Dobermanns - breed information wanted Questions

I am definitely not in the market for another dog, and in all truthfulness can't see myself ever having another breed than a GSD. However, I do love Dobermanns and would really like to know a bit more about what they are like to live with.

So Dobie owners, please feel free to tell me what yours are like re: trainability, intelligence, compatability with other breeds/children/livestock and then indulge me with some photos please

Trainability : Dobes are loyal, eager to please and very quick at learning.

Intelligence: they are clever although are also great at playing dumb when it suits them. They are also very sensitive, they dont like to be shouted at, they sulk! they know if you are upset and stick to you like velcro, and one of mine could tell if you was pregnant before you told me.. she would sit in front of you and prod your belly with her nose, she did it with my sister, and my best friend, we used to joke we could hire her out as a pregnancy scanner

Compatability with other breeds:

I think as long as the Dobe is brought up from a pup around different breeds and socialised right, then they will get along will all manor of different breeds.
My dobes got on well with my sisters Boxers, they took to Aura our boxer very well, they were a little more cautious of the min pins, but I think it was because the min pins were so small and fast. I do so wish Kai was around when we got the min pins, as she would have taught the little monsters some manners .

Children :

again my dobes were great with my kids, the kids were only toddlers when I got my first dobe, so they sort of grew up together. As long as kids are brought up to respect the dog, and the dog is brought up to respect kids, I dont see a problem.
Although with Dobermann's being a naturally protective breed, I did use to put the dobes in another room when the girls had friends round to play.
Once when my girls were toddlers and playing in the garden, some kids were down the alley at the back of my house and threw a stone over the fence which hit Sharnah on her head and made her scream, Kai went straight through the wooden fence cartoon style and had the kid responsible backed upto the wall, She was showing her teeth and was growling, but she never bit the kid.. I think she was just saying hurt my family again and I WILL hurt you. I was actually very proud of her for defending Sharnah, and not hurting the kid who threw the stone.
Livestock:

I cant really comment on livestock as mine were never around them. except the once when we had to run really fast through a field of cows as they were chasing us. Once being chased by cows was enough for me, so I never ventured into fields with animals in again. I would assume that again as long as the Dobe was brought up around livestock then it would be fine.

I really do miss my Dobermann's, they are an amazing breed to be owned by, loyal to the end

now for the photo's














Please note they are not real cobwebs.. it was halloween and the house was decorated for a party

Lastly Kai's daughter Poppy, the amazing well travelled Dog.. she went to live in france with her english owner, then moved to Chicago so Liz her owner could be with her son, then back to the south of France.





I have deliberatly not posted any pics of Ice, as I dont want to turn your thread into a debate on white dobes

I think they're really easy to live with, if you don't mind guarding breeds, mine are all a tad vocal. I guess it all depends on how they're brought up but Mine all get on with other dogs, they're eager to please me, too clever by half most of the time but they don't always use their brains in a good way. Milan can unlock the french doors by turning the key with her teeth and then pushes down on the handle with her paw. She lets them all out again 5 minutes after me getting them in. Rio's cool though she puts all the toys back in the toy box when they're finished with . Mine are very tolerant of kids, pretty non reactive generally. We walk in Epping forest past the sheep and cows without so much as a glance.
I wouldn't say any of mine are particularly sensitive tbh and none of them would know how to sulk. They do tend to be very owner focused.
I just love everything about them.

Thanks for all the info Bugzy. Your dobes were absolutely stunning! Can I ask why you don't own the breed anymore?

Thanks Trouble. I do love the look of Dobes, and by your description (and Bugzy's) I do think it is a breed I could easily live with

One thing they definitely have over my shepherds are easy to care for coats!!!

I haven't had a Dobermann lucky enough to live past 8.
Perhaps I was unlucky with the breeding behind my Dobes, but it would be just too traumatic for me to even think of getting another one. I will just admire the breed from afar now, and treasure those moments I had with my Dobes.

Sorry to hear that Bugzy :-( Do the breed suffer from many inherited problems?

Ive only had the one dobe( and walked another) so not much experience but i definately wouldn't be without one now - She is such an easy dog to live with as long as you don't mind the whinging

She gets on great with other dogs (she comes on most of my dog walks) and with children she loves playing with my 2 1/2 yr old nephew and is so careful, Dobes love their owners are very clever and eager to please, mines a velcro dog where i go she goes.

Livestock mines never been intrested but i used to walk one that chased deer mine is very tactile and wants to sit as close as possible to me.
Strong guarding instinct nothing comes through the door or in our driveway without her barking.
Madison and friends

they suffer from far too many

vWD - Von Willebrands Disease - this is a blood clotting disorder and if the dog is affected and knocks itself, it is said that it cause internal bleeding.

CVI ( Cervical vertibral instability ) also known as Wobblers syndrome

Hip/elbow dysplasia (sp)

Hypothyroidism

DCM - Dilated Cardiomyopathy

PHPV ( Degenerative eye diseases )

and sadly cancer is common in Dobes too.

Apart from the hedgehog retrieving I wouldnt have a bad word to say about my boy!

velcro being the operative word! Tunya is my second B&T got Bruce my first from a rescue centre when he was 6months old and I was 12 (thanks dad ) A friend of his said when my dad mentioned he was going to get me a dog 'get a dobermann, you will NEVER get a better dog!' So off we went one day to 'get a dog' and came home with Bruce who from that day on never let me out of his sight (my mum nearly passed out when we jumped out of the car she was expecting small and fluffy ha ha!) He had to be put down due to arthritis at the age of 10 brought about after a car accident when he was a youngster.

Then came Tunya the absolute light of my life! Bought for my boyfriends birthday after we had talked for over a year about getting one (boyf had had a Dobe when he was a youngster out in zambia). Much to his despair T decided I was his person and I am the recipient of all the love a girl could possibly want. He is incredibly funny and has a great sense of humour, endless energy and a nose for mischief!

I take him riding with me and he loves to play chicken with the horses, buzzing under their noses as we whizz across the fields (luckily they are hunters so dont mind!)

He likes a bit of a chase but gives up easily especially if whatever it is stops! Wont retrieve a ball for love nor money lets face it its a dull game anyway?! Loves agility and tracking tried a bit of schutzhund but he just didnt get the man work part of it AT all so we canned that!

Really feels the cold and not a fan of hot weather and gets hot very quickly!

The litter he came from was volhard tested and he was matched to us based on the fact we might like to do some showing, we live in a rural area so there will be lots of sheep cattle and he would spend a lot of time around horses. And he is just perfect. Like to chase stuff if it moves but gives up easily. None of this pick of litter malarky, out of 10 pups we were given a short list of 2/3 which would be suitable for what we wanted

they do suffer from a number of hereditary conditions some that can be health tested for and avoided through breeding and others which cant. Doing your homework on the bloodlines is invaluable but I guess that can be said for most breeds!

Hes never been a wrecker or a shredder but does like to steal my clothes and sleep with them! Hes not a whiner but does have a brilliant vocal range and has me in stitches with the noises he comes out with. A sensitive soul that will go and hide if boyf and i ever argued and does his level best to cheer you up if you are fed up.

I love the very bones of him

can we see a picture of him dobermonkey, he sounds really special!!

my friend has a brown dobie, lovely boy, he's a velcro dog too and a whiner!!! but hes got a great personality and loves to play with balls, bless him

What a lovely thread. I am such a dobe fan and it is definitely on my wish list for the future. Come on dobe owners more pics please past and present xx

Hi Insomnia

I cant access picture sites from here (bank head office - security frown upon them!) but I will try and post some if i can pince my friends computer at the weekend

He is super special, its like having a 3rd leg! Makes a better door than he does a window when your trying to watch TV mind, as he parks his B&T butt square in your lap!

Just entered him into our first agility comp coming up in October and the cani x season has kicked off again so back in training for that and an open show early october so we are going to busy little bees! Boyf said the other day 'you really need to get a hobby that doesnt involve Dobermanns!!!!' I dont know WHAT he means??

I do have a life!!! It just comes with a free B&T permanently attached ;p

i think bugzy should come back and update.

"admire from afar" how far away is erik? ;-)

At this moment he is asleep about 2 ft away from me

I know I said i'd admire them from afar but Erik put paid to that
I like to think that Kai, Luna, Ember and Ice sent Erik to us.

But I have to say we're loving having a Dobe back in the family, the house just feel's right again now

awww thats sooo sweet i would really love a dobe. they were on my list when i first started looking at dogs but nana wouldnt let me have a big dog. what are they like to own. i mean are they good? sorry i cant write what i mean. im scared of having a bigger dog now in case i cant handle them properly and wouldnt be able to look after a big dog if i was too scared. we had one in college today and she was sooo clever and stunning

Enjoyed this thead - it's a breed I have always liked. Marius has a Dobie-bitch friend who he adores utterly called India

Syd's not allowed on the sofa but obviously that doesn't count when he's on guard duty in the conservatory keeping watch on the parrots

They are fantastic easily trained,I have 2 both males one is nearly three the other is nearly 9 months both are neutered and get on with other dogs
Taz nearly 3


Deebo 9 months

WOW!! your Dobe pics are lovely.. wish you had put on the pic of Ice as I've NEVER seen a white one