SearchSkiddish pup
Hi my dobie is about 6 months old and he is scared of everything. I was wondering if he will grow out of this. Is this a common trait in the doberman breed?
Dom-Fawn.. welcome to the forum and thank you for your interest..
I have found the fawn kids to be a little more mystical, ethereal and a tad more gentle. I also have chosen, not to encourage the shyness that Sofia portrays... rather try:
"Silly puppy.. tell me what that is!!" appealing to their incredible curiosity.
Please keep asking questions.. although each Dobie is unique... I think the Fawns are even more so.. but I could be a little prejudice... air kisses and nose bumps!!
Hello there Dom Fawn! Dominic - is that his name? - is a gorgeous looking boy!
Could you be a little more specific as to what he is afraid of and what his typical reactions are? Did he have any traumatic experiences as a pup that may be influencing his behaviour? As puppies they go through several "fear stages" during which time it's not good to expose them to anything that is too different from what they are already used to, because it can have a lasting impact on them as adults. Some dobes are more cautious than others when it comes to strange situations but all out fear is not a common trait. There are a number of things that could be influencing this, I think a little more info is needed to give you a proper response.
Welcome to the forum from Janelle and Dakota!
Thanks for the comments but I guess what I feel my dog is missing is courage. I don't want him to be violent or anything like that. Ijust want his self esteem to go up I guess. I have another dog and they play together just fine and I have socialized him with other dogs and people and he is fine with them. I just expected him to be braver I guess and I hoped it might be something he would grow into maybe.
He probably will get a little 'braver' and confident as he gets older, then. Dont try to rush it. Be glad for that 'gentle side' he exhibits, it can definitely work in your favor.
Thank your lucky stars he is shy and gentle- My goofy red male has no fear and is a true Alpha dog and when he is full grown it could present problems. We are in class and working on it andI hope to get him to be a more gentle boy.
I had a red female who was very skittish. She hated any other females besides me or if they were with me. She hated the sound of her nails on the linoleum and hardwoods in our apartment. She always shied away when people tried to show her affection excpet for me and my boyfriend and his one roomate... She eventually grew out of the shy part of it (still always hated women though) at about 2 or so...
Good luck and welcom to the forum!
Mandy Cisco and Raven
at what age do you think your dobie felt the need to be the protector of the family? cause right now he does not act like that.
Well when it comes to other dogs or people he is fine but lets say I were feeding him he does not like when I open the bag of food and the sound it makes. He runs away when we change the trash bag in the kitchen. Yesterday I had a tape measure in my hand and for some reason he would not come anywhere near me while i as holding it. I try to take him on walks but he is way to scared of cars. I can't think of anything tramatic. We have babied him ever since we got him and we got him directly from a breeder. Thanks for all the feedback.
I just think that he is being cautious about what is in his "place"... try setting down the tape measurer/trashbag/anything else... and moving away for him to sniff at it. His curiosity should get the better of him and (usually) he will get over his "fear" of that thing.
Check out the "fear periods" on this site. He might be in one now... I believe they are around 3 month, 6 month & 18 month ages?? Might not be the problem, but won't hurt to check it out.
Brinks isn't skittish about much now, but MiLady still has issues with many things - mops, brooms, squirt bottles, loud voices - the list goes on! Wish I knew why but she isn't talking
We were working with "skiddish tendencies" the other night in my puppy class, and there is an English sheepdog that is afraid of his own shadow, we had a bunch of baby toys, that made lots of noise and they said to use treats on the items. Maybe with the things he is afraid of, put them in the kitchen floor and close him in there with you. Act like it is not a big deal that the tape measure is there just go about your business while praising and giving treats. slowly move the treats closer until the treats are on the item in question. We had to do this with Ginger when we first adopted her, and for the most part it worked extremely well. Just make sure that its an irresistable treat ^.^
hope it helps
I've always felt that it's a good idea to expose a young puppy to as many different things and different situations as possible as soon as you bring them home with you (provided that their shots are all up to date and they aren't around strange dogs that are not vaccinated, that is) While Z was still very young I took her everywhere, showed her things that you just dont think would freak dogs out later in life if they dont get used to them early on. Stairs, for instance. We live in a one-story home and dont have steps or stairs except to go out the back door, but when we went walking up town, we encountered a few places where there were steps from one level of sidewalk to the next...and her first time to see them, she was in awe of them. Didnt quite know how to approach the ups or downs of them. But we practiced going up and down with a little treat as 'bait' until she stopped even thinking about the steps. Fire hydrants along our walks were a strange thing to her at first, just anything and everything. I even took her up and down in the elevator at my office so she would know that it isnt anything to fear. They almost have to be de-sensitized to some things that cause them to shy away.
Just SLOWLY work on introducing things he seems to be afraid of into his everyday routine, and like ShibaDobie suggested, make it a game and approach these things as if it's no big deal at all whether he accepts them instantly or not. Just try not to force a strange item on him, or it will just take longer to break through the fear. He'll get there. I think "Patience" is one of the most important things a dobie owner has to have....and LOTS of it.
Thanks for the tips. I will defiantly work on these things with Dom. I guess I get ahead of myself and forget he is still just a puppy because he is already so big. I have always thought of Dobermans as fearless but I suppose I should give him a little time. What age would you say a Dobie feels the need to be the protector of the family? 
When he starts feeling a little more confident! Find something that he likes to do, like bringing a ball back to you, or finding his toy when you tell him for example. Any little thing that he does well, reward him with praise. Don't coddle him when he gets scared, OH POOR BABY as all have mentioned above. Most walks we go on there's something new, it's up to you to introduce them to it properly. Fancy thought for sure the grated storm drains had monsters in them, but now, they're just what they are, a strange thing we walk past.
Fancy is 7 months old now, and she started being protective of me for sure about a week ago. I was laying on the floor watching TV, it was very late at night, and the little rescue I have thought she heard something and growled and barked. Fancy got up and actually stood over me on full alert until she figured that nothing was happening. When she thought all was well, she went to her spot and went back to sleep. We did have an incident with the neighbor's dog several weeks ago but I took control of that one. Hackles up and being nervous about something isn't being protective.
I love the pictures you posted in your gallery.. Diesel has his very own fawn headrest..
and I think maybe.. just maybe, TOBY might be the alpha in that pack.
Seriously. Dobermans are by nature, a very protective creature.. Cant' tell you when that will be for Dom.. it depends on your needs and his confidence.. they ( as most dogs) are mind readers and will sense your stress and anxiety.. it mirrors with them.
Enjoy his puppydom.. it goes away so soon. And guess what.. even if he stays calm and relaxed, and maybe a little shy.. that's fine.. you have Toby!! LOL
Toby likes to think he is but Dom and Deisel both know my wife is the Alpha!! Glad you liked the pics!
Thanks for the tips I think he is starting to come around and settle down a little.
Dom-Fawn,
Laith is somewhat the same. He is cautious around trash bags, his bowls hitting each other, etc. Any loud, sudden noises. I just act like it's nothing but I don't go and do it in his face. Like the vacuum, he hates it. I don't "chase" him with it, but I expose him to the sound a lot. Now he can be a few inches from it.
I agree- act like its no big deal and reward him when he is confident. If Laith even hears a door open/close outside he jumps up and paces from the doors facing the parking lot, back to the door (in a apartment). He barks and I just tell him "Enough, good boy" and he stops.
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I'm no expert, but I think that shyness is not a real common trait for dobermans. My dobie, Ziva, leans more to the shy side than the extroverted side, I suppose, but I wouldnt necessarily think she is scared of anything--more 'cautious' I'd say, than 'scared'. Was your pup around many other dogs or people when he was little? You may need to socialize him more. Do you have a Petsmart or other place that allows dogs inside the store? Those are great places to socialize. Parks where there are lots of people, also, are good socializing places if he's scared of people. You just need to encourage people and little kids especially, to approach him slowly, not rush up on him, offer their hand to him to sniff rather than go straight for the head with an energetic patting motion, and maybe even have treats handy for other people to offer him so that he will learn that people aren't such bad things. If he's scared of things he sees while out walking, just let him take his time to examine things, praise him for any sign of confidence he shows. I took my dog to a basic agility class just to help build her confidence levels. It dd wonders for her.