Hi,

It has been almost 45 days since I reported a problem with my doberman puppy putting up it's hackles during walks. http://leerburg.com/forums/ubbthreads.php/ubb/showflat/Number/280777/page/0/fpart/1

Various valuble suggestions were given and I took all the suggestions I could put in practice.

I did not have the option of avoiding aggressive dog routes. I worked with what I had and I am happy to report that I have made progress. So much so that I can have my dog off leash and still have him do loose heeling , even when he is a few feet away from the fence chargers.

Here are the results for your perusal. It is a work in progress but I am proud of my boy Kaiser. He is going to be 5 months old next 5th.


I AM LOOKING FOR ANY CONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISMS that you may find in the way I am interacting with kaiser.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rbSyiGYKsAQ

I'm at work so any videos and pictures are blocked but it really sounds as if you are making great progress with Kaiser. Congratulations!

One thing to be aware of is that Kaiser is just entering the adolescent (teenage) stage of life so be prepared for the possibility that he may suddenly develop selective hearing or may "forget" everything he knows. If these or other teenage things happen just keep on course, be patient, and tell yourself, "It's just a stage. This too shall pass."

Ram, you weren't kidding about lots of distraction! I loved his recall when he bolted. Very nice...

He does seem a bit stressed, but is still listening very well to you.

Do you play with him with a ball on a string or other tug toy? If you could incorporate a little bit of play as reward for staying by your side,(interspersed throughout your walk) this might give a little release to his stress in that environment.

Ram, both pups are coming along very well... it seems your hard work is paying off! Helga seemed very calm for such a young pup with that level of distractions!

Lynne>> I wish I could play tug with him, but I dont know how to teach him. When I tease him with a ball on a string or a hessian tug or a fluffy toy attached to a string, he tries to pin it down with his front paws rather than bite. Even when he bites he does not have a strong grip. He is tentative in his grip at best.The other day he lost a tooth and was bleeding from it. (it stopped pretty soon though).

I will try to play ball on a string with him and post videos.

Any suggestions on how to teach a dog to play tug is much appreciated.


Barbara>> Thanks for the kind words and also your help. Helga kind of feeds off Kaiser's energy. She is calm but extremely hyper when I train her. Hyper in a good way :P

Lynne>> could you also point me to what the stress signs that you saw. I am asking so that I can be more aware of them henceforth and I can tune down my demands of him accordingly.


BTW here is a video of me trying to play tug with kaiser. Hig tug playing needs some work

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JhY_WlbEzVE

 Quote: Ramachandran Subramanian

Lynne>> could you also point me to what the stress signs that you saw. I am asking so that I can be more aware of them henceforth and I can tune down my demands of him accordingly.


BTW here is a video of me trying to play tug with kaiser. Hig tug playing needs some work

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JhY_WlbEzVE

Well, after I watched it a second time, I think I was misinterpreting when he was turning around and walking behind you. I thought he was doing this on his own, but I think you were stopping because he was getting too far ahead of you?

He does seem to be enthusiastic about the tug, but if he's teething you don't want to be tugging with it until he's finished. If you had a smaller version of that tug you could keep it with you as a reward for eye contact, etc...but not actually tug with it, just give it to him to carry for a few moments.

Yes I stop ever so often to make him forge ahead so that I can make him understand that he has to pay constant attention to me.

I will try a smaller tug soon. It is homemade anyway :P. he is missing a few of his teeth. I hope it all grows back

Ram!!!!!!!!!
Dang!!!!!
That's a bunch of work you did there.
GOOD JOB!!!!!!!!

I think he looks great.
A bit nervous at the beginning, but totally totally understandable.
You might train him to "focus" on your eyes when he gets nervous...that way it will help distract him when he gets a bit "lookish"

I am blown away by what you have done with this pup, and where you came from.
WELL DONE.

Teething is a royal pain in the but.......no tug till he is done.
Do like Lynne said and give him a small one to hit and then carry.
Nice pups.
I'm proud of your efforts and commitment to your dogs.

Willie >> Thanks for your kind words. I knew I was taking a big risk in exposing my pups to such crazyness, but I had to do it. I had no other option. The first few weeks were really stressful for the pups and myself( as I did not enjoy giving them a lot of leash pops and I am sure they did not enjoy receiving them). But slowly Kaiser and to an extent Helga(even though she is a baby) got the idea that "Hey if I just follow this guy and ignore everything else I dont get popped and I even get a treat some times" and from that point onwards the improvement was steady. It is still a work in progress as you can see from the fact that he decided to bolt towards my other dogs at the far end of the street. The saving grace was that he came back when I called.

Honestly, if some one asked me to tell them how exactly I got Kaiser to loose heel, I will be at a loss. The truth is, I really dont know what I did, but I kept trying every thing and finally some thing worked. And I just built on what ever worked. I think the fact that I would not let Kaiser and Helga avoid the things that railed them up is what made them finally give in. Now that I think of it, it has more to do with the puppies' temperament than my training.


I cant wait till Kaiser and Helga get to the age where they can be trained with an e-collar. Then I can see if I can make them even more attentive at longer distances.