I would agree. This isn't a "housebreaking" issue. And finding a way to get him to go into the crate without protest is just a symptom of a larger issue IMO.

You can lure him into the crate with positive rewards, same as you'd train a dog to do anything else.

But a dog that is marking in your house, growling at you and having you question how to control him without getting bit is a big ol' bag of leadership issues waiting to get worse without intervention.

He needs, in order: 1.) exercise, and 2.) rigid (but fair and positive) structure in his life built on a foundation of obedience exercises. NILIF (Nothing in Life is Free) would be a good start. Search that term here or at Google for a description of this leadership philosophy that works well with pushy and/or adolescent dogs.

This is definitely something you can fix. But think bigger picture, not just symptoms.

 Quote: melissa hoyer

... And can you give us a run down of what this dog's day is like? ... This is sounding like much more than just marking problems or crating problems IMHO.

To me too. "A run down of what this dog's day is like" will be a big help.

I'm reading a symptom of a big-picture problem, too.

 Quote: tracy collins

I would agree. This isn't a "housebreaking" issue. And finding a way to get him to go into the crate without protest is just a symptom of a larger issue IMO. ... You can lure him into the crate with positive rewards, same as you'd train a dog to do anything else. .... But a dog that is marking in your house, growling at you and having you question how to control him without getting bit is a big ol' bag of leadership issues waiting to get worse without intervention. ....He needs, in order: 1.) exercise, and 2.) rigid (but fair and positive) structure in his life built on a foundation of obedience exercises. NILIF (Nothing in Life is Free) would be a good start. Search that term here or at Google for a description of this leadership philosophy that works well with pushy and/or adolescent dogs.

 Quote: Cheri Grissom

There are people here who would like to help, but we do need more information.

That is correct he is in a 20 x 20 kennel during the day while we are at work. Up until he lifted his leg and urinated on my bed, his day looked like this, he would be let outside into the kennel to go to the bathroom, let back in to eat in the kitchen, put outside in the kennel upon our departure to work and school upon arrival home he was fed, his kennel cleaned, after eating he was let in the house were he intereacted with the family, and at bed time he would sleep on his bed at the foot of our bed in the master bedroom. For the past week all that has changed that after eating I have working on his basic commands, and when it is time to come in the house I walk him to the crate on lead, give the In command, up to this point he has refused to go in, I then lead him back outside were he has slept in the kennel. This is a pet, not a working dog or a guard dog and to have him spend the rest of his life in a kennel is a waste to me, I want him back in the house with the family as this is why I have him, but I will not tolerate growling at me as I need to be able to trust him around my 8 & 10 year old.

I agree, this is not a housebreaking issue, he has been in the house and housebroken since he was 8 weeks old, this is a new problem, I have been leading him to the crate, giving the sit command, which we have no problem with, rewarding him, even putting a treat in the crate, no go.

Even a low-drive pet Doberman needs more exercise than this. Walking from the house to the kennel wouldn't be enough exercise for a 3-legged overweight senior basset hound.

He is in the kennel when we are not at home, he is in the house when we are. We go for a walk in the am before breakfast, he's fed in the house then put out with our German Shorthair, who we do not have this problem with. They are played with and let in the house in the evening, the GSH sleep in the laundry room our Min Pin in a crate and the Dobe has alwasy slept in the bedroom on his own bed, never allowed on the furniture or bed. He has NOT been allowed in the house since he growled at me, his been in the kennel and fed and watered with little to no other interaction, I am now trying to get him in the crate, so we can start our pack structure over again, he is refusing to get in the crate so he is sleeping outside in the kennel which is not the ideal situation as he is a family pet not a guard dog or working dog and I want him in the house.

So you're saying my dog is growling at me because he doesn't get enough excercise?

Jennifer, in your first post, you mention that this dog has been obedience and behavior trained. May I ask, was this training you did yourself, i.e., group classes or working with a private trainer, or was he sent away to be trained? What method of training has been used? Positive, reward-based, or some other method?

First of all, I too believe that this dog is not getting enough exercise. A two-year-old Doberman is a high-energy animal, regardless of whether he is a pet, working dog, whatever. What is your yard situation? Is it fenced? If not, is there any other safe, fenced area you can take him for running and a game of fetch? Are you or your husband runners? Take him running. Take him biking. We say it a lot around here, but a tired dog is a good dog.

As far as the crate, you mention taking him to the crate, saying "In," he refuses, so you put him up in the kennel. Has he ever been taught what "In" means with regards to the crate? If not, then he has no idea what you are asking him, and he definitely doesn't associate being put out in the kennel with being a "bad dog" that refused to go in the crate. Start your crate training from scratch, using his absolute most favorite treats to lure him in. Take it one small step at a time. If he even puts one foot in, reward him, then ask for a little more next time. It will be a slow process.

I agree with others that this is not a housebreaking problem. I feel the behaviors you describe are a symptom of what could become a more serious breakdown in your relationship with this dog, but it is nothing that can't be fixed!!! None of this will happen overnight, though. This will be a long process that will require a lot of commitment, time and patience on your part.

I understand that you have a job and two young children and you must be very busy already. But isolating this dog in the kennel is not going to help and may indeed make things worse.

 Quote: Jennifer Morris

So you're saying my dog is growling at me because he doesn't get enough excercise?

Enough structured exercise is critical with a dog who has built-up frustrated energy; it's a trigger for any underexercised dog to become hyper and amped.

This is one part of the picture that Cheri and Tracy are trying to flesh out.

I applaud your goals and your recognition of the larger issue here. I know that the experienced people replying can help.

What kind (method) of basic ob training has he had?

Do not give the IN command if he is constantly refusing it and you have no way of enforcing it. In my opinion he sees the IN command more as a punishment than as a rewarding experience/command.

If he has been trained with clicker/marker skip a meal for him and use that ration to retrain the IN command with clicker/marker.

Assuming you are giving enough exercise/stimulation/training to your dog and he is still growing at you for you challenging his peeing, I would slap on an e collar and give him a correction every time he does that. I have a special word "Bad boy!!" to give pack structure corrections as against "No" that I use for marker training negative marker.

I have never had to give the e collar treatment to my boy, but I have said "bad boy!" and given him prong collar corrections for growling at other dogs while on the leash with me. He got the point and now, when I say "bad boy" he knows to cut it out.

It is just as important to tell him that he is such a good boy and praise and pet him a lot the instant he snaps out of it.

The point is don't let the growling become a habit. The more he does it and gets away with it, the more you have to work to correct it. If you cant stop the growling, dont put yourself/dog in the situation where he can growl at you and have no consequences.