Posted on 12/04/2013 7:00:11 PM PST by Usagi_yo
He's a male Blue point Doberman, rescued from the animal shelter at a very young adult age. He's actually grown a bit over the 2 years we've had him.
Well he's starting to have some biting problems now after 2 years. He's bitten my sister (the owner) 3 times breaking skin each time, bruising bone and requiring antibiotics. These have happened to her at night when he's sleeping with her and her husband. Seemed it was some type of sleep problem from being woke up from dead of sleep.
Now he's bitten me. I've had direct contact with the dog almost everyday and pet him, give him biscuits, he loves to get facial rubs from me.
After coming in, he had one of those giant burrs from a sweetgum tree in his front paw. I've picked them out of his paws many times, and I know how to pick up a dogs paw. Well this time he latched on to my arm, pretty vicious, drew blood in multiple locations. Deep enough I'll have to go to the Doctor and get x-ray and antibiotics.
If you own a doberman you know they don't growl or warn before biting.
Suggestions? We have 5 dogs between the two of us. We live on about 10 acres in separate dwellings with both houses fenced in for a common dog area. Non of the other dogs are problems, German Shepard, Red Heeler, Basset hound and a hybrid 1/4 wolf 1/4 Malamute the rest Husky. None of them have been a problem or challenge the doberman.
What to do? Is this fixable? My sister doesn't want to put him down. Her husband is pissed. I say have his canines pulled.
I just can't tolerate a dog like this. Not knowing it's going to go off on any slight, perceived or otherwise.
Amen Brother!
This does not make you mean.
IT makes you less stupid.
Our Children should be higher on the pecking order than dogs.
Yes! hahahaha! Love my crazy dogs.
I’m not a dog expert, but it seems to me you effectively spoke to the dog in a language he fully understood.
Here is the bottom line.
If that dog goes after me or mine it will get a lesson about messin.
If it accepts the lesson it stays.
Don’t abuse my pack and you will get a nice bowl of kibble and a skritch behind the ear.
And a good pat on the belly
Dogs that nip at your face are under strong super secret double probation.
Dogs that lick your face are family.
I like when the doofuses put thier nose under my arm and nudge me from behind.
I chastise mine for that, being to aggressive.
But he is respectful, so I reward it.
If he aint to pushy.
Have the dog put to sleep before something worse happens.
He bit twice on the arm, breaking the skin and also bites while in the bed, breaking the skin.
I can’t really say since I wasn’t there and I haven’t met the dog but it reads like there is a fear of the dog (having teeth removed?).
Once there is fear, there is tension and the dog will feed off that tension.
I am understanding that it is a rescue dog, too. There are too many good, stable and needful dogs to live like what I am reading.
Mostly though, I don’t deal with biters. Dogs want to please and it’s my job to give them jobs to please me over. Some dogs just won’t connect and that’s always sad.
I would look for a Dobby rescue and talk to them. A vet check and if not neutered, I would try that.
The first thing you do is get the dog OFF the bed or any other furniture.
It lays/sleeps on the floor only.
He has given himself equal stays in his mind as he sleeps with the alphas.
The next thing is a complete full blood test to check for _hypothyroidism_ and a full tick panel.
Hypothyroid makes them “suddenly go berserk”.
Been there, done that.
Good luck and don’t give up yet.
Crap, Chris.
You should know better.
“Well he’s starting to have some biting problems now after 2 years.”
AFTER 2 YEARS.
Two years and up is when Dobes commonly present thyroid issues.
*Something* has changed _in the dog_.
Would you have everyone ‘give up’ on all those GSDs in rescue?
I gave it but the vote seems to be to summarily blow his brains out without even trying to understand or fix his issues.
OMG...it’s a DOBERMANN!
Everybody panic!
I’m starting to wonder why I even come here anymore.
:-\
Violence only begets violence.
-Especially- with Dobes.
Wanna know the real reason ghetto trash haven’t managed to keep them or turn them into ‘fighters’?
It’s because the necessary physical abuse to “train them” to be fighters is NOT tolerated by Dobes like it is by Pits.
You beat a Pit, he’ll forgive you and lick your whip hand.
You beat a Dobe and he’ll see it as unforgivable betrayal of his loyalty and eat your face.
Truth.
My Dobes would bark their brains out at you, but we had them trained.
The 110 lb one would bowl yer ass over like you were a rabbit.
He was a handful LOL but he did not bite.
Dobes are big pussys, but loyal as the day is long, and tough as nails.
Mine sleep with me.
However, when I say “Off” they jump off, no questions asked.
I reinforce this by arbitrarily throwing them off the bed or sofa, just because “I feel like it”.
They understand that even my seemingly capricious, weird whims are The Law.
I also periodically take whatever they’re eating or chewing right out of their mouth.
Everything here is MINE and it’s only on loan to them.
They get it.
“Smackdown”?
You reinforced his innate, albeit inappropriate wariness of your bride with “smackdowns”?
Gee.
I can’t imagine why that didn’t work.
Amos would punch you in the chest at wheeling speed because he was happy to see you lOL
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