# Doberman puppy



## doberman1 (Apr 8, 2012)

Hey guys,

This is my first post and I'm glad I stumbled upon this forum. I just got a male doberman puppy tuesday, he is 6 and a half weeks old now, and his name is Toby! So far he has been doing good with going to the bathroom outside. However, I take him out 10-12 times a day at least, and he pees and poops EVERY TIME!! I have no idea where it all comes from. Anyways, I'm having trouble with trying to give him basic commands to train him. First he does not sit still. And it's very hard to get his attention. I know this is probably because he is still a baby, but I just want to make sure I'm giving him the proper start. 

Also, I want to make sure that he has a lot of confidence because I took him to the dog park one time and all the other dogs started attacking him and I had to leave because it pissed me off that their owners didn't train them well. I think that traumatized him and may have lowered his confidence.

So in sum, if you can please give me some tips on how to train him with basic commands and get his attention and boost up his confidence!

Thanks!


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## Gally (Jan 11, 2012)

For the future it is not recommended to take a dog from it's litter before 8 weeks old, in some places it is even illegal. 

What are you feeding him? 10-12 poops a day seems excessive to me even for a young puppy. Is the poop formed and solid or loose?

For training, he's a baby, his attention span isn't more than a few seconds at this point. Start simple with training, get him to respond to his name. Just call his name and if he looks at you praise and reward. When he's a bit older you can take him to a training class/puppy kindergarten to help get training off on the right foot. I highly recommend clicker/marker training. Check out kikopup's channel for some great instructional videos: http://www.youtube.com/user/kikopup?ob=4&feature=results_main

A puppy should not be at the dog park until they have finished all their shots. Taking him to a park or any place with dogs you are not familiar with could put him at risk of parvo or distemper. If you want to socialize him set up play dates with dogs you know for sure are vaccinated and well socialized or take him to a puppy kindergarten class.


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## doberman1 (Apr 8, 2012)

Thank you so much for your quick reply. I just checked his exact age and it is 7 weeks and one day. I did not know that is it not recommended, do you think that will affect him later on? The breeder was selling all of them at 6 weeks (They've been selling only doberman pups for over 30 years so I assumed they know what they're doing). 

Yeah I just went to the dog park once and will likely not go back. You just worried me about parvo, do you think he might have caught it? 

The poops are healthy looking, solid. We are feeding him puppy chow and today started beneful as well. The vet said to leave out the food for him at all times because he is still young so he is eating a good bit. His schedule is this: Eat, sleep, poop/pee. Many cycles of it lol. 

I took him to a lake a couple of times and there are only 2-3 dogs at a time, if that, and that worked out much better than having 20 dogs at once (at dog park). 

Do you think his encounter with the dogs at the dog park is going to affect him in the future? And when do you think training classes are appropriate? (what age)

Thanks again!


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## Gally (Jan 11, 2012)

You may have to put more effort into teaching bite inhibition and properly socializing him because of the early departure from his mom and littermates who usually help teach these things.

If he doesn't show any symptoms of parvo then I wouldn't worry but if he starts showing signs of lethargy, diarrhea or vomiting I would take him to the vet right away. It's advised to avoid places where dogs frequent until the pup has at least the first two shots if not the third (talk to your vet). Even if there are no dogs present when you go, parvo is passed through the feces and can be present in the soil after exposure for 6 months to a year.

I think it would be fine to start him on a feeding schedule, probably 4 times a day to start. Then you would only be dealing with 4 to 5 poops a day instead of 10-12. You may want to do some research into dog food. Puppy chow and Beneful are not very good quality foods. http://www.dogfoodadvisor.com/best-dog-foods/best-puppy-foods/
http://dogfoodanalysis.com/
http://www.dogfoodproject.com/

We started our pup in puppy kindergarten at around 14 weeks but you should check with the training facility near you as they will have their own restrictions based on age and number of vaccines received. Setting up puppy play dates with other puppies or well socialized and vaccinated adults in your neighbourhood would be helpful for socialization as well.


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## Spook82 (Mar 16, 2012)

No responsible breeder lets their puppies go at 6 weeks old. 

And dog parks should be off limits until the pup is fully vaccinated. 
And I recommend NOT leaving food out for him at all times because that will wreak havoc on the housetraining, he won't be on a schedule. He should eat 3 times a day.


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## Willowy (Dec 10, 2007)

Beneful is possibly the worst dog food on the market (all that food coloring. . .and added sugar!). Puppy Chow is maybe a tiny bit better, but not much. Check out www.dogfoodadvisor.com for info on better foods. 

It's better to have a puppy on scheduled feedings. 3 or 4 a day at that age. Otherwise you'll never know when he needs to pooop.

I wouldn't take the puppy anywhere public where other dogs or wildlife hang out. Until he's had all his shots it's an awful risk.


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## doberman1 (Apr 8, 2012)

Thank you all for your replies. I should have researched about the age before I got the puppy. And I was always under the impression that beneful was good, but again I was wrong lol. Is there a type that you recommend? On the site there are many under the 5 star listing, but out of those, which would you recommend for a puppy? We take him out regularly so he has only had a few accidents in the house. Do we leave the water out all the time? Or only with the food as well? What time intervals would you recommend to put it out?

Also, in our yard, he keeps eating grass and bark and whatever else is on the ground. Should I worry about that? He has way too much energy to stay in the house 24/7. 

No more dog parks! I guess I'll have to find somewhere we can go after his vaccines.

Again thanks for the replies!


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## wvasko (Dec 15, 2007)

Please stop already with the "breeder has been doing this for 30 yrs" She flunked any possible signs of dog knowledge by selling a pup at 6 weeks of age. There are many people doing things for years that have managed to stumble through their chosen careers without gathering any smarts on what they're doing.

As others have said 3 feedings a day and I prefer my pups to have water whenever they need it except when they are crated at night. I'm assuming you have a crate, if not buy a crate as it is a most valuable tool. 

As you stated Google dog food reviews and pick a good dog food that you can afford and buy conveniently. Best dog food in the world is not gonna help if you can't afford it or get someplace to buy it. Dogs/pups have been surviving for decades on Purina or Iams products etc. If you buy Old Roy pour the food out and feed the bags. Though there are some dogs I'm told survive on that with no problems.

Welcome to forum.

You already know dog parks can be an accident waiting to happen cause your pup might have been severely injured in his visit there. You have a baby so ease off on obedience routines and commands now. Common sense is the one rule/law that should be followed. Oh I'm in the dog care/training business for 50 yrs and I'm still learning.


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## troglodytezzz (Oct 19, 2010)

You might find this helpful. http://www.dogstardaily.com/training/digital-dog-training-textbook

It covers all the basics. Bite inhibition (very important), house training, socialization, basic obedience etc..

A pup can start going to training classes as early as 10 weeks.


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## PatchworkRobot (Aug 24, 2010)

dogfoodanalysis.com is a good site for comparing dog foods.

Read all of the stickies on this forum about dog-training advise since it sounds like you're somewhat new to dogs. Also, there are a good number of active doberman-specific forums, you might want to consider joining some of those if you want doberman-specific advice.


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## NewfoundlandOwner (Dec 22, 2011)

I'm glad you're eager to learn more about how to help your puppy. As most people have pointed out, a puppy should be at least 8 weeks old before leaving its mother and littermates, but you are already past that, so now you can only move forward. Try to make certain that all of his experiences are good ones. Before my puppy had all the required shots, I'd carry him around Petsmart to point at strange dogs and people and give him lots of love. As soon as it was safe, I brought a leash and walked him around. I always asked people if their dogs were friendly and asked permission to approach with my dog before doing so. Even if they say yes, keep an eye on their dog to see if he/she looks happy and not overly excited. Even a friendly dog with too much exuberance can frighten your puppy. I can't stress enough - every experience should be a good one. Try very hard to control his environment so that remains true.

You're correct about the baby issue with basic commands. If you want to teach him "sit", just hold a treat a little above his head and then gently move it towards him. Most puppies will sit at this point, as it's a comfortable way to accept the treat for that angle. Do not push the treat into him or force it. If he won't sit, praise and give the treat even for flexing his legs a bit, or angling his head up. Baby steps for baby training. Above all, training should be fun for your puppy, so don't push too hard, and keep the training sessions very short. I'd suggest no more than 30-60 seconds, if that long. Don't expect him to sit still right now. You can work on it a bit by doing "Look at me" type training. Since he's so small, you might sit down and get a treat he really likes, and show it to him. Then bring the treat up to your nose (or around there) and say "watch me" or whatever word(s) you want. Give praise and a treat for even a second or two of eye contact. Hell, in the beginning give praise and a treat for glancing your direction. Just never "expect" too much. When you do training, see what works, and if something doesn't, don't get aggravated. Just end on a good note, and make sure your little guy knows he did a great job. If you want confidence, then he should always feel like a million dollars during and after each training session. Even if yesterday he was a rock star, and today he's got ants in his pants and won't listen, blow it off. No one performs at 100% all the time. 

Find things he wants, and get him to work for them. My Newfie doesn't care a bit for peanut butter (my Aussies go batshit for it), but loves to play tug, and likes some dry biscuits I use for treats. These are what I use when we train, because in order to be effective, a reward has to have value to your dog. BTW, I also avoid dog parks like the plague. This is just my personal opinion. For many people, they provide a great place for dogs to socialize. My problem is that there are too many irresponsible pet owners around, and if any two dogs get into a fight, it often spreads like a light-speed virus to other dogs around them. I worry about possible safety issues.

Check out Kikopup and tab289 on YouTube. They are both great channels for dog training.


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## duqropl (Apr 11, 2012)

I have a doberman puppy. She is 6 month old and i started training for basic activities. I want some changes on it. I will try my best after reading this thread and many reply.


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