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

[BulldogBalls]

http://www.leerburg.com/forums/ubbthreads.php/ubb/cfrm

There ya go. This forum is strictly dog training, it is not breed specific and they don't directly advertise any breeders.

[JLC]

Got that one bookmarked already. Definitely a goldmine of great info.

[BulldogBalls]

I would have to agree I haven't been there for a few days. been taking a break from the dog forum to research here and other sites on BPs. If you've ever posted there, I might have helped you

[JLC]

I would have to agree I haven't been there for a few days. been taking a break from the dog forum to research here and other sites on BPs. If you've ever posted there, I might have helped you

Nope...haven't gotten around to joining that one...just browsing a bit, and mostly exploring the rest of leersburg's site and products.

I chime in at the Doberman forum every once in a while...but other than that, I have no time for forum participation outside of BP.net....and bloody little of even that, lately.

[Ginevive]

I really want a good, healthy Dobey once we buy our house a few years down the road. Funny, I don't mind having horses and other animals here where we rent on the farm. But a dog is a lot more work than a horse IMO. Sure, you have your cleanup factor.. but horses can be left alone for a weekend, say, with a large haybele and a neighbor merely coming by to water and see what's going on. But dogs need to be taken out, fed more often, etc. I know the full responsibility of dogs.. I just have to wait for awhile.

[JLC]

Yup...a dog...especially a puppy, in our case....is a huge commitment that we've not made lightly or easily. Especially as I refuse to simply have an animal that lives in the back yard. This dog will be a part of our family and need a constant dedication to proper exercise, socialization and training. The scope of it is actually kind of scary, but I'm tremendously excited about the challenges and rewards ahead!

[West Coast Jungle]

Here ia a dog I rescued 4 years ago. I got him on www.petfinder.com they have great descriptions of temperment, compatability(with other animals) and medical history. Harry has become my bestest friend and the best dog I have ever had. he is a pit mix and I also learned pits are probably the most misunderstood animal. he behaves like a kitten and loves kids! i wasn't looking for a pit but we fell in love

[JLC]

Hahaha!! Looks like the greatest danger there is the risk of head-bonks.

I thought long and hard about rescues...and still browse every rescue organization within a 10-hour drive of my home. There's always a chance that the perfect dog would show up. However, given what I know about our family, my kids, how much we travel and visit others, and frequent moves, what I'm looking for in a dog, etc....I believe it's much wiser for us to start with a "blank slate" of a puppy. Especially with a powerful breed like the Doberman and their high risks of significant health problems if poorly bred.

[Blu Mongoose]

Keep in mind while shopping to check for health certifications. If they have checked the eyes, hips or thyroid, they will have actual cert. to show for it. Many register with OFA (orthepidic foundation for animals) . Punch up OFA and go to their site. This site is for the public to view. Many times you can put in the kennel name and review the results on individual dogs. This is helpful but not fool proof. Breeders can opt to not have bad results published. But if a breeder has multiple dogs listed it gives you an idea that they are taking more care than most with their breeding program. Best if you see results on the actual parents.

Good luck finding the right one. Taking extra effort to find the right one has its rewards.

[Bojangles37]

I didn't read through the topic (SORRY!) but I've had 4 Dobies in my life. The first one died at 10 (I was 2 lol) of apparent old age. He had cancer at some point, but it was in his toe (or something like that.) Anyhow, cancer isn't really a genetic risk to them only. The second one was the biggest problem, when she was 5 she developed "Wobbler's Disease." It caused severe ataxia in the back end. I don't know if it's genetic, but I do know that it is more common in Dobies than other breeds. She was relatively pain free despite the problem and lived for 4.5 years before we decided that she was in pain and she was unable to tell when she was defecating. Towards the end I had begun doing little agility with her and jumping over things really seemed to help her muscles, but it's still a disease, it still gets worse. We got two pups a little over 9 years ago, same time, NEVER RECOMMEND THAT! Anyhow, one of the two developed an inoperable tumor in his spine 3 years ago. We didn't know what it was and he went through a prednizone treatment which caused him to be completely fine for an entire year. One year to the day later, he came up with the same symptoms and when he didn't get better despite treatments for a lot of different things, a blood test showed abnormal proteins so they X-rayed him and found the tumor. As far as I know, they never biopsied the tumor, so I don't know if it was cancer or not, but he was euthanized that day. The other pup we still have at over 9 years old and he's doing well.

Dobies are good dogs. They have health issues as does every pure breed. However, we love them, I just don't think I'll get another one in the near future. They're only expected to live 10 years, so we've only have one go early and that was a choice, we may have been able to keep him comfortable, but my family has a thing with making animals suffer longer than they should, so I was happy they let him go to a better place.