New member and need some advice, PLEASE

I am new to the forum and was hoping for a little advice from those of you that have experienced such issues. My 3 1/2 yr. old doberman Tank is about to find himself a new home, outside! I know this is NOT the answer, but my husband has had it with him. Tank has quite a few bad behaviors, but overrall is a very loving and faithful dog to our family. One problem is he constantly sniffs our two cats behinds, in addition to licking & sniffing the carpet outside of the room we keep their kitty litter. When he smells something he likes, typically urine, feces, etc...his mouth starts quivering and he drools. Problem number two, he continues to lick a place on his leg, which constantly bleeds. You hear him throughout the night licking at it. Problem number three, he has a real problem with separation anxiety. He is NOT on any medication and I would really like to solve some of these behavior problems without meds, if possible. He is not neutered and I wasn't sure if that could help some of these problems. Dobermans are very smart and very needy of their family's attention, I'm just afraid of where this is all headed. PLEASE HELP!

[Christi]

My suggestion would be to get him into a good obedience training program immediately!

[Scarlette]

Hello and welcome to Paw-Talk!

I've had similar problems with my Doberman as far as the intense curiosity with cat butts. It seems I'm constantly telling her NO! I even went as far as borrowing my friends shock collar and zapping her when she got close to the cats. It worked for awhile but then she got smart and realized it was the collar zapping her and not the cats......so every time the collar was off she was after the cats. I'm back to yelling.

My dobe also had the separation anxiety right from the first day I had her. At first it was absolutely horrendous. I would walk out the door and she would howl like someone was trying to kill her, then she would go shred whatever she could find. She would even have a fit if I went into the bathroom and shut the door. I got her a HUGE crate, put alot of toys in it and would put her in there and give her a treat everytime I left. I started off just walking out the door, then coming back in after a few minutes to show her I WAS coming back (something to do on your days off from work). She still gets nervous when I leave, but she doesn't howl and carry on like she used to. I have noticed she is much happier when I put her outside for the day in the summer time. I have a 20x30 kennel and she loves it outside in the summer.

As far as the leg licking thing, I think that's a nervous habit. Mine used to like to bite the end of her tail and make it bleed. Once she got over the majority of her separation anxiety, the tail biting seemed to stop. You can try putting Vicks Vapor Rub on it to try to deter him.

I really don't know what to suggest about the drooling problem. I know quite a few dogs that do this and they have to be constantly reminded to stay away from the kitty box.

I'm not sure if neutering will help his problems. My dog has been spade since she was 6 months old.

[Becki]

We have one dog who with chew a hole in his leg in one particular spot for some unknown reason (I don't think HIS problem is nervousness, he is SO kick back) so we poured colloidial silver on the spot thinking that it might be some sort of skin irritation and it went away. The silver is good b/c it's good for them if they lick it unlike some other treatments, BUT it wasn't a permanent solution, we just keep doing it when it starts up again every few months.

As for the obsession with kitty butts/feces, I don't know that there is a solution for that other than keeping them away from it as much as possible, my dog with Vaccum all the chinchilla and rabbit poos up every chance she gets if we let her (thankfully she almost never gets in thier room).

I'd have to agree with everyone else, I think obedience training might be your best bet.

[Chrisanne]

I agree..... obidience training is a must. They can be taught a simple "leave it" command that will help with the kitty thing.

The separation anxiety is something you definately have to work on. Crate training is a wonderful aid in making it easier on the dog. Like Scarlette said..... take the time to practice leaving for small amounts of time and working up. It will help, but takes time.

Putting her outside permanately will prolly only make it worse.

I would ask the vet about the spot on the leg. There may be something more wrong.

I appreciate all of the advice. I have been practicing all week and I see a little progress.....maybe I just want to think it so Anyhow, I really enjoy the forum and am glad I joined.

[lulu]

tdawg--from one dog owner to another--I am also one that says dog training!!!! I went through training with my dane and there was a dobie that was soooo smart! I was jealous!! Sometimes they get bored and need to act out for attention and with training they get better!! We also leave kongs (you can buy them at the pet store they are rubber toys with a hollow center) and we fill it up with peanut butter when we are gone !!! They love it!! It is such a special treat for them!!!! Good luck and check out the training courses in your area! Research!!! Mans best friend wanted 1000.00 to 1500.00 to train my dane--I had to drop off and leave her for a few weeks while THEY trained her! Dogs need to respond to their owners not other people!!

Yes, the Kong's are GREAT, that's one of his favorite toys. I need to do a little research on the training! Tank is very smart, almost too smart so I assume he would do very well with the training. His father was a search and rescue dog, so I guess his gene's a good

[lulu]

tdawg, I'm sure that they are alot of dog training courses for you to look in to but make sure you really research and that you will get your money's worth of training! Also make sure that they give certificates at the end of the session. We paid 80.00 for six weeks and the classes were nice and not huge!! Also ask if their are any trainers that specialize in dobies-I think that will help also. The organization I went to they had some trainers that were better with certain type of dogs. Good luck!!!