Hi all
I wonder if someone can please help.
We have a 12 week old Dobermann Bitch who we love dearly. She is fantastic with people, will say hi to anyone, but for some reason is very, and we are talking massively, nervous of other dogs. She came from a lovely breeder with 6 brothers in her litter, her mother was there to meet, and they also had nother dog (an elderly crossbreed). The father was fantastic too.So we are at a loss. Its been a long time since I have had a puppy so dont know if this is normal or not. Admittedly she has been away from other dogs during her vaccinations etc....but its just now...even tiny dogs she is scared of. We managed to get her friendly with a big dog who she played with (sort of) after a while......but is it supposed to be like this?

Thanks so much in advance.

Hi Elliebellie, you must get your puppy out and about as much as humanly possible, even if it's in your arms till the vacc's kick in. Then when she's walking with you, don't cosset her too much, don't 'save' her from the big bad world. Be confident yourself and encourage her to meet everybody and everything. This is the crucial socialising time, make the most of it, and she'll be fine.

Dawn R.

Ditto what Dawn put & add Ringcraft or obedience classes are great places(if they are properly run)for you dog to mix with others in a safe enviroment. Have you got any friends who have gentle dogs that your puppy can mix with if you haven't got a local ringcraft or pet obedience ?

Are you thinking of showing your Dobermann or working in obedience(not enough other breeds in obedience in my opinion I love seeing other non WSD/BC/GSD etc working) Working towards the KC Good Citizens Certificates  is also a good thing as it is based on your dog being a nice well behaved pet

Remember that your puppy will not have seen anything other than dobermanns & humans(unless the breeder had other breeds)so might not recognize other dogs as dogs, thats why my cavaliers think they are part BC part GSD & part Border Terrier & my next BC will also think he is part Cavalier, GSD as he will be living with them

I am not a great fan of puppy parties unless they are structured because if there is a very forward puppy(like my JD-cavalier)& a more inexperienced puppy like yours your puppy could become more frightened if they are all let loose togather. My Great Dane breeder friend had a lovely harlie bitch who adored puppies of any breed & would lie down & make herself the same height of a puppy if it showed any fear of her, she was responsible for my last collie loving all Great Danes & big dogs She would have been a great dog to have at puppy parties as she was so gentle & calm quite unusual for a Harlie.

My friend who has dobes has a bitch that has a problem with other dogs if they get too close due to a couple of dogs in the park having a go at her however she is fine with my cavaliers & will even try to follow them into their crate at shows(it is big enough for her as well)

Thanks Dawn and Moonmaiden.

We started walking her properly yesterday. If a dog goes near her she back away or runs away crying.
She is not happy on the lead yet either which makes things difficult. She will walk a bit but then stop. When we walk her off the lead, she is perfectly fine. I know that this will take a bit of practice though.

AS for the dogs thing, we have tried to get her to meet as mny as possible so far. When she does cry and run, we dont baby her or anything. The worst thing is when people pick them up to protect them (something I have always hated). We have both tried to get her to sit and let the dogs sniff her and vice versa.

We live in Tenerife so things like puppy training classes etc are not a common thing. I had thought about organising a sort of mums and tots group, but for dogs in the hope that she might get over her fear of them. She is generally a very bold character.

Thanks for the advice....any more is greatly appreciated

Hi EllieBellie,

Dawn and MM have certainly pointed you in the right direction.  Would just add to your reply to them that I would not try and encourage your puppy to sit on meeting new dogs - if she's worried it's quite common for a puppy to sit anyway (sort of helps them believe they are invisible :D ) but would let her do it of her own accord so she doesn't have any additional pressure.

Once she's been out and about for a few weeks she will be a different dog altogether ;)  None of them know what other breeds look like when first leaving their litter mates & mum unless the breeder has a variety of breeds (which is not generally the norm).  My first really bolshy pup at 13 weeks looked like he'd take on Goliath never mind any dog breed - then he met a white Standard Poodle in full show clip and nearly had heart failure :P   But he turned out just fine with dogs in general.

Good luck, regards
Teri :)

LOLOL Teri the first Poodle my JD saw was a white Min in puppy clip & as he had only even seen sheep that were white being worked by my BC he tried to herd it like a BC, until he he realised it was a girl dog(she started flirting)& then he changed into casanova dog :)

Ellie

Its a good idea to arrange a few meetings you might even find other people with the same temporary problem as yourself & start a self help group ! You never know where that might lead :)