TRAINING
Training of the dobermann is essential and should start at an early age, they are a very intelligent breed so you need to stay one step ahead of them and try and be that little bit smarter!!
Basic training is a must and you need to stay calm, firm and consistant in all training, if you are tired, stressed or in a bad mood then do your training at a later date, you will get nowhere and neither you or your dog will enjoy it, remember it should be fun and happy.
The informative weeks for your new pup are 8/16 weeks of age so what you teach them in this time is paramount to their development.
We always teach recall from 8/9 weeks of age. Make yourself the most interesting object to your pup, call them in a jolly voice, when they come to you give loads of praise, walk away and do it again. Do this everyday and increase the recall distance each time, once they get to an age to be let off the lead the recall shouldnt be too much of a problem as they will understand what is required of them, remember to make yourself of interest to them and always praise them when they return to you, with their strong will and other distractions around they may not respond to you as quickly as you would like but remember to stay calm and always praise when they come back to you, never get angry and scold them. Would you go back to someone that is angry and shouting!
Take your pup to a local dog training school as soon as they are allowed out and about after vaccinations, this will socialise your pup with people and dogs and you will learn basic obedience sit, stay, down, you can start these at home however.
SIT : get a treat in your right hand, raise your hand
above their head and move it backwards saying sit,
while gently guiding them into a sit position with
your left hand.
DOWN : while in a sit position get a treat and move it in
a downwards forward motion saying down, if
they need guidance gently place your left arm
over their shoulders and gently encourage down.
Do this everyday starting with a couple of minutes at a time, increasing it day by day, word association is the key and eventually you will get to the point where they will do what you say upon command.
Markets and towns are excellent places to take your pup, people will want to talk to them and its a great way of socialising and getting them used to all sorts of sights and sounds. One tip before they are old enough to go out is put them in the car and drive through town so they can see their big new world through the safety of the glass.
If you wish to show your pup then you can start this training at an early age as well, get a nice tasty treat and tell them to stand while gently placing their legs square, there are training clubs which hold ringcraft training sessions especially for show training.
Remember that with all training stay calm and make it fun, the more you enrich and stimulate their lives as puppies the better off they will be as an adult, you will have a well trained and well mannered companion who is a joy and not a nuisance.