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Has anyone owned a Doberman ?

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niccia

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My fiance really wants to get a doberman when we buy our house this spring. I am kind of torn on the idea because I had a bad experience with one when I was younger. I love all animals, and I know it all comes down to bad owners, but I haven''t had much experience with the breed and would like to know more about them. He had one when he was younger and loved it to pieces obviously and has always wanted another one. I am more inclined towards a good old mutt lol, but if we did go for a pure breed, it would definitely come from the SPCA or a rescue group. Has anyone on PS owned one? Thanks :)
 
My FF has a doberman mix, and he is one of the most loving dogs I have ever met. I''ve been doing a lot of reading on the breed lately because we are working very hard on training him a little better before I move in this spring. They are definitely a breed that needs a ton of exercise, so make sure you are committed to getting him out on long walks, playing with him a lot, etc. on a daily basis. They also are very people oriented, we always say that Warren thinks he is people, and always wants to be in bed with us, on the sofa with us, having us sit there while he eats, etc. You have to be willing to show the dog that you are the boss in order to get him to not be so pushy with this behavior. I applaud your decision to get a rescue/SPCA dog, some of the most wonderful pets I have ever met are pound puppies. Good luck with your decision!
 
My parents had a doberman, Aja. She was a sweetheart.

They wound up with her [she joined the menagerie] in much the same way they wound up with most of their other pets . . . One of us [usually one of my sisters] would rescue an abandoned or abused animal. Funny how many of them wound up at my parents'' house, LOL!
 
I''ve not owned one, but I''ve trained them in Agility and Obedience. They seem to me to be very loving, but slightly insecure dogs. If you are going to get one I''d plan to do activities with it that will build confidence and a strong bond - obedience classes, dog sports, etc...
 
Thanks ladies
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I am planning on having several rescue cats eventually (my parents have 9), so I need a dog that likes cats and kids (planning on having a couple of those too lol). Therefore, I feel like I would be better off getting a puppy that I can socialize and train right from the beginning, but I wouldn''t be opposed to a young adult or sweet older dog either if it met those criteria. I just don''t want an aggressive, prey-driven dog. There is something wonderful about adopting an older pet that has given up on life, but my fiance keeps reminding me that the young ones need happy homes as well obviously.

DiamanteBlu, it''s the same at my parents'' house. They never wanted 9 cats, but somehow they all ended up there and now they love them all too much to part with any of them.
AmberGretchen, the nervousness is something I have read about as well...that had me a little worried. I have been told by a few people now that if you like dobermans, you will love Rottweilers because they are very similar but not nearly as insecure ??
 
Yeah, I know. We now have 6 cats [actually 3 cats, a siamese and two half siamese kittens]. Bet you can''t guess where the 2 kittens came from! Yup, DD! They are cute but I was figuring I was pretty close to done with pets given the geriatric fur balls [2 at 17, 2 at 13]. I am not ready to start again!
 
Niccia, I''ve never owned one, but I have a good friend who has had Dobies all her life and LOVES them! Not too long ago, she had to put her Dobie to sleep, and she was just heartbroken. I met him before he passed away, and he was a very sweet boy . . . such a love bug!
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That is exactly what my parents said, " we are getting older, want to travel, etc. " and yet, they never say no. Before I left home, we lost 3 pets to old age, and 1 to an accident. Then my brother adopted a manx someone had thrown over the bridge next to our house (along with her littermates). Then came the neighbours cat (they divorced and abandoned her...little did we know she was pregnant. She had 2 beautiful kittens and couldn''t nurse them. She abandoned them and we handraised them (we thought she had been killed by something after not seeing her for months). Then she came back oneday carrying a newborn kitten, dropped it on the porch, and then returned with another baby. So we handraised them too, and got her spayed quickly! She is retired with us now and still hates her kittens, even though she was kind enough to give them a home lol. I left home, and since then they have had 4 more kittens dropped off at the house in the middle of the night by people who know we take care of our animals. One died unfortunately, but they are still left with nine of the little critters... and even though they are all loved, there are definitely some jealousy and territorial issues.
 
Steph, I am happy to hear they like to be a part of things...I am definitely an "in the bed dog" kind of girl, and I need a dog to get me out and exercising!

Irishgrrrl, thanks for the reply! I guess the one that terrified me when I was younger was an exception. He always tried to jump his fence to get at me when I was walking past his house, and I was afraid he was going to bounce right over it oneday!
 
I think that with any strong-willed (and intelligent) dog, you really have to know your stuff when it comes to training. That would be MY biggest concern. I know that I don't have the personality it takes to dominate a large, stubborn and intelligent dog. Hence my 7-pound lovebug
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though he is pretty smart, and stubborn, but when he mibehaves I can just scoop him up out of harm's way!

Anyway, just saying that that really is the primary thing to keep in mind, because most dogs' behavior really hinges more on nurture than nature.
 
In high school I babysat for a family that had one. She was so sweet. When I sat on the sofa she would come and put her head on my lap.
 
I think they are beautiful dogs. I can''t really help because my min pin only looks like a doberman, but I will say the cutest thing was seeing him play with 3 dobermans in our old dog park and they were all great and didn''t bully him because he was small- such stunning dogs. Post pictures if you get one!
 
We don't have a Doberman, but we do have a pit-bull/boxer mix. I know it's not the same breed, but similar due to their category of 'bully breeds'. I cannot praise the pit-bull breed enough even though I was literally scared and not very trusting when we took her home (rescue pup - someone literally threw her out with the trash because she was the runt). I think it does come down to owners, BUT each bully breed is different and I do know that our lil Stella can get rough when she and DBF play, that's when we have to make sure and correct her and let her know that bully behavior is unacceptable. Stella is my first bully breed dog that I have ever owned; we always had Labs. I will say she has to be the smartest, sweetest, most affectionate, owner adoring darn dog I've ever met. She needs a TON of exercise - I'm sure Dobermans are the same. She's nothing short of amazing for having such a rough start to life.

I know Pit's and Dobies are not the same breed, but being bully breed's I thought this may help. Oh, and be aware that if you do end up going with a Doberman, people WILL make it apoint to stay away from you on walks and make comments like "get that 300lb man-eating dog away from me". LOL I got that once and I laughed because Stella is 50lbs and a compulsive licker.
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Good Luck.

ETA: Musey said: Anyway, just saying that that really is the primary thing to keep in mind, because most dogs' behavior really hinges more on nurture than nature. BINGO.
 
I owned one once - puppy from an abandoned farm and someone found the litter. She was wild and I had to take her back to the dobie rescue...it was sad. She was sweet, but had a wild streak, and very independent.

I would ask myself what qualities I want in a dog first, and then try to find a dog with characteristics that suit your needs.
 
Thanks everyone...you have all given me a lot to think about. I will show your responses to my fiance and post pics of whatever creature(s) we end up with!
 
I don''t and haven''t had a Doberman, (My family has been into Pembroke Welsh Corgis) but my ex had a Rottie that was the most lovable creature I have ever met. My ex found him wandering around outside a dumpster at a Village Inn, and brought him home with him. He was skin and bones when they found him (60 pounds), and after a few months of regular feeding and running around with their other dog he blossomed into this beautiful muscular animal that looked absolutely terrifying (at around 180 pounts!) but was a big teddy bear. I think he knew that my ex had saved him, and was grateful. He was really the sweetest dog, and because of my experience with him, I want to have a full bred Rottie or a Rottie mix someday.

I wouldn''t be scared of them, I''d just be really careful picking one out, and making sure their temperament goes well with yours. And if you can get a puppy, all the better. One of our Corgis had been in the pet store for so long that she was on sale (!) and was absolutely terrified of humans. She only ended warming up to my mom, and could bite everyone else. I think it''s really just those normative years things...
 
we had one when I was young -- great dog, but cautious with strangers... very loyal and protective of their family.
We didn''t crop her ears either...she was a wonderful dog...

good luck!
 
I actually own a Rottie - purebred - and she is a SWEETHEART! Very loyal dog and we raised her, Duchess, to be a big puppy dog!
 
My dad loves Dobermans. Once upon a time, he owned a store, and he kept two Dobies for protection. His secret? They were just loving, caring sweethearts and only looked scary. He was very involved in training them, and it paid off. He had them before I was born, but family members still talk about how wonderful they were. My dad says that the key to having a good dog is spending lots of time with it--basically just giving your dog a lot of nuture, training, and care from day one.

My family got another Doberman after the first ones passed on, and he was very sweet, protective of the family, and could muster up an appropriately scary bark when strangers came to the door. He responded really well to training; I remember him obeying orders like no dog I''ve known since. He was gentle with babies (good for my brother and me), and my parents have plenty of pictures of me sitting on him, hugging him, grabbing at him--all sweetly tolerated by the dog. I was absolutely heartbroken when he had to be put down (stomach cancer). He didn''t like cats, but I think it was because he crossed a big kitty as a puppy, and she did not stand for it and seriously clawed him. He was always after the neighbors'' cats after that, but they were usually much too quick and clever for him.
 
A lot of our clients have dobermans and I''ve always found them to be lovely dogs. As others have said, they''re the type of dog that need training and thrive with obedience classes.
 
Date: 1/16/2009 3:50:00 PM
Author: Elegant
I owned one once - puppy from an abandoned farm and someone found the litter. She was wild and I had to take her back to the dobie rescue...it was sad. She was sweet, but had a wild streak, and very independent.

I would ask myself what qualities I want in a dog first, and then try to find a dog with characteristics that suit your needs.
Click to expand...
Ditto this,

We have found that whatever about personality differences, dogs run true to breed. Look up the characteristics of the breed and expect that behaviour - if that is ok then sure go ahead.

My family had one when I was little and she fought ALL THE TIME with the other dogs. I was on my own and tried to separate them one day and she bit me - I still have the tooth mark scar. It was my fault for interfering in the fight but I would not get one ever.
 
I was just talking to my bf about this - if you don''t find a dog that suits your needs, a conflict arises. Not that this is bad, but if you get a dog that doesn''t fit your lifestyle and needs, you end up trying make things work and adjust my life for the dog. For example, I would not get a Jack Russell Terrier because they are WAY too energetic for me - I just don''t and wouldn''t exercise that little beast enough. It would destroy my house with all of its pent up energy...
 
Date: 1/18/2009 2:21:41 PM
Author: Steel


Date: 1/16/2009 3:50:00 PM
Author: Elegant
I owned one once - puppy from an abandoned farm and someone found the litter. She was wild and I had to take her back to the dobie rescue...it was sad. She was sweet, but had a wild streak, and very independent.

I would ask myself what qualities I want in a dog first, and then try to find a dog with characteristics that suit your needs.
Click to expand...
Ditto this,

We have found that whatever about personality differences, dogs run true to breed. Look up the characteristics of the breed and expect that behaviour - if that is ok then sure go ahead.

My family had one when I was little and she fought ALL THE TIME with the other dogs. I was on my own and tried to separate them one day and she bit me - I still have the tooth mark scar. It was my fault for interfering in the fight but I would not get one ever.
Click to expand...
Please do take your time....had them twice, 10 years apart, our first one was in a ranch were she could run/catch and watch. Our second one was sold from the same breeder.....big Mistake! she lied, it was HUGE, " superior size"...I knew this 3 weeks after bringing him home, too late to return since my kids were in love w/him already, he also attended Obedience school early due to his size, I''m tellin ya'' he was scary to even look at, but a true sweetheart! Unfortunatelly this breed needs space and attention, otherwise he/she''ll be misserable and will let you know.
If you plan on do training on your own, please don''t, they''re too smart and DO need tough love, it takes longer for them to get the message "you" as their master to avoid any damages.
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I have a great doberman story...... years ago I was housesitting for my sister''s friend (they had two dobermans - a male and a female) I "knew" the dogs a little bit, but not very well. In the middle of the night the male (HUGE - he must have weighed at least 85-95 pounds!) started howling his head off (neighbours called to complain) When I went outside to investigate, I saw that he had blood dripping from his mouth. I had to corral him inside and take him to the vet first thing in the morning (in my compact car - THAT was a chore just getting him in). This dog who was almost a total stranger to me, did not ONCE growl, snap, or do anything aggressive towards me. He very calmly let me lead him around without any sort of a fuss (and I was SCARED - I''d heard about injured animals before). It turned out he had broken his tooth and had to have a root canal. The vet said he was in terrible pain. I think that says a LOT about the type of dog who can behave like that in this sort of situation! This forever endeared me to Dobermans I have to say......

I now have a mini-doberman and she is the BEST! (that''s "her" in my avitar) Hi Maus!!!

- Jodie -
 
I miss my sweet Dobe boy. When we got him from the breeder, they told me to take him to obedience training, not my husband. I needed to gain control, because he would respond to the male voice more than mine. He was a smart boy, and was a total bed puppy. He liked to burrow under the covers of our water bed. He was sleeping on me within the first week we had him. If my husband yelled at him, he would come running to me and crawl on my lap.
They are very energetic, and are also hunters. He adapted to a cat that "adopted" us, and became his buddy. The first time he dragged the cat through the doggy door in his mouth. Oh my! He was carrying that 15lb cat around like a puppy. He was a chewer, though. That is the only bad thing I could say about him, and his Boxer brother. They got into a lot of mischief together. But I learned to put my shoes away. (Now boxers, those are very sweet dogs. I have one currently, and they are just adorable and expressive. But people are scared of her, because they think she is a pit bull.
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But that''s ok, keeps the solicitors away from my front door. Or at least it''s easy to get rid of them when she''s barking at them. I think from now on, I will always have a Boxer in my life. But I wouldn''t hesitate to get another Dobe.
 
We used to breed Dobermans and had 4 living in my house (1 of each color). They can be the sweetest loving dogs. It is all about how you raise them. Starting early with a puppy. You need to make sure your lifestyle will fit this type of dog. They are large and need exercise so you need to be able to spend time with them and not just leave them in the house all day when you work.
Grooming: If you get them as a puppy you will need to take care of their ears daily after they are clipped until they are healed. Keep an eye on their tail and where the dewclaws were removed until they are healed as well. After that it''s just baths and clipping nails.
Our dogs were huge babies, they would come and sit on the sofa with their backside and let their feet dangle off the sofa, too cute for words.
 
My sister''s father breeds Dobermans in California for personal protection and companionship. I think they are great dogs as long as they properly trained & socialized.
 
I will be working from home all day, so whichever dog we get will either have me around at all times, or go to work with my fiance.
If we get a puppy, he won''t be getting his ears cropped or his tail docked. I just don''t feel comfortable doing that to any animal. Do you have to remove the dewclaws? I have never heard of that before.
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I''ve had two experiences with Doberman''s in my life and both have been positive, the babysitter I had when I was very young bred dobermans and there never seemed to be a problem with the interaction between the dogs and the kids - however my Mom did mention that she attempted to discipline me at the babysitters one day and the Mother Doberman made it quite clear that she would not tolerate another Mother disciplining her pups
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More recently our neighbor has a doberman who likes to visit along with a black lab that comes over to play ball... Both of the dogs have wonderful personalities, but then again so does the owner. Like you said in the beginning of your post, so much of how a dog acts is a reflection of how it is raised and treated by the owner. On that note, I''ve met quite a few pit bulls that have been absolute loves - gee, they sound kind of like kids!
 
Date: 1/22/2009 1:13:42 PM
Author: niccia
I will be working from home all day, so whichever dog we get will either have me around at all times, or go to work with my fiance.
If we get a puppy, he won''t be getting his ears cropped or his tail docked. I just don''t feel comfortable doing that to any animal. Do you have to remove the dewclaws? I have never heard of that before.
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Just a watch-out, breeders dock the tail when the pups are only a few days old, so if you''d like one without the tail docked, you will need to talk to the breeder before the litter is born. Also, I''ve met breeders (schnauzers, but the principle is the same) who would not sell a dog with an undocked tail. Also, one would only sell the dog if we agreed to sign a contract promising to get the ears cropped (which we are very against). We didn''t get a dog with her
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but we did have to get dogs with docked tails because nobody would sell them without.

I do commend you for wanting to do the humane thing though! Hopefully you will find a breeder who agrees with you. Seems like not cropping ears is gaining in popularity (I think it''s even illegal in the UK) but tail docking is still extremely common.
 
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