May 18, 2011

Soon I will be purchasing an 8 week Doberman Pincher. How and what do I do if this puppy displays aggressive behavior?

Full Question:
Hello Cindy,

First, I want to thank you for your time.

I have extensive experience with German Shepherds. Soon I will be purchasing an 8 week Doberman Pincher. My first one. In the event this puppy should display any aggressive behavior towards me, I realize this behavior must be addressed within a split second it occurs. Please, explain, briefly, how and what do I do? Second, how do you recommend I address aggressive behavior towards new people during the socialization process that is unprovoked?

Are Doberman Pinchers handled differently than German Shepherds? If so, please tell me how and why.

I appreciate your time and the products you make available to the public.

Thank you very much,
Yale
Cindy
Cindy Cindy's Answer:
Dogs are not treated differently due to breed. Dogs are dogs, and they are trained and handled according to their temperament and drive.

The key to handling aggression is to not let it manifest in the first place. If you raise your puppy with leadership and guidance, I don't see a reason to anticipate aggression. Also realize that puppies don't have the capacity to show real aggression anyway.

Here are the recommendation I would make for a new puppy:

First read this article called The Groundwork to Becoming Your Puppy’s Pack Leader

The videos I would recommend:

Pack Structure for the Family Pet
The Power of Training Dogs with Markers

I would also recommend you purchase the DVD titled Your Puppy 8 Weeks to 8 Months and the 4 hour DVD on Basic Dog Obedience. I recommend the handlers start studying this DVD right away even though you won’t use some of this training material for several months (usually not until the pup is 4 to 6 months old).

I also recommend that you go to the web site and read the article on “Ed’s Philosophy of Dog Training.” I believe you will not only learn something about dog training, I hope you will also adopt the same philosophy on dog training.

I hope this helps.

Cindy

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Expert Dog Trainer Cindy Rhodes
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