Thinking about getting a Doberman, anyone else with them?

[PineBurrowPeeps]

Many of my family members have had Dobies and a couple of friends have them too. I have never met a mean Dobie. I really love the tough look of the dog but that it is usually a huge marshmellow with it's family. That is what I'm after. These days I have very valuable rabbits I am breeding and I am looking for a dog that won't mind hanging out outside in nice weather during the day and watching over the barn and will watch over the house when my husband works really late and I'm alone in the woods with 3 kids. I'm wanting a dog that looks tough, and will bark at strangers or look foreboding but that is great with people that we accept.
I really melt over the Red/Rust and Blue/Tan Dobies. I would like a male. Anyone know a good breeder?

 

[rebelcowboysnb]

My brother has them. They spend most of the day in the house an will rip threw well built pens to get to anything fuzzy Even the miniatures.

 

[Bunnylady]

Years ago, I knew someone who had a couple of Dobies that supposedly guarded their florist shop at night. One of them, Onyx, kept adopting the kittens that were born to the semi-feral cats that roamed the woods behind the shop. For a Dobe, he was huge, and it was always funny to see him tenderly licking "his babies" and indulgently watching as they raided his food dish. He was also a "smiler," something that always disconcerted the guys that worked with me. I have to admit, a smiling Dobe looks about as friendly as a Luger, but the happy, prancing paws, bowing, and wildly wagging tail made it clear that the display of pearly whites really did mean that he was happy to see me! Unfortunately, he was not at all fond of their other dog, which happened to be his father. The two dogs were kept in separate areas, but one or the other occasionally jumped the fence, and they had some horrible fights. They were always perfectly sweet to me, but I did wonder what they might have done to someone who really didn't belong there!

 

[PineBurrowPeeps]

Everyone I know with them has raised them from puppies with their other pets and kids, etc. and they are usually great with those things they have been exposed to.
My Uncle had one when I was a kid named Ninja who was just an amazing dog. A very dear friend of mine has one now who is her Service Dog!

 

[Jamie_Dog_Trainer]

I had a Dobie as my "project dog" when I was in school for dog training and behavior. She was a rescued Blue/fawn. She was an amazing dog, her name was Taylor. I was going to keep her myself after I graduated but I lived in an Apartment and the building was sold and the new rules said I coudn't have a dog over 30 pounds..so I adopted her out to a couple that really wanted a Dobie, but not a puppy.

Dobies are over all great dogs. They are prone to several very severe genetic disorders including Hip Displaysia and Von Willebrand's Disease. check out this link for more information:

http://dogtime.com/dog-breeds/doberman-pinscher/health

Temperament wise they are among the most stable of breeds, in my opinion. They are generally a 'softer' dog as far as the guarding breeds go. If you look outside of the U.S. for a dog you can get into some of the European bred Dobies and they are more "traditional" in temperament. Meaning they are more apt to guard and act upon a threat.

I also knew several other trainers that had them for showing and obedience. All their dogs were wonderful examples of the breed and not one of them was a dog I would have turned down to own myself. I do love the breed and in fact have seriously considered getting one.

Just to let you know the diluted colors of the blues and fawns tend to have more skin/allergy problems. So, in short, you should do your research into a breeder. If i were you I would focus on heath testing to make sure you're not getting a puppy more prone to disease and allergy problems.

 

[Rusty Hills Farm]

f you look outside of the U.S. for a dog you can get into some of the European bred Dobies and they are more "traditional" in temperament. Meaning they are more apt to guard and act upon a threat.

I've had 2 from Spain who were real man stoppers. Terrific family dogs but very cautious with strangers and not apt to cozy-up to them. Both of these boys were schutzhund and very work-oriented. They patrolled the place without ever having been taught to do so. They both had silly sides and one of them was a smiler, too! Neither would back down in a confrontation, as one would-be thief learned the hard way. Cowboy took a fist-sized chunk out of his buttocks when he tried to steal a motorcycle from beside the house. They were also heavier dogs than I've seen stateside, easily weighing in at over 110 lbs without an ounce of fat. Just pure muscle. They can be couch potatoes when not working, but are a whole lot happier when exercise makes up a nice chunk of their days. In all, I would not recommend them as a first dog, but someone with some experience with working dogs would likely find them to be a dream breed to have.


JMO

Rusty​

 

[farmerlor]

We have a dobie girl who is the sweetest dog you'd ever want to meet. We rescued her to be a guard dog for my son who was having night terrors. When strangers come she reads my cues. If I'm stressed or tense she stays very close but will not greet the stranger or allow them to approach. If I'm relaxed and happy she's all over the visitor. It's never happened yet but I know that if someone truly frightened me she would attack.

 

[scrambledmess]

I have had 3 experiences with dobes when I was younger. The first one put me in a tree for about an hour... I do not remember if I did anything to provoke the dog or not. I was pretty young and in all honesty it could have been my fault. Our next was a rescued female. She was practically starved and had 9 pups. All the pups died from heat stroke. We brought her in the house. She was very fearful and over all did pretty well with us. But you could never sneak up on her. Again, I doubt it was the breed more then the situation. She wanted to be good, but had just had a horrible life. The third was a very large male. He was a wonderful family dog. However, he had a very high prey drive and killed a couple of the neighborhood cats. The last one he killed he went through our living room window to get it. He also would NOT let our parents reprimand us kids.

I have always loved their looks. They look as if they are chiseled right out of stone.

 

[Jamie_Dog_Trainer]

Quote:
I've had 2 from Spain who were real man stoppers. Terrific family dogs but very cautious with strangers and not apt to cozy-up to them. Both of these boys were schutzhund and very work-oriented. They patrolled the place without ever having been taught to do so. They both had silly sides and one of them was a smiler, too! Neither would back down in a confrontation, as one would-be thief learned the hard way. Cowboy took a fist-sized chunk out of his buttocks when he tried to steal a motorcycle from beside the house. They were also heavier dogs than I've seen stateside, easily weighing in at over 110 lbs without an ounce of fat. Just pure muscle. They can be couch potatoes when not working, but are a whole lot happier when exercise makes up a nice chunk of their days. In all, I would not recommend them as a first dog, but someone with some experience with working dogs would likely find them to be a dream breed to have.


JMO

Rusty

All good information Rusty

I think the OP would most likely get an American bred Dobie and they are wonderful, worthwhile animals. I love them!

 

[rodriguezpoultry]

I love Dobies. My back-neighbor had 4 of them at one point. I'm not really sure why she goes with the "ferocious" dogs but whatever...

She has had:
4 dobies (2 were uber sweet, 1 standoffish and 1 that had to be chained)
1 rottie (sweetest dog EVER)
1 German Shepherd mix (standoffish but sweet)
1 Wolf/Husky hybrid. I will not walk within 10 feet of that dog. It is EVIL. Ole Yeller at the end of the movie has nothing on him...