Chapter Three
A working dog deserves work.
Training is not something you do to a Doberman; it is the conversation you have with one. Plan to keep talking for life.
The foundations
Five things to get right.
01
Name & attention
Pay for eye contact, generously, for the first month. Everything else rests on this.
02
Sit / Down / Place
Use lures, then fade them. 'Place' is the most useful cue you will ever teach a working dog.
03
Recall
Practice on a long line for the first year. Never call your dog to do something they dislike.
04
Loose-leash walking
Reward the position you want before correcting the one you don't. Most pulling is rehearsed by accident.
05
Door manners
Wait at thresholds. It teaches impulse control more than any thirty-minute session.
Five things to avoid
What not to do.
- Don't use harsh corrections — Dobermans shut down before they fight back.
- Don't free-feed. Food is your most powerful training tool.
- Don't skip the crate. A tired puppy nipping at 9 p.m. is an overtired puppy that needed a nap at 7.
- Don't repeat cues. Say it once, then help the dog succeed.
- Don't compare to other breeds. A Doberman in adolescence will look like it has forgotten everything. It hasn't.