New to the breed and some questions for experienced DDB owners

[Surrey Dogue]

Hello All, I'm a long time browser but this is my first post.
I've recently rescued/rehomed a male 18 month old DDB. I've never owned a DDB, so am new to the breed however I have previously owned a wonderful female Boerboel so I have experience in handling and training large/powerful breeds.

My current situation is that he was not well trained by his previous owners and seemed to be allowed to 'rule the roost' so to speak. He is very boisterous and still play biting and trying to assert his dominance using his mouth which I am doing my best to discourage and he seems to be getting the message slowly.
My boerboel was trained by us from 8 weeks and we taught her very eary not to play bite and was considerably better behaved at this stage and extremely well mannered (although dominant with other dogs).

Am I correct in making the assumption that this kind of behaviour is down to his age (terrible teens)? If so, when can we expect him to calm down somewhat? I was under the impression that DDBs were rather more easy going in comparison to a boerboel (sorry to generalise here), but i'm finding our boerboel was far more placid at this stage of her life.

He was also neutered by his previous owners at 15months of age, whcih is too young in my opinion and i am just wodnering how this will affect his mind/behaviour and maturation. I know it will certainly have an affect on his growth plates and he is rather thin, but i'd like to understand from others with experience whether he will mature mentally and what age can we expect him to become more 'dogue' so to speak.

He is a lovely boy overall, very affectionate, but stubborn and 'mouthy' with his play biting.

Some advice and experiences to be shared would be most welcome as I have been told that this is a very tough breed to train if they have not been well trained as a young pup.

Many thanks in advance.

 

[musicdeb]

First of all, thank you for rescuing the pup. It usually takes a rehomed pup 8-12 months to fully trust their new family.

At 18 months, he is past the teenage stage. Sounds like he needs basic training which requires consistency with motivational reward and LOTS of patience.

Adopt NILF (nothing in life is free). The pup must perform a string of commands before he eats, walks, plays or receives his daily cuddles.

I rescued Titan when he was 2 years of age and he had no training. His previous owner hit him and kept him locked in a room for 10-12 hours a day. I've had Titan for 3 years and it's been a challenge to train him (he doesn't like men he doesn't know) but we are about 90% there considering where he was when I first got him.

Titan was neutered at 6 months and he is shorter than most DDB's but overall health is good except for the skin allergies he had when I first got him due to the dog food.

Slow and steady growth is key to a healthy mastiff as they continue to grow until 2-3 years of age. Titan gained 10 lbs the month before he turned 3 years of age.

Stubborn is a requirement to be a DDB.

Can you post a pic of your boy? What is his name?

 

[Surrey Dogue]

thanks very much for your positive response. His name is Hugo. It's good to know that training is still possible past the early months. He is actually very well behaved on the leash and good around other dogs (has not shown any signs of dog aggression or over dominance yet - certainly with our boerboel the strong guard and need to dominate other dogs was evidant from around 12 months).
There is certainly work to do with Hugo, and the NILF approach seems like a very sensible idea. Do you have any specific commands that you use with Titan prior to activities? Some examples of how long you have had to spend in the early days training him and stages of progression would be great.
My boy is about 56kg (120lb ish) at the moment.

We seem to be making headway with a firm 'NO BITE' when he becomes mouthy and excited and I believe he is getting the message. We've only had him for around a week and we are at the start of the bonding process, but I can see him constantly trying to challenge us (particularly my g/f) to establish his authority (at least I believe this is the case)

I believe he will become a wonderful member of our family, but I want to perserve with his training and will take on board NILF approach with him. Thank you very much. Haven't had a chance to take too many pictures yet, but i've attached one at least!

 

[musicdeb]

Hugo is very handsome!

Before Titan gets to eat, he has to sit and look at me (hold it for 10-15 seconds). When I first started with his training which was about 2 days after I got him, he would have to sit, stay, come and look at me before he received any treats or his regular food.

DDB's are very keen on feeling your emotions. If you are frustrated with them, they will shut down and stop listening. If you are anxious or afraid, they will kick into guardian mode. They do not do well with yelling or screaming and especially with any physical correction.

A firm, stern "no" works for Titan but I only use it when it is an emergency situation, i.e. lunge at someone very close to us which doesn't happen often. What works for Titan is me saying "uh uh" in a firm, stern voice. He knows that I mean business and he needs to stop whatever it is he is doing. "Leave it" is another command I use and Titan listens to that command and ignores whatever it is I am telling him to ignore.

Patience, lots of it, and consistency are key. Give him time. He is stressed due to the environmental change.

Here is a great article posted to the forum by member, season, which has some very valid points.

The Ten Commandments Of Dog Training And Ownership | The Good Dog Life Blog

 

[RockstarDDB]

He is very handsome and congrats! Rescuing is so rewarding.This is strictly my opinion i am no expert. but part of the energy your experiencing is adjustment, they do take time to settle in and re bond to their new owner. the manners come with bonding and trust. My 14 month old male which is my second DDB, play bites only with me. i do not discipline nor encourage it .I walk him when he is boisterous and begins to initiate that play or redirect him to a tug of war game. i just redirect him to a different form of releasing his energy. with that said i taught him soft bite as soon as we brought him home. all it takes is a "ouch" and he stops and begins licking me.

If you have owned a Boerbel owning a DDB will be a breeze. Borebel seem to almost always have a dominant strong temperament. far more working traits in Boerbel then DDB. He will settle with age for sure around 2 as far as energy . but i am just guessing most of what your seeing is nervous energy of adjusting. I've rescued before and it seems to go one of two ways for the first 2 or 3 months. The dog either shuts down eats finicky ,rarely moves and has some fear issues. Or they chew everything up bounce of the walls and are completely confused on how to behave in the house and act like they have never heard the word no. Most DDB are placid as you describe and would be happy sitting at your feet and sleeping as they would be on a walk. Their energy drains fast and usually are happy with 1 walk a day.

As far as neutering at 15 months i agree its to early. DDB will grow and widen in muscle mass and head size up until he is 2 to 3 years of age. they need testosterone for this . They are affectionate Loyal and very protective of children. I have never heard of one having child aggression like rotties or shepards, both of my DDB never tolerated me even wrestling with my children with out barking at me and grabbing a pant leg to referee . they are very stubborn likely even more stubborn then your Boerbel. They are smart but become bored fast with training . I personly don't suggest harsh discipline with them . They will shut down and completely ignore you with harsh correction. Pincher collars work in the short term for aggressive walkers but they have such a high pain tolerance and so much skin on their neck they shrug them off rather fast. Gentle leads on the other hand annoy them so much they ignore every thing but the fact its on their nose . so it works wonders for tough cases of proximity growling and snarling.

 

[Surrey Dogue]

Thank you both for your replies and input into this, it's much appreciated. What a great forum this is. I'll keep you posted on his behaviour progress.
I have another question with regard to diet. His previous owners had fed him on kibble and i'm keen to switch him to barf for the health benefits, but but am keen to know how quickly this should be done.
our previous boerboel we fed on high quality kibble, but that was partly down to my barf diet ignorance at the time. Any advice most welcome. thanks again for your high quality posts!

 

[DennasMom]

In addition to NILF, your new pup might benefit from some clicker training.
I found using a clicker a great way to really communicate quickly with our dogs, in a way they could understand.

We brought home a 1 year old, hard-headed bulldog/boxer mix a long while back, and it took us a good 6-12 months to get him to really listen and want to work with us. The keys for us, where finding the right motivation (for him that was HIGH value treats, i.e. real, freshly cooked chicken) and a lot of "focus" work. He had to sit and look at me for EVERYTHING. Our trainer had us work first just on the 'look at me' concept - hold a treat in your hand near your face, when he looks at your face, click&treat. Move the treat away from your face... if he follows the treat, ignore him. When he looks back to your face immediately Click&Treat. If the treats are high enough in value, it doesn't talk long at all for the dog to learn that sitting patiently and looking at you (in the face/eyes) is what gets them what they want.

"Wait" is always a good word to teach and reinforce often.

I agree with RockstarDDB that he's probably showing you a lot of nervous transitional energy right now - just be patient, consistent and generous with praise and treats when he does stuff you like (even calmly rewarding nap time is a good thing), and he should relax and bond with your family in time (his schedule, not yours... unfortunately).

When switching from kibble to raw/barf, most people recommend just going cold turkey. Give him a short fast (12-24 hours without a meal) and then start on the new food. I would go with 1/2 sized portions to start (and probably 2 meals a day), to give his system time to adjust and not react badly... but don't be surprised if you do get some loose poops in the beginning. It happens.

 

[musicdeb]

Thank you both for your replies and input into this, it's much appreciated. What a great forum this is. I'll keep you posted on his behaviour progress.
I have another question with regard to diet. His previous owners had fed him on kibble and i'm keen to switch him to barf for the health benefits, but but am keen to know how quickly this should be done.
our previous boerboel we fed on high quality kibble, but that was partly down to my barf diet ignorance at the time. Any advice most welcome. thanks again for your high quality posts!

You can switch to raw diet cold turkey and as soon as you want to switch him to the raw diet.

 

[karennj]

His mouthing is not dominance, it's bad manners. Teach him what TO DO instead of what not to do. Give the "no bite" then redirect to an appropriate toy/chew OR immediately ask him to do a competing behavior (he can't bite at you if he is doing a sit or a down). You can also correct "no bite" and put him into a quick time out behind a gate or put yourself in a room and close the door for a minute. He will soon realize all attention and fun stops as soon as he uses his mouth. Consistency is the key and if he cannot reinforce the bad behavior it will stop. I second the NILF it has worked wonders and start looking on youtube for impulse control exercises. That will help you a lot as well.