Q: I have a 6 months old Doberman Pinscher puppy. He is extremely hyper. What age do Dobermans start to calm down?
He is chewing up anything - newspapers, shoes, and he likes to jump on anything he can get onto. Is this normal? What age do they mellow out or will he always be hyper? And what is a good age to get his ears cropped?
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Answers and Views:
Answer by Tricia
I swear my just 1 year old can never be played out. We live on a farm and take her for long walks. We have used a pedometer and we walk about 2.5km but we’re pretty sure she logs about 15km, and we have yet to exhaust her. She is simply a graceful powerhouse of unending oomph.
Answer by Cornelius Q. Rockefe
This is normal behavior for a young Doberman. They have a lot of energy, and without a good outlet fro it they can become destructive. Make sure he gets at least an hour of exercise every day, and hopefully he'll be a bit calmer in the house. He should start to mellow out over the next several months, and be pretty calm by age 2.
It's much too late to get his ears cropped. This needs to be done at 7-10 weeks. No vet would do it now, and they most likely wouldn't stand anyway.
Answer by Kayleigh
Well, at 6 months your Doberman is still a puppy.
also, Dobermans are generally a very energetic breed.
but they are also highly Intelligent and loyal which is great...because this means you can teach the puppy to calm down.
maybe trying to associate objects with calmness.
if he really is being a bother and being much too hyper.
exercise him more. that could be the problem.
puppies reach complete adulthood at around 3 years old.
Answer by Brenda
My dog hasn’t mellowed out and he’s 2 years old and neutered. Goes to daycare and walks. I think it has to do with training being really strict. I tell him to calm down and go sit down! So that he sees I’m annoyed. He then listens but until I blow up kinda like a child. Haha, good luck! When I’m active there is no stopping us but when I’m tired he has to learn to relax.
Answer by Laura
Dobermans are a working breed and are naturally energetic. However, they start to mellow around age 2-1/2 or so. That's a long time. You need to do three things to make sure he is a pet you can live with.
(1) Neuter him. This will curb any tendency to wander, reduce marking, reduce any aggressiveness, and generally make him calmer.
(2) Train him! Start obedience training ASAP. Obedience exercises will teach him to respect you and will give him a job to do. Dobermans are working dogs. They are happiest when they have a task to perform. Check to see if there is an obedience club in your area. Some large vet practices have obedience, and so do some humane societies. Even Petsmart offers obedience classes. You should also seriously consider crate training him.
(3) Make sure your dog is getting plenty of exercises. Running in the yard is not enough. He needs a long daily walk or run, and/or a good play session or two.
He is way past the age where his ears can be cropped successfully. They should have been done at 8-10 weeks. If cropped now, they will never stand. Leave his beautiful ears as they are.
Answer by ginbark
He is way too old to have his ears cropped, they must be done between 7-12 weeks old. Dobermans are very active dogs all their lives. You need to give your Dobe more exercise b4 you leave him then crate him so he doesn't chew and get onto the counter. My current Dobe was almost 2 yrs old b4 he was safe to leave loose in the house. And that was after 60 mins of the dog park..
My first Dobe was run for hours and never has safe to leave loose by himself. People often thought he was a pup even when he was 8 yrs old because he was so active.
Answer by Patty
I had my dobies ears cropped at five months. They are beautiful. My vet also does implants on older dogs. Only a couple of stitches and they stand immediately and look wonderful.
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