Hey Everyone!

[chaos_mama]

Hey!!!!
Decided to join a forum to try to learn from other dobi owners. I have a two and a half year old red doberman named Chaos. He is fully obedience, protection, and AOC trained. However, he is still quite a handful...
Becoming his owner was kind of an interesting experience...

I work for a dog training/boarding company as a training consultant. However another manager breeds dobi's. She sold my dog, and the buyers neglected and abused him. He is now in my care and is an absolutely amazing addition to my pack and family.

[My Mateese]

Welcome to the forum, lots of interestings things
on here, hope you enjoy.

[Big Dogs]

Welcome it is nice to hear from a fellow trainer have you worked with Dobes in the past? What kind of training consultant work do you do?

[SnuzerDog]

Welcome Chaos, and Chaos_Mama! Hope you enjoy the discussions here as much as I have. :)

[chaos_mama]

Welcome it is nice to hear from a fellow trainer have you worked with Dobes in the past? What kind of training consultant work do you do?

I help build custom training programs for dogs and dog owners. Based on obedience and protection needs. We focus mainly on obedience though. I have been around many many dobes but never my own. This is proving to be quite an ordeal. Chaos is AMAZING on leash, but as soon as we go inside, he truly lives up to his name!!

[Big Dogs]

Well it sounds like your program is similar in structure to ours. I use a basic program that I have changed and added to through the years but always have to change it somewhat for each dog. We concentrate mostly on obedience and offer several levels of protection training but we only train a few dogs a year in protection. We just finished with a Dobe that was protection trained by a trainer that was only used to working with GSD's and Malinois some of these guys really try and rush them through and you just can't due that with a Dobe. We have seen this 2 or 3 times in the past 5 years and my kennel is small we only have 6 runs it's kind of alarming. Have you encountered this in your area?

[Sue J]

Welcome Chaos and mom.

[My Mateese]

Well it sounds like your program is similar in structure to ours. I use a basic program that I have changed and added to through the years but always have to change it somewhat for each dog. We concentrate mostly on obedience and offer several levels of protection training but we only train a few dogs a year in protection. We just finished with a Dobe that was protection trained by a trainer that was only used to working with GSD's and Malinois some of these guys really try and rush them through and you just can't due that with a Dobe. We have seen this 2 or 3 times in the past 5 years and my kennel is small we only have 6 runs it's kind of alarming. Have you encountered this in your area?

I have heard this too, you cannot do it with a Dobe, slow going
is what I have been told. I really like hearing what you have to
say.

[chaos_mama]

Well it sounds like your program is similar in structure to ours. I use a basic program that I have changed and added to through the years but always have to change it somewhat for each dog. We concentrate mostly on obedience and offer several levels of protection training but we only train a few dogs a year in protection. We just finished with a Dobe that was protection trained by a trainer that was only used to working with GSD's and Malinois some of these guys really try and rush them through and you just can't due that with a Dobe. We have seen this 2 or 3 times in the past 5 years and my kennel is small we only have 6 runs it's kind of alarming. Have you encountered this in your area?

To some extent. But not with my company. Our trainer requires people to have an unlimited training program to even consider pro training. Chaos is completely protection and AOC (Attack on command) trained. It can be a hassle sometimes. The trainer I work with doesn't decide on breed whether or not to do pro training. As we progress through the basic OB, he determines whether or not the dog has the capacity and capability to do the pro.

Although having a protection dog can be nice, it seems that any time he senses a threat he feels the need to let the whole neighborhood know. Not five minutes ago, there were some people by our cars, and he went completely bat crazy!!

[Big Dogs]

We also do not decide by breed we use several tests one thing we strive for is to make the protection side of the dogs skill set as transparent and un noticed as possible we spend almost as much time with the owner as we do the dog. One thing that I insist on is the dog be as close to perfect as I can make him and I always let the owner know up front that his or her dog is a direct reflection on me so I want him to be right. My own dobes have all been protection trained the one thing I do that some trainers do not do is I will not do any bite work with a dog before they are one year old I choose to do this to help prevent injuries it just gives the dog's growth plates more time to develop before putting the added strain on them with bite work. The last thing I want is to have a clients dog injured. We have 3 levels of protection training and the 3 level would incorporate what you call attack on command training. I really try to research what the customer is looking for and to be honest most need nothing more than a level one which will bark and go into a defensive posture on lead when threatened.

[chaos_mama]

We also do not decide by breed we use several tests one thing we strive for is to make the protection side of the dogs skill set as transparent and un noticed as possible we spend almost as much time with the owner as we do the dog. One thing that I insist on is the dog be as close to perfect as I can make him and I always let the owner know up front that his or her dog is a direct reflection on me so I want him to be right. My own dobes have all been protection trained the one thing I do that some trainers do not do is I will not do any bite work with a dog before they are one year old I choose to do this to help prevent injuries it just gives the dog's growth plates more time to develop before putting the added strain on them with bite work. The last thing I want is to have a clients dog injured. We have 3 levels of protection training and the 3 level would incorporate what you call attack on command training. I really try to research what the customer is looking for and to be honest most need nothing more than a level one which will bark and go into a defensive posture on lead when threatened.


You sound incredibly similar to us. I don't do the training itself so I'm nowhere near as educated on bite work as you are. But I know there is a long waiting and screening process before we will proceed with it. It's nice to have, but it's kind of like a gun. Reassuring to have, but you hope to never use it. Do you work for a company? Or just do it yourself?

[Big Dogs]

I work for myself I have been doing it for a little over 22 years and you are right on with the loaded gun idea. We have a small 6 run facility that we board and train out of although we usually just board clients dogs which I like because we know the dogs already. We decided not to go any larger due to our facility being on our property and zoning restrictions. The one thing I tell people is any dog regardless of breed can be an asset or a liability whether it is obedience training or protection training the whole goal is to make the connection with the dog. I can train the dog to understand commands but the owner has to put forth the effort to take them to the next step where the dog starts to do things with out being told and that is where I like to see people end up with there dogs unfortunately that is a place where I can't take them it has to come from them overtime and effort on the owners and dogs part.

[My Mateese]

I work for myself I have been doing it for a little over 22 years and you are right on with the loaded gun idea. We have a small 6 run facility that we board and train out of although we usually just board clients dogs which I like because we know the dogs already. We decided not to go any larger due to our facility being on our property and zoning restrictions. The one thing I tell people is any dog regardless of breed can be an asset or a liability whether it is obedience training or protection training the whole goal is to make the connection with the dog. I can train the dog to understand commands but the owner has to put forth the effort to take them to the next step where the dog starts to do things with out being told and that is where I like to see people end up with there dogs unfortunately that is a place where I can't take them it has to come from them overtime and effort on the owners and dogs part.

AMEN, the owner has to be on overtime on the effort and
do their part.

[My Mateese]

I know of some people who have a Bullmastif and a
Akita that are not very well trained and to me it is
like an accident waiting to happen, talked about a
loaded gun..........