with your orders, he will do what you told him to do
providing he knows how to do it. For example, if he has been taught
to sit and you have told him to sit and he refuses, if he wants his food,
attention, free time, to go outside, whatever it is he wants, he WILL do
it in order to get what he wants. Dogs WANT to please.
6. If your dog does not know how to sit, teach him and praise him
and give a tidbit as a reward.
7. Each time the dog wants something such as his dinner, to go
outside, a walk, attention, anything at all – tell him (don’t ask) to sit
first and then praise him with ‘good boy’, then tell him ‘okay’ and give
him what it is he wanted as a reward.
8. if you normally leave food out for the dog to have access to all
the time – STOP IT – take the food away and feed twice daily at a time
that is convenient for YOU. Make him sit for his dinner – if he won’t sit
– NO FOOD – WALK AWAY AND IGNORE HIM
9. NO SIT – NO REWARD, PERIOD!!!!
Dogs are like kids – if they can’t have what they want
from mom – they will go to dad for what they want. In the case of the dog,
if he finds a family member that he can dominate, he’ll continue to
dominate. It is very important that EVERYONE deal with the dog in
exactly the same way, no exceptions! You want to teach the dog that he has
to respect and obey everyone and that his place is at the bottom of the
totem pole, not somewhere between the top and bottom.
10. alpha dogs demand attention and in a real dog pack, subordinate
dogs continuously touch, lick and groom the alpha dog. It’s a show of
respect and submission. Reduce the amount of attention the dog gets.
when he wants attention, make him sit first, give a few pats or kind
words, then stop and go on with what you were doing and ignore the dog. If
the dog insists you continue, tell him NO in a very firm voice and ignore
him. Pet him when YOU want, not when he wants you to. Don’t get down
on the floor or on your knees to pet your dog as that is a sign of
submission to the dog. Give praise, petting and rewards from a position
higher than the dog.
11. if anyone in the house formerly wrestled, rough-housed with,
played tug-of war with the dog – STOP! These games encourage the dog to
dominate people physically and to use their teeth. In a dog pack or in a
litter, these games are more than games – they are establishing pack order
based on physical strength – your dog doesn’t need to be reminded that he
is likely stronger and quicker than you. Find new games to
play – hide and seek, fetch or throwing a Frisbee are more appropriate –
however – stop playing before the dog gets bored or decides to keep the
frisbee or ball. This way, you are calling the shots for play, not
the dog.
12. an alpha dog thinks he has the right to sleep in ‘your den’ – in
your bedroom or on your bed because he views himself as your equal. Make
your bedroom ‘off limits’ – keep the bedroom door closed. The same goes
for furniture. If the dog growls or snaps at anyone when asked to
move off, make that room inaccessible to him or the furniture inaccessible
by putting up baby gates or whatever so he can’t get on the furniture. Or
simply make that room inaccessible to the dog until his behavior improves.
He can sleep on the floor. DO NOT LIE ON THE FLOOR WITH THE DOG.
13. Dog crates – have thousands of uses and working with alpha dogs
is one use for them. Have the dog sleep in the crate at night. Feed
the dog in his crate. If the dog needs time out- use the crate. The crate
is your dog’s den. If the dog throws a tantrum in the crate, leave him
there until he settles down and is quiet – ignore him if he has a tantrum.
Do not let the dog out of the crate until he is quiet and settled.
How long should boot camp last? That depends on
the dog. Boot camp is really just an introduction to a new career and a
new way of thinking and doing things. It’s a way to get basic respect from
a dog who has been bullying you without having to resort to physical
force. Some dogs will show improvement right away and others may
take longer, sometimes a lifetime. Social climbers may need periodic trips
through boot camp as a reminder of who is really the boss. How do
you know if boot camp is successful? Your dog should start looking to you
for directions and permission, show an eagerness to please. Watch how the
dog approaches you and greets you. Does he come standing tall with head
and ears erect? It may look impressive and proud but it means the
dog is still alpha and you still have problems. A dog who accepts humans
as superior will approach you with his head slightly lowered and ears back
or off to the side. His whole body will ‘shrink’ a little in a show of
submission. Watch how he greets all other members of the family – if he
shows submissive posture to some of them and not others, the ones that he
is not showing submissive posture to still need to work on their own alpha
posture and methods. They should take him through another tour of boot
camp with support of the rest of the family.
Once the dog has started to show acceptance of his ‘new’
way of life and his new position within the family, you need to take him
through an obedience course with a qualified trainer. Alpha dogs need
training most of all. You don’t need to wait till boot camp is over to
begin obedience training but it is extremely important that the dog
respects at least one member of the family and is willing to take orders
and direction in order for obedience to be successful.
Obedience classes teach YOU to teach your dog, how to be
alpha, how to enforce commands and rules, how to get respect and keep
respect. Obedience training is a lifelong process, and one course does NOT
give you a trained dog. Commands need to be practiced and incorporated
into your daily life. A well trained dog is a happy dog and a joy to
live with. Dogs want to please and Dobermans need a job to do. Training
gives them the opportunity to do both. A well trained dog has more
freedom, is more secure within the family pack, is more comfortable and
confident, knows what’s expected of him, knows his limits, knows who his
leaders are, knows how to behave and is free from the responsibility of
controlling the household and making important decisions, is free to be
your loving companion – not your boss, he’s free to be a dog – what he was
born to be and what he always wanted to be in the first place.
NILIF – (Nothing in Life is Free)
This is a non-confrontational way of reducing/
controlling/preventing dominance or dominance aggression in dogs and is
adaptable to any dog.
You want to get the dog’s cooperation, not resistance.
-
maintain an aloof attitude toward the dog – this can be
accomplished by crating the dog or isolating it from family in a small
area with a babygate. This must be about 90% of the time for the first
few weeks. Usually after that time, the dog will be more willing to do
anything you want it to do just to have your attention.
-
2-3 times daily for 3-5 minutes practice QUICK sits and
downs for food. You are working for speed and attitude so reward
correct behavior generously with praise and food. If your dog has fear
problems, ignore and minimize the need for corrections. Don’t make these
training sessions a chore – make them fast and fun, not a battle. When
the dog is immediately and consistently and with anticipation obeying
the commands, the dog is ready for the real meat of the NILIF program.
-
At first, privileges are still restricted, but you’ll
gradually be able to add privileges. Don’t rush – if you have a bad day,
go back to a level where you had success and start over. Don’t go from
confinement to full house privileges in a day – keep doors shut, start
with a limited amount of free time
-
NILIF – nothing in life is free means the dog must
PERFORM to get anything it wants. At this stage, keep food in your
pockets at all times so you can catch the dog ‘doing it right’ and
rewarding it immediately. You are rewarding the dog for ‘submitting’ to
your orders/commands – this is non-confrontational. Reward for a LONG
time, then slowly wean off food but continue to praise the wanted
behavior. Examples : wanna go outside? Sit – when the dog
complies, reward by taking outside – notice I said ‘take’ outside, not
let outside – in other words, take the dog out on leash with lots of
praise. Everything has to be earned – a drink of water, a car ride,
dinner, petting, playtime, coming inside, coming when called,
being spoken to. The dog if it wants to please will be jelly
wanting to please and will comply with eagerness – make the dog
perform/earn what it wants by either having to ‘sit’ or ‘down’.
Down is the most submissive position for a dog to accept but once the
dog learns it and does it willingly, it KNOWS that a reward is imminent.
-
Other non-confrontational ways to establish dominance
are: ignore a dog that tries to initiate playtime. As soon as it
gives up, YOU initiate the game yourself. Alpha dogs decide when the
pack plays and when it hunts.
-
Ignore and walk away from a dog that does not comply
with your commands/directions – Ignore the dog and when the dog finally
complies with your directions, praise and reward, praise and reward.
Make learning fun, exciting and most of all you will be
teaching your dog that it is fun to have YOU be the pack leader. You
will have a well adjusted and happy dog if YOU take control.
Aggression breeds aggression, so use non-confrontational
methods of making learning fun and rewarding for your dog. Your dog
will thank you a thousand ways for being the ‘alpha’ in his pack.