A discussion on Dobermans (Can we share, Ginevive? hehe)

[darkangel]

To me, a Doberman is just not a Doberman if it's not cropped. I'm sorry -- you can turn me into a villain if you want to, but that's just the way I see it. I have a close friend with a Dobe-- she is an amazing, beautiful, sweet resuce. Good luck!

[PigsnPythons]

I have had Doberman's my whole life and I have to agree with most everything that has been said so far. They are very easily trained (both house trained and sit, stay etc), and they are very protective of their people. However, they LOVE their people and want to be around them all the time. All of my Dobies have been house dogs. But, like I said they are protective, but I wouldn't say they are aggressive. For instance, if you bring a friend over to your house and introduce him to your dog, then the dog isn't going to attack him. I got mine from a breeder but I completely support a rescue group. Hope this helped a little!

[juddb]

Cant believe i missed this thread. Ive been trying to rescue a dobie for about a week, a few possibilities but no luck yet. Im going to keep looking though. If anyone knows a place or someone in the jacksonville, fl area let me know.

[amystours]

I'm in love with my Dobie! We don't have hip problems yet, but he's still young, just made a year. He's definitely a house dog, although we don't have much room for company when he's on the couch. Very sweet dog, and it just astounds me at how smart he is. Very obedient, has learned training with very minimal effort. After just a couple of accidents in the house (and they are BIGGGGG accidents), he learned that he had to go outside to do his business. Wish I had a decent pic of him to post. His tail is docked, but his ears are not cropped.

[Mindibun]

Just thought I'd throw in my experience. I have a doberman. She's about 8 years old, and she's a working dog. Her name is Coco and she goes to the nursing homes with my step-mom who is an activities coordinator for nursing homes. She is trained to waltz right up to someone and put her head down to get petted. She does her job very well and the residents love her. They always store up dog cookies for the days she comes in. -lol-

I guess it's because of her training, but she is not aggressive in any way. When someone new walks into the house she barks twice to let us know, and then walks up and puts her head down. ...Not the best guard dog. -lol- But we taught her to do that so it's not an issue.

She doesn't have any hip problems yet and she LOVES to run. She just circles the house over and over, running at full speed. She probably thinks she's a greyhound. -lol- Her ears are not cropped but her tail is. We got her like that from the breeder- it'd already been done.

Not sure what else I can add here, but she is a very lovable dog who needs lots of space and ALWAYS wants to be by us. Sometimes she leans her head on us as we're walking. This has caused lots of accidents...

I've really loved having her, but I don't think I'd ever get another one. I've got my heart set on a pit bull.

[JLC]

Wow...here's an old thread!

Since I posted this thread back in October...I've been quietly working on learning as much as humanly possible about dobies without actually owning one yet. Recently, I got my hubby's blessing to bring home the "puppy of my choice"!!!

After extensive research on dobies and breeders and breeding ethics, I've found one that I'm hoping to be able to do business with in the not-too-distant future.

Lord willing, I'll be showing off tons of puppy pictures in another 9-10 weeks!

[stangs13]

most greyhounds were once racers. So they probably are alread trained. Dobers are awesome dogs! I love the red coated ones. My heart is andallways will be with he border collie. But the Doberman is high on the list. Good luck! Puppy fever is so fun! You could join a forum too.

[BulldogBalls]

Dobermans ARE great dogs, but it depends on a variety of factors as it does with any dog of any breed age or sex. The main issues with dobermans are from breeders that are only breeding for show and have messed with the conformation of the dogs, very similar to the way breeders have taken the German Shepherd. I won't get into much detail with that. Long story short it comes down to what the dogs are being bred for. Too many people do not understand dog behavior and what they think is a "good dog" may be an aggressive or weak individual whose offspring may be alike in that trait and wind up in the hands of more people that don't know what they are doing.

I've had a Dobie and Dobie mixes. I currently have a half Doberman that I can guarantee most people would have either given up on or wound up with a horrible fear biting monster. It isn't the Doberman in him, its the fact that he was raised wild with zero human contact until the day I caught him. Today, he is a fabulous dog with a great temperament and a lot of potenial.

I have worked with "bad examples" of many "good breeds." Labrador Retrievers are a great example of dogs that are generally good but can and will develope behavioral problems if not handled, cared for, fed, and/or trained properly.

Yes breeds have traits known for those breeds but it is not guaranteed in any dog that just because it is a member of a certain breed that it will act or be a certain way. There are a lot of factors that go into the personality/temperament developement of each and every dog we own. There are born traits that the dog has no matter what. There are born traits that the dog developes further or has problems with from positive or negative experiences. There are trained/learned behaviors that could be linked to many different things.

The only way that breed has any affect on temperament and behavior is that certain breeds have been created for certain traits to be stronger, or weaker depending on the need for the dog. But breed is no guarantee for temperament or behavior, the only way to guarantee anything with a puppy is to do your research and with an understanding of canine behavior, enhance the traits you like and redirect or discourage the traits you do not like. Nutrition/Diet can also play a role in a dogs behavior and most definitely plays a huge role in the health of the dog.

With most breeds these days you have to be careful who you get a puppy from. Price is no golden ticket for a great dog, neither is coming from "champion" (in conformation) parents, or even parents that were calm and easy going can and do produce high energy pups.

Rescues and shelters are great places but there are many factors involved in getting a dog from a shelter. Most dogs are quite different in a kennel atmosphere than they will be in your home. You don't know the history of the animal in terms of health, behavior, or training. All you know is that for reasons posibly unknown to you, someone else did not want this dog. Doesn't mean they are bad dogs, I rescue dogs all the time, retrain, and find them great homes. Whether or not you rescue should depend on your goals for the dog. Never pick a shy/fearful dog because you feel bad for it and think love solves every problem, especially not if you are wanting a 'guard dog.'

Ah. I ranted

to Edit: Sorry, didn't see the other posts I was busy typing away! I have a recomendation for an excellent forum on dog training if you would like I am a member there.

[Wolves-N-Dogs]

most greyhounds were once racers. So they probably are alread trained. Dobers are awesome dogs! I love the red coated ones. My heart is andallways will be with he border collie. But the Doberman is high on the list. Good luck! Puppy fever is so fun! You could join a forum too.

Love me some border collie!!!

[JLC]

I do belong to a great Doberman forum...which has been a great jumping-off place for much of my research. I'd be glad of any links to sites that folks think would be helpful.

Eventually, I'd like to try training for obedience competition and/or agility...but that's a ways down the road, obviously. Flyball looks like a ton of fun, too! LOL