I know firsthand how bad it can be if you have a Doberman suffering from separation anxiety. You feel like you’re a prisoner and your Doberman is your jail guard. If you walk out of sight of your dog, that’s when things get bad. Your Doberman might bark, howl, cry, chew up things they shouldn’t, or make that ear-piercing mix between a yelp and a bark (a classic Doberman thing to do). Luckily there are a number of proven methods Doberman owners such as myself have been using for a long time with this breed to alleviate these anxiety issues in their dogs.

The quickest way to resolve separation anxiety in your Doberman is to use desensitization exercises to reduce the stress of various triggers surrounding your departure and to make your dog as comfortable as possible in their environment.

There is a long list of various tricks and methods used by Doberman owners trying to solve separation anxiety issues but really only a handful of techniques keep popping up over and over and the “go-to” techniques that actually work for this unique breed. But first, you need to be able to identify if your Doberman is actually suffering from separation anxiety at all, or if it’s something else.

Signs of Separation Anxiety in Dobermans

There are many behaviors that Dobermans will exhibit when they’re experiencing an increase in stress due to the absence of their owners. Below is a list of some of the most common behaviors you’re likely to see in a Doberman with separation anxiety.

• Howling or Barking – This is a classic sign of separation anxiety in most breeds, including in Dobermans. Constant loud barking can happen in this breed when they’re suffering from anxiety. Howling is less common in Dobermans and usually only happens with extreme levels of separation anxiety.
• Destructive Behavior – Desctructive behavior is extremely common in Dobermans that are stressed, especially younger dogs under about 2 years of age. If your dog is destroying things, chewing on things they shouldn’t be, or digging up the yard, they’re likely experiencing hightened levels of stress.
• Whining or Crying – Probably the earliest and most common sign of separation anxiety in Dobermans is excessive whining or crying when their owner is away.
• Teeth Chattering – This is a common sign in Dobermans, but not so much in other breeds. If you’re hearing your Doberman’s teeth chatter (or click rapidly) in can be due to separation anxiety or a number of other causes. You can see more about Doberman teeth chattering here.
• Pacing – Constant pacing is a more subtle sign of anxiety in this breed and can be a sign of mild to moderate anxiety. However, if your Doberman is only pacing and not exhibiting any other signs, it’s likely they’re only experiencing mild anxiety or discomfort.
• Repetitive Behaivors – Dobermans are known for exhibiting certain repetitive behaviors when they are stressed such as “flank sucking” (or sucking on the flap of skin between their back leg and torso) and suckeling on blankets or bedding. However repetitive behaviors of any type can be a sign of increased anxiety.
• Overeating or Undereating – Another sign that your Doberman is experiencing separation anxiety is when they start to develop strange eating habits, like not eating when you aren’t around for example. This is uncommon but can still happen in severe cases.
• Swallowing Foreign Objects – If your dog is chewing up various objects in the house or yard and swallowing them, it’s likely they’re suffereing from anxiety. This is not only common in Dobermans, but it’s also extremely dangerous as they can get an internal blockage and require surgery.
• Urinating or Deficating Indoors – A Doberman with increased stress due to separation from its owner will also often urinate or deficate inside the house even though they’ve been previously fully potty trained. This is a bit less common however.
• Sharp High-Pitched Barks – This is a classic sign of separation anxiety in Dobermans. They do a type of “yelp-bark” that sounds like a cross between a yelp and a bark. It’s often done for attention when a Doberman is away from their owner.

Most of the various points listed above indicate simply that your Doberman is experiencing stress. If you notice that these things are associated with your absence, or your dog being alone in general, then it’s likely due to separation anxiety.

If these things are occurring when you’re sitting right next to your Doberman, then it likely isn’t separation anxiety but could be some neediness issues instead. I have information on addressing neediness in Dobermans here.

Step 1 – Get Your Dog Used to Your Absence

This is one of the most important steps for solving separation anxiety in your Doberman on a long-term basis. Essentially you’ll be using a form of desensitization training to slowly acclimate your dog to your absence. This is best started when the dog is fairly young, at about 8 weeks of age. However, it’s also highly effective on older Dobermans as well.

Start by placing your dog in his or her crate (or pen—wherever they will be contained when you leave), provide them with a distraction such as a toy or treat, and walk away. Don’t walk out of eyesight initially and make sure to return soon, within 30 seconds or so. Open the door to the pen or crate and casually walk away. When your dog comes out, if there was no whining, crying, or barking, then praise heavily.

Next time, do the same thing but walk a bit further away and for a slightly longer period of time. Again, walk back before you hear any crying, whining, or barking, and casually open the door to their pen. Praise when your dog comes out. Practice this a couple of times per day.

Repeat this process with progressively more distance between you and your Doberman and progressively longer periods of time. Make sure to progress at a speed where you can go through this exercise without any signs of separation anxiety such as whining, crying, howling, or barking. If you begin to see some of those signs of anxiety from your Doberman, slow down your progression. Let your dog set your pace here.

Step 2 – Desensitize to “Going Away Triggers”

Dobermans are highly focused animals and they see all the slightest things you do before you leave the house. Any of these can be a trigger that begins their spiral into high-anxiety territory. Your Doberman might see you do something seemingly small to you, like grab your car keys, and they’ll begin their anxious behavior. If your dog experiences anxiety within the first 10 to 15 minutes of your departure from the house, it’ll continue until you come back home.

Common “Going Away Triggers” Include:

• Picking up car keys.
• Putting on a coat.
• Opening the garage door.
• Putting on a backpack or grabbing a briefcase.
• Going towards the front door.
• Starting your car.
• Being placed in their pen.

If you do any of these actions and notice your Doberman start to whine and pace around the house, then you know that they need to be desensitized to that trigger.

Figure out which trigger is the one that causes the anxiety in your Doberman and practice that trigger multiple times throughout a normal day when you don’t plan to leave the house. If your car keys are the trigger, try picking up your car keys multiple times throughout the day and moving them around the house. Or take them with you to toss the trash out, and come right back inside afterward.

This is called desensitization training. All you’re trying to do here is to get your Doberman used to that action so it’s not a source of stress for them. That way it hopefully won’t trigger higher anxiety in that critical first 10 to 15-minute window when you’re leaving the house.

Step 3 – Make Sure They See Their Pen (or Crate) as Their Happy Place

If you plan to have your Doberman confined to a pen or a crate when you leave the house then it’s your job to make sure that place is seen as your dog’s “happy place”. You want nothing but good, relaxed feelings in that area for your dog. There are a few things you can do to make sure that this will happen.

Associating Relaxed Feelings With Their Pen

• Place It in a Quiet Spot Within Eyesight of the Family – Dobermans (espeically young ones) often want a break form the craziness in a chaotic house. This is especially true if there are young children in the home. However, they can get stressed and not easily relax if they also feel like they aren’t part of the family. So place the pen in an area where they can see the common areas of the house where your family usually gathers, but off in a quiet corner so they can also have a break if needed. Using a crate in a quiet back bedroom is a bad choice for this.
• Never Use the Pen as a Punishment – One of the worst things you can do is use your Doberman’s pen or crate as something they go in for a punishment and then also use that same pen to contain your dog when you leave the house. This will almost certainly garuntee that seperation anxiety will kick in when you leave them there. So be careful to avoide using it for punishment.
• Leave the Door Open Often – Leave the door open to the pen and encourage your dog to go into their pen on their own throughout the day. If this begins to happen, then you’re doing great and your Dobie is begining to see their pen as their “happy place”.
• Encourage Naps in the Pen – Waking up in the pen is a great way to help your Doberman feel relaxed there. If you have a young puppy, then get used to transfering them into the pen when they fall asleep on your lap or somewhere else in the house. Try to leave the door open if you are there to supervise, or open the door to the pen quickly when they wake up so that they only feel relaxed feelings there upon waking.
• Provide Special Treats and Toys When in the Pen – This is a very basic, but effective, method for associating good feelings with your Doberman’s pen. Encourage your dog to naturally want to spend time there by providing delicious treats on occasion inside the pen, or an exciting toy they rarely see.
• Have Short Times in the Pen (Not Just Long Ones) – Use the pen often throughout the day for very short breaks. It’s improtant that your Doberman knows that they don’t just go in the pen when you’re leaving for a long work day, but they might also go in for a short 5 minute period throughout the day occasionally as well.

Step 4 – Provide a Special Treat or Toy When Leaving

When you’re leaving the house, get in the habit of pulling out a high-value toy that your dog only sees when you leave. Possibly a puzzle toy or something else with a treat (maybe peanut butter) inside of it. If you need help finding some toys that Dobermans love, check out my recommended products page for ideas. You can also provide a high-value treat when you leave as well. Doing this will help reassociate the action of you leaving from something traumatic to something positive and exciting.

Does your Doberman love you? If your Dobie is experiencing separation anxiety when you’re away, then there’s a good chance he (or she) does! Check out this list of 25 ways Dobermans show affection and count how many of these your Dobie does. The more of these things they do, the more likely your Doberman truly loves you!

Step 5 – Use Background Noise

The trauma of you leaving the house is often made worse because the house goes from a chaotic noise environment (especially true if you have kids) to a dead silent one. You can help lessen the impact of this by leaving on some sort of background noise. This can be a television, radio, music, white noise, or really anything else.

Just make sure that it’s something calming and be especially careful if you leave the television on to do this. You don’t want the next program to be a loud police movie with gunshots and barking dogs. That will certainly quickly add stress to your dog while you’re away. I’ve found that a quiet news or history channel seems to work pretty well and be fairly predictable.

Step 6 – Put Your Dog in Their Pen 10-15 Minutes Before Leaving

Since most separation anxiety in Dobermans begins in that critical window of the first 10 to 15 minutes after their owner leaves, you really want to do whatever you can to get through that window of time with no signs of anxiety from your dog. Try placing your Doberman in their pen (or crate) 10 to 15 minutes before you actually leave the house.

This will greatly help reduce anxiety feelings since the trauma of being put in their pen is now separated further from the trauma of their owner departing. Instead of experiencing these two potential anxiety triggers at the same time, they’re spaced out, effectively reducing their impact on your Dobie. Also, your Doberman will be able to see you still walking around the house and doing various things getting ready to leave for a while, as they hopefully begin calming down and settling in without the fear of being immediately alone.

Step 7 – Exercise and Feed Your Doberman Before Leaving

Dobermans are a working breed of dog that seems to always have excess energy. Excess energy in this breed leads to excess anxiety. So do your best to make sure your dog is well exercised before you leave the house to help your dog relax easier. Make it part of your daily routine to exercise your dog early in the morning before you leave, it’ll likely not only be good for your dog, but good for you too.

Another point of stress, in all dog breeds, is food. There’s a natural instinct in dogs to always be focused on where their next meal is coming from and it’s heightened as they begin feeling hungry. So take this stress off of your Doberman by making sure he (or she) also has a full stomach before you leave. If your dog is well exercised and has a full stomach before you leave the house, the chances of your Doberman experiencing separation anxiety are greatly reduced.

Just make sure to take precautions to avoid a condition called bloat in your dog. This is something that is common in the Doberman breed and can be deadly. The chances of your Doberman developing bloat are increased if they exercise within an hour of eating.

Step 8 – Provide Plenty of Chew Toys

Chewing is one of the primary ways Dobermans release stress. So providing your Doberman with plenty of “good” chew options will not only help avoid destructive chewing on items you don’t want your Doberman to be chewing on, but it’ll also help them to self-regulate their anxiety levels. This is especially important for young Dobermans under 6 months of age who are going through teething and are looking to get their teeth on new and unique textures in an attempt to relieve stress and soothe their aching gums.

The larger the variety of textures and types of toys, the better. These can be puzzle toys, kong toys, soft plush toys (make sure they’re safe and remove them if they’re getting destroyed), frozen toys, firm rubber bones, nylabones, or any number of other types of toys. Frozen toys are great for something different and really help soothe the gums of teething puppies also.

Step 9 – Leave and Return to the House Casually

Hopefully, you have your Doberman ready to be alone, now you need to have your demeanor dialed in before you leave. Remember this: the bigger you make the “event” of you leaving the house, the more likely your Doberman will be to react to it. Dobermans and people-watchers and pay close attention to your demeanor just about every minute of the day.

So if you leave the house with a big elaborate goodbye with tons of hugs, kisses, and a long drawn out “I’ll miss you!”, your dog is much more likely to react when you’re away. Similarly, when you return to the house, if you instantly run over to your dog’s pen, let him out, give him a big hug and tons of praise, then you are also making more of an “event” out of you being gone. This is only making your Doberman’s separation anxiety worse.

The best thing you can do is make both your departure from the house and your arrival as uneventful as possible. Keep it casual and relaxed when you leave, placing your Doberman in his cage 10 to 15 minutes before your leave and not giving him any big departing hugs either. Just get ready casually and slip out of the house. When you return do the same thing. Remain relaxed, do a few things around the house, and let your Dobie out of their pen maybe 5 minutes or so after you arrive home (there’s no rush!). This will take the emphasis off of your absence, which is one of the most important things you can do while addressing separation anxiety in a Doberman.

The Key to Long-Term Success

To ensure that you have long-term success in addressing separation anxiety in your Doberman, you’ll want to use the habit-forming tendencies of the Doberman to your advantage. Using the habit-forming tendencies of the Doberman to your advantage is the quickest way to long-term success in addressing separation anxiety. Essentially what this means is developing the habit in your dog of them not experiencing anxiety when you leave.

Dobermans love routine and are strong habit-forming dogs. This is something that’s ingrained in them and is one of the reasons they are one of the world’s more trainable dogs according to researchers (source). You can use this to your advantage by ensuring that your Doberman has as many episodes away from you as possible without experiencing separation anxiety. If you have enough of these positive times away from you, being relaxed and calm in your absence will become your Doberman’s new habit.

This is most useful to employ during the desensitization step above (Step 1 – Get Your Dog Used to Your Absence). While you’re doing this, make sure that you consistently return to your Doberman’s pen and let him out before he starts crying, barking, or showing any other signs of anxiety. Then on your next session, you can try to go a bit longer, but you should still return before anxiety forms and release your dog from the pen.

“Returning to your Doberman only once he starts crying is setting him up for long-term separation anxiety.”

– John Walter, FDS
DobermanPlanet.com

Consider each of these trips away from your dog where there are no signs of anxiety as a “win” and any trips away where there are any signs of increased anxiety (such as crying, whining, barking, etc) as a “loss”. Attempt to get as many “wins” in your column as possible as this is what will develop the habit of maintaining low anxiety in your absence and ultimately solve the separation anxiety issues in your Doberman.

Common Mistakes

The most common mistake Dobermans owners make while attempting to solve separation anxiety is progressing too fast during desensitization training. In other words, they’ll begin slowly acclimating their dogs to their absence during step 1 (above) and about when they get to the point of being away from their dog for 10 minutes or so, things start to fall apart.

Most owners become so excited that they’re seeing some progress and are “actually able to get a little work done” without their dog crying that they begin progressing too fast. They begin working on a project for work, or cleaning the house, and are so relieved that they seem to be making progress addressing the anxiety in their dogs that they want to “take advantage” of this quiet time they finally have. So they continue on their project longer and longer until they’re away so long that their Doberman finally does start to whine, bark, or cry. That is when they finally return to the pen to let their dog out.

The problem is, that whole session which was going great and could have easily been a “win”, has now turned into a “loss” and they’ve essentially helped to engrain anxious feelings in their Doberman a little deeper by being away too long. All simply because they were excited to finally get some “quiet time”. Owners who fall into this trap essentially are trading the joys of short-term success for the long-term failure of their dogs with separation anxiety.

Keep this in mind as you address separation anxiety in your Doberman, progress slowly, and get as many positive sessions away from your dog as possible where they end without high anxiety levels. That will ensure long-term success with addressing separation anxiety in your Doberman.

More Helpful Resources

• How Long Can You Leave a Doberman Home Alone – This article will discuss how long you can leave a Doberman home alone at various ages and steps you can take to make sure it’s a successful trip away from the house.
• 6 Steps to Get Your Doberman Pinscher to Stop Barking – This article addresses how to stop barking in your Doberman if it’s the cause of a behavior issue, and not separation anxiety specifically. If you suspenct your Doberman might be barking for behavior reasons, which is common in this breed, take a look at this article.
• 5 Reasons Why Dobermans Howl – Dobermans who start howling are suffering from any number of issues. This is fairly uncommon in Dobermans but can happen for any number of reasons, not just with separation anxiety. If your Doberman is howling, take a look at this article to learn about some other potential causes that really should be addressed soon.

The post How to Prevent Separation Anxiety in Dobermans—Proven Method appeared first on Doberman Planet.

Getting your Doberman to bark on command is not only a fun trick to teach, but it’s also surprisingly useful. The method that I’ve finally settled on using for teaching this behavior to my Dobermans (and my clients) seems to work the quickest and most reliably for this particular breed. Luckily, the Doberman breed is easy to train if you appeal to their specific instincts, and that’s what this method does, which is why it works so quickly.

How to Teach a Doberman to Speak on Command

1. Choose your ‘speak’ command.
2. Figure out what naturally makes your Doberman bark.
3. Create conditions likely to elicit a bark.
4. Mark a bark with your choosen command.
5. Praise and Reward.
6. Repeat and reinforce.

Those are the simple steps, but that’s a lot more to it than that. For example, which command you choose to use can have a big effect on how useful this trick is for you.

Fair warning, while these steps might work for other breeds, this technique is specifically designed for Doberman Pinschers and you’ll have far better, and faster, results with it if you’re working with a Doberman.

Teaching Your Doberman to Bark on Command

Here’s what you need to know to teach this command as quickly as possible to a Doberman Pinscher. Remember that the basic approach here is to elicit the response using a few key triggers that works great for this breed, mark it with your command, and then reinforce it by building a habit of the appropriate response (Dobermans love habit and it’s a big part of what makes them so trainable).

Step 1 – Choose Your ‘Speak’ Command and Visual Cue

The first step is to choose what command you’ll use when you want your dog to bark. There are many options out there but the table below has some of the most popular.

When choosing a command, it’s important to remember that a sharp and abrupt command is better, and more easily recognized, for a Doberman. Choosing a command that sounds unique as compared to any other commands the dog knows will also help.

Don’t forget that training your Doberman to bark on command can be useful beyond just being a fun trick to show your friends and family. It can help ward off potential attackers, and even make potty training easier (by asking your dog to “speak” every time before you take them out to go to the bathroom, they’ll learn to bark at the door when it’s time to go).

I’ve always chosen the word “guard” for my Dobermans, I find it fits many of the requirements for a good command while also having the added protection benefit. If my wife is walking our dog in the evening and someone is bothering her, she can yell a firm “guard!” at our Doberman. When the potential attacker hears this command and our large Doberman starts barking like crazy, it’s sure a lot more intimidating than if she had yelled, “speak”. They certainly won’t know the difference and probably won’t want to find out.

Visual Cue

One of the modifications to this training technique that is specifically for the Doberman breed is to include some sort of visual cue. Dobermans love a visual cue. It can be a specific wave, hand gesture, posture, or combination. For me, I choose the “guard” command for the verbal cue and a closed fist held up in front of me as the visual cue.

Step 1 – Figure Out What Naturally Makes Your Doberman Bark

The next step is to figure out how you’re going to get your Dobie to bark so that you can associate the command you’ve chosen with this action. If you know your dog well, you should be able to recreate conditions you know will cause him or her to bark.

In case you’re having trouble, below are some common ways owners can elicit a bark out of their Doberman while training this command.

Getting Your Doberman to Bark

• Tug-of-War – Sometimes an intense game of tug of war with your Doberman can get a bark out of them. Try getting your dog excited as much as possible during the game, taking the tug toy away from them, staring your pup in the eyes, and encouraging a bark.
• Jump with Excitment – This is a great fall back if you’re not sure what makes your dog bark. Hold a toy or treat away from your dog, jump up and down, barking at your dog yourself. This feels very awkward but if you get your Dobie excited enough, chances are they’ll eventually let out a bark.
• Staring in the Eyes – Some Dobermans will react naturally with a bark if you slowly stare at them in the eyes, lingering, and even slowing putting your face closer and closer to theirs. Don’t ask me why this happends, but it seems to be instinctual to this breed.
• Wrestling – For many owners, they can get a bark out of their Doberman if they get down low, pound the ground with their hands, and encourage their dog to wrestle with them. This will often send the dog into and excited frenzy and get at least a few barks out of them.

Whatever you need to do to get that initial bark out of your dog is fair game, when in doubt don’t think about what you need to do to get a bark, think about how you can get your dog as over-the-top excited as possible that a bark naturally comes.

Step 2 – Create Conditions Likely to Elicit a Bark

Ok, now you’re really ready to start training. You know what command you’re using and what will get a bark. Now it’s time to do it. Have some training rewards ready (if your Doberman is food motivated), and get that first bark out of them.

If you’re using the “jump with excitement” method above, start jumping around and barking at your dog. You’ll feel ridiculous but that’s ok. While doing this, I usually encourage the bark by saying things like “Come on boy! WOOF! WOOF! Come on! YES! Good boy!” while jumping around.

Step 3 – Mark a Bark with Your Choosen Command

As you’re going through your process of creating conditions likely to get that bark, you should know about when your dog is going to release that “woof!” Just before your dog does, give the speak command you’ve chosen. Making it loud and clear so that the command doesn’t “blend in” with the other words you’re saying while encouraging the bark.

While it’s preferable to time things so you give the command immediately before the bark comes, another option is to give the command immediately after they release a bark. This is good to do if you’re having trouble timing this.

“Another option is to ‘mark’ your Dobie’s barking with a clicker along with the command you’ve choosen. If your Doberman is used to clicker training then this could be a great way to mark the good behavior very quickly, improving the speed of command comprehension.”

– John Walter (DobermanPlanet.com)

Step 4 – Praise and Reward

As soon as your dog barks and you’ve marked the action with your command, it’s time to praise and reward like crazy. This should be a “jackpot” initially of a high-value treat or multiple treats along with heavy praise from you. I also like to toss in one “good bark!” in there, if the command I choose was “bark”.

It’s not clear whether Dobermans can make the association of “good (command)” while training, but I certainly feel like it speeds up training time.

Dobermans instinctually want to please and have a “task to accomplish”. Keep that in mind while praising and rewarding them. Show how pleased you are and relieved that the task you assigned your dog was well executed. This sometimes subtle approach to rewarding works wonders with Dobermans specifically.

Step 5 – Repeat and Reinforce

Like with any command it’s important to repeat and reinforce the command or your dog will lose this skill. Around dinner or breakfast time before your dog is allowed to eat their food is a great time to reinforce commands such as “speak”.

Remember to increase the difficulty of what you’re asking your dog slowly after they have a solid understanding of the basic command. Start requesting longer barking sessions before you praise and reward. Or try giving the command from across the room. It’s important to always be challenging your Doberman and “upping the bar”. This is something they instinctually enjoy doing anyway.

Using a Clicker

As I mentioned earlier, teaching a Doberman to bark on command through the use of a clicker to mark good behavior is certainly a sound approach. The key here is whether or not your dog already associates the “click” sound with a job well done.

If you’ve used a clicker for training in the past then the chances are they will make that association and it would certainly make sense to include the use of the clicker here. However, I wouldn’t begin clicker training using this bark command.

For more information on training your Doberman in general, including incorporating the use of a clicker, see my complete Doberman training guide here.

Avoid Making Unwanted Barking Worse

The danger of teaching the bark command is that Dobermans are certainly a habit-forming breed. They’re also a vocal breed. So if you’re going through this process, it can be easy for your Dobie to confuse what they learn to mean “my owner loves it any time I bark!”

If that is the association your dog makes, then you have the potential of creating a barking problem or making an already existing one worse.

Here are some things you can do to help prevent this from creating a barking issue in your Doberman:

• Only praise and reward your dog when they bark on command. Never when they’re barking on their own.
• Train a “quiet” command so you can stop excessive barking on command.
• Avoid teaching the speak command by marking negative barking with the command and rewarding. Only teach this command when you elicited the barking behavior from your dog.
• Once you give the command and your dog barks, make sure the barking doesn’t continue until you give another command. In other words, shut down any “run-away” barking.

If you want some ways to stop the unwanted barking in a manner that works extremely well with Dobermans, see my article 6 Steps to Get Your Doberman Pinscher to Stop Barking.

Teaching a Quiet Doberman

In general, most Dobermans are not quiet dogs. As a protection breed, Dobermans bark a lot as an alert to their owners. But on occasion, some owners with very well socialized, stoic, and calm Dobermans will have an issue teaching this command simply because their dog is so content being non-vocal.

In order to get a relatively quiet Doberman to bark, you might need to break the rules and use one of the tactics from the “Avoid Making Unwanted Barking Worse” section above. Luckily for you, if you have a naturally quiet dog, it’s very unlikely that you’ll create a barking problem.

Try simply being incredibly patient and waiting for one of the opportunities to arise when your Doberman does bark, even if they are incredibly rare. When your dog does, quickly give your chosen command loud and firm, then praise and reward like crazy. Maybe having a friend ring the doorbell will do it.

Another option is to simply up the value of the training treat you’re using. Show your Dobie the treat, and then use the “Jump with Excitement” option above to elicit a bark. Sometimes hamburger meat or a slice of American Cheese will do the trick when other rewards won’t.

Final Thoughts

Teaching a Doberman to speak on command is a relatively straightforward behavior to teach. The most difficult part can be eliciting the initial bark at the right time while training this command. If you can do that simply by knowing what behaviors you can do to naturally trigger your Dobie to bark, then you should be well on your way.

Don’t forget to consider making the speak command useful in some way such as with potty training or by making it a “guard” command that can fool a potential attacker into thinking you have a vicious guard dog, and not just a sweet pup who’s trying to “speak” for their master.

The post Teach a Doberman to Speak on Command—The Easy Way appeared first on Doberman Planet.

One of the most intimidating aspects of owning a Doberman is how to go about training them. Every new owner seems to know that Dobermans are a unique breed and require a lot of training to be happy dogs. That uniqueness means that training them isn’t always as straightforward as it is with other dogs. So I wrote this guide to help you get started with basic training for your Doberman using their uniqueness to your advantage. The techniques in this guide are the best and most effective methods I’ve found for training Dobermans specifically.

How do you train a Doberman? The basic principle for training any Doberman is to elicit the desired behavior while giving a verbal command along with a visual cue, and then to reinforce that behavior. 

Doberman Training At-a-Glance

Below is an outline of the general process for training a Doberman in just about any obedience command or behavior.

1. Give your Doberman the command you’re training along with a visual cue.
2. Elicit the desired action from your Doberman.
3. Once the action is performed partially or completely, praise and reward.
4. Repeat these steps while setting the standard for praise and reward higher each time.

Dobermans are very in-tune with human emotions and have a natural desire to please their owners. Both of these things work heavily in your favor while you’re attempting to train him. The above steps are a very basic approach, however, there are specific approaches that work best while training certain commands and behaviors.

This article covers these specific approaches that seem to work best for the Doberman breed depending on which behavior you’re attempting to train.

If you’re completely new to the breed, take a look at this complete Doberman breed overview to give yourself a crash course on this amazing breed.

Importance of Training

If you’re reading this guide, then you probably found it because you already understand how important training is for a Doberman. However, there are a few things you may not have considered that, once you understand, should highly motivate you to put the work in that’s required to train your dog.

Frequently working with and training your dog will help ensure that they are happy and confident. This is true for many breeds, but especially so for the Doberman. They are a highly intelligent breed with a natural desire for direction and guidance from their owners.

Because of this natural drive, they have a tendency to feel “lost” if not provided with regular direction and guidance. This will lead to an increase in anxiety in your dog which may ultimately result in destructive behavior, separation anxiety, barking issues, or even biting problems in extreme cases. To avoid these things, work on training regularly with your Doberman in a way that he or she understands.

Motivating Your Doberman

The biggest hurdle that you’ll face while attempting to train any dog, is motivation. Luckily for us Doberman owners, we have the advantage of having a breed that is genetically inclined to want to learn from us. But the more motivation the better, so here are some ways to make sure your dog is as motivated as possible to learn from you.

• Plenty of Praise – Dobies are incredibly in-tune with their owner’s emotions. Which means you can use that to your advantage. When your dog does something well during training, give him lots of excited praise. Pat him, jump up and down, smile, tell him he’s a good boy, etc. Seeing you happy and proud of him can be even more motivating than a treat for your Doberman.
• Rewards – This is a great motivator for any dog. Having plenty of delicious treats that are also healthy (or at least, as healthy as possible) will make training so much easier. It’s also just a great way to guide the dog’s around by placing the treat in your hand so he follows it with his nose. I suggest some irresistible training treats on my Doberman food and treats page here.
• Excitement – Your excitement level about training time will also make a big difference. Dobermans are known for staring their owners in the face and attempting to understand their emotions. If you are excited and looking forward to training time, they will too.
• No Harsh Correction – Harsh physical correction should always be avoided. The biggest problem besides being cruel (in extreme cases of physical correction), is that it makes training time into something that’s not exciting or fun. It may make it feel like work to your dog, or worse, your dog might even start to dread training time. This will make training drastically more difficult.

Taking the time to figure out what specifically is the best motivator for your Dobie specifically will make the difference between a well-behaved dog, and an exceptionally well-trained one that’s fully trusted.

Using Visual Cues

I’m a huge fan of using visual cues while training a Doberman. They respond incredibly well to it and it takes advantage of the Doberman’s natural tendencies to really “study” the physical indicators of their owners.

Something as simple as pointing at the ground with your finger while giving the command “lie down” makes your request so much clearer to your dog. Think about it, your dog listens to you talk all day long. They hear the television, music, and other ambient noises and words all the time. So think about how difficult is it to get this one command you’re trying to teach them to stand out. But how often do they see you do a somewhat unique physical gesture towards them while looking them in the eyes?

So come up with some new physical gesture, or cue, you can give your dog with each and every command you teach. It doesn’t really matter what the gesture is, just make sure it’s something you’ll easily remember to do (or better yet, something you’ll naturally do) so that you can remain consistent with your training. 

Obedience Training

The first thing you’ll want to teach your Doberman is basic obedience and the commands that go along with it. Getting your dog familiar and comfortable performing these commands will make everything you attempt to do with them in the future (leash training, resolving barking issues, training tricks, etc) so much easier. So start here.

Sit

Age to Start Teaching: 8 weeks

This is one of the most important commands to teach your dog and luckily, one of the easiest. You can start teaching your Doberman this command at just 8 weeks of age. It’s very natural and comfortable for a dog to sit, you just need to associate a command with it. This is the quickest, and the best approach I’ve found for teaching a Doberman to sit. 

1. Hold a treat in one hand and get the dog’s attention by allowing him to briefly smell it through your hand.
2. Lift up the treat above the dog’s head just out of reach, and then over their back and about a foot towards their tail.
3. At the same time you are moving the treat, say “sit” in a strong voice and point to the dog’s rear end with your other hand (this is your visual cue).
4. The dog will naturally sit to get a better view of your hand that has the treat inside.
5. Immediately praise and reward the dog with the treat.

If the dog doesn’t naturally want to sit, it’s more than likely because he or she is distracted and overly excited. This is often the case when trying to teach a younger puppy. If this happens, it may be better to try training when the dog is slightly on the more tired side and focus on putting extra effort into keeping their attention.

This can be done by practicing this in an area with fewer distractions or by continuously talking to your dog to keep their attention while working with them. Just make sure that when you give the command “Sit” it stands out as something important you’re saying (by tone or inflection). Also, don’t forget to include a visual cue also, such as pointing at the dog’s rear end while giving the command.

Stay

Age to Start Teaching: 10-12 weeks

This is one of those commands that while it’s very easy for your Dobie to get a basic handle on, your dog will likely be improving with this command for many years to come. But it’s important to have your dog get a basic grasp on this concept now to make training other behaviors significantly easier. This command is best taught after your dog can react appropriately to the “sit” command. Here’s how to teach your Doberman to stay.

1. Give your dog the sit command and visual cue with a treat in your hand.
2. Once the dog sits, immediately give the “stay” command while displaying the palm of your hand to the nose of your dog close enough to slightly crowd their personal space— about 1 foot away from their nose usually works well. 
3. Noticeably “pause” yourself by staying motionless while maintaining eye contact for a second or two.
4. Lower your hand, give a release command of your choosing (such as “ok!” or “release!”) praise, and reward.
5. Repeat this exercise while gradually increasing the length of time you have your dog pause before lowering your hand and praising. 

After your dog can “stay” for about 3 seconds, it’s time to start lowering the palm of your hand after a few seconds (removing the visual cue) while still maintaining eye contact and not saying the release command for a short time. The expectation is that your dog will continue to stay until they hear the release command despite the fact that you put your hand down. Then he’ll receive his praise and reward.

After your dog starts to show an understanding of this, it’s time to start giving the stay command (and visual cue for a few seconds) and then walking away from the dog, stopping, and staring at the dog from a distance. Then after a short time give the release command. Work on increasing the length of time you wait to release the dog and the distance away from the dog that you walk.

If your dog is getting up and not staying as you intend, such as the case with younger dogs, move your hand closer to their nose for the visual cue. Also, you may have to repeatedly get them to sit again and again without giving them their praise and treat until they pause there, even for the shortest of time. Another option is to instead give them the “stay” command when they’re in the lying down position instead of the seated position—some dogs will stay better in that position. Once they’ve “stayed” successfully even for a second or two you can praise and build up off of that starting point. Don’t forget to do this in a place with as few distractions as possible.

Lie Down

Age to Start Teaching: 8 weeks

Teaching your Doberman to lie down on command is very important for many reasons. It’s incredibly useful in your daily life and while teaching other behaviors. Additionally, since lying down is a submissive action, it helps to assert you as the dominant (or alpha) figure in the household—something that’s very important when working with Dobermans. Here’s how to teach your Doberman to lie down.

1. Get your dog’s attention with the use of a treat in your hand. Give them the command and visual cue for “sit”.
2. Once the dog sits, point to the ground just in front of the dog’s paws by lowering your hand all the way down to the ground and touching it.
3. Your dog will likely naturally sniff at your hand and go into the lying down position to be more comfortable while attempting to get to the treat that’s in your hand.
4. As soon as your dog is lying down, quickly praise and reward him with the treat that’s in your hand.
5. Repeat this until you can point at the ground (visual cue) while giving the command from a small distance, and without your hand touching the ground. Gradually increase the distance you are from the dog while giving this command.

If your dog refuses to lie down, it’s likely because they’re pawing at your hand from a seated position or because they’re too distracted. If distraction is likely the issue, move to a location with fewer distractions.

If your dog is pawing at your hand and jumping around, it’s probably because they have too much energy or you haven’t gotten their attention well enough. Ensure the treat you’re using is one they are excited about eating. Also, consider trying to teach the command later in the day or after the dog is tired from a long play session.

Off

Age to Start Teaching: 10-12 weeks

This is a command you’ll likely use quite a bit with your velcro Doberman. When your dog is on the couch, your bed, or on you and you want your dog to get off, this is the command you’ll use. Teaching this command is a little less instinctual for a Doberman. It’s also related to dominance so if you have an overly dominant Dobie, then this will take a bit more work. But it’s a very important way that you can establish yourself as the dominant one in the household. Here’s how to teach your Doberman the “off” command.

1. Starting when the dog is a puppy, get yourself into the habit of giving the command “off” along with a visual cue (such as pointing off the object they’re on and towards the ground) before moving the dog off of any object.
2. Praise the dog immediately after any time you move them off an object while giving the command.
3. Repeat.

Teaching this command relies heavily on your ability to stay consistent. If you’re having difficulty teaching this behavior, it’s most likely related to how consistent you are in giving the command and visual cue while moving the dog off of the object. Another option is to use a treat to lure the dog off of whatever object they are on.

With a dominant dog, it’s very important that you teach this command and follow through every time. Do not ever give the “off” command and visual cue, then give up on moving the dog if they’re being extra stubborn that day. Dobermans are incredibly smart and this will teach them that if they’re stubborn and dominant in the future, they will win with you.

Come

Age to Start Teaching: 8 weeks

Luckily for you, teaching a Doberman to come on command is probably the easiest command of all. However, it does help if they know the sit and stay commands first. Most Dobermans (even young ones) will readily come when you call them. Many Dobermans don’t need a treat as motivation to come when learning this command either, although it’ll make things easier so we’ll incorporate it. To get started teaching your Doberman to come on command, follow these steps.

1. Have your dog sit and stay. 
2. Show your dog a treat in your hand.
3. Backup some distance, then give the “come” command while pointing at the ground in front of your feet (visual cue).
4. Provide verbal and visual encouragement for the dog to come to you (say “come on boy!” in an excited tone, clap your hands, etc).
5. Once he gets to the area you pointed to at your feet, reward and praise.
6. Begin working on using this command in more and more distracting environments and later incorporating the additional step of asking your dog to sit at your feet once they come.

If you’re having difficulty during the training process for this command, it’s likely because you’ve progressed too quickly. For example, you may be in an environment that’s too distracting and you’ll have to spend some more training time in less distracting environments first. Or if you have trouble getting the dog to sit after he comes to you, you may need to practice just having him come without requesting he sits at the end for a longer period of time first.

Drop It

Age to Start Teaching: 8 weeks

This is a command that owners find useful in many situations. Probably one of the earliest times in your pup’s life where you’ll use this is simply during backyard toy play or while teaching the “fetch” game. But you’ll probably need this command when your dog picks up something they’re not supposed to also.

This can also be a much more challenging command to teach to a high-prey drive dog like a Doberman than it is with many other breeds. Here’s how to teach a Doberman “drop it”.

1. Start with the toy you’ll be asking your dog to drop (pick something they love hanging onto, like a tug-rope for example), and a high-value training treat.
2. Toss or play with the toy, making the game exciting. This is when your Dobie will be most likely to want to not let go of the toy.
3. After a short time, grab the toy that’s in your dog’s mouth, give a firm “Drop It” command.
4. Once you verbalize “Drop It”, the toy is now “dead” to your dog. Meaning, you don’t move the toy, wiggle it, or anything. You hold firm in one spot.
5. Quickly present your training treat to your Dobie. They will likely let go of the toy and go for the treat. As soon as they release the toy, praise heavily and reward with the treat.
6. Immediately make the toy “alive” again by wiggling it, playing with it, and getting your dog excited about it again. This is, in essance, another reward for dropping the toy—it returns to life and becomes exciting again!
7. Repeat this several times while slowly waiting longer and longer to present the treat. Your goal is to slowly transition away from the treat being seen as the reward, and to the fact that the toy becomes “alive” again as soon as it’s dropped being the reward.

Eventually, your Doberman will understand that when you say “Drop It”, you’ve essentially killed the excitement in the toy and he (or she) is now to let go. Once that happens, their reward will be praise from you and the fact that the toy becomes “alive” again.

They’ll also get further engagement from you as well. This should become plenty rewarding for your Doberman even without a training treat in hand. Because let’s face it, we don’t want to always have to carry training treats everywhere we go, right?

Leave-It

Age to Start Teaching: 10-12 weeks

This command is useful for preventing the dog from picking up or mouthing something that he or she shouldn’t. It has the potential to literally save your dog’s life if he’s about to pick up something dangerous or poisonous. This is a great safety command for your dog to know. Here’s how you teach a Doberman to “leave it”. 

1. Have two treats with you of different types⁠—one semi-boring treat for your dog (like a piece of his kibble), and one exciting treat (like a tasty training treat).
2. Put the boring treat inside a closed fist and present it to the dog. He will likely sniff at it and try to get to the treat.
3. Give the command “leave it” and wait until he stops sniffing your hand.
4. Praise and reward immediately when this occurs.
5. Repeat this process until your dog quickly looks at you after giving the leave it command. Then increase difficulty gradually by tempting your dog more each time (opening the hand with the treat, then leaving the treat on the floor in front of him, etc). Then progress to more tempting treats or toys. Only progress to the next step once he’s mastered the previous one.

The most important thing to remember while training the leave it command is to never accidentally allow your dog to get the treat you’re tempting him with. This will tell your dog that it is possible to get the desired object even after you told him to leave it. 

This command can take some patience to teach and it’s very important to gradually increase the temptation for your dog as you go. Most people fail at teaching this command by progressing the level of temptation too high too quickly or allowing their dog to occasionally get the treat they’re tempting them with. Be cautious not to do either of these things with your Dobie.

Release Command

Age to Start Teaching: 8 weeks

The release command for your dog is any command that you choose which tells your dog “ok, I am done asking you what I want from you, relax and go be a normal dog now.” You should pick a word that you’ll remember and consistently use. I use the “ok” command given in a firm voice. 

However, many Doberman owners prefer to use a word that is less common in daily speech so as to not accidentally release their dog when you don’t mean to. Other options are “done”, “free”, “break”, “dismiss”, or simply “release”. Pick a word and make sure you stick with it.

There really isn’t a step-by-step process for teaching the command. Actually, the best way to teach it is to incorporate it as part of the “praise” step while teaching your dog other commands. Dobermans are so incredibly smart that simply by incorporating a release command into other pieces of training, he or she will quickly figure out what it means.

For example, while training your dog for the “stay” command, strongly and clearly give the release command and start your praise immediately after. Or while training your dog to sit, do the same thing. Give the release command as soon as they’ve sat down and then immediately give your praise and reward. Learning this command should be very natural for your Doberman if you incorporate it into the training of your other commands.

Tricks

Age to Start Teaching: 8 weeks

Spending some time teaching your dog a few fun tricks is a great way to engage their mind and further refine their overall obedience. Both of these things are critical for Dobermans. Although teaching each trick might be slightly different, there is a basic formula that I’ve always used to teach my dog new tricks.

This method works amazingly well with Dobies, and although I wish I could say it’s because of the genius of my method, in reality, it’s the intelligence of the Doberman that should get the credit. Here is the basic approach I use to teach a Doberman just about any new trick.

1. Get their full attention through the combination of a treat and being in an environment that is distraction-free.
2. Give a verbal and visual cue and then get them to perform the desired task. When teaching a new trick for the first time, you may only get them to partially do the task. This is ok, just demand more of them each time you practice.
3. Praise and reward your dog as soon as they perform more of the trick then they did last time.
4. Repeat this process until your dog has the full concept of the trick you’re teaching them.

For my dog, the absolute best time to teach him tricks was at dinner time. He would literally do anything to get his dinner. So every night I would have him sit down in front of me while I put his full food bowl on the ground behind me. I would then ask him to do various tricks before I would give him the release command and allow him to eat.

For example, if I was teaching him to shake I would place his bowl down behind me while he gave me his undivided attention. Then I would say “shake” (verbal cue) and put out my hand for his paw (visual cue).  I would then pick up his paw, place it in my hand and shake it up and down. I’d then praise him and give him the release command so he could eat his dinner. After only a couple of nights, he was shaking on his own.

Doberman Trick Training Guides – I’ve written two in-depth trick training guides with ideas on tricks and how to teach each trick to your Doberman with step-by-step pictures. The Easy Doberman Trick Training Guide has some great initial tricks to begin training. When you’re ready to up the difficulty, see the Advanced Doberman Trick Training Guide.

Video: Teaching Commands

I wrote an in-depth guide all about teaching specific tricks to Dobermans which includes a long list of tricks that Dobies will almost naturally perform with very little training. In the article is also a video I made all about this basic formula I use. This article is 13 Easy Tricks to Teach Your Doberman (with Pictures).

Behavior Training

Behavior training your Doberman is a bit more advanced than teaching basic obedience commands. This is a bit more involved and various approaches need to be used depending on which behavior you are trying to get your Doberman to have, or not have. Below are some of the most commonly trained behaviors and how to best approach them for the Doberman breed.

Leash Training (Heel)

Age to Start Teaching: 12-14 weeks

Teaching your dog to heel while walking on a leash can be difficult but it’s so necessary with large powerful breeds like the Doberman. Leash training can be a very involved process but there is a basic method that most Doberman owners use with success. 

In order to begin leash training your Doberman, you need to make sure your dog has an understanding of some of the basic obedience commands such as sit, a release command, and the leave-it command can also be helpful. Also, you need to have established yourself as the alpha in the house through small daily actions (being the one to give them their food every day, not allowing them to walk first through a door, setting and enforcing boundaries, etc). Having these things squared away first will make leash training much easier.

Below is an overview of the basic technique I usually recommend for leash training a Doberman.

1. Start by teaching your Dobie the concept of yielding to leash pressure. This means getting your dog to understand that a small amount of pressure in one direction on the leash should communicate an action on his part (stop walking, turn to the right or left, etc). Start with your dog on a leash and at your side. With the leash lowered, and parallel to the ground apply light pressure one direction so your dog looks in that direction. As soon as he does, praise and reward. Continue doing this until he has a basic understanding of yielding to leash pressure.
2. Get your dog comfortable and accustomed to the heel position. The heel position is when your dog is at your side with their front feet roughly in line with your feet. Bring your dog to your side and in the heel position (you can use a treat in your closed hand to guide him if you need to). As soon as he is positioned correctly, quickly praise and provide him with a treat. Pause a few seconds then praise and provide with a treat again. If he walks away, the praise and treats should stop and you should bring him back. After 10 to 20 seconds of being successfully positioned while you are praising and rewarding, give him the release command and allow him to relax for a minute or so. Repeat this process, gradually increasing the duration of time between the treats you provide and the length of time he spends at your side before releasing him.
3. Start walking short distances in a controlled environment. With your dog next to you while in a controlled environment with few distractions (such as your house or back yard) have him smell a treat in your closed fist so you have his attention. Then start walking with him following your hand. Walk 10 to 15 feet and then tell him to sit. Once he sits, give the treat and praise him. Don’t walk unless your dog is giving you slack in the leash.
4. Repeat this and correct your dog as necessary along the way. Repeat step three while walking longer and longer distances. If at anytime your dog walks in front of you, stop, back up a few steps with him, and have him sit. Don’t wait until he’s pulling on the leash to correct him. Correct him as soon as he tries to walk in front of you. Once your dog is sitting next to you for a few seconds, say “heel” and begin walking again.
5. Slowly transition to public places and other areas with distractions. Once your dog has a handle on the basic concept of walking in the heel position on a leash, slowly transition to walking in public places with more and more distractions.

Leash training your Doberman takes some patience. But the key to success here is to make sure that the walk is not fun for your dog as soon as he starts doing something he shouldn’t. If he walks in front of you (out of the heel position), stop, back up a few steps, and then sit down. Say “heel” and continue walking. 

Where people have problems here is when they progress through these steps too quickly, before the dog has an understanding of the previous step. Or they don’t take breaks along the walk by giving their dog a release command. Allowing your dog time on walks to sniff around and just be a dog is very important to keep the walks fun. Also, remember that every walk is leash training time.

Lastly, please resist the urge to go on “just one” quick and sloppy walk where you allow the dog to do whatever he wants because you need a break from training him. This will teach your dog that if he or she is persistent enough, they can have a walk where they don’t have to behave and where they make the rules.

I wrote a very in-depth guide to leash training your Doberman in my article How to Train Your Doberman to Walk on a Leash. That article should be able to help you handle any issues you encounter along the way with leash training—and there can be many. 

Off-Leash Training

Age to Start Teaching: 6-8 months

Training your Doberman to reliably play off-leash while remaining under your verbal control should never be a rushed process and should always progress slowly as your dog becomes more and more trustworthy with your recalls. In fact, your dog should only practice off-leash training in a completely enclosed area where there is no chance of your dog getting into a dangerous situation. A fenced-off baseball field, dog park, or your fenced-in backyard are great places to practice.

Only once your dog is 100% trustworthy with his recall should you ever attempt to use it in any other situation. And I do mean 100% trustworthy (with no exceptions), regardless of the distractions. The last thing you want to do is walk your dog somewhere where they can run out into traffic if they decide this is the 1% of the time they won’t listen to your attempts to recall them.

With the dangers hopefully crystal clear, let’s go through the basic technique for teaching a Doberman to be off-leash.

1. Practice the “come” command. See the section about the “come” command in this article. Repeatedly practice the come command at home until your dog is completely reliable with the command. Then slowly progress to more and more distracting environments.
2. Once your dog is coming consistently when called, try it in a large open area. Choose a safe area for your dog (somewhere fenced in) where you’ll be letting him off-leash. Give your dog plenty of exercise before attempting to let them off-leash.
3. Allow your dog off-leash and then recall right away. The first recall of any outing is the most critical so make sure to do it right away when letting them off-leash. It’ll tell you how obedient your dog may be in that specific environment and it’ll also tell your dog what kind of reward they’ll get for coming when you call that day. So make the reward they get for coming when you call that first time the biggest and best reward possible. This will tell your dog that they will get rewarded handsomely if they come when you call on that specific outing.
4. Allow your dog plenty of time to play and just be a dog. You want off-leash time to be fun, but recall them every now and then to remind them that there are still rules and they need to pay attention to you. Always praise and reward them when they come to you after being called.
5. Repeat this process in increasingly distracting environments. Be very careful not to progress to potentially more hazardous environments unless your dog has shown complete, reliable, proficiency in the previous environment.

Just remember that safety is the most important thing here. Also, always bring a leash with you so you have a way to secure your dog if you need to, no matter how trustworthy or experienced they are at being off-leash.

TIP

Make sure recalls of your dog are always followed up by one of your dog’s favorite things (such as a treat, favorite toy, favorite game to play with you, etc). Also, resist the urge to repeatedly call your dog if he’s ignoring you. If your dog ignores you, it’s time to retrieve your dog. If you call repeatedly while your dog ignores you, it teaches your dog that they are free to choose which command they listen to and which they do not.

Crate Training

Age to Start Teaching: 8 weeks

There are various opinions out there about crate training a Doberman. Some people feel you should never crate train, and others feel it’s critical. In my opinion, it’s very important to crate train your Doberman when they’re young for use during the night hours. 

Like many Doberman experts out there, I’m against leaving your dog in a crate for hours on end while you’re away at work. If you want more insight into how I suggest you handle a Doberman while working full time, see my article How Long Can You Leave a Doberman Home Alone?

But crate training your Dobie puppy when they’re young to sleep in the crate is a great way to not only help them to sleep better at night (they’ll feel more secure if you do it right) but help housebreak them by reducing accidents in the house at night.

“Never use the crate as a punishment. The crate should be a happy place for your dog.”

– John Walter (DobermanPlanet.com)

Dobermans, and dogs in general, love a secure feeling while they sleep. They love to feel like they’re in a secure den. So set up your crate with the door facing out into the room, and the back of the crate against a wall. Drape a blanket (making sure your puppy is unable to pull the blanket through the grates of the crate) over three of the four sides so as to make a secure, den-like feeling. This will help relax your dog at night.

Lastly, make sure the crate is about 6 inches longer than your dog’s body length. This is very important because an oversized crate will encourage your dog to urinate or defecate in a corner. Too small of a crate will be uncomfortable and not an enjoyable place to sleep. A correctly sized crate will encourage your dog to “hold it” during the night since it’s natural for them not to urinate or defecate where they sleep. Some crates will come with a movable wall inside it so the crate can grow with the dog, which is very important. 

Here’s how to get your Doberman used to being in the crate at night.

1. Leave the door of the crate open during the day. This will allow your dog to wander in and out and inspect the crate as they see fit. You want them to understand that the crate is not a scary thing. Make sure to secure the door open so they don’t accidentally bump into it or have it close on them and frighten them.
2. Introduce the crate to your dog initially during the day. After your Dobie puppy has seen and sniffed the crate a few times, it’s time to officially introduce it to him. Start with their favorite toy or treat in your hand and attempt to lead them in. If they won’t go in, don’t force them. Take a break and try again later with more encouragement and excitement. 
3. If he still won’t go in, use mealtime. Mealtime is the best time to get a Dobie to do what you want. If you’re having consistent trouble using treats and toys to get your dog to go into the crate, try feeding them their meals in the crate. Try putting the bowl all the way in the back of the crate. If that doesn’t work, just put it as far as they’re willing to go.
4. When your dog is inside the crate and distracted, close the door. If your puppy is working on their favorite toy or bone that you tossed into the crate (or eating their meal), close the door gently while they’re distracted. As soon as they’re done playing or eating, open the door immediately. Do this with longer stretches of time after they finish eating or playing and before opening the door. If they start to cry, don’t open the door until they stop crying.
5. Begin associating a command with the crate. When it’s time to go into the crate, start to associate a command like “crate” or “go to bed”. Be consistent with saying this command every time they go in. Also, keep treats near the crate and whenever they go into the crate because you asked, praise them and reward with a treat.
6. Allow them to see you while in the crate. Their anxiety level will increase quickly when they can’t see you. So during the first few times in the crate, make sure they can see you the whole time. Gradually start doing things in the room where they can still see you and eventually casually leave the room or go to sleep in your bed where they can’t see you.

Remember that a very young puppy can’t hold their bladder for more than 3 or 4 hours at a time so you’ll have to get up in the middle of the night a few times to let them out until they can hold it longer. Generally, a puppy can hold their bladder for about 1 hour for every month old they are. Make sure the crate is near your bed so you can be easily woken up by your dog. Most puppies will start crying when they need to go to the bathroom as long as their crate is the correct size.

Never use the crate as a punishment. The crate should be a happy place for your dog and if you start sending them there for punishment, they’ll never be able to relax while in their crate at night. Also, it may be a good idea to put one or two safe toys for your dog in the crate so they can chew on something in the middle of the night to get out some anxiety if they need to.

Once your Doberman is fully potty trained and trusted in the house (usually around one year old), you can start having your dog sleep in a normal dog bed outside the crate depending on the level of trust you have in him.

Potty Training

Age to Start Teaching: 8 weeks

Potty training a Doberman puppy can be one of the most trying and difficult things to do. It takes a ton of patience and consistency. Also, there will be accidents along the way while your dog is learning. It’s important to start housebreaking your dog right away so that he or she has some guidance and doesn’t develop bad habits.

Also, it’s a good idea to work on associating a command with your request for your dog to relieve himself. If every time you bring your dog out to the spot where he should go to the bathroom you say a command like “go potty”, your Doberman will quickly understand that is the command you say when you want him to go. This is great when you find yourself somewhere new and you need him to quickly go to the bathroom in a place that he’s not used to going.

Potty training should always be a positive experience and there should never be any harsh correction. The old-school method of rubbing a dog’s nose in their mess just won’t work in your favor with a Doberman. 

Here are the basic steps I use for potty training a Doberman puppy.

1. Develop a routine for predicting when he needs to go. It’s important that your dog is outside (or wherever you are training them to relieve themselves at) any time they naturally need to go. The more times they go outside on their own, the better. If you’re training your dog to go on your grass in the backyard, take him out and put him on the grass immediately after he wakes up in the morning, after a nap, after eating a meal, and the last thing before bed at night. Also, bring him out every 30 minutes to an hour during the day initially—you can extend this time later.
2. Always bring him to the same spot. Always bring your dog to the same spot to relieve himself. Dobermans, and dogs in general, are triggered by scents to relieve themselves. If they catch the scent of a previous time they relieved themselves in that area, it’ll remind them to go.
3. When he goes where he should, praise and reward. When your puppy finally goes where he should, regardless of whether or not you had to take him there, praise and reward him as much as possible. Get excited, jump up and down, pet him, and give him a treat. That way he’ll eventually start to associate going to the bathroom in that spot with positive feelings.
4. When an accident occurs, quickly move him to the correct spot and give the command. If he has an accident in the house, or anywhere else where he’s not supposed to go, quickly pick him up and walk him to the spot you’ve designated as his bathroom spot. Set him down and give the command you’ve chosen to tell your dog to go to the bathroom. He probably won’t go again, but he’ll smell the scent of previous times he’s gone in that area and it will help him to understand that this is the correct place to go. 

Repeat this process with perfect consistency and you should be able to potty train your Doberman fairly quickly. Keep in mind that occasional accidents in the house are normal for a Doberman puppy up until about the age of one year old. So be prepared to stay on top of potty training for that first year.

Here are some situations that you might run into, and how to handle them.

• If you catch your puppy in the act of going in the house: You need to quickly stop the dog from continuing to urinate or defecate. The best way to do this is to clap your hands loudly. Once you have your dog’s attention and they’ve momentarily paused, quickly pick them up and rush them to the correct spot for them to relieve themselves.  If they continue to go in the correct spot, praise, and reward.
• If your puppy does have an accident in the house that you don’t discover until later. You’ll need to clean up the mess with a cleaner specifically designed to breakdown the enzymes in the urine. This will ensure that the scent will be destroyed. Normal ammonia-based cleaners may leave some of the scent behind which will encourage your dog to go again in the same spot later. I like to use Nature’s Miracle Stain and Odor Remover (Amazon Link). It works well for the stains that might be left behind and it also breaks down the enzymes to prevent future accidents in the same spot.
• If you’re having continuing accidents in the house: Work on figuring out your dog’s individual schedule of when they usually go, and take them outside to their bathroom spot during those times (i.e. right after a meal, after waking up, after playing, etc). Also, try extending the amount of time you’re outside with them allowing them to sniff around longer to increase your chances of having them relieve themselves outside. Lastly, focus on the signs your dog gives when he’s about to go. Most dogs will leave the room and find a corner somewhere, or start sniffing in circles, or other similar actions. If you see these things, make a note so you can spot them in the future and get them outside as soon as possible.

The best advice I can give about potty training Doberman puppies specifically is that they love routine, and you can use this to your advantage. So make it your routine to go to the bathroom outside immediately after waking up in the morning, eating, or playing. Use their natural drive for routine to help you with potty training.

Consistency is key here. Yes, it’s incredibly tough, but you need to be consistent with helping your dog to get potty trained, especially in the first year of his life. If you need to leave the house for extended periods, such as for work, make sure you have someone come check on your dog throughout the day. A puppy can usually only hold their bladder for about an hour for every month old that they are.

Barking

Age to Start Teaching: As needed

Barking problems are a tough one to handle in Dobermans. The problem is that there are so many reasons a Doberman might be barking and the reasons will dictate the best approach for solving it. You will have to use a little common sense here and adjust this suggested method below based on what your situation is. 

These are the basic steps to stop barking in a Doberman Pinscher.

1. Determine what is causing the barking. The most common reasons a Doberman barks is because they’re bored, lonely (separation anxiety), frustrated, hungry/thirsty, or they need to go to the bathroom. If the issue is occurring when you leave or are getting ready to leave the house, then it’s most likely due to separation anxiety. Knowing the cause should guide you into creating a plan to correct the problem.
2. Reduce or completely eliminate the motivation to bark. The first, and easiest, step is to remove whatever is motivating them to bark. Sometimes this is easily done, other times it’s just not possible. For example, if your dog is barking at people walking by your fence and you can easily patch the hole in the fence they look through, do it! This may be all it takes in the easiest of cases. However, if your Dobie is barking simply because you have to leave for work, there isn’t a whole lot that you can do about having to leave every day. But try to reduce the motivation to bark wherever possible. If you’re lucky, you can solve the issue right there.
3. Put your dog in tempting barking situations and provide correction. Now you need to recreate the situation in which your dog barks but do whatever you can to get them not to. For example, if your dog is barking at someone coming to the door to alert you, but doesn’t do it when you’re standing next to him, then get someone to come to the door while you stand there with your dog. Once your dog goes through this process without barking, praise and reward! If they do bark, give them a firm command you’ve chosen to get them to stop barking (such as “quiet”), and have them sit and lay down. This is a submissive position that will communicate to the dog they’ve done wrong. Have them stay like that for 10 seconds or so and then release him. 
4. Repeat this in gradually more tempting situations. Slowly make the situations your Doberman is in where they might bark more and more tempting. If you rush this process you’ll notice that you are no longer making progress, but losing control of the barking. If this happens you need to start a few steps back and start again. Trust me, I know very well how much work this is, but don’t rush this and be consistent. It may take days or weeks to desensitize your dog enough to stop the barking. 

Remember never to physically correct your dog in any harsh manner. You want to portray that you are the alpha in the house and while the alpha may be firm at times, they’ll never be out of control. Yelling, screaming, and hitting your dog is a sign you’re out of control or losing control. This will only work against you in your training efforts. 

The Humane Society has some good suggestions and alternate methods for stopping barking on their website here. It may be worth a look if you’re still having ongoing barking problems which you can’t solve.

Remember, solving barking issues is difficult because Dobermans bark for many different reasons. Really consider what your Dobie’s motivation to bark is and what the stimulus is. Then figure out how you can either desensitize them to that stimulus, distract them, or just simply provide clear guidance as to what you expect of them in that specific situation.

If you want a more in-depth guide for the best method to stop barking in Dobermans, including the method I use most often, see my article 6 Steps to Get Your Doberman Pinscher to Stop Barking.

Making Yourself the Alpha

In the wild, each pack of dogs has an “alpha” or a dog that’s in charge of the pack. This dog sets boundaries, behavior expectations, and corrects the other dogs where needed. He is respected by all the dogs in the pack and never questioned. Quite simply, the alpha makes the rules. You need to be seen as the alpha in your house in order to properly train your Doberman.

How do you do this? It’s the simple things that all contribute to making you the alpha. Here are the things that can help ensure you’re seen as the alpha in your home by your dog.

• Maintain an alpha attitude. Your general demeanor will say a lot about you, especially to a dog that’s so intuned with human emotions like a Doberman. You need to be calm, in control, and concise with your dog. If you get frustrated with your dog and yell, scream, or hit your dog, then that shows that you’re out of control or in the process of losing control. This is not a characteristic of an alpha or pack leader.
• Walkthrough doors first. In general, the dog in a pack who is in charge will take the lead. If you make it a point to have your dog wait at a doorway (such as when leaving the house and going into the back yard for example) and allow you to go through first, you’re basically reminding them that you’re in charge. That’s a great position to be in if you also want your dog to listen to what you say later during training sessions.
• Feed your Doberman only after they do something for you. Being the one who provides the food is a clear indicator that you’re in charge. But it’s always a good idea to take it one step further. Every meal, before you feed your dog, always ask them to do something for you. I like to hold my dog’s meal bowl, full of food, and ask him to perform a command or two for me. Such as “sit”, “lie down” or “shake”. Each meal I ask something different and I only provide the food once he does it. It helps to keep me in the alpha spot in the house while in the process reinforcing his obedience training.

• Never immediately change your mind. This is a hard one that’s often missed by many Doberman owners. After all, they’re just so cute, that sometimes those puppy dog eyes can be very convincing. For example, let’s say your Dobie asks to come up on your bed and you give them a firm “no”. Then they come from a different direction with that cute, sad look in their eyes and you give in by allowing them up. You just taught your dog that persistence can overrule the boundaries that you, as the alpha, set. This is hard to recover from if you get in this habit. So if you tell your dog to do (or not do) something, stick to it and don’t give in.
• Work on obedience training frequently. Obedience training is good for your Doberman for so many reasons. It engages their mind and puts you in the position as the instructor or the one to be followed. With a Doberman, it’s important to at least practice some basic obedience commands every day. By doing this frequently, you’ll help solidify your position as the alpha.

Remember that if you set boundaries for your dog, you need to be firm in enforcing them. The worst thing you can do is start to “cave” when your dog repeatedly tests the boundaries you have. Being seen as the alpha in the house will make your daily life with your Dobie so much easier. In fact, everything will be easier. Obedience training, behavioral training, and even playtime will go much smoother.

Hard to Train or Stubborn Dobermans

If you’re one of those unlucky owners that has an unusually stubborn Doberman the only thing you can do is to either increase the motivation to follow your direction (i.e. the reward they receive), ensure you’re as absolutely clear and consistent as humanly possible, and progress as slowly as needed with the training.

By far, the most common issue I see with those who claim they have a stubborn Doberman is the owner’s lack of consistency. Many of these owners have unknowingly trained their Doberman to be stubborn by repeatedly giving in to their dog when they test the boundaries they, as the owner, have set.

“The most common issue I see with those who claim they have a stubborn Doberman is the owner’s lack of consistency.”

– John Walter (DobermanPlanet.com)

Take leash training for example. Maybe you start your walk by being very strict with your dog and not allowing him to pull on the leash, but then they just continue to test you and keep pulling on the leash over and over throughout the walk. Eventually, you start to allow them to pull more and more before you correct them. Guess what, you just trained your dog that stubbornness pays off and in reality, he’s training you to allow pulling more than you’re training him not to pull.

So always be consistent even if you have to dig deep when you don’t want to and enforce the rules even though you just want a nice “quick walk” with your dog. Look at consistently training your Doberman as an investment in a future with a Doberman who is easy to live with. 

Clicker Training

Many Doberman owners swear by the use of a clicker during training. There are studies out there that show that the use of clickers during training does increase the speed at which some dogs learn. Basically, the idea is that the clicker will provide a loud “click” and be an immediate marker of good behavior on your dog’s part.

Immediately rewarding good behavior is incredibly important when training a dog, especially one that’s easily distracted or hyper. There is often a gap of time between when your dog does something you’ve asked them to do and your ability to dig out a treat for a reward. A great way to fill that gap of time is by using a clicker as that marker that a bigger reward is coming.

I recommend clicker training for Doberman owners who are having difficulty training their Doberman due to their excitement level (common in very young Dobies) and are constantly distracted. If this is you, then you may want to try using a clicker to keep your dog’s attention during training time.

Getting Doberman-Specific Help with Training

If you’re having difficulties training your Doberman with either basic obedience commands or general behavior training, it may be a great idea to consult with a professional. Don’t let the price scare you—I’m not telling you that you’ll need to undergo 20 weeks of training. You just need a good trainer who knows how Dobermans learn for a few hours. That’s it.

I’m available for private coaching if you feel that having a private session with me may be beneficial for you. But even if you feel you only want in-person assistance and can only afford a couple one hour sessions with a reputable dog trainer who’s familiar with the unique training requirements of a Doberman, I would suggest it because it just may get you on the right track with your at-home training and make all the difference. 

I’m available for private one-on-one coaching sessions through my Private Coaching page if you need personalized help with your Doberman.

Related Questions

Are Dobermans easy to train? Dobermans are highly intelligent dogs with a natural desire to please their owners. They can be easily trained through the use of reward-based training with consistent reinforcement of desired behaviors.

Products You’ll Need

• Best Food and Training Treats for Dobermans – You’ll definitely need to fuel your Dobie well if you want him to perform and focus to the best of their ability. This page has my recommendations for the best quality foods and training treats for Dobermans specifically.
• Best Toys for Dobermans – Having the right toys that keep a Doberman engaged and willing to please is just so critical while training commands and new behaviors. Here is a list of the best toys I’ve ever found for Dobermans. You’ll need a lot of toys so don’t waste money wondering if they’ll work, get the tried-and-true Dobie pleasers on this list!
• Best Walking & Hiking Gear for Dobermans – If you are deep diving into leash training or any other outdoor outings with your Dobie, you’ll need some walking/hiking gear. This includes safety items you should always have with you (but hopefully won’t need). This is a list of must-haves for walking or hiking with your Dobie.

The post How to Train a Doberman: The Complete Guide appeared first on Doberman Planet.

Dobermans are known for being headstrong and dominant dogs so it’s understandable why so many owners seem to have problems getting their Doberman puppies to stop nipping and biting. The pecking order of littermates is figured out when a Doberman is very young through the use of biting, nipping, shoving, and other similar actions.

How do you get a Doberman puppy to stop biting? The best method to get a Doberman puppy to stop biting is by using a combination of redirection, correction, and temporary separation depending on the circumstances. Additional techniques may need to be incorporated for excessively dominant Doberman puppies.

Just about every Doberman owner will experience this. I would say that this is definitely among the top five questions I get from new Doberman owners. The problem is that puppies not only naturally bite and nip at their littermates, but they also naturally use their mouths to investigate new textures, objects, and people. Although this behavior is completely natural, it can’t be allowed. That’s what makes this issue so difficult.

Unfortunately, if left unchecked, a cute nipping Doberman puppy could grow up to be a very intimidating adult Doberman with serious biting issues. So we have to address it. This article will discuss the technique that I’ve found works far better for Doberman puppies than any other technique.

Why Doberman Puppies Nip and Bite

Puppies nip, bite, and mouth their owners for many reasons. This is an extremely natural reaction and I believe every owner of a Doberman goes through this during the puppy stages.

These are some of the reasons Doberman puppies bite.

• Pushing Boundaries – When a puppy is with his or her littermates, there is constant nipping and biting going on. This is how the puppies figure out the pecking order—which dog is in charge, and who’s below him. This is in their genetics and is a part of nature for many species.
• Teething – The teething stage is from about 12 weeks of age up until about 6 months of age (source). During this time your dog’s baby teeth are slowly being pushed out by their larger adult teeth. This is very painful for your dog and they will naturally attempt to soothe this pain by massaging their gums by chewing on various objects (including people).
• Curiosity or Playfulness – Puppies are very curious and happy little creatures. They like to feel, interact with, and be exposed to new things. Since they don’t have hands, they do this by chewing or mouthing. This is also a way that littermates play with each other when they’re young.
• Scared or Timid – A very frightened Doberman puppy will bite out of fear, although this is certainly the exception. If your puppy is biting out of fear he’ll be cowarding away from you, hiding, and biting when you approach him. If this is the case, the techniques in this article will not work for you and you need to consult with a professional.

If you believe your Doberman puppy is biting or nipping for any of the reasons listed above, other than due to fear, then the technique listed below should show significant results. 

Stopping Your Doberman Puppy from Biting

A Doberman puppy who’s still figuring out where he ranks in the social standing in your house is far easier to train not to bite than an adult Doberman who already thinks he is the leader of your household. This is why it’s so important to tackle while your dog is young. Additionally, habits form quickly in a Doberman so it’s important to ensure good habits begin when they’re young.

However, the best thing about this approach is that there are different levels and modifications you can do to this technique depending on how stubborn your puppy is. So this should work for the vast majority of Doberman owners out there.

This technique is a combination of redirection, correction, and physical separation methods. I believe it’s the perfect combination for the Doberman breed specifically.

Step 1: Identify Behaviors that Shouldn’t Be Allowed

A cute little puppy biting and mouthing at your hand seems adorable, especially when it’s being done to your kids and they’re laughing and smiling. But you really need to resist the urge to allow this behavior. When the puppy becomes a 100-pound Doberman, it’ll be a serious biting issue.

The following behaviors should not be allowed and need to be corrected.

• Biting or nipping.
• Mouthing of your hands, feet, arms, or any other areas.
• Scratching or digging at a person.

Once these behaviors surface, whether it’s during playtime or some other time, they need to be corrected immediately. Always be on the watch for these behaviors because they can creep up at any time. Once spotted, move on to step 2.

Step 2: Apply Redirection, Correction, or Separation

Depending on the puppy’s actions, you need to apply one technique or the other. Redirection is used when it appears like the dog is getting extra hyper and about to start mouthing or biting. If you can catch this behavior before it occurs, this is the best possible method of correction. Dobermans develop habits very quickly and this will interrupt the behavior before it occurs. Breaking them of this habit is much easier if you consistently interrupt it.

A firm verbal correction with a physical gesture (don’t worry I’ll explain what that is in a minute) is used when the puppy is actually biting or mouthing you. Finally, physically separating the dog will be used if the biting or nipping continues after the correction.

Don’t worry, this will all make sense in a second. Here’s how it works:

Level 1: When your puppy appears as if he is about to start mouthing or nipping…

Make sure you have plenty of toys for your dog nearby at all times. For this, you need to anticipate when the mouthing or nipping is about to begin as much as possible.

Most owners are able to anticipate that the mouthing, biting, or nipping is about to begin in their own dogs after a short time. Usually, the puppy will start to get really excited, jumping, and maybe even nipping at the air. If this happens, you need to immediately redirect the puppy to a toy or treat, praise the dog (pet him, give verbal praise, etc), and continue playing with him.

This will reinforce that when they start feeling that level of excitement, they need to find a toy or treat to chew on (not something else—like you). Your praise tells them they’ve done the right thing. The less you allow your dog to actually bite or nip you, and the more you successfully redirect before this happens, the more effectively the habit of self-redirection will be established.

Level 2: When your puppy actually bites, nips, or mouths you…

Now if you fail to anticipate that the nipping or biting is about to begin or aren’t successful in redirecting him, he may actually bite, nip, or mouth you (i.e. feeling or chewing on your hand with his mouth). When this occurs, you need to give a verbal correction, a physical cue, and disengage.

Traditional bite inhibition training usually says that you should “yelp” like a hurt dog that’s just been bitten too hard and then ignore the dog for about a minute. While ignoring the dog does appear effective with Dobermans (stopping playtime is a great punishment), the high-pitched “yelp” isn’t. This will communicate to a dog like a headstrong Doberman that they got the upper hand on you and you have now reinforced their leader status.

Instead, if your Doberman puppy bites, nips, or in any way places his mouth on you, stop playing, put an open palm in their face close enough to crowd their personal space, give a firm “No!”, and then ignore the dog for a short time. This shows the dog that you are still in control and you simply finished playing because of his or her actions. Most importantly, it removes the reinforcing aspect of this behavior, the engagement from you. It is not a submissive action like a high-pitched “yelp” sound would be.

How long you should ignore the dog varies but a great cue for when it may be ok to re-engage with your Doberman is when they noticeably calm down or redirect their attention off of you (such as to a toy).

Now, what if the dog continues nipping and biting at you while you’re in the process of attempting to ignore him? Any trainer who doesn’t address this is a poor trainer because most dogs will try this at some point—especially Dobies. When that happens, move on to level three.

Level 3: When your puppy continues to bite while attempting to ignore him…

When this happens, your puppy is essentially giving his or her all at being the one in control of the situation. They’re digging deeper into their toolkit to try to get you to engage with them on their terms. You need to stop this behavior from continuing immediately.

First, execute the normal verbal correction and physical cue, say a firm “No!” while placing the open palm of your hand directly in their face and slightly crowding their personal space. Then carefully separate your Doberman so this negative behavior has to cease. You can place them outside, in a small pen, or on the other side of a baby gate in your home containing them in a separate area of your house. Physically separating your Doberman puppy like this will help prevent the bad habit of nipping or biting from building in your Doberman, something this breed is prone to.

Never Show Anger

“When correcting your dog, be firm and consistent, but never angry. Anger will only show your Doberman that he’s making progress pushing the boundaries you’re trying to set.”

– John Walter – DobermanPlanet.com

The length of time of physically separating your Doberman until you release them from their separation area will vary on when you think the behavior has been sufficiently interrupted and it will not continue when your dog is released. A good clue is to look for when your Doberman seems to “relax” and redirect themselves from being hyper-focused on you and onto something else (such as a chew toy).

Step 3: Remain Consistent

This is maybe the most obvious, but definitely the hardest part of the whole process and where most people fail. This is how Dobermans grow up to be aggressive and ultimately given up to a shelter or rescue when they’re older. How long you have to do the above-described steps will vary based on the dog. But typically by the time they’re 6 months of age, they should be trained, or mostly trained, not to bite or nip.

You just simply can’t allow there to be any time where you let the mouthing, chewing, biting, or nipping on people to continue unchecked. Even just allowing it once because it’s a fun, and seemingly harmless game can set this training back by weeks.

If the dog is playing with your children, and they are old enough to follow these instructions, then you can have your kids help with the training as long as they too remain consistent. If your children are too young to help you train the dog, then all of their interactions need to be supervised by an adult who can step in to make sure the training steps listed above are performed.

Ensuring Success

This technique is very powerful for Dobermans specifically, but there are a few other things that you can do to help support your puppy further. Think of these things as “effectiveness boosters” for the technique listed above.

To speed training along, incorporate as many of the following as possible:

• Enroll in basic obedience classes. This is a great chance for your dog to socialize, it’s mentally and physically stimulating, and it’ll help teach them some of the basic manners and commands that’ll make solving the biting problem a whole lot easier. 
• Exercise first thing every day and play only afterward. Puppies have a ton of energy and burning off the worst of it before playtime (where they’re likely to get more “nippy”) should make a big difference. Dobermans can’t participate in strenuous exercise on hard surfaces until at least 18 months of age, but you can do light exercise or play that’s not likely to result in nipping first thing in the morning to tire them out.
• Have toys with food or frozen treats inside to use as a redirect tool. These types of toys are like super-charged distraction devices. They’re a great tool in your toolbox for this type of training. For some ideas, see my list of recommended toys here.
• Train your pup with the “off” or “space” command. Training your puppy to understand “space” or “off” when they’re getting too rough with their play will help greatly to avoid mouthing.
• Have playtime with other dogs. Dogs naturally help correct each other. So if your dog is overly dominant, going on regular trips to the dog park might help bring him back to center. Just make sure your vet says this is ok since young puppies usually need certain vaccinations before playing with other dogs.
• Do not play serious tug-of-war games. Tug-o-war is a game that is a classic “fight for dominance” in the dog world. Avoid playing this with your puppy in a manner that is any more serious than a light tug or two on a toy during playtime.
• Socialize as much as possible. Socialize your puppy with other dogs, people, and animals as much as possible. The more he or she is exposed to, the more “centered” his attitude will be. 

If you incorporate more of these things into your puppy’s life, your chances of success with getting him to stop biting will increase drastically. If you’re having a hard time, hit this problem with everything you’ve got by doing all of these.

When This Doesn’t Work – For Very Dominant Puppies

Some dogs are just more headstrong and dominant than other dogs are. Although this is by far the best technique I’ve found for Doberman puppies, even dominant ones, I am still realistic and will admit that there will be the occasional dog that this technique will not work on. It’s extremely rare and it’s far more likely that it’s the owner’s technique of using this method that’s to blame (or they are not consistent), but not always.

This is just a fact of life—every dog has its own personality. Headstrong dogs are certainly more common in the European lines than the American lines, although either variant can be dominant. 

If you haven’t seen any improvement in your puppy’s biting and you’ve:

1. Done the steps above for at least a month (including the things listed in the “Ensuring Success” section above),
2. Remained consistent the entire time, and
3. Your dog is 6 months of age or over.

Then you have a very dominant dog on your hands and it’s incredibly important that you figure out the issue as soon as possible or you may have an adult Doberman with serious behavioral issues. This has the potential to become dangerous, especially if you have kids in the house.

This is, unfortunately, the time in which I need to tell you that you need to call in a professional. You need to contact a dog trainer who has experience with Dobermans specifically or a dog behavioralist. If you don’t take some serious steps now, even if they cost a bit of money, you’re setting yourself up for a lot of heartbreak and expenses down the road.

TIP:

For other techniques and ideas for dealing with biting, take a look at the AKC’s website about stopping biting in puppies here or the DPCA’s website about stoping biting in Dobermans here.

Final Thoughts

I haven’t mentioned this specifically in this article but hopefully, it’s obvious to most of you out there—never hit, slap, or strike your dog in any way. Not only is this cruel, but it doesn’t communicate to a dog what it does to a human. If you want to avoid a dog that bites as an adult, that’s the last thing you should be doing.

But if you follow these steps, and remain composed, firm, and extremely consistent, then I would say you are almost sure to see success. Remember, time is on your side. As your puppy ages, he’ll naturally grow to be less inclined to bite or nip like he did when he was younger. At about 6 months of age, you’ll likely notice a big shift.

Stick with it and don’t give up. These puppy years are very trying times for owners but if you do what you know you should, you’ll have one awesome and easy-going adult Doberman in a year or so.

Related Questions

Do Dobermans chew a lot? Dobermans have a strong natural desire to chew. They use chewing as a way to feel new objects, soothe irritated gums, relieve stress, and burn off extra energy. Always make sure you have plenty of chew toys on hand so your Doberman has a healthy outlet for his chewing.

When do Dobermans stop teething? Doberman puppies enter the teething stage at about 3 months of age and are finished teething at around 6 months, or whenever they have all their adult teeth.

Why does my Doberman puppy keep biting? Doberman puppies bite and nip most often due to a natural instinct that they’re born with which helps them to establish levels of dominance among their littermates.

Other Resources

If you are having some of the other common issues with Dobermans, check out these articles on my site that might be able to help.

• How to Train Your Doberman to Walk on a Leash – This one of the most important things to do early in your Dobermans life. It’ll instill obedience and allow you to easily exercise your dog without the headache.
• 6 Steps to Get Your Doberman Pinscher to Stop Barking – The method I used which finally got my Doberman to stop barking while I was away from home.

The post How to Get a Doberman Puppy to Stop Biting: The Best Method appeared first on Doberman Planet.

Probably one of the best things you can do for yourself and your Doberman is to have your Doberman leash trained. It may not always be easy, but accomplishing this will allow you to go on walks together without the stress and strain of constant leash pulling. Dobermans need lots of exercise and having your dog leash trained will make getting that exercise much easier. 

How do you train a Doberman to heel? Training a Doberman to heel while walking on a leash can be done through consistent reward-based practice inside the home and later graduating to practicing in public areas with more distractions.

Here’s the problem; Dobermans can be a little headstrong. So you need to know how to teach leash training in a way that works specifically well for Dobermans. These dogs naturally want to be alpha dogs. They want to walk in front of you and take control. They’re also large and strong so sometimes it feels impossible to get a Doberman leash trained.

It’s because they’re so large and strong however that leash training them is so important. Not just to reduce your stress, but for safety reasons. Over my time working with Dobermans, this is the method that I found to be most effective and it works by playing off their natural instincts.

Before You Start

There are a few things that you should have in order before you begin leash training your Doberman. Don’t skip any of these because the head-strong Doberman can be incredibly stubborn with leash training, so you need to start off correctly.

1. Practice basic manners. Instilling minimal manners in your dog will work wonders for leash training. A great, simple way to do this is to make sure you’re always the first through a door. If your dog is in the habit of waiting for you to go through a door before you allow them through, it’ll help establish yourself as the one in charge and your dog will develop some basic self-control. 
2. Teach your dog the “sit” command. This is a necessary command that we will use during the step-by-step leash training guide below.
3. Teach your dog a release command. This is another necessary command that your dog needs to know for this process to work. This is any command that tells your dog that he’s done with what you asked of him and he can relax. For my Doberman, the command was “Ok!” but many prefer using other words since ok is used so frequently in daily speech. Words like “free”, “finish”, “all done”, or “all clear” work great. 
4. Have a non-extendible leash and a standard collar. Extendable (or retractable) leashes won’t work since they teach your dog that to have more freedom he only needs to pull harder. So have a good regular leash on hand—I prefer a standard 6-foot leash. Pronged or choke collars aren’t appropriate when you’re first starting, so go with a basic collar. We’ll talk about using pronged collars in a bit.
5. Have dog treats for a reward. This is very important since the leash training will be reward and praise based. This will be your dog’s reward. For best results, have a treat that he goes crazy over but isn’t given to him at any other time—only while leash training. This will keep it exciting for him. I suggest specific treats for training purposes on my recommended food and treats page here.
6. Decide on a reward marker. Every time you want to reward your dog throughout this training, you need a reward marker. You can buy a dog training clicker or you can simply decide on a verbal cue for this like “good boy!” This is what you’ll do anytime the instructions below say to “praise” your dog.

Once you have these things in order, you can move on to the step-by-step guide below to start leash training. If you have all six of these things squared away, you’ll in about as good as spot as possible to succeed with leash training!

TIP:

There are some subtle differences between how male and female Dobermans learn new training concepts. To dive more indepth into this, look at my article Male vs. Female Doberman: Which is Better?

Doberman Leash Training: Step-by-Step

As you follow these steps, remember not to graduate to the next step until you believe your dog has a solid understanding of the step you’re currently on. This can take a lot of patience for a headstrong alpha dog like a Doberman. Just be prepared, consistent, and patient!

Step 1 – Teach Your Dog to Yield to Leash Pressure

This is pretty basic and all you need to do is familiarize him with this concept—he doesn’t need to master it. You want him to understand that light pressure from the leash means he needs to go that direction. Practice this someplace where there will be little to no distractions. Inside your home or in a fenced yard usually works very well for this. 

• Start with your Doberman at your side, lower the lead (or leash) until it’s parallel to the ground and apply a small amount of pressure to his lead to one side so he moves towards the direction of the pressure. As soon as he does, immediately praise and reward your dog. Then bring him back to your side.
• Continue doing this in different directions until you notice he is willingly going the direction in which you apply light pressure consistently. You want him focused on you and looking for that reward when he does what you want. Your dog now understands the basics of yielding to leash pressure!

Step 2 – Practice the Heel Position

The next step is to practice the heel position. Also, do this step in a place where there’s little or no distractions. Lead him to your side so his front feet are in line with your feet—this is the “heel” position. 

• Once in that position, use your reward marker (dog clicker or verbal praise) and give a treat. Make sure he notices that you have the treats so he is better able to focus on you.
• Continue rewarding him as he sits there, one reward and praise every few seconds.
• After about 10-20 seconds, depending on how long your dog is able to do this, give another big praise and reward, then give him the release command.
• Now allow him to sniff a few things and “be a dog” for a minute. Do not allow him to pull during this time. If he pulls, stop, and back up a few steps.
• Now repeat these steps—each time increasing the length of time you keep him at your side and the length of time between each reward and praise. Use the treat in your hand as a way to keep his attention. 

Step 3 – Start Walking Short Distances

Now that you have his attention and he is starting to understand that he is rewarded for being in the heel position (at your side) it’s time to walk.

• With his focus either on you or your hand which has the treat, start walking a few steps with him at your side. Walk 10 to 15 feet, then stop, give the sit command, reward, and praise. Your hand in front of his nose with the treat in it should help keep his focus while also preventing him from walking out in front of you.
• Only praise and reward your Doberman once you stop and he sits down as you command him to. If he doesn’t, apply light upward pressure on the leash while giving the sit command to encourage him to sit down. Once he does, release the upward pressure, praise, and reward.
• Do not walk unless the dog is at your side and giving you slack on the leash. If he starts to walk in front of you, stop and back up a few steps then tell him to sit again. Do not wait until he is pulling on the leash to correct him, correct him as soon as he tries to leave your side and walk in front of you.
• Give the release command after a short time of doing this and allow him about a minute to sniff around and be a normal dog (still on the leash, and with you still not allowing him to pull you). As you progress with this, there should be longer periods of time between his breaks, but you should never stop giving breaks entirely.

Step 4 – Repeat and Correct as Necessary

Repeat these steps while applying corrections as necessary along the way. This is where most people give up and fail at leash training. With a headstrong dog like a Doberman, you may have to do this many times until he “gives up control” of the walk. But it’s imperative you stick with this and are incredibly consistent. It will slowly get easier with practice, I promise.

• As you practice, remember that your dog should be in the habit of always sitting when you come to a stop. If he doesn’t, give the sit command in a firm voice with a little upward pressure on the lead. Once he sits, praise and reward.
• You will also need to correct your dog if he becomes distracted. Learning to ignore distractions in the environment is part of his training. 
• Begin practicing 180 degree turns by guiding him as your turn. Immediately reward him if he turns smoothly while maintaining the heel position next to you, or better yet, he anticipates your turn.

Step 5 – Gradually Transition to Public Places

Just like with any of these steps, don’t progress to this step unless he has shown that he has the other steps down. Now that he is demonstrating a solid understanding of the concepts, it’s time to take him to someplace with more distractions.

• Bring him to a park or other public setting with people within eyesight, but still somewhat in the distance.
• Continue practicing these concepts while working hard to make sure he maintains his focus on you. If he gets distracted, stop and back up a few steps, then have him sit. 
• As he demonstrates that he can maintain focus even with distractions, start walking closer to people or other distractions that are present. Continue this until he demonstrates proficiency in walking on the leash in the heel position even in the face of distractions.

The American Kennel Club (or AKC) has a section on its website all about leash training a dog here. It’s not incredibly detailed but if you want some more pointers to supplement what you learned here, it could be worth taking a look.

Stop Training Him to Pull on the Leash

Unfortunately, it’s far too easy to reinforce bad behavior when he’s on a leash. You may be actually training him to pull on the leash without even knowing it. Whenever your dog pulls on the leash, if you walk with him and let him lead you over to whatever he wants to sniff—then you just reinforced leash pulling.

Any time your dog tries to pull you a certain direction you need to stop, walk a few steps back while guiding him backward, then tell him to sit. This will make pulling on the leash not any fun for him. When it’s not fun, he won’t want to do it.

Reasons Most People Fail

There are some common reasons that most people fail when it comes to leash training their Doberman. Hopefully knowing these reasons will help you avoid some of the common mistakes.

The first, and biggest reason most people fail at this is a lack of consistency. They’ll practice leash training for a day or two, but then they’ll want to take him on a real fast walk someplace. They’ll tell themselves that they can’t take all day on this one specific walk so they’ll let the dog lead, get distracted, or pull the leash. One day of this can set you back weeks of leash training.

You need to practice these steps with your Doberman, very consistently, and sometimes for months before he’ll understand and react appropriately. Starting leash training is a big commitment and you need to see it through or it will be very difficult correcting things later.

TIP:

Your leash training session shouldn’t be your dog’s first exercise of the day. Your Doberman will have too much energy, especially if they’re young. Exercise your dog beforehand so he’ll have an easier time focusing.

Your dog needs to know that walking on the leash will always be the same and with the same expectations from you—with NO EXCEPTIONS. Dobermans are incredibly intelligent and if they think that you just decide in the first few minutes of a walk whether there will be rules during this walk, then they’ll do everything they can to convince you that it’s not worth making this walk one of the “strict ones”. Usually by being as much of a pain as possible.

The second reason people often fail at this is that they don’t give their dogs the release command and allow them to sniff around in their environment enough. Giving him breaks is very important. They still need to be a dog from time to time and if they know you’ll still allow this on occasion, they will be much more willing to put in the effort to behave when you need them to.

Using Pronged Collars

Choke collars, or prong collars, are somewhat controversial since many people see them as cruel. Here’s the thing, they are great training tools if used correctly—but yes, they’re somewhat cruel if they aren’t.

The biggest issue is that people will start using pronged collars on their Doberman before he’s leash trained. This is where it becomes cruel. If your dog still hasn’t figured out what is expected of him, he could hurt himself while he’s still figuring it out. 

Pronged collars should really only be used later in leash training when your dog already has a basic understanding of what’s expected of him. If used in this way, they are very safe, humane, and a great training tool to reinforce what your dog already knows.

Also, you should never use one on a dog younger than 6 months of age, but to be safe, I’d even go further and say one year or younger. If you do decide someday to incorporate a pronged collar, use small corrections only and never apply prolonged pressure from the dog’s lead.

Final Thoughts

Leash training is probably among the most important things you can do for your Doberman (and yourself). It’s no secret that Dobermans need a lot of exercise, and if you don’t have an easy and efficient way of taking your dog outside for that daily exercise, then you’ll be less likely to do it.

This can lead to increased anxiety in your dog and destructive behavior. Trust me, that will only lead to increased anxiety for you. Listen, I know from personal experience—leash training can be very trying and take a whole lot of patience, but having a leash trained Dobie is such a major stress reliever. Stick with it, be consistent, and you’ll thank yourself later.

Related Questions

How long should you walk a Doberman? Young or elderly Dobermans, or those who are out of shape, should walk about 15 to 45 minutes at a time. Healthy, adult dogs in optimal shape can easily walk 2 hours or more. Dobermans need a total of about 1 to 2 hours of exercise per day.

Other Resources

• How to Train a Doberman: The Complete Guide – This is Doberman Planet’s complete guide on how to train a Doberman for obedience and behavior.
• How to Get a Doberman Puppy to Stop Biting: The Best Method – A puppy who’s biting or nipping too much is probably the other most common issue Doberman owners have. Here’s the best method I’ve found for dealing with this.

The post How to Train Your Doberman to Walk on a Leash appeared first on Doberman Planet.

If you have an overly needy or clingy Doberman, you may have realized that you can’t go to the bathroom, eat, sleep, or even browse the internet to learn how to deal with a needy Doberman without them on top of you (admit it, your dog’s head is in your lap right now). Luckily, there are some proven techniques for dealing with this that are fairly effective with Dobermans.

Are Dobermans needy dogs? Dobermans are often described as overly needy dogs due to their tendency to be hyper-focused on their owners. They have earned the title “velcro dogs” due to their desire to be close to, or even on top of, their owners at all times. 

There is a difference between an overly needy Doberman and one who suffers from separation anxiety. A needy Doberman won’t let you eat, sleep, or go to the bathroom alone. They might chew their bone on your lap or refuse to eat unless you’re sitting with them. They’ll be well behaved while you’re gone, but ecstatic to see you when you arrive back home.

A Doberman who suffers from separation anxiety, on the other hand, will destroy objects, dig up the yard, chew your furniture, or howl and bark incessantly when you’re gone from the house. Sure, needy Dobermans are more prone to separation anxiety, but “needy” is fairly common for most Doberman (that’s why their called “velcro” dogs after all⁠—they want to stick to you all the time) whereas separation anxiety isn’t as common and is the sign of a bigger issue that needs to be addressed.

Needy or Clingy Dobermans

Let’s be honest here, almost every Doberman I’ve known can be described as needy or clingy, depending on your perspective. They need 1 to 2 hours of exercise every day, they need tons of interactions with their owners and lots of socialization. The list of “needs” goes on. But there is such a thing as a Doberman who’s too needy or clingy.

A Doberman who’s “overly needy” will take things to a whole other level. They may do things such as:

• Frantically trying to get into the bathroom as soon as you walk in (crying, scratching, chewing at the door, etc).
• Forcefully chewing his or her bones or toys on your lap.
• Refusing to eat meals if you aren’t sitting next to him.
• Constant crying, yelping, or barking when he’s next to you but isn’t getting enough attention.
• Inability to be potty trained due to never wanting to leave your side (urinating or defecating in the house).
• Repeatedly, and forcefully getting in your face or nuzzling you.
• Acting out in negative ways to get attention,⁠ such as stealing clothes or destroying things in the house so you’ll interact with him.

Hopefully, you can see where your typical attention-loving Doberman ends and a needy Doberman begins. I’ll admit that it can be a fine line at times since all Dobermans are (to varying degrees) on the clingy side.

Dealing with Neediness

As we talked about, all Dobermans are somewhat needy. But when it becomes extreme and interferes with your daily life then there’s an issue. Every time I’ve seen this problem, it has been due to either a lack of training by the owners to establish boundaries, a lack of basic needs fulfillment (usually a lack of time spent interacting with the dog), or a combination.

I’m not here to be harsh, and I’m not here to judge you in any way—I’m only here to tell you the truth. Just about every Doberman I’ve ever met would eventually become what I described as “overly needy” if boundaries were not set, and enforced, by their owners. Put simply, this issue almost always has to do with a lack of obedience training or boundary setting by the owners.

If you want help training your Doberman for all the most common obedience commands and behaviors, have a look at my article How to Train a Doberman: The Complete Guide.

Of course, there are other factors too, like not providing your dog with enough attention in the first place. You do need to give your dog attention or they will simply continue to demand it. But there should be a limit to where the attention demanded becomes unreasonable. 

If your dog is overly needy or clingy, here are some things you can do to help:

• Enroll your Doberman in obedience classes. Obedience classes are a great way to mentally stimulate your dog and instill some obedience. Since being clingy and needy is almost always at least partially related to a lack of obedience training, this is a great first step. The key is to channel your dog’s extra energy into completing obedience challenges.
• Keep your dog physically and mentally fit. Dobermans require a lot of exercise and mental stimulation. Provide 1 to 2 hours of exercise per day, as needed based on their stress levels. Also provide mental stimulation such as puzzle toys, hide and seek games, or training. Enrolling him in agility classes are a great fun way to do both.
• Take charge as the owner. You need to be seen as the alpha in your relationship with your Dobie so that you’re able to set boundaries. An alpha is strong, consistent, and in control. Harsh punishments or yelling at your dog is not being in control. Clear, firm, directives that are consistent are the best way to establish yourself as the one in charge. Don’t forget the positive reinforcement either.
• Teach “space” and “off” commands. Spend time teaching your dog commands to alleviate some of the neediness issues. I taught my dog that the command “space” meant to walk away from me. While the “off” command I used to get him off the couch, bed, or any other object he was on. The key to training these commands is to stay extremely consistent. After your dog knows these commands, if you give it and he doesn’t do it, you need to correct him by making him do it. Always act calm and in control. Then praise your dog once he’s done what you’ve asked.
• Distract your dog when he’s being needy. Distract your dog with a treat, toy, or other distraction. A favorite of Doberman owners to accomplish this is by using a Kong toy filled with peanut butter or a frozen treat. Your dog will likely walk off on his own and work on it for a while. It helps to show your dog that it’s ok to be apart from you for a while.
• Teach “go to [place]” command. Another great approach is to spend some time teaching your dog a command where when you give it, your dog needs to go to a certain place. My Dobie knew the command “bed”. When either my wife or I would give it, he would go to his bed which was located in the corner of the living room and lay down.

The most important advice I can give you about getting some relief from the clinginess of your Doberman is to establish boundaries. Consistency with Dobermans is absolutely key because they’re just too intelligent.

The problem with smart dogs like Dobermans is that they will always push the boundaries as far as they can. If you give them an inch, they’ll take a mile. Then if they can’t push the boundaries any more they will look for a different way to accomplish the same end goal—laying directly on top of you for example. The way you stop this is to establish boundaries and to be incredibly consistent in enforcing them (usually through the use of commands).

The Difference Between Being “Needy” and Separation Anxiety

If your dog’s neediness gets to extreme levels or starts to affect him when you’re gone from the house, then it may not just be a needy Dobie anymore. It might be a Dobie who’s suffering from separation anxiety.

Needy Dobermans are certainly at more risk to suffer from separation anxiety, although these are two entirely different things. One’s a sign of something bigger wrong (separation anxiety), while the other one is a sign of boundaries not being enforced (neediness). Separation anxiety primarily occurs when you leave the house, neediness occurs when you’re home.

Separation Anxiety

Obviously, Dobermans like to have lots of interactions with their owners. This means that they’re very prone to separation anxiety. Even leaving them alone for a short period of time, like getting the mail, can result in anxiety and destructive behaviors in an affected dog. 

Separation anxiety takes its toll on your Doberman. It can lead to serious behavior problems if left unchecked. It will also be incredibly stressful on your dog. This is a more serious issue than the all-to-common Doberman neediness. See this helpful guide for more information on how to spot separation anxiety, and what to do about it: How to Prevent Separation Anxiety in Dobermans – Proven Method.

If you feel like you have no choice but to leave your Doberman home alone for long periods of time (due to work, school, etc), then take a look at my article How Long Can You Leave a Doberman Home Alone? for some help on how to deal with this.

Identifying Separation Anxiety

The symptoms of separation anxiety can actually start before you leave the house—when your Doberman realizes that you’re just preparing to leave. 

The behaviors that are indicative of separation anxiety include:

• Pacing or Crying Before You Leave – A Doberman suffering from separation anxiety may start crying, pacing back and forth, and sticking close to your side while you are getting ready to leave (like grabbing your car keys, getting dressed for work, etc).

• Destructive Digging – A Dobie may frantically attempt to escape their yard or enclosure to get to their owner once they’ve left. They may try digging through doors, windows, or in the dirt in the backyard. Sometimes they’ll just dig holes in the backyard as a means to burn off the extra anxious energy.
• Chewing on Things They Shouldn’t – They may also chew on things that they shouldn’t around the house, including doors, door frames, carpets, and even walls. The chewing can be an attempt to burn off the anxious energy or another attempt to escape.
• Climbing or Jumping Boundaries – In another attempt to get to you, they may try to jump their fencing or enclosures. Dobermans are incredibly intelligent and they will look for multiple ways out of your yard.
• Excessive Crying, Barking, or Howling – You probably will only know that this is happening when you’re gone because your neighbors will tell you. It can be loud, annoying, and get you in a lot of trouble with people in the neighborhood. For more help with this, see my article 6 Steps to Get Your Doberman Pinscher to Stop Barking.

If you’re in doubt whether a behavior your dog is exhibiting is separation anxiety or just some other bad behavior, ask yourself if it happens when you’re home or only when you’re gone. If it doesn’t happen when you’re home, then it’s more than likely related to separation anxiety.

Causes of Separation Anxiety

The underlying cause of a Doberman’s separation anxiety is the fear of you leaving the house and not returning. Doberman puppies will often show this the first time they are left home alone. But, this doesn’t mean they will develop true separation anxiety. True separation anxiety is often triggered by changes in an older puppy or adult dog’s life.

Dobermans do not always adjust well to changes in their lives. Major disruptions can be upsetting to them and lead to separation anxiety. Changes in family schedules or housing are two common triggers. Changes in their primary caregiver, being overly isolated, or being abandoned can also trigger the onset of separation anxiety.

Treatment Options

There are things you can do if your dog has gone beyond needy or clingy, and is now in separation anxiety territory. Below are some of the approaches that many Doberman owners take which seem to produce fairly good results.

• Increase the exercise your dog gets. Increasing the amount of exercise your dog gets throughout the day may be necessary to help him calm down while you’re away.
• Provide plenty of good chew toys. Leaving plenty of good chew toys including puzzle toys to keep his mind occupied is also extremely helpful at relieving your dog’s stress while you’re away. Some owners have one, very special and very loved toy, that they only bring out for their dog when they are about to leave. This keeps the toy exciting and begins the association of good feelings when the owner leaves.
• Decrease stress in the home. Dobermans are very sensitive to stress in the home. If your home has many conflicts, you need to spend time and effort resolving those.
• Be calm yourself. When leaving for the day, you should say a casual goodbye to your dog but don’t do an over-the-top “I’m never seeing you again” long hug and kiss session. Also, when you get home, make it a casual hello. Making either of these things too extreme will tell your dog that you leaving is a big deal, which is the opposite of what you want him to feel. 
• Music or Television. Research has shown that certain music can help calm most dogs. Calming solo-piano seems to have an effect of reducing heart rate due to the slow rhythms and simpler arrangements. Try playing this calming music 20 minutes before you leave. Also, sometimes just putting on the television before you leave will break the silence and can help calm your dog—just be sure the channel you pick won’t have an action movie on later in the day or a show with barking dogs.
• Desensitization training. This is a more in-depth approach that involves a series of steps which helps your dog to gradually accept more and more separation from you. It takes a large time commitment and cannot be rushed.
• Calming devices. The research is varied, but these do appear to help some dogs. Some of these things are body wraps, mutt muffs, or calming pheromones  
• Anti-anxiety medication. I would consider this a last resort for only the absolute worst cases. Talk to your veterinarian if you’re considering medications for this purpose.

How Desensitization Training Helps

Desensitization training helps your Doberman accept your absence. It’s a fairly in-depth approach and I won’t be able to cover it in detail here. But basically, it’s a step-by-step process where you gradually increase your Doberman’s confidence and train him that he does not need your constant touch and affection. It will also help him learn that you will always return.

The basic steps are to teach your dog to: 

1. Sit for 60 seconds or longer, 
2. Have them stay while you move away, still in sight, and finally, 
3. Have them sit and stay while you’re out of sight for increasingly longer periods of time. 

The main key is using treats and praise as positive reinforcements. The other key is to have small expectations, such as sitting for five seconds and moving forward gradually. The steps cannot be rushed. 

Negative reinforcement should not be used as it will only increase your dog’s anxiety. Moving forward in this process should only happen after consistent success is demonstrated in the current step.

Final Points

It’s important to remember that, by nature, a Doberman can be a very needy dog. That’s not always a bad thing and can be quite normal. However, early training and socialization can help prevent the neediness from getting extreme or becoming separation anxiety. 

Remember, to give them plenty of attention, put some time into training every day (even if it’s just a few minutes), provide plenty of exercise, and show them by your attitude that it’s not a big deal when you leave the house.

Also, establish personal space boundaries and train your dog with commands that you can use when they test those boundaries. Lastly, and most importantly, be consistent. I know you won’t want to get up off the couch and make them sit in their bed once you gave the “go to bed” command and they ignored you, but trust me, your future self will thank you if you do. And you do need to do it every-single-time, without fail. Dig deep! Good luck!

The post How to Handle a Needy Doberman: A Simple Guide appeared first on Doberman Planet.

As I’m sure you already know, Dobermans are an incredibly intelligent breed of dog. They’re also always eager to please their masters. These two traits mean you have a dog that is highly trainable and can easily learn some more advanced, and impressive, tricks.

I previously wrote an article titled 13 Easy Tricks to Teach Your Doberman (with Pictures). If you haven’t had a look at that article yet, please do. That list contains some of the easier tricks for Doberman’s to learn. It’s a great primer for these more advanced tricks. The tricks here are certainly more impressive, but also may take a bit more work for your dog to pick up on.

My Training Philosophy

If you read my previous article, then you already have a bit of an idea of my training philosophy, but I’ll briefly touch on it here. First, learning these tricks should be a fun experience for both you and your dog. I encourage you to train your Doberman with lots of positive reinforcement.

Giving your dog lots of praise and a delicious reward (or healthy training treat) goes a long way with teaching these things to your dog. There really isn’t any need for negative correction here. Only positive reinforcement of your dog’s behavior once you get him (or her) to do what you want.

I also love the use of visual cues along with a verbal command. Visual cues just seem to work very well for Dobermans since they are so focused on you at all times. They really do help to speed up training. So use visual cues with as many of these commands you’re trying to teach your dog as possible. Now let’s get on to the advanced tricks!

1. Crawl

Command: “Crawl”, “Stay Low”

Result: On your command, your dog will crawl along the ground while laying on their stomach.

This is a great, slightly more advanced, trick that is still easy for this breed to pick up on with some patience. Having your dog “army crawl” across the floor on command is a pretty cool thing to see.

Start with your dog in the (upright) laying down position. Give the verbal command of your choice and a visual cue. I like to point in the direction I want my dog to crawl. Have a treat in one hand and hold it on the ground about a foot in front of them. They will naturally crawl a bit forward to get the treat. If your dog wants to stand up to get the treat, you are probably placing the treat too far away—try bringing it closer to your dog.

Once he makes any motion that even remotely resembles the beginning of a crawl, praise and reward your dog. Continue practicing this command by holding the treat further and further away from the dog on the ground. Do not give the treat to your dog if they stand up during this exercise, only praise and reward if your dog crawls towards it. Eventually, you’ll be able to transition into having your dog crawl in the direction you point, with a verbal command, and without using a treat as a lure.

2. Wave

Command: “Wave”, “Hi”, “Bye”, “Bye-Bye”

Result: On your command, your dog will lift one paw and scratch at the air in front of them (appearing to be wave).

This is a very cute trick for your dog to be able to do, but it’s one of the more advanced tricks to teach on this list and may take a bit of patience. It’s best to make sure your dog already knows that shake command before attempting to teach him this trick, it’ll make it much easier for him to learn.

Start with your dog in a seated position and a treat nearby. Ask him to shake and put out your hand. When he gives you his paw, shake it like normal, but then raise it up high near his eye level. While doing this, give your verbal command (such as “Wave!”). Then grab his paw with your other hand and make it scratch at the palm of your hand that he was shaking a second ago. Have your palm displayed directly at him. Then praise and reward him.

With practice, you should be able to just show him your palm in front of him (like you would for a high-five), and he’ll start scratching at it. Then you should be able to show your palm to him a small distance in front of him, without touching him whatsoever, and he’ll start scratching towards it. Praise and reward when he’s accomplished the task each time. Eventually, you should be able to do it across the room from him and get him to scratch at the air like a wave goodbye.

3. Close Door

Command: “Close It”

Result: On your command, your dog will use his nose to push a door or cupboard closed.

This is a very useful command for your dog to know, especially if you are rushing around the kitchen trying to get things done and need a cupboard closed.

Start with a treat in your hand, your dog sitting next to you, and a partially open cupboard in front of the two of you. Give your command and visual cue to your dog, such as pointing at the open cupboard door, then put the treat right up against the door with your hand and encourage your dog to go for it (but don’t let him get it just yet). When his nose hits the door and it closes, praise him and give him the treat.

Repeat this until your dog will bump the cupboard door closed with his nose on your command without the treat being held against the door. Once he has this down, it should be very easy to get him to do this with a full sized door such as your front door or a closet door.

4. Pick It Up

Command: “Pick it Up”, “Get it”, “Give it”

Result: On your command, your dog will pick up something on the ground that you point at, and bring it to you.

This is another very useful command. In fact, Dobermans who are taught to be service dogs are pros at performing this task. For this trick, our visual cue will be you pointing at the object you want him to pick up.

Start with him seated in front of you and one of his favorite toys in your hand. Drop the toy to the ground, point at it, and give your verbal command. Many Dobermans will instinctually pick it up. If he doesn’t, then quickly reach down and put it in his mouth. Have him pause for a second or two with it in his mouth, then reach down and pick it out of his mouth. Praise and give a treat.

As he starts to understand what you want of him, he’ll probably just be picking up the item and waiting for you to take it from his mouth. When you’re at this point, start putting out the palm of your hand and asking him to place it in your hand before praising and rewarding. Make sure you practice this with various objects as you go so he never gets used to doing it with only one object.

5. Open the Refrigerator

Command: “Open”, “Open it Up”, “Fridge”

Result: On your command, your dog will open up the refrigerator.

I’ve used this before when I’ve had a hand full of groceries and needed the fridge open. I’ve also just used it when I’ve been walking towards the fridge and want it open before I get there. This is an impressive trick that also has a few good uses. To do this, you’ll need to tie something to the handle of your refrigerator like an old towel or small rope so your dog has something to pull on to get the refrigerator’s door to open.

Lucky for your, Doberman’s will naturally pick up this trick a lot quicker than many other breeds. Start in front of your refrigerator, have a treat nearby but don’t let your dog see the treat yet or it might distract him. Show him the rope (or towel) tied to the handle of your refrigerator, give him the verbal command along with a visual cue.

Then shake the rope while encouraging him to get it. Try to get your dog in “tug-of-war” mode. With a Dobie, you basically just need to get him excited enough and start encouraging him more once he grabs it with his mouth. Their natural instinct will be to pull on it. Once the refrigerator door opens, praise and reward your dog. You should be able to have less and less involvement in this motion as you practice until you’re able to just give the verbal command and he’ll open the door.

6. Get the Remote

Command: “Fetch Remote”, “Get Remote”, “Remote”

Result: On your command, your dog will seek out the television remote control and bring it to you.

This trick is all about making your dog useful! Keep in mind that this trick is a dangerous one for your remote control so if you have a spare remote, or an old used one you don’t care about (get a cheap one at a Goodwill), that might be better than training with a remote you care about. Make sure there are no loose parts he can swallow.

Start with the remote control on the floor next to you and a treat in your hand. Point to the remote control and give your verbal command. If your dog doesn’t naturally pick the remote up (which some Doberman’s will naturally do on their own), then bend down, pick it up, and put it in his mouth. Pause for a few seconds and then take it from him. Praise and reward.

Repeat this until he’s picking up the remote on his own and naturally handing it to you for his treat. Now try spacing the remote out further and further away from you. Eventually, he should be able to seek out the remote on your command and bring it back to you for his treat.

7. Hide and Seek

Command: “Find [name]”, “Seek”

Result: On your command, your dog will search the house looking for a hiding family member. Optionally, your dog will start barking loudly when he locates that family member.

This is an impressive trick, but it’s also a really fun game to do with your dog. This is especially great if you have kids that you can get to participate in this as the “hider”. To get your dog to start barking when they locate the hider, he’ll have to know a bark command first.

Start by getting your dog to sit in front of you and the person who will be hiding from your dog (the “hider”). I like to give the hider a treat so my dog can see that they have their motivation in hand. Make your hider shows your dog the treat in their hand. Then tell your dog to stay and have the hider run off and find a place to hide somewhere in the house. Don’t make it too difficult of a hiding place at first. Try having them find a hiding spot in the same room, or just outside the room that your dog is in.

Then give the command firmly to your dog such as “Find Alex!” or “Seek!” along with a visual cue and release your dog. I like to simply point in the general direction of the hider. Once your dog finds the person, make sure the hider gives your dog the bark command, have them wait a few seconds with the dog barking, give the release command, and then provide treat and praise.

Pretty soon, you should be able to have your “hider” hide in places that are more and more difficult in various rooms of the house. Your hider should also be able to just stay hiding and not give the bark command for the dog to start barking loudly once they’ve found the hider. You might be surprised how good a Doberman’s nose is at tracking people. This exercise will really demonstrate this.

8. Push the Big Red Button

Command: [Your Choice]

Result: Either on your command or at the dog’s will, he will push a big red button which will play a loud pre-recorded message of your choosing.

This can be a very useful command or just a hilarious ability for your dog to have. Amazon sells a very cool big red button, which you connect to your computer just like a USB drive and load on any MP3 or WAV format audio recording. Then when your dog presses the button, it can say anything you want, such as “I’m hungry!” or “Let’s go for a walk!”

You can even get really creative and make the command for this a question like “Do you believe him?” and then you’ll dog will run over and press the red button which will play a funny response like “It’s all a lie!” I like this specific button because it’s simple to use, it’s battery operated so you can set it anywhere, and it has non-slip rubber feet so it won’t slip around on hard floors when your dog is batting at it with their paw.

It’s a simple little device but it’s pretty funny when you try to turn your back on your dog and he pushes the big red button which says something like “Hey Dummy! I’m ready for a walk already!”.

To get your dog to do this, get your big red button and load on the audio file of your choice. Then have your dog sit on the ground and place the red button right in front of them. Place a dog treat directly under the button, give the command of your choice, and encourage your dog to go for the treat. Keep encouraging your dog and he’ll likely eventually smack the button, or press it with his nose. As soon as he does, give the treat and praise your dog.

To see where to get this button and some hillarious free sound files to use with it that are perfect for Dobermans, click the link below:

See my Big Red Dog Training Button Page here.

If your dog is having trouble pushing the red button or is only pressing it with his nose, it’s ok to pick up his paw and place it on the button. Once he does this, give lots of praise and a treat. Eventually, you should be able to just give the command and your dog will be eager to run over and press the button on his own for his treat.

9. Put Away Toys

Command: “Clean Up”, “Clean”, “Pick Up”, “Put Away”

Result: On your command, your dog will pick up each of their toys and return them to their toy box.

This trick is a little more difficult for a Doberman to learn, but it can be done. The best way to teach this trick is to make sure your dog has a toy box where you usually keep their toys. If you don’t have one, get one, and after a week or so of using the toy box, you can start teaching this trick.

Start by having treats nearby but don’t let your dog see them just yet since it might be a distraction. Place just one toy outside of the toybox, on the ground. Give your dog the command along with a visual cue, and encourage them to get the toy. Once they do, grab the toy and try leading them to the toybox. Most Doberman’s will hold onto the toy at least for a short time before letting go, allowing you time to gently guide them a few feet over the top of the toybox. Once you get to the toybox, give them the command to drop the toy. Once it drops into the box, praise and reward your dog.

With time you should be able to do less guiding by the toy. Once your dog has gotten the idea of doing this with one toy, try expanding this trick to two toys. Continue adding until they are able to pick up multiple toys and place them into the toy box one at a time. This trick can take some patience and a bit of time to teach, but it is very doable for an intelligent dog who’s eager to please like a Doberman.

10. Play Dead

Command: “Play Dead”, “Bang”, “Would you rather [blank], or be a dead dog?”

Result: On your command, your dog will quickly lay down on their side and stop moving.

This is a great trick for a Doberman to learn, although it can take a bit of work. The main reason is that it involves the dog laying on their side, which is a somewhat vulnerable position for a dog to be in, something that is instinctively avoided by Dobermans.

Once they learn it, however, you’ll dog will love doing it. It’s also a real crowd pleaser when you have friends over. One client of mine taught their dog to perform this trick using the words “or be a dead dog” as the command.

This had a million uses, such as when a door to door salesman would come by, then he could ask his dog “Would you rather buy his magazine, or be a dead dog?” Then, of course, the dog would quickly drop to the ground like a dead dog and the client would graciously turn down the salesman’s offer.

Try to teach your dog this trick when they’re already relaxed and laying down in front of you. To start, have a treat in your hand and kneel down directly in front of your dog. Show him the treat then give the verbal command and visual cue. Then guide his nose (using the treat as a lure) over his shoulder and over the back of his neck.

Hopefully, your dog will roll onto his side in an attempt to follow the treat with his nose. Then give him the treat with plenty of praise. Repeat this until the dog is comfortable rolling on his side. It can take a bit of work for a Doberman to become comfortable with this. As you go, make sure you’re slowly adding more of a pause after he gets on his side, give your release command, then provide the treat and plenty of praise.

As your dog becomes more comfortable, you’ll be able to get him to pause and wait until you give the release command. Eventually, you should be able to do this action at a distance from your dog with only the command and visual cue.

Here’s a great video on YouTube that shows the progression of teaching a dog to play dead from start to finish.

Final Thoughts

As you can see, the general idea here is to encourage your dog to do what you want, any way you can, while you associating that action with a verbal command and often a visual cue. When your dog starts to do the actions you’re looking for, give lots of praise and a reward. Doberman’s love to know that they’ve done a good job, and this is a huge motivating factor for them.

Staying mentally stimulated is very important for a Doberman. They’re just so intelligent that they can easily become frustrated and stressed when they aren’t using that intelligence. Keep teaching your dog new tricks, provide lots of mentally stimulating toys for when you’re away, and feel free to refer back to these articles for more ideas. It’ll certainly help to keep your dog, a happy dog!

Related Questions

How many commands can a Doberman learn? As a highly intelligent dog, the Doberman Pinscher is capable of learning well over 50 commands along with each command’s associated action.

How many words can a Doberman learn? Doberman Pinschers are considered the fifth smartest dog breed in the world and can learn up to 250 words.

The post 10 Impressive and Advanced Tricks to Teach Your Doberman appeared first on Doberman Planet.

If you’re looking for some great fun new ideas on tricks you can easily teach your Doberman Pinscher, then you’re in luck. This is my list of some of the most impressive tricks that Dobermans can easily learn. In order to make it on this list, the trick has to be reasonably easy to teach to this breed of dog, and it has to be just a bit more impressive than what your average dog can do.

Luckily, Dobermans are incredibly intelligent dogs. In fact, according to WebMD (pets), they’re the 5th smartest dog breed in the world. That means they have the ability to learn many of these fancy tricks with ease. Also, they’re very driven dogs who are eager to please their masters. So they have the smarts, the drive, and the desire to learn—they’re an ideal breed for learning some very impressive dog tricks!

The Basics

Before attempting to teach these new tricks to your Doberman, it’s important to make sure they have the basics down first. The commands your dog should know prior to attempting the tricks listed here are:

• “Sit”
• “Stay”
• “Lie Down”
• “Ok” (or any other release command)

Many of the tricks on this list rely on your dog knowing the basic commands first. So make sure your dog has a good solid grasp on these commands. Then once you do, lets have some fun and start teaching your Dobie some really cool tricks.

Positive Reinforcement

Learning tricks should be a fun experience for both you and your dog. You’re not correcting a bad behavior here, you are teaching a new one and associating it with a command.

So make sure that you give plenty of praise and positive reinforcement while teaching your dog these tricks. Once they do what you want, or begin to, stop and praise them like they just saved your life. Providing treats is also a great way to highly motivate your dog to learn these tricks. If you want an idea of the treats I use for training, I’ve listed my favorite treats in the Best Food and Treats for Dobermans page of my Recommended Products section. They’re highly nutritious and Dobies absolutely love them!

Remember, plenty of positive reinforcement will go a long way with this dog breed since they’re so eager to please, so use that to your advantage while training.

Using Visual Cues to Speed-Up Training

One way you can greatly increase the speed at which your dog learns these tricks is to incorporate a visual cue. This works extremely well for Dobermans since they are very intuned with (and always watching) their masters.

So during these exercises, besides giving a verbal command for each trick, I’ll often also encourage you to use a visual cue. This can be a hand gesture or other motion of your choosing. Make sure you always use the same command and visual cue for each trick during training and your dog will learn most of these tricks quite easily.

1. Shake

Command: “Shake”, “Paw”

Result: On your command, your dog will lift one paw and place it in the palm of your outstretched hand, mimicking a handshake.

Shake is a great trick to start with. It’s very simple to teach also. Using a treat as motivation, have your dog get into the seated position. Then grab his paw and shake it up and down with your hand while saying “shake” or whatever command word you’ve chosen.

Then praise your dog and give him a treat. Do this over and over a few times a day and pretty soon, he’ll be begging to put his paw in your hand when you say the command.

2. Bark

Command: “Bark”, “Speak”, “Guard”

Result: On your command, your dog will bark either once, or repeatedly until you give the release command, depending on how you perform the training.

Once your dog learns this trick, he’ll be able to bark on command. Teaching this trick can be a little different for each individual dog. If you know something you can do to get your dog to bark on his own, do that while saying the command, and then praise him while providing a treat.

It was a little more difficult getting my dog to bark. I had to get him very excited and start barking at him myself. Eventually, after looking at me like I was a nut, he let out one very small and hesitant “woof.” I stopped everything and immediately praised him and gave him his treat.

After only about three days, he had the command down. I trained my dog to continue barking until I gave him the “stop” command, but you can choose to stop your dog after just one bark if you’d like.

I decided to use the command “guard” so that my wife could make our dog look somewhat intimidating if she needed to while on a walk at night. If she told our dog “guard” and he started barking, it’s sure to be much more intimidating to a would-be mugger than if she said, “speak.”

If you want more help teaching your Doberman to bark on command (or “speak”), see my article Teach a Doberman to Speak on Command—The Easy Way.

3. Turn Around

Command: “Turn Around”, “Turn”, “Spin”

Result: On your command, your dog will spin around in a complete 360-degree turn.

This is a fun trick that’s also very easy for an intelligent dog like a Doberman to learn. Start with a treat in one hand. Give him the command you’ve chosen (I use “turn around”) while pointing your finger at him and doing small circles with it as a visual cue. Then put the hand that has the treat inside of it down toward his nose so that he can smell it through your hand. Encourage your dog to go for the treat while leading him in a complete 360-degree spin. Then stop your hand directly in front of you once he’s completed the turn, open it up, and give him the treat.

After a little practice, slowly start leading him less and less with the hand that has the treat, but continue with the verbal command and the visual cue of pointing to the ground and spinning your finger around. Eventually, he’ll be able to do it completely on his own with only the verbal command or the visual cue.

4. Back Up

Command: “Back up”, “Back”, “Space”

Result: On your command, your dog will take approximately one step directly backward.

This is a very useful command for your dog to know. If he has a tendency of putting his nose right up in your plate as you’re eating, you can use this command to get him to back away and give you some space while you’re eating.

To get your dog to back up on command, start with a treat in your hand as motivation. Now, his natural instinct will be to get as close as possible to the treat, and stay there until he gets it. So this part can be a little tricky (pun intended).

Show your dog the treat and give him the command along with a visual cue of your choosing (I do a “shoo” motion with both my hands). Now you need to get him to back up any way you can. Try getting uncomfortably close to your dog and placing your knee on his chest. Gently push against him enough to get him to back up. Then praise him and give him the treat while repeating the command.

As you repeat this exercise, you should be able to do it without actually touching your dog at all. However, you may still need to approach him and act like you’ll be placing your knee on his chest. Eventually, you’ll be able to just give him the verbal command and he’ll back up on his own.

5. Jump

Command: “Jump”, “Happy”, “Fly”

Result: On your command, your dog will jump straight up in the air and back down.

This trick doesn’t have a whole lot of usefulness to it, but it can be great for impressing your friends or family when they visit. It can also be great for a laugh when you tell your dog “Come on boy! FLY!” and he jumps straight up in the air.

The best way I have found to teach this trick is to start with a toy that he or she loves and will naturally jump to get without much hesitation. This is usually a ball or frisbee that he often plays fetch with.

Start by holding the toy in one hand outstretched in the air over your dog’s head and a treat in the other hand. Give him the command and a visual cue. I like to use a sweeping motion with my arm by my side, ending with my finger pointing up to the sky as the visual cue. If you do this sweep your hand by your side, ending with it pointing up to the ball. Do this while saying your chosen command and encouraging your dog to jump up to get it. When he does, release the ball so he is able to get it as he jumps. Then give him the treat along with lots of praise.

Repeat this process until you can start to do it with just your hand above his head without his favorite toy, while still doing the visual cue and the command. The first time he does this without a ball in your hand, quickly give him the treat and then praise him like he just won a gold at the Olympics. Soon, you’ll be able to just give him the command and he’ll jump.

6. Jump Up

Command: “Jump Up”, “Up”

Result: On your command, your dog will jump up in a hind-legged standing position and place both paws in your hands.

If you love giving your Doberman kisses, this is the trick for you. With this command, you won’t have to bend down to your dog and instead he’ll jump up to you. In my experience, this is one of the easiest commands for a Doberman to learn. They can almost do it naturally. Usually, the hard part is teaching your dog not to do this to strangers when they come to visit at your house.

To train your dog to do this, walk up close to him with a treat nearby for motivation. Give the verbal command and visual cue at the same time. I like to use the motion of tapping my chest with both my hands as the visual cue. Then, reach down and grab his two front paws in both your hands and stand straight up. At this point, your dog should be standing on their two hind legs and their two front paws should be in your hands (one in each hand). Pause for a second, then release their paws, setting them back on the ground. Give lots of praise and a treat.

Most Dobermans can pick this trick up in two days, with some of them grasping the concept in as little as one day. Give this a try, you’ll be surprised with how quickly these dogs will pick this one up.

7. Balance

Command: “Balance”, “Stay”

Result: On your command, your dog will be able to remain perfectly still, enough to balance an object on his head until you give the release command.

This trick is a pretty amusing one that you can get really creative with. You can balance treats, remote controls, a dog leash, even the dog’s own bowl on their head with this one. For a visual cue, I prefer to hold my hand up flat like I am giving a “stop” signal.

It’s easiest to start training your dog to do this by having them balance a treat on their nose first. For Dobermans, the ideal way to balance an item is by using the area between their eyes and the base of the nose as balance points.

Start by making your dog sit and stay. Then hold their nose level while you place a treat on top of it. Pause for a few seconds with your hand on their nose, still holding it level, then give the release command and let them eat their treat.

After some practice, you should be able to slowly use less of your hand that’s keeping their nose level and eventually all you’ll need to do is set the treat on their nose. After accomplishing that, try moving onto other objects, other than treats, and only rewarding him after 10 seconds or so of successful balancing.

8. Hug

Command: “Hug”, “Love”

Result: On your command, and while in a seated position, your dog will put both of their front paws on each of your shoulders and their nose over one shoulder.

This is just a really cute trick. People get a laugh out of seeing a big “dangerous” dog like a Doberman give a hug to their owner.

Start with your dog in the seated position, and make sure you have a treat or two nearby. Tell your dog to “stay” while you kneel down in front of them. Then give the chosen command for this trick and a visual cue. I like to tap my two shoulders with each of my hands.

Then, quickly grasp their two front paws and place them on each of your shoulders. Lean in so their nose is over one of your shoulders and pause for a few seconds. Then give the release command, praise, and reward them with a treat. After some practice, you shouldn’t have to manually put their paws up on your shoulders anymore, and your dog will do it on his own.

9. Cross Paws

Command: “Sit Pretty”, “Formal”

Result: “On your command, and while laying down, your dog will cross one paw overtop of the other.

This trick is mainly just for amusement but it can get some good laughs and impressed looks from friends and family when they come by. Your dog will need to know a command to lay down first since they need to be already laying down for this trick.

Give your dog the command to lie down, if they aren’t already. Kneel down in front of your dog and show them a treat in your hand. Then give the verbal command, pick up one of their paws slightly off the floor, and lay it overtop of the other. Pause for a second and then praise your dog, giving him the treat. Repeat this trick and pretty soon your dog should be able to do it independently with just your verbal command.

10. Pray

Command: “Pray”, “Say Your Prayers”

Result: On your command, and while laying down, your dog will bury their nose in between their outstretched front legs as if praying. They will stop on your release command.

This is a fun and impressive trick to teach your dog. It’s a great one to combine with the play dead trick, especially if you use the “BANG!” command to get your dog to play dead. You can start by telling your dog “Say your prayers!” to get him to pray and then “BANG!” to have him play dead. You wouldn’t believe the laughs and all the love your dog will get by doing the two of these together. You can learn how to teach your Doberman to play dead here.

Start with your dog laying down in front of you and a treat in your hand. Give the verbal command along with a visual cue. Then guide the nose of your dog (by using the treat in your hand as motivation) between their front legs so that their nose is straight down to the ground between their legs. Pause there for a few seconds, give the release command, then praise and reward.

With practice, you should be able to do this without much involvement other than your verbal command and visual cue.

11. High-Five

Command: “High-Five”, “Five”, “Nice Job”, “Awesome”

Result: On your command, your dog will raise one paw up to about their eye level to meet your waiting hand for a “high-five” type motion.

This is a great trick because you can make up any fun commands you want in order to have your dog give you a high-five. You can tell your dog “great job!” or something similar and always have a high-five coming your way.

Start with the dog in a seated position, and some motivational treats nearby. Kneel in front of your dog and say your chosen command along with a visual cue. In this case, the visual cue will be showing your dog the palm of your hand in front of them (as if you were giving a high-five). Then, use your other hand to place their paw directly onto the palm of your waiting hand. Praise and reward your dog. With practice, you shouldn’t have to physically place your dog’s paw on your hand as they’ll be eager to do it to get their treat.

12. Kiss

Command: “Kiss”, “Kisses”, “Love”

Result: On your command, your dog will kiss your cheek.

This trick is for you big softies out there. Get a kiss from your dog on command! It’s a simple one for a Doberman and they have no issue quickly picking up on what you expect with this trick.

Have the dog in a seated position. Get close and present your cheek to your dog’s nose while saying the chosen verbal command. Many Doberman’s will just naturally lick your cheek at this point. If that’s the case, give lots of praise and a treat. Repeat this exercise until your dog associates your verbal command with this action.

If your dog doesn’t want to, and assuming you trust your dog enough, try putting a small (very small) touch of peanut butter on your cheek so your dog will lick it. When he licks your cheek once, stop, reward, and praise the dog. After some practice, you should quickly be able to perform this without the use of food on your cheek.

13. Under

Command: “Under”, “Hide”, “Be Brave”, “Are you a brave dog?”

Result: On your command, your dog will run between your legs from the front, turn around behind you, and stick only their head out through your legs.

Here’s a great party trick. You have friends over and they comment on your impressive and strong looking Doberman. Then you ask your dog something like “Are you a tough dog?” and your dog runs between your legs and sticks just his head out from behind you!

To get your dog to do this, have him sit a few feet in front of you while you have a treat in your hand and your legs spread wide enough for them to walk through. Give your dog the command, a visual cue (I point down towards the ground between my legs), and get them to follow the treat that’s in your hand. Guide them between your legs from the front, and then turn them around behind you and guide their head through your legs from the back. Stop when just their head is now between your legs and their body is still behind you.

Pause there for a second or two, then praise and reward him. After some practice, you should be able to gradually do less and less “guiding” with the treat until eventually, the dog will do the entire trick on their own.

Fun Tip:

Once your dog has a few basic commands, why not use a remote pet camera to interact with your Dobie from work? Kill some time at work, practice the tricks remotely, even talk to and see your Dobie through your cell phone. You can even remotely launch treats when he performs the trick correctly! It really is a lot of fun. You can see some of these devices on my Cool Tech Gear page here.

Final Thoughts

Well if you’ve made it this far, then you have a very solid foundation of commands that your dog now understands. Dobermans are incredibly intelligent and the tricks I list here are just scratching the surface of what these dogs are capable of.

If you think you’re ready to try a few of the very cool “advanced tricks”, check out my next article 10 Impressive and Advanced Tricks to Teach Your Doberman.

The tricks in this next article are a little more complex, much more impressive, and a whole lot more fun!

Related Questions

Is it hard to train a Doberman? Doberman Pinschers have a strong desire to please their owners and are among the top five smartest dog breeds. These qualities are what help to make the Doberman one of the most trainable dog breeds in the world.

Are Dobermans stubborn? The Doberman Pinscher is a working breed that’s incredibly intelligent and eager to please their masters. For these reasons they are rarely considered stubborn and are generally easily trainable.

How do you teach a Doberman tricks? The best way to teach a Doberman a new command is with a combination of clear direction, positive reinforcement, and practice. Dobermans are easily trainable and can quickly learn new tricks.

The post 13 Easy Tricks to Teach Your Doberman (with Pictures) appeared first on Doberman Planet.

Doberman’s bark, it’s in their genetics. They were originally bred to be guard dogs and any good guard dog will alert their owners when they sense something is off. The problem comes when you leave for work, someone comes to the door, or your neighbor walks by your back fence and your Dobie is barking their head off. Luckily this is a common problem with Dobermans and there is at least one common way to approach the issue that seems to work great for this breed.

6 Basic Steps to Stop Your Doberman from Barking:

1. Determine why they’re barking.
2. Reduce or eliminate the motivation to bark.
3. Put your dog in tempting barking situations.
4. Give correction.
5. Reward when not barking.
6. Repeat as necessary.

These steps are the down and dirty basics. This technique worked wonders for my Dobie when we started getting calls from our neighbors saying he was barking all day after we left for work. But this will work for most barking situations.

There are also additional techniques to stop barking in certain situations such as when your neighbor walks by the fence, someone comes to the door, or you leave for work. I help you out with these situations specifically too.

It’s important to learn what other Doberman owners do to stop barking because many traditional methods used to stop barking (such as ignoring your dog) just don’t seem to work well with Dobermans.

Before we jump into the details on how you can prevent Doberman barking, check out my article Do Dobermans Bark a Lot and How Loud Is It here if you want a better understanding of why and how much Dobermans bark.

Step 1: Determine Why They’re Barking

You likely won’t be able to correct the barking issue if you don’t first determine the cause. Dobermans bark for many reasons, but here are a few of the most common:

• Hungry or thirsty
• Need to go to the bathroom
• Bored
• Frustrated
• Separation anxiety

For Dobermans, boredom is a huge issue for them. They’re a working breed and thrive when they have a fun and interesting task to perform. If they are left alone while you go to work for 8 hours, you very well may have a bored Doberman. You can usually spot this because they’ll often start barking part way through the day and generally won’t bark much in the first few hours after you leave.

Another major issue is separation anxiety. This is especially true for young Dobies under a year old. These dogs are called “velcro dogs” for a reason, they love to stick right by your side. The tell-tale sign of separation anxiety is barking combined with howling. Especially a long, wailing type of howl.

Sometimes, it’s simply your dog being overly needy—something that’s common in Dobermans. If you think that might be the case, take a look at my article How to Handle a Needy Doberman: A Simple Guide.

Step 2: Reduce or Eliminate the Motivation to Bark

Now that you’ve figured out why your loyal defender is barking, it’s time to make the environment less likely to trigger them to bark.

Take some common sense steps to reduce the urge for your dog to bark. Is your Dobie barking at your neighbor on the other side of the fence? How about you putting a screen of some sort over the fence so they can’t see the neighbor as easily. Are they barking at people passing by your front window? How about some thick curtains that they can’t see the street? Is there a hole in the fence where they’re able to see people walk past with their dogs? Patch it!

Take some extra steps to reduce the barking triggers for your dog as much as is reasonable (it doesn’t have to be perfect) and I promise it’ll make the training much easier.

Step 3: Put Your Dog in Tempting Barking Situations

Ok, now that you have done your best to remove the motivation to bark, let’s do the reverse during the training. This is what I call the “Anti-Barking Sting Operation.” This can actually be a lot of fun.

The way this works is you purposely re-create the situations where your dog normally barks so that you’ll be able to immediately correct the bad behavior or reward the good behavior.

Whatever the situation is that get’s your dog to bark, you need to recreate it as authentically as possible so you have a chance to correct the behavior.

My Doberman would bark when my wife and I were at work and he was home alone.

So we did our sting operations on the weekends. We would start by acting exactly like we normally do when we leave for work. We did all the same morning routines, got dressed, grabbed our car keys, my wife grabbed her purse, and we walked out the door like it was a normal workday. Then we’d go around to the front of our house and sit, wait, and listen.

Whatever the situation is that causes your dog to bark, recreate it. So if your dog barks at your neighbor on the other side of the fence, see if you can get your neighbor to walk back and forth by the fence while you are hiding nearby. If your dog barks when people come to the front door, have someone come to the front door when you’re ready to work on training.

Step 4: Correction

When you successfully get your dog to bark with your “sting operation” it’s time to give correction. You have to do it quickly after they bark so that your Dobie is sure to associate the correction with the barking. Some people will use a spray bottle of water for correction, but I have found another method that seems to work much better with Dobermans.

So when my wife and I are performing our sting operation, this is what we do as soon as we hear our Dobie bark:

• Quickly get to the dog. Immediately upon hearing the bark, we will walk to the front door of the house, unlock it, and go inside to find our dog waiting.
• Immediately tell the dog “Stop” in a firm voice. This is our “quiet command” that we choose, you can pick any command to stop barking that you want such as “hush”, “quiet” or something else.
• Have him get into the “punishment” position. I don’t get physical with my dog, in fact, I make him get into position for punishment himself. I tell him “sit” and then “down” so that he lays down in front of me. Your dog needs to be able to perform these basic commands for this to work.
• Kneel next to him with your hand on his back with light, but firm, pressure. I apply firm pressure to the back shoulder blade area (just below the neck) with my hand. This makes him feel as though he doesn’t have the choice and needs to stay in his laying down position. The idea here is not to pin your dog down, just to provide light to firm pressure to remind them you’re in charge.
• Wait. This is like “time out” is for a child. I wait in this position for about 15 to 20 seconds and then release.

Why this works: In the dog world, alpha dogs will pin down other dogs to show dominance. Also, a mother dog will pin down a pup to give correction. Also, if a dog is “submitting” to another dog, they look down to the ground. This method works so well because they instinctively know what it means. It seems to work especially well with Dobermans.

It’s important to note that you should never be rough and all pressure you apply should be light pressure (but still firm). You should never yell at or hit your dog. This can have very serious consequences down the road.

In fact, yelling out of pure frustration will show that you are not a calm “alpha dog” and may lead to more disobedience down the road. Dobermans are very in tune with humans and will be able to tell if you are “calm and in charge” or “panicked and frustrated.”

Step 5: Reward When Not Barking

This is where the rubber meets the road. Your goal is for your dog not to bark for longer and longer lengths of time during this sting operation. So while you are doing this, if your dog doesn’t bark for a few minutes, go in and give him a treat, followed by lots of praise.

Then do this after 10 minutes of no barking, then 15, then 30 minutes. Keep increasing the time your dog will have to go without barking before you go in and give a treat. This may seem like a long process but Dobermans are incredibly fast learners.

Step 6: Repeat as Necessary

You’ll probably only have to do this exercise a few times (at most) in order for your dog to figure out what you expect of him. It took me two weekends of doing this process for my Doberman to understand that he was not to bark while we were gone.

This process solved most of our problems and we are very glad we did this process. In the end, though, we had to use an electronic bark collar to assist in the process. My Dobie was a little more stubborn than most. We will discuss more of these alternate options below.

Even if you eventually need an electronic bark collar, it’s important to do this method of training a few times first. Your dog needs to understand what is expected of him.

Staying the Alpha in the House

One of the most important things when training a Doberman is to make sure that you are always the “alpha” in the house. In the wild, the alpha dog is the leader of the pack. This dog is strong, confident, and in control of themselves and the pack.

You need to portray this to your dog. If you don’t, your Doberman will naturally start to fill the alpha position. Yes, that means you may find your dog trying to correct you!

Here are some ways to stay “the alpha” in the house:

• When correcting your dog, be firm, confident, and in control.
• Never yell, scream, or hit your dog.
• Practice basic commands like “sit” and “down” often. These are submission actions.
• Make your Dobie work for his food at every meal. Before feeding, have your dog perform some basic tricks or commands for you before giving him his meal.

Basically, just make sure you run the household and don’t let your dog train you. That’s all there is to it. That brings me to that fun classic game of tug-a-war.

Playing Tug-a-war

Tug-a-war is a really fun game but you need to be careful. Your Doberman may see this game as a “struggle for power” and if you aren’t careful, it could lead your Dobie to think they are the alpha. In the wild, the biggest and strongest dogs who consistently win at tug-a-war games will likely become the leaders of the pack. So if you play, make sure you win the game often and definitely don’t constantly let your dog win. If you do, he might start to think he’s in charge.

Stopping Barking When You Leave for Work

We’d all love to hang around and play with our Dobermans all day long (at least I would), but going to work is a necessary fact of life. Unfortunately, this is where most Doberman owners have the most problems with barking. Here are some ways you can help prevent barking while you’re at work.

• Provide plenty of exercise before leaving. Yeah, this is tough. It’s early and you just want to sleep as much as possible before work. But getting up a little early and going for an early walk or playing some active games (click here for some ideas) in the backyard together or 15 to 30 minutes or so can work wonders for calming your dog while you’re gone. A tired dog is a happy dog. Also, it’s healthy for you too!
• Provide lots of chew toys. Your dog should have no shortage of chew toys while you’re gone. Dobermans will often either chew a toy to release stress while you are gone, or bark like crazy. Which one would you prefer? So give them lots of chew options. I’ve compiled a list of the toys that seem to work the best here.
• Calm time 10-15 minutes before leaving for work. Taking some basic steps about 10 to 15 minutes prior to leaving for work to calm and relax your dog can really help. If you are using a crate, put them in 10 to 15 minutes before you leave. The crate should be a positive, comfortable, and relaxing place for your Dobie.
• Check-in halfway through the day. This is especially important for young Dobermans who may not be used to being alone for so long. Come home on a lunch break and walk or play with your dog. This is required if they’re in a crate while you’re gone in my opinion. If you have a job where this isn’t possible, find a neighbor kid who can come by and play a round of fetch with your pup partway through the day.

You need to get as many cards stacked in your favor as possible. So even if you are using other methods to train your dog not to bark like a bark collar. It’s important to do these things as well. Barking is just a symptom of stress or anxiety. You don’t want your Dobie feeling either of those things.

Stopping Barking at the Neighbors

Dobermans are very protective of their domain and they will often bark at neighbors walking past the fence to their yard. This can be horribly annoying. The best way I have found to correct this is a combination of taking away the temptation, familiarizing your dog with your neighbor, and with prompt, consistent correction.

• Take away the temptation. You can take away the temptation by erecting an extra barrier to keep your dog back a few feet from the fence, or by putting an additional screen across the inside of your fence so it’s harder to see someone on the other side. If it’s possible in your yard to block off the portion of the yard near that neighbor, that’s even better.
• Familiarize your Dobie with your neighbor. That way it’s not just a stranger on the other side of the fence. Ask your neighbor if you can bring your dog over to meet him or her and play in their backyard for a bit. This can really help to prevent the barking at the fence later on.
• Consistent correction. Lastly, you need to correct your dog when he barks at your neighbor. Yes, you may just be sitting down to eat when this happens, but you just can’t let it go. If you are consistent, your dog will understand quickly and you’ll have to correct him much less often.

This combination seems to work the best. Of these three, the most important (and hardest to do) is to be consistent with your correction. It’s a pain in the rear to get up from dinner and correct your dog, but if you stay consistent you’ll save yourself many more interrupted dinners in the future, I promise you.

Stopping Barking When Someone Comes to the Door

This is another very common issue with Dobermans since they are hard-wired to protect their domain. The best way to stop barking when someone knocks or rings the doorbell is to practice over and over.

Have someone be your “actor” and repeatedly come to the door. When your pup barks, provide firm correction such as that mentioned in step 4. When your dog does a good job of not barking (whining is ok for now, while you practice, just as long as it isn’t barking) give a treat and plenty of praise.

It is very possible to stop your Doberman from barking when someone comes to the door, you just need to be consistent with your corrections and practice often.

Preventing Barking at Night

You are all warm and cozy in bed in the middle of the night and suddenly you hear your Doberman going crazy, barking incredibly loudly. This is probably the worst, and most annoying problem to have with a Doberman since getting out of bed and correcting your dog in the middle of the night is not very fun at all.

It’s first important to note that Doberman’s really should be indoor dogs. Their coat is not designed to handle temperature swings very well and they have a strong desire to be inside the home with their owners. Don’t be a jerk and just bring your Dobie inside with the family, this is where they naturally want to be.

If your Doberman has a dog door and can come and go from the backyard but still barks at night, that’s where you will need to put a little effort into training. It may be tempting to go straight to an anti-bark collar to solve the issue but don’t. Like I mentioned before, you need to first make sure your dog understands what you expect of them.

When you decide you need to start focused training to get your Doberman to stop barking at night, you need to provide correction for the first two weeks or so first. Yes, I know, this means getting out of bed when you hear the barking. Not on the second, third, or 10th bark, but on the first bark you hear. It’s hard, but you need to do it.

If you hear barking at night do the following:

1. Get out of bed, and go outside to your dog.
2. Bring your dog inside the house and provide correction as mentioned in step 4 of the 6 steps above.
3. Guide your dog to their dog bed and give them the “down” command so they lay down.
4. Pet your dog and try to relax him while he’s laying on his bed.

It’s ok if your dog gets up after this process and runs into the backyard again. If they bark again though, you’ll have to repeat. I know, it’s rough, but it’s only for a short time. The point here is that you are correcting him for his barking and leading him to his bed. You are showing him what you expect of him at night, to lay down in his bed.

TIP:

To help prevent parking at night, try giving your dog a little more excercise during the day. You’d be surprised how much a short session or two of a fun and interesting activity will do to prevent barking at night.

Using Humane (Non-Shocking) Anti-Bark Collars

There are many humane anti-barking collars out there that will do anything from a supersonic noise, vibration, or even squirting your dog in the nose with an unpleasant solution (like citronella). Doberman owners report mixed results with these collars.

There is one collar that seems to work very well for Doberman owners though, and I’ve listed it in the “Cool Tech Gear” category of my Recommended Products page. This collar uses a combination of annoying noise bursts (that only the dog can hear) and very strong vibrations to stop the barking. For some reason, this specific combination seems to work great for Dobermans.

I have heard mixed results about the citronella spray collars. Some Doberman owners have said that they worked for them but others say they just come home to a bark collar that needs a refill on citronella and a dog that smells horribly strong. I tried one with my Dobie years ago, and it just didn’t work for him.

Using Static Charge (Shock) Anti-Bark Collars

This is a controversial method for providing correction to Dobermans and you will need to decide if it’s right for you. If you decide to go this route, make sure it’s only after you have tried other methods consistently without success.

Jumping straight to the shock collars is not the answer and actually, is cruel in my opinion. You need your dog to have a basic understanding of what you expect of him first, before going to a shock collar.

If you do decide to use one, make sure it is the type that provides slow increases in the levels of electric static correction (starting at a very low amount and with extremely gradual increases).

I used one with my Doberman for a short time. It would give an audible tone on the first bark that it detected, then a vibration on the second, then a very low (you almost can’t feel it) static shock on the third. The strength of the shock would increase slowly if the dog continued to bark and stopped at a very safe level.

It worked very well for my Dobie and he understood how it worked very quickly. Eventually, we didn’t even need to have it charged, we would just clip the collar on him from time to time to remind him not to bark—even though the device was off.

If All Else Fails – Hire an Animal Behaviorist

If you’ve tried everything listed here without any results, there may be something else going on with your dog and you should seek professional help. An animal behaviorist (or a trainer) can help you to determine why your dog is barking and why none of your attempts to prevent it has helped.

Animal behaviorists usually charge by the hour but even just one consultation with a behaviorist can potentially answer a lot of critical questions about your dog’s specific situation. If you’ve come this far without results, they’re definitely worth the money.

One way to prevent barking is to teach your Doberman when barking is appropriate by teaching them a “Speak” command. See how to do this in my article about how to teach a Doberman the speak command.

Common Training Mistakes

There are a few approaches to preventing barking that can actually be counterproductive. Here are a few common training mistakes that Doberman owners have done in the past.

• Using a crate for punishment. It’s extremely important that a dog’s crate remains their “happy place.” This is even more critical if you crate your dog during the day while you’re gone. If you get in the habit of sending your dog to their crate as punishment, it will increase their anxiety when you put them in there which will make the barking situation much worse.
• Positive reinforcement that comes too quickly. If your dog barks and you give a command like “quiet” and immediately give them a treat, they’ll start to think that barking means they did good and should get a treat. So be careful not to reward them too quickly after they go quiet.
• Ignoring the barking. Although some owners have had moderate success with this method, it doesn’t often work well with Dobermans. The main problem with this technique is the dog will learn that there is a lack of boundaries and may begin to act out in other ways (besides barking). You may end up with a mischievous Dobie on your hands!

Final Thoughts

However you end up tackling this issue, just don’t give up and remember to remain consistent. If you take one thing from this article it’s that consistency is key to success in getting your Doberman to stop barking. Good luck!

Related Questions

Do Doberman Pinschers bark a lot? Dobermans were originally bred to be guard dogs and it’s instinctual for them to bark (or alert) when they see something out of the ordinary. However, Doberman’s are easily trainable and excessive barking can be mitigated with proper training.

The post 6 Steps to Get Your Doberman Pinscher to Stop Barking appeared first on Doberman Planet.