Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Ok when my Doberman was younger I had him house trained fairly well, but it went down the drain after having him outside on the trolley(dont flame me) Im getting a radio fence and im keeping him inside a lot more now. But i need help on that, well also hes in obedience class at PetSmart, and hes learned to Sit, Off, and ive taught him down. Well i want him to heal, and walk on a loose leash by my side, im impatient and dont wanna wait a week in between times to learn newer stuff, so if any body can give me tips id appreciate it. Ive read through PUPPIES/DoGs for DUMMIEs (good book) but i want to know other ppls experiences, thanx

taking your Dobe to class is a step in the right direction, but you have a long ways to go. I know the feeling of being impatient, but you truly DO have to be patient to get the results you want.

I don't know how old your Doberman is, but remember that this breed needs a lot of exercise. If you are taking him for a walk without letting him burn off some energy first then your walk will be an exercise in frustration for both of you. Play some fetch or frisbee with him first and let him get the edge off before trying to work with him.

Heeling is hard and don't expect him to walk calmly at your side all the time. As long as you can get him to walk without pulling your arm out of the socket... you are doing good. Work on it for a maximum of 10 minutes AFTER you walk for awhile. Use some tidbits of food (very small) to get his attention and then work on your heeling. Give him the tidbits frequently at first just for giving you his attention and walking a few steps with you. The treat MUST be associated with the good behavior - if it is even delayed for 2 seconds, you have lost him. I keep treats in my mouth so I can get them fast. As he gets better, you can back off on the treats a little - treat for good behavior still, but make it a little longer. Get excited when he does good - be consistent in your actions and voice.

I hope this helps. Good luck to you. Dobermans are wonderful dogs and they really want to be with you - inside. They want to be an inside dog and are not suited to being outdoors.

hes 9 months, lol. He did good on the leash last night. his only problem is one of our cats, he would see it by the road and would want to lunge after it. but hed kinda stop when i said "NO". hes good without the distractions so far. hes got sit pretty good hes going through puberty so hell do the sit sloppy to see if he can get away with it. He needs to learn his name a bit better or hes just being stubborn cuz he did know it pretty well for awhile, about that. hes doin good on "down" (lying down) but sometimes when u tell him to sit, he trys to get ready to lay down.

keep working with him consistently, and he will learn. These are smart dogs and respond well to training using postitive reinforcement. Just remember that they do not do well with a force or punishment based type of training. At 9 months old, he is still a baby and even though he may look like an adult, he is not. This is the age where you should get him neutered - the distraction for intact males will really affect his training. The only reason to keep an intact male is if you are showing in the breed ring - that is the only way I would ever have one.

Consistancy is the key to all training. No matter what you are teaching, do it the same each time, using the same words or actions, and reward good behavior always, as previously stated. It helps to use the same door for going outside to potty all the time. I currently share my home with two dogs, a dobe (my fourth) and a dobe mix, both were shelter rescues. The mix was in a no kill shelter for five long years with no socialization. He had a lot of emotional problems and had never been in a house before. He was completely housetrained in one month, just by using the same phrase and the same door consistantly. The phrase I use is "potty outside". When I would take him out, I would always ask if he had to potty outside, then when he did go outside, I would praise him and make over him big time, telling him he "pottied outside and he was a good boy". If he had an accident in the house, I didn't yell or spank, I just told him no, and said potty outside and took him outside immediately. Then while I cleaned the mess, I wouldn't talk to him at all. But when I was through cleaning, it was like it never happened. As you work more and more with your dog, you will see the progress and have more patience for it, especially when you see how your dog responds. I may be a little biased, but I've been working with dogs for over 23 years and I'm convinced Dobes are the smartest. I also agree you should have him neutered if he isn't yet.