Can anyone give me some advice please? I have a 6mth german shorthair pointer, who was adorable but has suddenly started becoming a little horror and aggresive. He has started to try and rule the roost! What can I do? At the moment he is out for 1hr morning - half afternoon, he has plenty of toys and stimulation etc, I dont work so he has most of my attention at all times. Unfortunately my husband has broke his neck so he isnt in a postion to control him either. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Hi
I have a young dobe and six months was the turning point for us -wheyy- heyy adolesence kicks in :)
He will try and rule the roost ( ours still does ! ) you just have to be firm but fair and make sure he knows that you are the leader
IMO it is a very hard age and I know I threatened to cut allsorts of bits of his anatomy off !!
do you do any training classes with him ?
Hope hubby makes speedy recovery :)
Liz

Hi,
thanks for your reply. yes i first tried puppy socalisation classes for 4 wks which was fine until they said let all puppies off their leads and all hell let loose, at this point he wasnt aggressive just sort of buffed puppies with his paws and the behaviourist said that he was just playful and he would grow out of it. I am going to junior classes with a different trainer early Jan - this guy also has kennels and is ex RAF dog handler, trainer and behaviourist for 23yrs so heres hoping that at 7mths he will still learn. I am just trying to keep him sociable in the meantime. my last pointer (died at 13) and he was so steady and lovable. This one has his devil dog moments - heres to canine therapy !!

My hubby loves dobes as he had a bitch with wife 1 and would love to get another, do you recommend the two breeds together, we're looking to get another when flynn is about 12mths. I thought about a weimeraner or another gsp.

Welcome to the forum Flynns Mom :-)

Your puppy is being a normal, healthy GSP ;-) At 7 months he is still only 28 weeks old, which in the scheme of things is no age at all. GSP's need firm handling and to be taught boundaries from day one. You say he is *aggressive*, can you describe what he is doing for you to consider him to be aggressive? :-) You say he has plenty of *stimulation*. May I ask in what form? Just trying to get a better picture :-) I would also recommend that you do not get another dog until Flynn is 18 months to 2 years old. GSPs are very slow to mature and if you bring in another puppy before you have got him under control, you are going to have two out of control dawgs :D

I would highly recommend the GSP Club training classes to you, so if you give me a rough idea of your location, I will provide you with contacts or, if you prefer email me :-)

Hi Flynns mom
I can't recommend to you,-this is our first Dobe but the socialisation classes rings true :) being one of the bigger pups murph could just barge the others about ,I now know I made a mistake here with murph as he has no manners as such -he sees another dog and thinks -pile on in :D
Keep going ,good luck
Liz :)

Hi Liz,

Sounds like Flynn and Murph could become best buddies! Here's to a stress free christmas!!!!.
Michelle

Hi Leigh,
Thanks for replying. Flynn lives inside and I think we didnt set him enough boundaries to begin with. He has started to wreck his bed and toys and if we try to take them away from him he will turn on us, he isnt too bad with me but has caught hubby a couple of times. He really snarls and bares his teeth and I dont want to start smacking him, so I remove his toys and no treats to which he will stand back and bark non stop. We completely ignore him and go into another room for a couple of minutes until he has settled. I dont let him have access to all his toys at once. We play games with Kongs etc with treats inside. He loves to play hide and seek with his toys. We are constantly trying to come up with new games to keep him occupied. We live across the rd from a park that has a zoo so I take him there every other day to get used to seeing other animals, children etc. He is out twice a day 1hr mornings in the woods behind our house chasing bunnies, squirrels or playing frisbee etc. About 3ish he is out again over the playing fields or Hall grounds with sticks and balls. I also take him over to my Dads he is a gamekeeper so he gets to flush a few phessies out! Unfortunately since John broke his neck the shooting is out although he is primarily a pet not a working dog. When he is good he is very good but we have lots of friends with children and I dont want him to suddenly snarl and snap at them so I am hoping we can get him out of this before too long!. He is starting training classes in Darlington (we live Middlesbrough) in early Jan with a ex raf dog handler who shoots and loves pointers so heres hoping!! He is so cute and adorable but perhaps alittle ruined!. Thanks again for your advice.
Michelle
Happy Xmas

I have a 4 month old English Pointer. We are starting to see some similar things...her attitude is very "oops, I forgot everything we have learned thus far." She is getting more vocal, a little nippy again, jumping at us demanding to play. I was hoping it is just an adolesence thing along with teething, and if we patiently reienforce the basics???

Hi Darling, I have a 10 month old English Pointer and I know what you mean! When he was about the same age as your little one he was exactly the same. Be patient and do the basics - you eat first, give her attention when she is quiet, if she nips when playing its Game Over, and give her plenty of chew toys. All dogs need their training reinforced and if you list allthe things she's leaned since she came to you it will help you see progress - dogs can't transfer a skill from 1 person or environment toanother but need to learn it over. This is an intelligent breed who need plenty brain work - find the toy, hide and seek, training. PADS website is a good one for games Pointers love to show you how clever they are - keep playing with her and she'll learn to have more fun with you than rushing off exploring on her own when she's out. 4 months is baby time not teenage - as ours is - so get it set now and she'll come out of the teenage bit fine. If you get Gwen Bailey's Perfect Puppy it will help.:)

Can't find the pads website...do you have the address?

We've got a 5 month old pointer and she certainly has her moments! She has her mad few days where she won't listen to a thing we say. You've just got to carry on with the training and keep them in check. They are a fantastic breed and certainly keep you on your toes. We've already her her out on the moor and she is showing a LOT of promise. Just need to get her past the joys of puppyhood stage :-D

Helen

Cool ! What is a lot of promise on the moor, and did your grouse fly or lie down in a heap like they did up here?:)

She was quartering very nicely and was using her nose a lot. Hunting really well and found the place where a brood of grouse had got up just as we arrived. Still could go the other way but we are fairly hopeful.

Helen