je33ie Posted July 21, 2008 Share Posted July 21, 2008 Hi all, My mum has a 19 month old Dobermann that has started snapping at her and showing his teeth. He does it when she tells him to do something like 'sit' or 'go to your bed', and he usually does it when she turns to walk away. I don't think it's agressive (it seems to be more playful) but she's worried that if a child's hand was nearby he'd snap it right off! Any tips on how we can fix this problem? She's tried ignoring him and that doesn't work... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alanglen Posted July 21, 2008 Share Posted July 21, 2008 Not a "puppy thing" more a teenager now! Would advise getting yourself some help to assess the situation and put a stop to it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Livi Posted July 21, 2008 Share Posted July 21, 2008 (edited) My dobe does a funny thing where he snaps his teeth together, but not at anything, just an excitement thing. There is no growling or baring of teeth or any kind of dominant body language, in fact he is likely to be dancing when he does it :D sometimes will be when he is trying to control himself, say he is really excited to see me when I come home and I make him sit before I will pat him, he might snap his jaws and do a spin before he feels able to sit :D I don't find it a worrying behaviour, he has never shown any aggression to anyone and will let kittens share his dinner. ETA - Of course your Mum should get some professional advice though ;) Edited July 21, 2008 by sunny70 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dogsfevr Posted July 21, 2008 Share Posted July 21, 2008 some dobes do a smile BUT you really need someone experienced to assist to now whether it is a problem or not. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
je33ie Posted July 21, 2008 Author Share Posted July 21, 2008 My dobe does a funny thing where he snaps his teeth together, but not at anything, just an excitement thing. There is no growling or baring of teeth or any kind of dominant body language, in fact he is likely to be dancing when he does it sometimes will be when he is trying to control himself, say he is really excited to see me when I come home and I make him sit before I will pat him, he might snap his jaws and do a spin before he feels able to sit :D I don't find it a worrying behaviour, he has never shown any aggression to anyone and will let kittens share his dinner. ETA - Of course your Mum should get some professional advice though Thanks, it sounds a lot like this actually. It's when he's revved up and Mum tells him to do something... he never growls or anything like that. I've sent her the link to this forum so she knows that she's not alone! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andisa Posted July 21, 2008 Share Posted July 21, 2008 (edited) Both Dobes that we had were "mouthy" not in a bad way, just playful. Ours were not snappy though. One was trained to smile by her previous owners. It was a weird feeling I got to admit until you knew she was just Smiling. My parents have a farm, when ever anyone came in for directions we would hear the car doors open and shut pretty quickly, followed by lots of tooting on the horn. I guess that most people didn't know what to think of a large Dobermann greeting them with a lovely smile. Her whole lip lifted up one side showing her lovely pearly whites. It was an impressive smile. The other one used to very gently hold your hand. She would nudge in for a pat and just hold your hand in her mouth. Again, weird feeling until you realize that she was just being smoochy. Both dogs came to us as adults, we knew the history of the first one but the 2nd one was from an add in the paper. Beautiful dogs, not a mean bone in their bodies. Both girls were never aggressive, they were wonderful dogs. The 1st Dobe was incredible. She was trained so well, I swear that girl knew every word we said, she was simply amazing. It been about 30 yrs since the 1st Dobe and a good 16 yrs since the 2nd one. They were such beautiful dogs. I would be concerned if he is snappy when she is telling him to do things or walking away from him. That is completely different to what ours were like. Edited July 21, 2008 by Lisa M Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MonElite Posted July 22, 2008 Share Posted July 22, 2008 I belive you should seek professional advice, this doenst sound right at all. Where are you located? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StaceyB Posted July 22, 2008 Share Posted July 22, 2008 It's sounds a bit like he's hit his teenage years. A friend once told me that this sort of thing was the dog equivalent of giving us the finger, but I doubt there is much truth to this, it sounds more like an old wives tale type story to me. I'm with the others though, get your mum to contact a behaviorist and they will be able to help your mum assess his behavior and sort it out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
je33ie Posted July 22, 2008 Author Share Posted July 22, 2008 (edited) Thanks, we're in Newcastle/Lake Macquarie. Does anyone know any good behaviourists in the area, and how much is it going to cost? And that's so funny about the teenager giving the finger - that's exactly what it seems like! Edited July 22, 2008 by je33ie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jigsaw Posted July 23, 2008 Share Posted July 23, 2008 (edited) There is one veterinary behaviourist listed in this area: Robert Stabler http://www.stablerbehaviour.com.au/. He is in Cardiff. ETA: I have met him but not used his services. Edited July 23, 2008 by Jigsaw Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zhou Xuanyao Posted July 23, 2008 Share Posted July 23, 2008 It does sound like a puppy thing, but not a good puppy thing :rolleyes: Id talk to a behaviourist and see what solution they can offer you, they should be able to teach you how to "unteach" your doberman the biting. Dosnt sound like a big deal to me but your right your going to want to correct the problem because its no good. My dobe does a funny thing where he snaps his teeth together, but not at anything, just an excitement thing. I saw the funniest staffy at the park once. It was straining the lead trying to get to my dog (I didnt let them play because she was a baby puppy at the time) and it was snapping its mouth open and shut in excitement. It was LOUD I mean this bloke was really snapping over and over what a character Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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