Dobermans Den

Doberman Training

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Training your doberman is essential to a good relationship with your dog (and your neighbors). For some people going to a dog training class is just not practical or has limited effectiveness. In order to be successful at doberman training, it’s essential that you understand natural dog behaviour. Two of the best resources that I have found for training a doberman and that I often recommend to any dog owner are, leerburg.com and Caesar Milan.

Leerburg has articles with lots of training information and a great forum. Check it out especially if you’re having dominance or behavioural problems.

Then there’s Caesar Milan, better known as the Dog Whisperer. He has a popular series on the National Geographic Channel that should be watched by every dog owner. If you’ve never seen his show, I really recommend you buy the series DVD or look for them at your local library.

Either of these are a great resource for common issues such as doberman aggression or shyness.

Doberman Growth Chart

Some people have asked about a doberman growth chart or doberman growth rates detailing the typical doberman weight ranges. I have searched quite a bit online and could not find one. My guess is that it doesn’t exist since the weight of the doberman pinschers breed varies so much. Read More » » »

Donnie the Doberman Arranges Toys

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Donnie is a very interesting doberman. National Geographic featured him on their “Genius Dogs” show.  He displays an unusual behaviour where he arranges his stuffed toys into specific patterns of circles or triangles. It’s not clear what the motivation for this behaviour is although.

Is it thought out, random or is it just creative expression?

Donnie the doberman is a rescue dog and little is known about his past other than he was kept in a kennel for about a year and he was slow to adjust to his new home and owner. He had to learn basic things like how to climb stairs and go through doorways.

Donnie eventually started arranging his stuffed toys in specific patterns.  The toys would be purposefully laid out one by one in patterns of circles, triangles or straight lines. He would also create similar groupings  of all frogs or all monkeys, face up or face down. Even more interesting is that his toys would sometimes be laid out with the hands touching.

It is bizarre to watch Donnie in the video. It is also especially touching and fascinating how Donnie let his owner put her arm around him and then began organizing his toys in hugs.

Babara Smuts, a professor at the University of Michigan is researching this dog behavior. She suggests that this behaviour may be self-entertainment or it may be linked to his time in a shelter with only one toy.  Since there have not been enough cases of this dog behaviour, a scientific explanation cannot be made.  If you have a dog that displays similar behaviour, you may wish to contact the professor and help contribute to her research.

What do you think Donnie is expressing with his toy arranging behaviour.  Does your dog also arrange his toys in patterns?

frog triangle

Tags: doberman intelligence, Doberman Videos