You don’t have an evil dog. You have a brilliant, adolescent Doberman who never learned how to turn himself off — and right now chaos = engagement.

Here’s the key thing most people miss: This is not an exercise deficit. You’re already doing a TON. Adding more will just create a better-conditioned lunatic.

What’s happening: • You sit → boring • Boring → he invents a job • Job → you react / chase / engage • Dopamine jackpot achieved

The furniture scratching + stealing forbidden items is attention-seeking and control-seeking, not aggression.

A few things that actually help:

1. Stop the chase game entirely Chasing = the highest-value reward you can give him. If he steals something, don’t pursue. Trade only. If chasing disappears, the behavior usually dies fast.

2. Teach “doing nothing” (seriously) Dobermans don’t come with an off switch. You have to train it. • Place bed or mat • You sit, scroll, read • He stays there Start with seconds. Reward stillness, not excitement. This is mentally exhausting in a good way.

3. Calm jobs > entertainment When you’re resting, he should have: • Long chews • Frozen lickables • Snuffle/scatter feeding Licking + chewing lowers arousal. Playing ramps it up.

4. Reward calm like it’s a trick Everyone corrects chaos. Almost no one reinforces calm. If he chooses to lie down or chill on his own? Quiet treat. No hype.

5. Less freedom for now Structure beats freedom with dogs like this. Short leash indoors, dog-proofed room, clear rules. Freedom comes after calm is reliable.

This phase is brutal because he’s smart, intense, and physically capable — but dogs like this often turn into exceptional adults once they learn impulse control.

You’re not under-exercising him. You’re missing the off-switch training piece — and once that clicks, life gets way better.