It’s a well-known fact that Dobermans need a lot of exercise throughout the day. In fact, most Dobermans need between one and two hours of exercise every single day in order to remain calm and reduce their anxiety levels. If you fail to give your Doberman the exercise and engagement they need, your Doberman will make up their own ways of getting out their extra energy, and it may not always be pretty.

As a trainer who specializes in Dobermans, I know how Dobermans can develop horrible barking or howling habits, start chewing on furniture in the house, overreact to common daily noises, and a whole lot of other negative behaviors, simply because they aren’t getting the exercise they need.

So, that’s why it’s good to have a list of activity ideas to have on hand to help you get your Doberman the exercise and stimulation they need.

Here are some of my favorite activities to do with Dobermans.

Doberman Activity List (Quick-Reference)

Click on any activity below to learn more.

Free Doberman Exercise and Activity Idea Chart (PDF)

Feel free to download our Doberman exercise and activity chart completely for free by clicking on the icon above (pdf format). This guide has all the great activities for Dobermans laid out in an easy-to-read chart including sections for notes about your dog and areas to check off your dog’s favorite activities. Print it off and include it in your Doberman’s binder!

1. Do an Agility Course

Items You May Need

• Dog obstacles
• Dog treats or reward

Agility courses are incredibly fun to do with a Doberman and they’re naturally fairly good at it! Since Dobermans are so highly trainable and focused on their owners, they’re a great fit for this activity. This is also one of the few activities you can do with your Doberman that is both highly physical and highly mind-engaging. It will also help your role as the leader in the house and, as if that wasn’t enough, it’ll provide you a chance to work on your dog’s general obedience.

I can’t say enough about how good this is for your dog. Take a look on YouTube for some examples of dog agility courses for some good ideas. You can build one in your backyard to practice on, buy some basic pre-made obstacles online, or fairly easily join a canine agility club near you. These agility clubs have regular meet-ups and owners come to practice this fun sport with dogs of all different breeds. You can even compete in agility events and earn ribbons for your dog as he or she gets better. See the AKC’s page on getting started in agility for more info.

2. Go Swimming

Items You May Need

• Dog life-jacket

Swimming is a great activity for a Doberman, and although they tend to be easily turned on to this activity, Dobermans aren’t the best swimmers due to their dense bodies and lean muscle mass. Once you get your Doberman to love swimming, you’ll have a blast visiting the local lake or river, or even a trip in a pool. This is a high-energy activity for your Doberman and it does moderately engage their brain in the process.

I’ve found that using something with a gradual entry into the water, like a lake, for example, is a lot easier for getting a Doberman accustomed to swimming as opposed to a swimming pool that may have steps or other sharp drop-offs. Just keep safety in mind first and foremost as these dogs do have a hard time swimming at times. Swimming somewhere without a current or other dangerous features is a good idea.

3. Take a Trip to the Dog Park

Items You May Need

• Collar
• Leash

There are a ton of benefits of spending a little time at the dog park if your Doberman is good with other dogs. For one, it leads to a lot of exercise and your dog’s interactions with other dogs at the park will also engage his or her brain. It’s also great to help socialize your dog and get them more comfortable being around others.

Another great benefit of a dog park is that dogs are fantastic at self-regulating each other. So, for example, if you’re struggling through the biting and nipping stage with a young Doberman, having interactions with older dogs can be great as they’ll often help to reduce that tendency (and help to teach your dog bite inhibition). Not to mention, a dog park is also a great chance for you to connect with other dog owners and as a Doberman owner, you’ll definitely get plenty of questions about your dog!

4. Play with a Flirt Pole

Items You May Need

• Flirt pole

A flirt pole is fantastic because it’s a high-energy workout for your Doberman and it can be used in a small area (indoor or outdoors). Also, it requires very little energy from the owner so most owners find it easy to keep it up for a long period of time. Dobermans have a strong prey drive, and that’s what makes them so interested in flirt poles.

Essentially, it’s just a long pole with a rope at the end and a “lure” attached to the end of the rope. Think of it like a small fishing pole or cat teaser pole. You simply move the lure back and forth on either side of you using the pole and your dog runs around at high speed trying to grab the lure. You can easily make a homemade flirt pole yourself or get a relatively inexpensive one that lots of Doberman owners use like the Squishy Face Studio Flirt Pole, for example (see it on Amazon here, or Chewy here).

5. Play in the Sprinklers

Items You May Need

• Sprinkler system
• Towel

Dobermans don’t do exceptionally well in hot climates, but this is one activity that can make the hottest of days bearable. It’s generally very exciting for a Doberman and will lead to a high level of physical output and exercise. It may only moderately engage their brain (such as when they’re finding different ways to bite at the water), but it’s still plenty of fun.

Check to see if your sprinklers have manual or electronic controls to them where you are able to turn them on temporarily for this purpose. If you’re doing this in a fenced yard it’s even better as you won’t need a tether to your dog and he (or she) can really go crazy!

6. Chase Bubbles

Items You May Need

• Dog-safe bubbles

Since Dobermans have a high prey drive, they love chasing things down. That’s why playing with bubbles can be so effective with this breed as a way to get out that extra energy. It’s a highly physical activity that’s a ton of fun, even if it only moderately engages the mind.

You can use an automatic bubble-blowing machine to keep your dog busy for a long time, or manually blow the bubbles yourself. Just make sure that you get bubbles that are dog-safe. I’ve found that peanut-butter flavored bubbles seem to make Dobermans go extra crazy. You can pick some up at your local pet store or on Amazon here or on Chewy here.

7. Chase Snow Balls

Items You May Need

• Snow

Chasing snowballs is actually a really fun activity for a Doberman and it taps into their natural prey drive. It’s also moderately mind-engaging since snowballs act in ways that are very different from the normal ball your Doberman is used to chasing. In fact, snowballs seem to completely “disappear” to your Doberman once it hits the ground, often leading your dog to search the whole area looking for the ball.

If you want your snowball to disappear easily, then pack it lightly in your hand before tossing it. If you want to give your dog a chance of actually finding it and bringing it back to you, pack it as tightly as you can and then toss it. This can be a fun workout for you too on a snowy day. Just remember to keep an eye on your dog and bring him or her inside if it’s getting too cold for a safe playtime to continue.

8. Play in the Leaves

Items You May Need

• Lots of leaves
• A rake

If it’s fall and you need an excuse not only to clean up your yard but also get some energy out of your Doberman, why not rake some of those leaves into a big pile and let your Doberman go crazy in them for a bit! Most Dobermans are hesitant at first but soon fall right into the fun and excitement of it. It’s a high-energy activity to do with your Doberman that’s also lots of fun. This one isn’t usually super mind-engaging, however.

Just make sure you keep your rake handy as your Doberman will likely quickly destroy your nice pile of leaves you made. Try tossing a ball or toy into the pile of leaves and watch your dog jump headlong into the pile and root around trying to find it.

9. Go for a Run or Jog

Items You May Need

• Collar
• Leash
• Collapsible water bowl

This is a step up in terms of exercise level from walking, this is considered a high-level exercise. Remember not to attempt this if your dog is younger than 18-months of age as a Doberman’s joints are still developing and repetitive, high-impact, exercise such as this can damage their joints. Even better is to wait until your dog is at least 24-months old and then ease into this activity slowly.

Not only is this activity good for your Doberman, but it’s great for you too! Just remember to take extra water breaks with your dog and know the signs of heatstroke so you can keep an eye out for it. A collapsible water bowl is great here as it’s easy to carry with you on a run.

10. Play Fetch

Items You May Need

• Ball or tossable dog toy

Playing fetch is a great way to burn some extra energy out of your Doberman and it appeals directly to this breed’s natural habit-building tendencies. While some Dobermans may be hesitant to fetch an item and bring it back to their owner instinctually (they aren’t retrievers after all), most will get the idea of how to do this with a little guidance and will quickly make this action a habit.

This activity provides just a little mental stimulation once they have the hang of what to do, but in the beginning, as your Doberman is learning, it may provide higher levels of mental engagement. It’s also something you can easily play indoors on a rainy or snowy day.

11. Play Frisbee

Items You May Need

• Frisbee

Frisbee is similar to playing fetch in the sense that it takes a fairly high level of physical exertion from your Doberman to play, but it’s usually lower on the mental stimulation side of things. That is, of course, assuming your Doberman is used to this game. In the beginning, it will provide higher levels of mental stimulation as they’re figuring out what you expect of them.

A frisbee is easier on the owner as well since it takes less energy to make the frisbee cover a longer distance, meaning you’ll hopefully be able to keep this up with your dog for a longer period of time. Make sure you’re using a durable frisbee or you’re very watchful of your Doberman and ensuring they don’t chew on it excessively since a Doberman can make short work of most frisbees.

12. Go Biking or Skating

Items You May Need

• Collar
• Leash
• A bike, scooter, skates, or skateboard

This activity will certainly get that extra energy out of your Doberman and it’s a great one for the younger ones in your house to do. Just be careful that if your Doberman is pulling you, that it’s done in a safe environment or you have sufficient control over your dog. You don’t want your dog to be running towards a busy street, pulling you along, with no way to stop him.

Although mental stimulation levels for this activity are fairly low, it does get your Doberman out into the world and experiencing new sights, sounds, and people. All of which will help with your socialization efforts and help them get more accustomed to the world in general, which will lead to a calmer adult Doberman.

13. Play Hide and Seek

Items You May Need

• Dod treats or reward

Hide and seek is such a great game for a Doberman for many reasons. For one, they’re velcro dogs so they love being by your side and will try incredibly hard to find you. Secondly, they have an incredible sense of smell and will rely on this during the search for you, even if you’re hiding in the complete dark. Also, Dobermans love playing along with this game and will “sit” and “stay” easily while you hide, as long as you’ve built a solid “stay” command into your Doberman of course.

Just have your Doberman stay, hide somewhere, and yell out your release command. When your dog finds you, praise and reward them. This can be good exercise, depending on how big the area is your dog is searching, and it certainly highly engages their mind while they search the area for you. It can also be a great game to play indoors on rainy or snowy days.

14. Play with a Puzzle Toy

Items You May Need

• A puzzle toy
• Dog food or treats

The entire purpose of a puzzle toy is to engage a dog’s mind. Since the Doberman is widely accepted to be the fifth smartest dog breed in the world, they have no problem doing this. It can also be a moderately high-energy endeavor depending on the specific toy that is used.

In case you aren’t familiar with puzzle toys, essentially they are dog toys where a dog needs to squeeze or move the toy in a certain way, or interact with it in some other manner, to get to an ultimate goal. Usually, the goal is to get the toy to release a dog treat of some type. Letting your Doberman go crazy with a puzzle toy is a great thing to do inside on a rainy day as it usually calms your Doberman while keeping him in one spot. I have some of my favorite puzzle toys listed on my Doberman toy page here if you want to see some that work great for Dobermans!

15. Play Tug-of-War

Items You May Need

• Rope or dog toy

Tug-of-war is a classic game for Dobermans and it really helps to build their confidence levels. It can be done indoors on cold rainy days or outdoors, it’s a decent workout for them, and it does (surprisingly) engage their mind a fair amount. As you’re playing tug-of-war with your Doberman, you may notice him or her thinking hard during the game of different ways to pull on the toy to get it out of your grasp. This is where the mental engagement occurs in this game.

Since this activity builds confidence in your Doberman, make sure you’re using it wisely. For example, it’s not a good idea to play lots of tug-of-war with a Doberman when they’re under a year of age and in the phase where they’re challenging your leadership role in the house (this is a normal occurrence for Dobermans of this age). Playing this during that time can build their confidence too high, making this stage more difficult. On the other hand, if you have a timid Doberman, this game might be great to build their confidence up (just make sure they win a decent amount).

16. Go Hiking

Items You May Need

• Collar
• Leash
• Collapsible dog bowl
• Booties
• Vaseline
• Dog backpack

Hiking is a great outdoor activity to do with your Doberman, and it can be anywhere from a low-level workout (on flat, open terrain for example) to a high-level and very strenuous workout (on rougher terrain). There are also lots of new smells to experience and it does a generally decent job of engaging a Doberman’s mind.

Bringing a collapsible dog bowl and plenty of water is a good idea. But remember that if your dog hurts or cracks a pad on their foot when you are miles into a hike, you could be in serious trouble. Having vaseline and some booties to protect the paw on your way out in case of injury is a great idea. I have a lot of this gear listed in my recommended walking and hiking gear for Dobermans page if you need ideas of what works well for this breed.

17. Go for a Walk

Items You May Need

• Collar
• Leash
• Collapsible water bowl

This is probably the most common activity Doberman owners regularly do with their dogs. It’s great if you can get in the habit of going on a walk at the same time every day with your Doberman since this breed loves having a strong routine so much. Just remember not to do exceptionally long walks on hard surfaces until your dog is at least 18 months of age since high-impact exercise can damage their joints.

While this activity is considered low mental stimulation, it’s really good for your dog because they learn proper leash etiquette (as long as you’re training your dog correctly, see my leash training guide if you need help there), and they’re getting exposed to unique sights, smells, and sounds. There are many benefits to frequent walks with your Doberman.

18. Go to a Dog Show

Items You May Need

• Collar
• Leash

Bringing your Doberman to a dog show is a great way to meet other dog enthusiasts. Even if your dog isn’t competing, it’s still a lot of fun and if you’re lucky, you’ll get to see some pretty impressive Dobermans competing in the process. This is great for their socialization and is often moderately good exercise since most dog shows are spread out with plenty of walking between judging areas.

Just make sure your dog is well accustomed to being around other dogs, the last thing you want is for your Doberman to make a scene or “mess up” and perfectly beautified champion dog by getting into a scuffle. To find a list of dog shows near you that may include Dobermans, see infodog.com.

19. Go Camping

Items You May Need

• Collar
• Leash
• Dog bowls
• Dog backpack
• Portable dog pen

Camping with your Doberman is not only an event that often leads to great exercise opportunities, but it’s also a great way to bond deeper with your dog. In most camping situations, your Doberman will be exposed to new people, animals, smells, sights, and sounds. All of these things will help to deeply engage their mind.

What’s most amazing about camping with a Doberman is to see their protective instincts in play, especially if you are camping in the woods, away from civilization. Most Dobermans will almost always sleep in your tent (or cabin) facing the door. They are smart enough to know you’re staying in a new place and will watch intensely over you while you sleep.

20. Train a New Command

Items You May Need

• Dog treats or reward

Training a new command in your Doberman is a fantastic way to highly engage their brain. While it may not be the most physically-intense thing you can do with your Doberman, stimulating the mind is incredibly important and will equally help to relax them. Doing this asserts your leadership status in the home (very important with Dobermans), and it can also be done indoors on a cold or rainy day.

For some great ideas on some cool tricks you can teach to your Doberman, you can see my list of 13 easy tricks for Dobermans to learn here. Then, once your dog is getting fairly advanced with their command training, you can attempt to move on to some more complicated commands such as those listed in my advance tricks to teach a Doberman guide here.

21. Train a New Behavior

Items You May Need

• Dog treats or reward

Dobermans have an innate desire to please their owners, and they love habit and routine. You can use both of these things to build a new behavior in your dog that will make life with them much easier. Although this usually requires a low amount of physical output from your dog, it almost always requires focus and will provide high levels of mental stimulation in the process.

Try creating a new habit such as having your Doberman go to their bed and lay down when you walk in through the front door of your house. Spend some time orienting your Doberman to what you want by walking in the door, guiding them to their bed with commands they know already, then praising and rewarding. Repeat this for a while until you can come through the door and have him (or her) run straight to their bed and lay down, waiting for a release command. As your Doberman progresses, try going longer and longer stretches of time before giving the release command. This is a very useful behavior to teach to your dog!

22. Find a Dog-Friendly Restaurant or Coffee House

Items You May Need

• Collar
• Leash

Taking your Doberman to one of the many restaurants or coffee houses that allow dogs (search for ones with outdoor seating as those are most likely to allow dogs) is a great activity for your dog. Although this action by itself doesn’t take a lot of energy, sometimes it’s done at the end of a long walk with your dog which is a great finish to a workout. Also, it’s a great way to socialize your dog with other people and get them to relax being out in public and around large groups.

Having a Doberman with you will get lots of attention and likely quite a few people will want to pet your dog. This is great for your dog, but just make sure your Doberman is relaxed enough and ready to accept petting from strangers first. Remember, you’re representing the entire Doberman breed out there!

23. Bring Your Doberman to Work

Items You May Need

• Collar
• Leash
• Dog bed
• Bowl

Bringing your Doberman to work is an incredibly great way to bond. It’s also great for their socialization since most of the time they’ll see new sights, meet new people, hear new sounds, and so on. It’ll also help teach them to be able to relax in areas away from home. Now admittedly for most of us workers, this is a low-energy endeavor on the part of your dog (especially if you have an office job), but it does engage the mind moderately well due to the increase in socialization they generally get.

You may want to consider getting a second bed for your Doberman (one to keep at work), as well as a bowl so you can provide your dog with some water while you’re working the day away. But other than that, you really don’t need much else!

24. Go for a Boat Ride

Items You May Need

• Collar
• Leash
• Dog life-jacket

Going for a boat ride with your Doberman is a great activity to do and it really helps to expose your dog to a completely different experience than they’re probably used to. Riding on a boat has really unique sounds, feelings, and sensations and it would be great to do early on during the critical socialization window. It may not be a lot of exercise, but it’s a very beneficial activity that does engage their mind in the process.

Just make sure you keep things safe for your dog and the others on the boat. A dog life jacket is a great idea, as is making sure your dog is sufficiently contained. In case your pup has a real “freak out” moment on the boat and starts jumping around, you want to make sure he or she doesn’t end up in the water or knock someone else in the water! If your dog does start to “freak out”, stop the boat, calm things down, and only progress as long as your dog doesn’t appear anxious. The last thing you want to do is traumatize them to this new experience.

25. Go for a Picnic

Items You May Need

• Collar
• Leash
• Water bowl
• Portable dog pen
• Dog food or treats

While a picnic might be a low-exercise activity to do with your Doberman, it is fairly mind-engaging (new sights, smells, people, etc) and it’s a great way to bond tighter with your dog. This is a great activity to do during that critical socialization window for Dobermans that occurs up until they’re about 16 weeks of age.

You can also bring a frisbee or ball with you and play some fetch or incorporate any other number of activities into your picnic day. A portable pen is nice to create an easily movable “safe space” for your dog while you’re relaxing. I use a great MidWest brand collapsible dog pen that’s easily movable (see it on Amazon here, or Chewy here) if you’re interested in getting one for your dog.

Tracking Exercise with a GPS Collar

Probably the biggest game-changer for most owners is when they find a way to motivate themselves to get out and actually exercise their Dobermans. I know this was definitely true for me. I started using a GPS smart collar on my Doberman Arlo and it was an absolute game-changer in terms of his exercise.

Every day I would wake up, check my Doberman’s exercise stats on the app on my phone, and take him out trying to beat the previous day’s numbers. A GPS smart collar can give you information invaluable insight into your dog’s exercise, sleep, and even real-time location tracking (with virtual fences that give you alerts when your dog leaves the area you set).

Here’s an example of some of the exercise stats my smart collar gives me:

The collar also has somewhat of a social media aspect to it where you can interact with other dog owners, even your friend’s dog’s who have a Fi Smart Collar. You can root each other on, try to beat each other’s stats, and so on. You can even have private leaderboards.

With exercise being so critical to the health of this breed specifically I feel like a smart collar is almost essential now simply because of the reporting it gives you. If your dog starts acting more “in your face” than normal and you’re wondering if something’s wrong, pull up their daily stats, and see if lack of exercise is the reason. It’ll be right there in black and white.

This is a pretty cool specialized product and you can get the Fi Smart Collar here. There are other smart collars out there, but the Fi collar has the best battery life by far and is the highest quality one I’ve found (it’s brushed metal, slim, waterproof, and super strong with 300lbs pull resistance).

Final Thoughts

The great thing about Dobermans is they love being active and they need plenty of exercise throughout the day. They’re also very owner-focused and trainable. All this means they are the perfect adventure companions and really the list of things you can do with your Doberman is almost endless.

The single biggest piece of advice I can give you to have a happy and relaxed Doberman is to simply incorporate your dog’s life into your life, as much as possible. This will strengthen the bond between you and soon you’ll be finding you both getting healthier by having plenty of adventures together. Now get out there and have fun together!

More Helpful Resources

• 9 Proven Ways to Bond with a Doberman of Any Age – If you’re looking for some activities to do with your Doberman because you want to strengthen your bond, this article will outline some great ways to build a truly deep bond with your Dobie.

The post 25 Doberman Exercise and Activity Ideas appeared first on Doberman Planet.

I love my Doberman, but I also happen to love spending time in my pool and going out to the lake. Growing up in a family that enjoys lots of water sports made owning a dog who likes to swim a priority. So the question is, do Dobermans like to swim? Luckily I have a lot of experience in that department, so here’s the breakdown. 

Do Dobermans like to swim? Most Dobermans like swimming, but it’s not natural to them. They are fun-loving dogs who enjoy getting in the water but their lean, muscular build is not ideal for swimming and can cause them to have difficulties staying afloat. 

Although swimming may not be natural for a Doberman, they can have a lot of fun at it and be trained to swim quite well. However, there are a few critical missteps some owners make when introducing their Dobie to water for the first time. So here’s what you need to know about their swimming abilities, limitations, and how to introduce them to the water for the first time.

Dobermans Like to Swim

Dobermans love to get in the water and splash around. They are fun-loving dogs who can also get overheated at times so they naturally seem to take to swimming. However, they aren’t the best at it. They have deep chests, low body fat, and lots of muscle. This means they tend to sink more than they float.

Luckily they are very athletic dogs and make up for a lot of that with their sheer power and endurance. Below are some of the water activities that Dobermans love.

• Swimming in a Pool – Swimming in a pool isn’t entirely natural for the Doberman. They like to swim but the steep walls and stairs to get in and out of most pools can be a little frightening for them. They do much better with gentle slopes into the water. After some confidence-building though, they can learn to love to swim in a normal swimming pool.
• Splashing on the Beach (but not swimming) – A beach is a great place for your Doberman to learn to play in the water. Splashing in the tides is great, but most Dobermans won’t swim in the ocean due to fear of the waves. It’s probably for the best though since waves, tides, and currents can be very dangerous for them.
• Swimming in a River or Lake – This is usually a much better option. In fact, this may be the first place you can successfully get your Doberman to swim. The gentle slopes along a lake and the still water will help your Dobie slowly build confidence playing in the water. Toss a stick in further and further out into the water while they fetch it. If you’re swimming in a river, be careful of the current.
• Playing in a Child’s Splash Pool – Dobermans will take to a child’s splash pool very quickly, especially on hot days. It isn’t too deep and it allows them to build confidence with water.

So they naturally love just about all types and variations of swimming, but why are they so bad at it?

Why They Aren’t Great Swimmers

So we know that Dobermans enjoy swimming quite a bit thanks to their fun-loving nature and natural curiosity. But why then are they so bad at it? Quite simply, it’s because they just aren’t naturally built for it.

• Deep Chests – Many deep-chested, dogs struggle in water because their front ends get elevated due to their large lung capacity. This is certainly true of the Doberman. This means that their rear end will sink somewhat.
• Muscular Bodies – Muscle sinks and fat floats. Dobermans have lots of muscle but are a lean dog with not much body fat. That means they tend to sink more than they float.
• Long Bodies – Dobermans have long bodies with a broad front end and narrower rear end. This causes their rear ends to sink down even more.
• Paws – Unfortunately, a Doberman does not have webbed feet, they have feet similar to a cat. They have arched toes, so the feet have maximum support and the toes can grip a variety of surfaces. Dogs with webbed feet, like Labrador Retrievers and Newfoundland, work well in water. Dogs with cat-like feet, like the Doberman, struggle in water.

Bottom line—a Dobie is a good, but not a great, swimmer. They have the drive, desire, and physical abilities to swim, but not the build for it.

TIP: To learn all about the basics of the Doberman breed, including their physical attributes, see my Complete Breed Overview of the Doberman.

Teaching Your Doberman to Swim

Most animal trainers recommend a gradual approach to introducing your dog to water. This is certainly important with Dobermans because if you move too fast, they could develop a fear of water early on, and you’ll have extreme difficulty getting your dog to enjoy swimming in the future.

For this same reason, never force your dog into the water when they don’t want to and also be careful not to let them accidentally fall in.

Step 1: If You’ll Be Using a Life Jacket, Have Him Wear It on Land First

Turn their life jacket into their “dinner jacket”. In other words, when it’s dinner time, make your Doberman sit and stay while you buckle the life jacket on him. Then give them a release command and allow him to eat his dinner while wearing it. This will help associate the life jacket with positive things.

After he’s done eating let him continue to wear it for a short time. If he looks uncomfortable in it or is struggling to get out of it, take it off. You want wearing the life jacket to stay a positive experience.

Step 2: Pick an Ideal Place

Find a place to go swimming for the first time. Somewhere shallow with gentle slopes into the water, no current or waves, and somewhere generally calm. These things will help to make sure your Doberman feels confident while learning to swim.

Step 3: Start Gradually

Walk with your dog on a leash to where the water begins and it is only an inch or two deep. Don’t force him in, but instead just walk along the water calmly and see if you can get him to put his paws in the water while he walks. This shouldn’t be too difficult since Dobies are naturally curious.

Step 4: Get Wet Yourself

Dobermans are very in-tuned with their masters and it’s easy to use this to your advantage (or disadvantage). If he sees you getting in the water and having fun he’ll feel no fear and will want to try it himself. If you’re afraid to touch the water while trying to get him to do it, you probably won’t make much progress.

Step 5: Get Him Excited to Go In

After you’ve got him used to the water a little, and he’s seen you playing in the water, it’s time to get him excited to go in himself. Try playing fetch and throwing his toy slowly further and further out while verbally encouraging him. See if you can get him in progressively deeper water until he needs to swim to retrieve his toy. When he brings his toy back to you on dry land, praise and give him a treat.

A resource you might find helpful is Talented Animals Blog – Helping Your Dog Learn to Love to Swim. There you’ll find more specific, and detailed suggestions that work along these same principals.

Swimming is Good for Your Doberman

If you’re struggling with getting him to swim, wondering if it’s worth your time, you may want to know about all the benefits your dog will get from swimming.

• Exercise – Swimming provides aerobic and strength exercises. It allows them to burn off some of their excess energy and forces them to use muscles they don’t normally use. This is so important for Dobies as they generally have very high exercise requirements. See my article all about exercising and building muscle in your Doberman for more help with this.
• Stimulation – We all know that dogs need lots of it—especially Dobies. Taking them to a lake or the beach gives them the excitement of a new setting and will help further engage their mind.
• Bonding – Dobermans are people dogs, we all already know this, so they absolutely love bonding with their owners. It will keep them happy and calmer throughout the day if they have lots of bonding time with you and water play is a perfect way to do that.
• Cooling Down – Dobermans are horrible in the cold, but they aren’t great in the heat either. Swimming can help your dog maintain a healthy body temperature and prevent overheating in the summer. Just remember that what you find comfortable might be a little too cold for your Dobie.

Many veterinarians recommend water therapy for larger dogs like Dobermans. Especially considering the Doberman’s potential for bone and joint problems.

“From a preventative perspective, hydrotherapy is good for fitness, body condition, and a great source of aerobic exercise that is low impact on the bones and joints. It is a great tool to help your dog stay in optimal shape.” 

Dr. Jonathan Block, DVM. Water4Dogs Canine Rehabilitation Center, New York (source)

Keeping Your Dog Safe While Swimming

The most important thing you can do is to closely supervise your Dobie while he’s swimming. Keep a close eye on him and be in a position to help if need be so that there’s no hesitation. At the beach, be aware of undertow and strong waves. 

When in doubt, get your Dobie used to a life jacket, and use it. This is especially important when the current is strong, the waves are rough, or the water is deep. A life jacket will keep your dog afloat until you can use the grab handles to pull him out of water or at least help him stay afloat. Pulling 80 pounds of soaking wet dog might not be in your skillset—so have a life jacket with a good handle.

If you want to take your Dobie out on a boat, a life jacket should be a necessity, not an option.

Water-Related Health Risks

Besides safety concerns, be on the lookout for a few possible health dangers. The most common ones being swimmer’s ear (or more rarely ear infections) and the deadly blue-green algae, if swimming in a natural setting like a lake.

Blue-green Algae

This is a very dangerous type of algae that can bloom in some lakes and cause death very quickly in a dog that ingests it (i.e. in a matter of hours). Really if you see an algae bloom of any kind where you are, it’s best to avoid getting in the water with your dog. 

Blue-green algae often has a foul smell and is often described as looking similar to spilled green paint or pea soup. There will often be a sheen on the water’s surface. The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency has good info about this type of algae available here. Keep in mind that this deadly algae certainly affects many areas of the world, it’s not specific to just Minnesota.

Swimmer’s Ear

If your dog’s ear is irritated and extra water is present, you have a recipe for swimmer’s ear⁠—a bacterial infection. It’s far easier to prevent this than treat it later. So just dry your Dobie’s ears after playing in the water and clean them regularly during swimming season with an ear cleanser. Regular ear cleanser will do. 

If you notice a discharge, strange odor, excessive scratching, or redness in his ear, you could well have a case of swimmer’s ear. If you’re unsure of this, check with your vet.

If your dog is coughing, that could be a warning sign that something is wrong. Get him out of the water immediately.  Also, if your dog has an infection, such as urinary or skin, water activities could aggravate it.

One bit of good news if swimming in your backyard swimming pool—chlorine is not a major concern as long as it’s being used at safe levels. 

Final Thoughts

Dobermans are fun-loving dogs who love to swim, although they’re certainly not the best swimmers in the world. If you want your Doberman to swim, you’ll need to provide some steady encouragement and build up to it slowly.

Swimming with your Dobie will provide him with stimulation, exercise, and variety. Just remember that it should always be a fun and positive experience for you and your dog. If it becomes apparent it won’t be, then it’s time to stop and shift gears. Happy swimming!

Related Questions

Do Dobermans have webbed feet? Although some dogs have webbed feet, Doberman Pinschers do not. Dobermans have arched toes on their feet with no webbing in between. This helps them to grip a variety of surfaces but is bad for treading water.

The post Swimming Dobermans: Getting Your Doberman to Love Swimming appeared first on Doberman Planet.

Whether it’s for participating in competitions or just for a healthy looking dog, many people express a desire for building muscle and increasing stamina in their Doberman. Well luckily for you, it’s not difficult to get a Doberman to build muscle, and your dog can even have a lot of fun doing it.

So how do you build muscle in a Doberman? The best way to build muscle in your Doberman is by providing a quality high-protein diet and finding an enjoyable resistance-based exercise. Activities that involve swimming, running on sand, or running uphill are all great ways to build muscle.

Doberman Pinschers are just all-around great looking dogs and a lot can be done to make them even better looking. And yes, I’m saying that a lot can certainly be done to make them more muscular or better defined through exercise and diet, up to a point.

It’s important to realize that genetically they’re built a bit more like marathon runners, and not like bodybuilders. They certainly can be muscular dogs, but only to a point. They’ll likely never be as muscular as a rottweiler or pitbull, it’s just not in their genetics. It’s important to keep that in mind while striving for a more muscular Dobie.

Additionally, there are two main types of Dobermans, the American and the European. The American variety is naturally a bit less muscular than the European variety.

Also, each individual dog will be genetically inclined towards a certain build. If you want a good idea of how your dog will look like as an adult, take a look at his or her parents. This will give you a general idea, but keep in mind that recessive genes can through a wrench in this, so what they’ll look like when they’re full grown is really impossible to exactly predict.

Safety First

Please Note: We are not veterinarians or canine nutritionists here at Doberman Planet, therefore the information presented here should not be considered professional advice. Learn more about this in our site’s terms and conditions.

It’s important to note that this article is not written for those looking to create an “ideal build” in their Doberman for participation in dog shows. That would be a completely different article. This article is for those looking to add a little muscle to their dog or increase their endurance for a happier, healthier dog overall.

Safety is the most important thing here since a dog owner who’s too eager to build muscle or endurance can do a lot of damage to their dog. So before you start, it’s important to see a qualified veterinarian and discuss your plans with them first.

Here are some general rules to keep in mind while exercising your dog:

• Don’t start too young. Before about 18 months to 2 years of age, the Doberman’s body is still developing. Bones and joints are not fully developed or strengthened. Too much exercise before about the age of two, especially high impact exercises on hard surfaces (or weight-bearing exercises), can cause permanent damage to your dog’s joints. Besides, Dobermans are naturally far lankier in their appearance at a young age than they will naturally be as an adult. This is especially true in male Dobermans who don’t completely “fill-out” until 2.5 to 3 years of age. So when in doubt, wait. They may just naturally develop the muscle you’re looking for anyway.
• Start slow. It’s always a great idea to start slow with your dog, slower than you might think. For example, if you want your dog to start carrying weight on hikes with you in a backpack, start with a completely empty backpack. After a few hikes with an empty pack, start adding very small amounts of weight. Starting slowly can avoid many injuries
• Always make it a positive experience. Exercising together is a great way to bond with your dog, as long as it’s a positive experience for both of you. Never make exercising a chore or a punishment. Doing so can be detrimental to your dog’s mental and physical state. Always give your dog plenty of praise while exercising and make it a fun experience. If your dog isn’t excited about doing the workout routine you’ve developed, then you’ve done something wrong.
• Pay close attention to your dog while working out. Learn to “read” your dog while he’s working out. You should be able to tell when he’s pushing himself too far or is in distress. Don’t ignore the subtle signs. Any sudden changes in a desire to do a certain workout, foaming from the mouth, excessive panting, favoring one leg over another, or whining, are all signs of trouble. When in doubt, stop the workout.
• Overheating is an issue in Dobermans. That sleek black (or other dark colored) coat is beautiful to look at but it absorbs more heat than you might think. Unfortunately, Dobermans do have issues with getting too hot. This goes back to the last rule about paying close attention to your dog. Always provide plenty of water and if you suspect your dog is getting too hot, stop and cool off in the shade or play in some water.
• Check the pads of the paws often. Make it a habit to check the pads of your dog’s paws before, during, and after your exercise routine. This is often the first place damage can occur and catching cracked or damage pads early on can help prevent much worse problems down the road.

In addition to some of these basic safety measures, it’s important to always allow plenty of recovery time. The way a dog’s body builds muscle is in a similar way to how a human builds muscle. As you work out, the muscle it breaks down. Then as the body rests and is well nourished, it rebuilds that muscle back up, stronger than before. This cycle of breaking down and rebuilding the muscle is what makes your Doberman bigger and stronger.

If you don’t provide adequate recovery time to your dog, their body will not have time to rebuild the muscle. Essentially the body will be breaking it back down again before it’s strengthened and in essence, you’ll be working against yourself. Provide at least two “off-days” spread out throughout the week where your dog gets to rest. Also try alternating workouts from one day to the next so that you aren’t doing the same workout twice in a row, providing the muscles time to strengthen.

Before You Start Exercising

Prior to starting any type of physical training for your dog, it’s important to get a good baseline of your dog’s current condition. There are also a few things you’ll want to do every day before you begin your training routine.

1. Veterinarian Visit – See a veterinarian and get a basic physical performed on your dog. Advise the veterinarian of your intentions to start training. Give him or her a copy of the training schedule you’ll be starting, and get clearance from your vet to begin.
2. “Before” Photos – Take photographs of your dog straight on (not from an angle) from the front, back, sides, and top in a well-lit area. This will be for comparison purposes later. Make note of the distance from your dog and the camera used to take the photographs so you can take comparison photos later in the same manner. Feel free to even take measurements if you want.
3. Daily Checks – Before starting each day, check the paws and legs of your dog to make sure they appear uninhibited. Check the range of motion and that your dog is pain-free as you move their joints. Look for cracked, worn, swollen, or damage pads and make sure the dog’s nails are trimmed. Note any unusual behavior or appetite changes in your dog. If anything seems off, skip training that day and see your veterinarian.

One word of warning: If your dog wears a muzzle for any reason, especially the fabric type, make sure it’s removed before exercising. If left on it could be very dangerous. For more information on the proper use of muzzles, see my article Do Dobermans Need a Muzzle?

If you haven’t caught on yet, I want you to be extra cautious with your dog when beginning a training program like this. Especially for the first time, when your dog isn’t used to this kind of activity. One missed day of training isn’t going to set your dog bad hardly at all. If your dog needs a day off to relax, or to see a veterinarian because something seems unusual to you, don’t hesitate to do it.

Of course, it’s important to make sure your Doberman is leash trained before going much further. To see how to leash train a Doberman in a way they’ll respond to, see my article How to Train Your Doberman to Walk on a Leash

Increasing Endurance

Like with humans, increasing endurance in your Doberman requires consistent exercise. The best way I have found to approach this is to start with an activity that your dog naturally enjoys and build from there.

Most Dobermans will beg to go on a walk with their owner, at least my Doberman Cooper does. He also loves other activities like playing fetch with a tennis ball or chasing a frisbee. That’s why I formulated the workout routine below incorporating the activities my dog already really enjoyed.

Below is the schedule I did for my Doberman and it’s only presented as an example. Please keep in mind that this is not a plan that will work for every dog and every situation. It’s important that you tell your veterinarian what you plan to do prior to beginning a schedule such as this.

Naturally, you’ll want to modify the plan below to match your dog’s capabilities. Feel free to work off my plan below, modifying it to fit the needs of your specific dog. The most important part is to start slow.

Example Weekly Schedule

• Monday – Endurance Play Day
• Tuesday – Long Distance Walk/Run
• Wednesday – Rest Day
• Thursday – Endurance Play Day
• Friday – Long Distance Walk/Run
• Saturday – Rest Day
• Sunday – Fun Day

The idea of this schedule is to build up to the long-distance run or walk days and then have rest the very next day to allow the body time to recover. Before the next long distance run day, there is an endurance play day or a fun day as a way to build up to it. I found this schedule to be extremely effective in increasing the stamina and endurance in Cooper.

Building Muscle Mass

Just like with the endurance schedule above, I tried to find activities that my dog really enjoyed doing and build his schedule around that. Luckily my dog liked a little bit of everything, except agility training of any kind, he hated that. So we didn’t do any jumps or obstacles on our strength building play days, but he was up for everything else! Remember to modify things here to fit the needs of your dog and your situation.

The schedule I used for building muscle mass in my dog is similar in many ways to the endurance schedule in the previous section. The big difference here is that the focus is for the dog to perform at his or her best on the strength building play days.

Example Weekly Schedule

• Monday – Long Distance Walk/Run
• Tuesday – Strength Building Play Day
• Wednesday – Rest Day
• Thursday – Endurance Play Day
• Friday – Strength Building Play Day
• Saturday – Rest Day
• Sunday – Fun Day

That’s why there are two of these during the week. We are still trying to keep the dog well rounded which is why the other days are a mix of a long distance walk or run, endurance play day, and a fun day. But as you can see, there is always a rest day directly after the strength-building day to allow your Doberman’s muscles time to rebuild before more activity.

Activities for Each Type of Day

Below are what each type of day listed in the weekly schedules above generally consists of. Like everything else in this article, feel free to modify what I have done here to best fit your dog and your situation.

Long Distance Walk/Runs: If you are going for high levels of endurance, these are the most important days of the week. Even if you are trying to build muscle in your dog, these should be included somewhere your schedule, although less often than if you were training primarily for endurance. Only do one long-distance walk or run on these days.

For Cooper, we started with three-mile walks. Each time we’d go out for one of these long-distance days, we’d increase the distance we went between 5% and 10%. After we got to about six-mile-long walks, we started going on runs. I decided to start off with one-mile runs. He did this with ease and I found myself increasing the distance by 10% each time quite easily, at least initially.

NOTE: Dobermans are incredibly fast dogs with a very high top speed. Find out exactly how fast Doberman’s have been clocked running here.

At some point in this process, it was obvious that he was progressing far faster than I was, and I began to ride a bicycle next to him while he ran alongside me. This allowed me to work him out in a way where he wasn’t held back by my limitations. Even after we started going on runs instead of walks, we would always warm up and cool down by walking.

One thing I should mention; it’s very important to bring a basic dog first aid kit with you if you are going on long hikes (or runs), far from home. If your dog damages the pad of their paw 6 miles away from home, you’re going to potentially be in a lot of trouble. I recommended a great pet first aid kit in the Best Walking and Hiking Gear section of my Recommended Products page.

Endurance Play Days: On these days I would usually take Cooper to the park twice (once in the morning and once in the evening), and he knew that we were there to work. I would usually start with some short throws of the Chuck-It ball to warm up, and work up to some long distance tosses in rapid succession. Sometimes we’d work with a frisbee during this time or I would do sprints while he chased me. The goal of endurance play days is to keep your dog’s heart rate up the whole time by keeping him active and without worrying about adding resistance. I compiled a list of some of my favorite throwable toys that also hold up really well here.

I would time how long we were doing this high-intensity activity, write it down, and increase it slightly each day out. I started with only about 10 minutes of high-intensity work and increased it by about 2 minutes each trip out. When I felt like he was getting near the end of what I could reasonably expect him to do in a day, I would only increase it by about a minute each time.

Strength Building Play Days: On strength-building play days, I would pick a strength-building exercise and do it once that day. The idea here is to provide your dog with some resistance in whatever they’re doing. Have them focus on short bursts of energy and power.

There are many fun ways to do this. You could have your dog run up hills, run in the sand, or even better, run uphill in sand. Swimming or agility training are also great ways to do this. To learn more about swimming with your Doberman, see my article Swimming Dobermans: Getting Your Doberman to Love Swimming.

For agility training, set up small jumps or other obstacles for your dog and make it a game for them to jump over these obstacles you’ve set up to get a high-protein treat at the end. Dobermans are very trainable and will catch on quickly to what you want them to do.

Another option for the strength building play days is to do some weighted hikes with your dog. Get a good quality (not a cheap) backpack for your dog, like the one I recommended in the Best Walking and Hiking Gear for Dobermans page. Start with an empty backpack for the first few hikes so that your dog gets used to having it on their back, then slowly add a little weight each time you go out. Most Dobermans can handle up to 20% of their weight without an issue. I wouldn’t go beyond 30% at the absolute maximum though, and only after a long time of slowly working up to it. Make sure you watch how the pack fits and that it isn’t causing any irritation or rubbing on your dog’s skin.

Fun Days: This day is just what it sounds like, it’s a day filled with a lot of fun! I still attempted to tire out my dog on “fun days”, but it wasn’t as intense and I didn’t time it. We would usually go to the local dog park and I’d let the other dogs run him ragged. Sometimes I would bring him to see family and let the kids run around with him all day long in the back yard. We also enjoyed swimming on our fun days. The point on these days is to get some mixed forms of exercise while having fun and allowing it to be a little less regimented.

MORE ACTIVITY IDEAS: If you want a list of some of the all-time best activities to do with a Doberman to keep them fit and healthy, see my Doberman Activity Guide here for tons of great ideas.

Rest Days: These days are very important. Rest days allow your dog’s muscles time to rebuild. These were fairly relaxed days for us but we would still often go for a slow and leisurely evening stroll from time to time.

Tone and Definition

You really shouldn’t worry too much about tone and definition with Dobermans. Luckily, these dogs already have very low body fat naturally. In fact, this is true almost to a fault, hence why they hate the cold so much.

You should see muscle definition increase naturally as your dog gets stronger. If you are focusing on building muscle and power in your Doberman and feel you want a bit more focus on definition, consider replacing the fun day with another long distance walk or run day in the schedule. But I would only do this after a few months (minimum) of work with the muscle building schedule, and only after seeing progress. Again, this really isn’t necessary at all for most Dobermans.

Tracking Progress for Best Results

It’s not only very important to track your dog’s progress, but it’s also highly motivating to you to see how your dog has improved in black and white. One way is to keep a log and write down things like how far your dog walked today or how many minutes of activity they got. Then you have a benchmark to improve upon next time out with your dog.

However, this is fairly difficult and really doesn’t give you all the information you need. The best way is to use a smart collar for your dog which connects to your cell phone to give you very accurate, and very detailed reporting of your dog’s activity levels.

I use the Fi Smart Collar. It’s a GPS collar for your dog that tracks things like daily steps, distance traveled, sleep time, and so much more. It graphs everything from day to day, week to week, and so on. There are even leader boards for Dobermans so you can compete against friend’s dogs, all other Dobermans in the Fi network, other dogs in your state, and even all other dogs in your city.

It’s also waterproof, dustproof, and incredibly tough (it’s made out of brushed metal and is rated at 300lbs of pull resistance). The battery life also is lightyears beyond the competitors and can last up to 3 months on a single charge. It has virtual fences to alert you when your dog leaves a certain area and so much more. Really too many features to go into here. The best thing is it’s highly motivating and an invaluable reporting tool for exercising your Doberman, check out the Fi Smart Collar here.

Food

Make sure to give your Doberman a quality dog food that is high in protein. I did an in-depth analysis of some of the best foods to feed your Doberman here. Refueling is important, this is not where you want to cheap out.

• Endurance Training: If you’re primarily doing endurance training with your Doberman, feed them a quality dog food at least twice during the day. Slowly increase the amount of food you feed your dog as activity levels increase.
• Muscle Building: If you are focused mainly on building muscle mass in your Doberman, feed them quality food three times a day. Try to time it so that the second meal is within about an hour after the day’s workout. Make sure this is a high protein (within reason) diet. If you need to add a bit of protein, try adding some shredded chicken to their normal food or just rewarding them through the day with a quality high protein treat.

This is just the basics of food and dietary requirements for your dog while training. There is a lot more to this topic. Many people swear by multi-vitamins or even workout enhancing supplements for dogs. If you want to start using multi-vitamins or other supplements, please talk to your veterinarian first. You are (probably) not a vet, and you should not be dosing your dog with these things without first seeing one.

Many owners swear by feeding their Doberman a raw diet containing plenty of raw meat for an increase in energy and building leaner muscle. To see if that might be right for you, take a look at my article Should You Be Feeding Your Doberman Raw Meat?

TIP:

If you’re short on time in the day and need to work your dog a little longer while you get a few things done, consider getting an automatic ball thrower like the one I listed here. You can set the timer for 15 minutes and walk away while it tosses the ball over and over. It’s a great way to tire your dog out just a little more at the end of the day while you get a few things done.

Final Thoughts

Dobermans are naturally very muscular dogs with great muscle tone and definition. In fact, these dogs will naturally get more muscular and “fill-out” in the first few years of life without any kind of training what so ever.

Even so, some people want to train their dogs a bit further. If you are one of them, just be reasonable about it and always involve your local veterinarian in your plans. Remember, a dog can’t tell you when something hurts or doesn’t feel right, so you need to proceed with extreme caution. Please keep it a fun experience for both you and your beloved Doberman, and you two will likely bond even closer through the experience.

Related Questions

At what age does muscle naturally develop in a Doberman? Female Dobermans generally continue to naturally add muscle mass until about the age of two. Male Dobermans may continue to fill out until about three years of age.

How do you build muscle in a Doberman’s chest? A combination of resistance-based training that focuses on the front legs and a quality diet is necessary for building muscle in the chest area of a Doberman. Swimming is one example of an activity that can help build up the chest area.

What exercises help to build muscle in a Doberman? Running up hills, running in sand, swimming, and agility training are all examples of great exercises for building muscle in a Doberman Pinscher.

The post How to Exercise and Build Muscle in Your Doberman Pinscher appeared first on Doberman Planet.