SearchGetting new Dobie soon!
So, my husband and I are getting ready to welcome a male dobie soon ("Bo"cephus). I will be in charge of caring for him and training him and all of that and I want to get everything right! I've been doing as much research as I can and learning a lot. Are there any books in particular which may be extra helpful towards raising dobermans? Also, i've read several conflicting opinions on how to approach the first day home. this is not in order, but these are the suggestions...
- start out with a good romp & game in the yard
- take it to the vet on the first day
- let it roam around 1-2 rooms at a time
and it keeps going on like this. What has worked for you and what would you do differently? I'm having to have my puppy shipped in as the breeder (very reputable) is too far away and a drive would be even worse for the puppy. So keep in mind that our puppy will have been stuck in a crate for a while as well. Any help would be much appreciated! Thank yoU!
As KevinK points out consistancy is the key. Set the rules from day one and enforce those rules. Your rules may be different than others. For example, some don't allow dogs on the furniture, we wanted to have Freyja on the couch so she could lay in our lap and get petted while we watched TV. Whatever the rules are you must be consistant with them. This consistancy will establish you as the leader.
Another suggestion I would give is to begin to socialize early. The day after we brought Freyja home se began taking short walks in our neighborhood. On these walks I picked one neighbor per day to introduce her to. This served three purposes; it let people know there was a new puppy in the neighborhood, it eased their fear of the breed (there's no way that cute little puppy with those floppy ears could be a mean, vicious dog), and it got her used to meeting new people. Of all the things I did with Freyja in her first month with us I think these early introductions played one of the biggest roles in her development as a well socialized dog, as well as to her acceptance by our neighbors.
Best of luck with your new puppy. Love him lots and he will love you back.
Hi Zac n Bo
How old is your puppy, my own one was flown up to me at 3 months although i had been down to see him prior to that. 8 hour drive one way V 40 mins airtime help me make that decision. Q was given a mild sedative by the breeder's vet so he had a good flight and seeing him come across the tarmac on the luggage trolley in his crate just about melted me and all the other waiting people
Q had a quck sniff on the grass then it was into the car for a further half hour car ride. Once home Q was taken straight into the garden...praised wildly for doing 'wee's then shown his new bed area in the kitchen along with all his new toys. We did play for a while and then Q pretty much slept for the rest of the day. He sat for his dinner and was made to wait until i gave him the OK to eat it...and thats how it has continued foodwise. Just lately ive noticed big improvments with Q...he no longer waits looking at his food....he looks at me waiting for me to clap my hands hehe. House triaining didnt take long...but you do need to go out with these dogs and wait with them as puppies rewarding them as so as they do go in the area you want them to do their business
He was perfect through the first night without a whimper but i have the breeder to thank for that.
We did go to the vet the following day for a check up and about two weeks later for the remainder of his shots. I continued to take Q to the vets for monthly weighs and that always made it a positive place for Q to be in as we always came out with something nice to chew or a new treat.
We started obedience classes early and he has always been a very socialble dog...as a male he did give me a few challenges but we got through those ok with a little help from my friends on here.
Now that he is coming up to two...he just appears to want to do more than just running after the ball...we are learning hand signals and just started a rally class which looks great fun.
Hope i havnt gone on too long....im thinking fondly of my memories of Q growing up.
Cant wait to see photo;s
Love Ria and Q
KevinK, how long you been a Dobe owner, days, months, or hours? 
Oh-my-goodness! first of all, thank you for all of your replies! I honestly wasn't expecting any but you are all really helpful. I'm still working out my socializing schedule and all of that - my big problem is that we live way out in the country, in the middle of no-where. I do have a lot of family and friends who have children, dogs(ill behaved ones unfortunately), and other pets.
I plan on starting training right away as well. This will help with consistency and all of that. As to housebreaking, I was thinking a combination of crate and 'umbilical cord' strategy as many have sworn by it.
I'm working on learning body language and training myself to train my dog the right way. lol. Its hard! its like I have to make myself think on a different wavelength and so act differently so as to give our addition the best chance.
Q thank you so much for laying all of that out as well! My situation will be very very close to yours so that helps so much.
What kind of stuff do you refer to when you say they will be 'testing' you?
I'm trying to prepare as best as I can but the way this saying has been said kind of makes me nervous. . .
One more thing - i'm pregnant and due about 2.5-3months after bringing home our Bo. Would you say that's enough time in between? I'm a very focused person, goal oriented, and dedicated. . . ok, and I'm a bit of a workaholic - so I figure I can handle all of these things since that's usually how it is in my house any how. But knowing what exactly im' in for is a good thing either way. 
as of right now, a hair over 3 days 
we're going to get Bo when he's about 8wks old. Don't worry about saying a lot. your memories are going to help us and Bo to achieve a great future together.
if you're a workaholic, and have ababy on the way, I would strongly consider how much time you have to dedicate to a dog. Dobermans need a lot of attention, they need to be walked, and get lots of exercise. You can't just put them in the yard and go back in the house, they will get into all kinds of trouble. And you need to always watch it when it's not in the crate again so they don't get into trouble. A dog, and Doberman especially, is a big commitment, and you need to make sure that you will actually have the time to dedicate to proper training and exercise. They will not do good with long periods of being by themselves or locked in a kennel all day. You have to make sure everyone in the house is on the same page, i've had quite a few arguments with the fiance over the past few weeks because I want us to both be on the same page, otherwise all of my hard work goes out the door if she lets the dog do whatever.
As far as testing, let me give you an example of what my dog does. We go for a walk, she heels. Of course, she wants to stop and sniff around, and check everything out, and this is one of the areas you have to be firm. The dog stops when YOU stop, not when it wants to. So Dakota will give a little pull, look up to see my reaction, and if I don't immediately correct her, she will continue to pull. So I learned quickly that I have to be in constant control. If you're not in control, the dog is. And that's not good. Another example is I'll call her, off leash, and most of the time she will come and stay at my side as I walk. But every now and then, she'll just stop walking, watch to see what I will do... Now, I have 2 options. I can go back, which instantly tells her that it's ok for her to just stop, and then I can chase her around like an idiot as she keeps getting away. Or, what works for me and Dakota, is to call her, and when she doesn't come, I just walk off with my back to her, at which point she knows she won't get away with anything, so comes running back. You can almost see the thought process in their eyes, like she wants to see what she can get away with and what she can't.
Without the propper time, training, and consistent dedication, your smart dog will assume the alpha role, and they don't stay small for long! Once that happens, you'll have alot of work cut out for you. So you have to stay consistent from the beginning, because dogs don't understand "sometimes". If you let them do something once, they assume they are allowed to always do it.
OK, so after reading your reply I feel more assured. By workaholic I mean that I handle having a million things to do, lots of responsibility rather well. In fact, i really like it. I know its wierd. 4 months ago I was going to school full time for psychology, taking the brunt of my husband's business & other responsibilities, and taking care of a 1yr old through out the day ( we don't have our kids in day care). But now hubby's got a different occupation, i'm not going to school due to new baby on the way, and theres only so much I can do with my independent 1.5yr old. I'm sure there will be times when I'll get a bit frazzled but Im a high energy person and wouldn't back down.
Learning about how other responsible owners handle their dobies and the hurdles they're put through seriously helps me to get prepared. I know its a lot, but I think it'll be fun and very rewarding. 
Your Dakota is a beautiful girl btw. I haven't seen many dobies without cropped tails, but she looks really adorable!! I can tell by the pictures that she's really smart. How do you keep her from attacking the kittens?
cool, so should be good!
Thanks, if you check my thread called "Got my pup!" you can read about how I keep her away from the cats. She is a quick learner!
In reference to potty traing the Petsmart Potty Training Manual worked excellant for us. We had our Dobey trained in about 6 days. I have to say tha tthe children then were the only one to watch ehr for a couple of days and we had to step back and regroup. After the second round we have a very well potty trained dog. Take a look see it gives several different methods of potty training depending on your schedule and living environment.
I also live in the country, my dog does not get socialized except with her family and the occasional run to the store in town. We wanted her to be a family dog and a protector, if socialized too much she will just want to be petted by everyone that walks in your house.
"I know its a lot, but I think it'll be fun and very rewarding."
This is so true. Every time Freyja does as she should I get a big warm feeling inside. Every time someone complements her behavior I just smile, knowing that our work together has paid off. That feeling is plenty of reward in itself.
.....................................................................................................
"if socialized too much she will just want to be petted by everyone that walks in your house."
I've not found this to be this case. Freyja has been heavily socialized, she goes everywhere with me; the bank, town hall, barber shop, Lowes, weekend outings and events, etc. And she loves to get petted, in fact she seems to expect to get petted....when we are out in public. At home, and around our camper which she seems to consider her 2nd home, Freyja is very territorial. She alerts us to anyone approaching "her territory" with a bark and a stance that sounds and looks like she means business. She remains watchful of strangers until she sees Karen or I shake hands or hug the person approaching, at which time she lets her guard down a bit, knowing the person is ok. While she's never been tested by an evildoer, and I hope she never will be, her actions tell me she will protect her territory, and her family, with all she has.
You commented about it being too far to drive, I think the drive would be harder on you than on him. Just about two years ago, I was convinced that I was going to lose Red (my now 7 1/2 year old red male) due to a recurrance of malignant cancer on his tail. They had already removed the tumor, but if it came back they would have to bob him and remove the tail in hopes of saving him. I was wrong, but I started looking.
I found a good breeder on this site, (their last litter to date) and made arrangements for a cute red female who had a loving face. The problem is that I live in S. Georgia and they live in S.E. Michigan, some 900 miles away. They would no longer ship as they had some bad experiences before. No problem I would drive up and get her. Then the line of snowstorms started going through up there.
I timed my trip in between snow storms, and took my truck (4 WD) and drove to Covington, Ky the first night and had a reservation for two nights. The next day I drove up to get her, and going through Ohio, I really needed the 4WD and the deicer in the windshield wipers. Not the first ice and snow I have driven in after living in central Virgina for 9 years. Picked up the puppy and spent at least an hour talking Dobermans with the breeder and headed south to the motel. The puppy (not yet named) slept quietly because of the motion of the vehicle and we made a pit stop halfway back.
I had a small Schnauzer crate for her, and she was a very good girl. In the motel room, she ate well, we went out to potty her, and she was just a real Princess, and thus she has been called ever since. When we went to bed, no wimpering, partly because she had been introduced to crates by the breeder, and partly no doubt that she was the next to the last in the litter to leave, so was already accustomed to not having all the others around, just one sister who had left shortly after Princess did. We would stop about every 2-3 hours and I would walk her and then give her a little to eat and drink, then a little walk again. When I stopped to eat, I would eat in the truck with her in my lap. That trip and the time we had together was priceless.
The next day she made the trip to the vets to get started. We came home and about 4 hours later I left her at home and went back to the vet to pick up the other 5 dogs.
One thing I found with young puppies is that when they are through eating, time 5 minutes and take them out. I would also feed her in the kitchen and sit on the floor between her and the exit. She would eat a few bites, explore and eat a few more bites before doing some more exploring. You will bring the puppy into a new world and they will want to explore. Limit the exploring while they eat, take them out and then let them explore. When they go outside, make a big deal out of it, a really rally big deal. This is the greatest event know to man, praise him highly. If he does something in the house, let him know you are displeased but do not scream and shout. Remember, you will shortly have two babies, neither of which will have much in the way of control. When they get the urge to go, they go.
The umbilical cord you referred to will keep them out of trouble by keeping them close, but will not help in house training. If he needs to piddle, he will take a few steps, lean forward and go. That fast. If you see him with a nose down "tracking" attitude, sniffing the floor, pick him up and go outside. Do not allow him to walk outside until he is about 12 weeks old, for when he is very young on the way to the door, he is likely to go. If you are holding him he is less likely. If your arms are otherwise occupied, oh well, just clean it up.
When you are feeding or bathing yours, try not to have the puppy loose, as you want to be able to devote full attention to which ever one is up.
Looking forward to pictures.
Pet Profiles
As a new pup owner, here's a few tips I can give.
1) quickly establish the role as alpha... the dog doesn't eat when it's hungry, it eats when you let it. It does NOT go on the bed or furniture... that's huge!
2) start your training immediately, and don't develop bad habits. I started training Dakota to sit and heel within 5 minutes of meeting her. short sessions, 2 minutes or so. a young pup doesn't have a long attention span, you'll know when they had enough.
3) be consistent... don't let the dog do something today, and then tomorrow tell the dog it can't do that... it's confusing, and will lead to problems
4) if the dog is not in it's crate, watch it ALL THE TIME. Not most of the time, all the time. You can quickly give a "No" when it starts doing something it's not supposed to. After the fact, you can't discipline... if something happens, and you don't catch him in the act, it's too late to do anything. Suck it up as a learning experience.
5) your dog WILL test you, the rules, the limits, etc. Do not give in. All you'll be doing is reinforcing that that dog doesn't have to do what you tell it o.
6) don't repeat commands, ever. all that teaches the dog is that there is no consequence for not listening.
7) learn dog body language, posture, and what it means. You can often know what a dog is thinking just by the way it stands, looks, the way it's ears move, etc. Learning this quickly will pay off, as you will be able to tell the difference between when a dog is playing, or about to attack or chase something.
I would recommend reading through the articles on this site, they are great, and will really help out. Best of luck, and if you have any more questions let us know!