This is ALL your fault, Ginevive! I haven't had puppy-fever this bad in decades!! Not that I'm at all likely to get one...but I figured it couldn't hurt to enjoy talking about them, right???

And since you've expressed some serious interest in Dobermans, and that is what has caught my attention as well, I thought I'd start a specific thread for more details.

I started browsing some breeder's websites, and so far (still early into this) I haven't found any mention of hip issues with these dogs. None that I have looked at yet have claimed that the parents are free of issues or whatever...although they'll claim histories of good temperments and such.

So, I guess my first questions are: How much of an issue are hips in Dobies? And if not hips, what other health issues are relevant to the breed? What kinds of questions should a smart shopper be asking the breeders?

And lastly (without starting any fresh debate, as that thread is already plenty) are there any merits to cropping and docking? I rather like the floppy eared look, but if cropped ears are healthier for them, that's ok, too. Not sure on the tails, as I don't think I've ever seen a dobie with an un-docked tail.