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.

1. 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. 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.
3. 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
4. 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. 
5. 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. 
6. 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.