Learn Body Language to Train Doberman Pinschers

One of the most helpful things you can learn when you train Doberman Pinschers is their body language. Just like humans, these dogs have specific postures that represent how they are feeling. Learning these behaviors and the reasoning behind them will help you to understand your Doberman’s communication, which makes it a little easier to predict their actions and control them.

Alert

This is a posture you will become very familiar with when you train Doberman Pinschers. The dog’s ears will be forward and up with his eyes staring at a subject. In the alert posture, the Doberman will stand very still and tall as he is indicating either concern of potential danger or a great interest in someone or something. If you are out walking your Doberman and he displays this position, you should never allow anyone, not even a friend, to approach you until your dog has decided if they are a threat or not.

Defensive Threat

It is really easy to recognize the defensive threat position when you train Doberman Pinschers because it is quite intimidating. The dog is crouched low with his head down, showing a lot of teeth and growling. A Doberman in this position feels threatened and that he has to protect himself. This is the most dangerous posture to witness because the dog feels cornered or fearful and that he has no choice other than to lash out and cause harm. Correction should never be administered to a Doberman in a defensive threat posture. The dog needs to be removed from the situation and allowed to relax. A Doberman that shows this posture often desperately needs to be socialized.

Offensive Threat

This is not as dangerous as the defensive posture but still one that you need to be aware of and handle the Doberman Pinschers carefully when you train them. The dog will be standing very tall with his ears forward, lips are pulled back, and teeth are displayed. The Doberman’s hair will stand on the edge, and it is obvious that he sees something as a threat. The offensive threat posture is one that you will often see in a dog that is used for protection. Someone should never dare approach you with the dog displaying this posture.

Stress

It is important when you train Doberman Pinschers to always be on the lookout for the stress posture. The dog’s ears will be back, pupils are dilated, and their tail is down. Their body is generally lowered to the ground, and they will be panting heavily. The stress posture is due to physical pain, mental stress, or serious illness. When training your dog, be sure to watch for this posture and always allow your dog plenty of breaks.

Active Submission

This is a posture that you will see a lot of when you train Doberman Pinschers because this is how these dogs would greet each other in a social situation. It means that the dog is happy, and the posture is displayed at various levels in different situations. The ears are back, the body is low, the face appears happy, and they generally lick and sniff. Active submission is how Dobermans should look most of the time when they are not following commands.

Passive Submission

This posture shows submission from the Doberman to a human or another animal. If you scold your dog harshly, which you should never do, you will witness this position. The Doberman will either roll on his back or side or crouch down really low, look away and tuck his ears back. If he really feels as though he is in trouble, he will curl his tail underneath his body, and urine will be expelled. I hope you I have enjoyed your reading. You can also contribute to our blog.

Conclusion

Body language is a powerful way to communicate, and understanding body language in dogs can help you have more successful interactions with them. Training Doberman Pinschers requires extensive knowledge of their body language signals. If you are interested in designer dog breeds or teddy bear dog breeds, follow this link for helpful information on how to train your new pup!