Well I just got this Doberman puppy yesterday who is 13 weeks old. He's just settling in and everything is new to him but he's shown real aggression towards other dogs so far. He's really calm, gentle and laid-back with people, but when he sees other dogs he freaks. I know this is not uncommon for the breed, but I think part of the reason for the extremeness he shows could be because his litter mates used to be rough with him (he's got marks from nips and play bites that the breeders said would go away soon.) The most hostile behavior he shows is toward our neighbor's 17 week old White German Shepard pup. The GSD just wants to play and approaches our dog wagging it's tail furiously in excitement, while our Dobie pup growls, snaps, and raises it's haunches. I'm planning on enrolling him into puppy school once he gets his second vaccinations (tomorrow), but can anyone give me some tips of how to control/stop this behavior?
P.S. Our pup isn't too used to his name yet and tends to ignore me when it spots another dog no matter what I do. I do try to present myself as the alpha at all times though ( exiting doors before the pup, moving it's food tray around while it's eating, eating before it while it's watching me, making it keep still until I say it's time to go, etc) Anyone got tips to help me out there too?
Oh and give me tips and not a scolding for not being a good owner or something of that sort. I'm a first-time dog owner whose dad was stuck on getting a doberman (My dad has experience with dogs and I also have some.)
P.S. Our pup isn't too used to his name yet and tends to ignore me when it spots another dog no matter what I do. I do try to present myself as the alpha at all times though ( exiting doors before the pup, moving it's food tray around while it's eating, eating before it while it's watching me, making it keep still until I say it's time to go, etc) Anyone got tips to help me out there too?
Oh and give me tips and not a scolding for not being a good owner or something of that sort. I'm a first-time dog owner whose dad was stuck on getting a doberman (My dad has experience with dogs and I also have some.)