Dobermans?

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Wes
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Dobermans?

Post by Wes »

Anyone have any experience with this breed? I have yet to work with one before now, though I have had a little 8 week old male dropped in my lap temporarily. He's purebred as far as I can tell, tail docked already. The vet I work with found him and three of his siblings down by the bridge near PetSmart with no mother in sight. She has two of the females, a groomer has the third, and Rosie decided she wanted this one. This coming from the dog who's afraid of other dogs! I won't be keeping the little guy, just giving him a warm bed and some food until the vet can find homes for them or until a rescue place takes them. There's one breeder in the area, but he's denying ownership of the pups. So for now, I figured I'd get some opinions on the breed.

He's a sweet little pup, constantly following Rosie about. She fusses over him, brings him her toys, and is the gentlest I've ever seen her be. I thought she'd want nothing to do with him, but when she's not fussing, she's laying down nearby just watching calmly. Can't believe the difference in her!
Fundog
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Re: Dobermans?

Post by Fundog »

I say maybe you ought to think about letting Rosie keep him. It might do her good. :wink:
If an opportunity comes to you in life, say yes first, even if you don't know how to do it.
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Wes
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Re: Dobermans?

Post by Wes »

I'm sort of considering it; my biggest issues right now are that I know nothing about the breed - before I got Rosie, I did several months of research on the APBT breed and had fostered two APBTs before her, so I knew what to expect about health issues, exercise needs, etc - and that I'm worried that if I do keep the pup, how will Rosie be when he reaches his teenage hooligan stage and is bigger than she is and pushes her buttons at every turn. She's very patient with his ear chewing and tail swatting right now, but he's very much a baby and still has puppy license.

I wish he'd stay this small. :(
josie1918
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Re: Dobermans?

Post by josie1918 »

Wes, I do not own one, never have, but we have a lot of them as clients, they are a high energy dog, need LOTS of excercise, and some of our clients have had some problems with them getting a little too rough and aggressive. However I do not know what methods were used to train these dogs. The only thing I can say with absolute certainty is "get out your jogging shoes" :lol:
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Wes
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Re: Dobermans?

Post by Wes »

That might actually be a good thing. :D I do a lot of hiking, and have wanted to take Rosie, but all the hiking trails around here are filled with other dogs, and I don't want her reacting. So I just haven't gone hiking in a while. :lol:

The little guy got a clean bill of health and thus far we haven't had anyone come to claim him or his sisters. The vet's thinking of keeping one of the females, the only red, so she's holding off on finding homes for the red female and the male until we figure out if we're going to keep him. My housemate doesn't care, so I would need to talk it over with my partner who'd eventually be living with us again. If he's all right, then I would need to have a chat with Rosie.
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DogzRule1996
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Re: Dobermans?

Post by DogzRule1996 »

Dobermans are indeed highly energetic dogs. As far as their health, here are the concerns:
• Major concerns: CVI (wobbler's syndrome), cardiomyopathy
• Minor concerns: vWD, demodicosis, osteosarcoma, narcolepsy, gastric torsion, CHD
You can search them up if you aren't too sure what they are.
They require little to no grooming at all (aside from baths) because of their short, think coats.
Be careful of strangers, as they can be aggressive unless you socialize them early.
They are very smart and easy to train, and they also make very good watch dogs, so I think you've got yourself a fairly good dog right there :D
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josie1918
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Re: Dobermans?

Post by josie1918 »

Oh, I don't consider stomach torsion or bloat to be a minor concern, to avoid this in ANY dog, but primarily the large breeds, always moisten the food (soak it with water) and be sure your dog lays down for at least 40 minutes after a meal (I do an hour but that is up to you) Be sure you adhere to feeding twice a day not once.
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Noobs
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Re: Dobermans?

Post by Noobs »

josie1918 wrote:Oh, I don't consider stomach torsion or bloat to be a minor concern, to avoid this in ANY dog, but primarily the large breeds, always moisten the food (soak it with water) and be sure your dog lays down for at least 40 minutes after a meal (I do an hour but that is up to you) Be sure you adhere to feeding twice a day not once.
For good measure, I avoid feeding after exercise as well, 45-mins to one hour, as with feeding before exercise. Of course Josie correct me if I'm wrong but I have read this elsewhere.
Last edited by Noobs on Mon Jul 12, 2010 1:56 pm, edited 1 time in total.
josie1918
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Re: Dobermans?

Post by josie1918 »

You are right Noobs, but I forgot, cause I am usually home waiting for their food to soak for at least 45 mins, and believe me they aren't leaving the kitchen until they are fed, so it has never been a problem :lol: :lol:
laceygraves1995
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Re: Dobermans?

Post by laceygraves1995 »

dobermans are actually very smart dogs who were bred for gaurding, they need a lot of training and if they dont get a lot of excercise the can becom aggressive, which is hard to reverse so if you are planning to keep the dog its best if you have a lot of free time to spend with her, i love dobermans and i know quite a bit about them and i think that it is unfair for the breed to be hated because of the aggressiveness they can get from not getting a lot of excersize , but believe me they need a LOT of training
DawnStorm
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Re: Dobermans?

Post by DawnStorm »

I tell people this about Dobes:
They are wonderful watchdogs--they have your back. However, they know the difference between friend and foe, and with their family members, they're big creampuffs. Oh, and they put the V in velcro.
My current crew:
Bruce the Albino Dobe; Flanders the Belgian Malinut; Leela, Scuttlebutt, and Felix, da kitties.
All much-loved but not spoiled!
izzy&marley
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Re: Dobermans?

Post by izzy&marley »

I work at a daycare/boarding facility and one of our new clients is a doberman... they really are great dogs! this one looks scary (ears clipped and whatnot) and they currently use a prong collar on him (which i hate). I got outside to work on some socialization with him and he was just a big goofball! i can't stress enough that along with lots of exercise they need socialization, and they tend to have OCD so try to vary your routines occasionally (alternate which door you and the dog enter and exit). That's just some amateur advice (i'm still a trainer in training :) ) But overall they are great dogs! i hope you keep him and good luck!
dobieboi
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Re: Dobermans?

Post by dobieboi »

Dobermans are fantastic animals, highly intelligent and trainable. Coat color as with any breed does not affect trainablility, but may effect health concern. If you ever have the pleasure of working with one, or owning them you will find that the energetic nature is hit or miss, I would say that 50%-60% of my past dobies have infact been energetic. However, this is not a hyperactivity, they are content being walked once a day for 10-15 minutes. But on the other had you can get the ones, that are giant couch potatoes, that love to cuddle, and chew all day. Because of their great noses, playing hiding, and retrieving games with them can be very fun and rewarding. I have gone as far as to train some in Narcotics Detection, Dock Diving, Tracking, and Search and Rescue, and my two favorites that have nothing to do with noses, but Therapy and Service Dog work. I have even trained them for herding. I hope this helps! 8)
Neil J Hutchins, VTS
DawnStorm
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Re: Dobermans?

Post by DawnStorm »

DogzRule1996 wrote:Dobermans are indeed highly energetic dogs. As far as their health, here are the concerns:
• Major concerns: CVI (wobbler's syndrome)
I lost my second Dobe to that #$*^T%&$#*@@@!!! wobblers! :cry: It was upsetting to see him go from poetry in motion when he ran to looking like a drunken bum when he walked. :cry:
My current crew:
Bruce the Albino Dobe; Flanders the Belgian Malinut; Leela, Scuttlebutt, and Felix, da kitties.
All much-loved but not spoiled!
cassiedobie
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Re: Dobermans?

Post by cassiedobie »

Wes wrote:Anyone have any experience with this breed? I have yet to work with one before now, though I have had a little 8 week old male dropped in my lap temporarily. He's purebred as far as I can tell, tail docked already. The vet I work with found him and three of his siblings down by the bridge near PetSmart with no mother in sight. She has two of the females, a groomer has the third, and Rosie decided she wanted this one. This coming from the dog who's afraid of other dogs! I won't be keeping the little guy, just giving him a warm bed and some food until the vet can find homes for them or until a rescue place takes them. There's one breeder in the area, but he's denying ownership of the pups. So for now, I figured I'd get some opinions on the breed.

He's a sweet little pup, constantly following Rosie about. She fusses over him, brings him her toys, and is the gentlest I've ever seen her be. I thought she'd want nothing to do with him, but when she's not fussing, she's laying down nearby just watching calmly. Can't believe the difference in her!

Hi wes,we are the proud owners of our first dobi,and what a beautifull dog she is,weve had loads of dogs in the past,mongrels,labs,staffs but none can touch the love and affection we get from our dobi,she is 4yrs old nearly,we bought her in spain when she was 3.5mths old which is quite old in puppy terms,hant been socialised and all the pups and parents were living outside in a kennel day and night without scalabor colars on to protect them from the dreaded sand flies that are always about,she was and still is very skittish around people but when she gets to know you,becomes more settled,she has a ritual of snuggling up to me every night without fail,and motherly licks my arm then falls asleep,they do need lots of exercise and have boundless energy,so that would make them high maintanance,but the reward we get from watching her run and run is second to none,they are loyal to their owners and will protect you against anything and any one who tries to come inbetween you and them,shes gread with the grankids and in my books thats an added bonus,she having blood tests at the moment for leishmania there were some symptoms that were suspicious and we are very worried of the out come fingers crossed our little cassie will be ok,well wes dont know if you have still got your foster dobi but maybe this letter has convinced you about owning one in the near future,thanks for your time..Diane
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