doberman pinschers

[ME!]

hello,
i like dobermans. i would like to find out more bout them. are they good with children? what do they weigh as an adult? are they easily trained? can they attack even if well trained?

[trayi52]

Well I owned a Doberman for a very long time. I went through obedience training with her, I never did make her attack who I wanted her to. She was just naturally protective of me. She was protective of the whole family, she loved us all.

Pax was her name, she was a pretty good sized dog, I can't remember how much she weighed but she was one of the huge ones. She loved the children, and she was a very good judge of character. She seem to sense when somebody was not to be trusted, if she didn't trust them she put them back in the car. She would not try and bite them, but she would just lope behind them, until they got back to their car. If we were not at home and somebody come into the house that she was pretty sure wasn't supposed to be there, she put them back out of the house.

She even took care of our animals, like the pigs and chickens etc. She was a very sensitive dog. She was sensitive to my feelings, she made be fell safe. She was a wonderful dog.

There were times when she thought that I was in danger, and she would try to bite somebody if they happen to be reaching toward me, she would try to grab their hand, even if they were handing me an ink pen, though she never brought blood. She was a very sweet dog, and I miss her a lot.

If you want a dog for the companionship, then they are fine around children if you let them grow up around the children. I just recommend that you spend a lot of time with the dog as it is growing up, you have to put in that dog what you want out of it, training one of that size and temperment is a lot of work. It was for my Pax, I worked with her, and even went through obedience class with her, working with her in between classes, everyday.

Me I love them, right now I have a Rottweiler, I love her, but someday I will have another Doberman.

Read books, and do research on these dogs, they are not for everybody. Just find out what to expect, and by all mean if you get one, work with it, so that it doesn't become a menace. Put love into the dog and you will get it right back.

[EssTer]

We had doberman... She was very cute chocholate dobie

You need to socialize you dobie, our dobie girl could protect us, and she didn´t like strangers and other dogs,BUT when I didn´t allowed to show, that she don´t like someone, she was nice to others quite nice And dobies are very nice with chilrdens too

[GSDgurl]

I have a 8 month old male Doberman pup. This is my first time owning a Dobe, n' they are great dogs. He is the most lovable dog I think we have ever owned. They are great dogs you really need to socialize them....alot. I have notice if I don't take Colby(his name) out n' socialize every week its like starting over. He starts to loose trust in different people and backs off. I hope to show him this summer when he reaches 1 years old. Im not real sure how much he weighs...but probably 70-75lbs....and thats all muscle. If you want to learn more about Dobermans go to this link-
http://www.dogbreedinfo.com/doberman.htm
That gives you a lot of the info needed n' some pictures. I'll post some of my big brat also-



Enjoy

[Karen]

There are good and bad dogs of any breed. Dobermans get a bad rap, mostly because of movies and because (stupid) people train them to be attack. But they are not natuarally aggressive, just protective. They - like any dog - need good training as they grow, and should be a great dog as a result!

I fist dog was a Shepherd/Doberman or maybe Shepherd/Rottweiler mix, and she was the best, smartest dog in the whole wide world. I could (and did, to my adult chagrin) do anything to Sheba, and she never once even nipped me, or anyone else. But because of her black-and-tan coloring, strangers were afraid of her, and that was okay with my parents. If Sheba was out in the yard with us, and my parents were inside, no stranger got more than halfway up the driveway. If they started to, she would walk over and stand in the driveway. The one time a man tried to get closer she sat down, looked her most menacing, and gave a low growl. He then walked backwards out of the yard, never taking his eyes off her. My mom watched the whole thing from the window, we kids were blissfully unaware! She was a great dog.

[*FlatCoatsRule*]

HAHA, that's great Karen! My grandma trains and one of the people she trains with has a Dobe named Cassidy, she is so sweet natured, but if she doesn't get to know you first, she will be catious. I know they are great with older kids, not babies.....they have to be introduced to anyone new. Go to www.AKC.org and they have information in the breed section.
Welcome to Petalk! I have two dogs. A Yellow lab, and a Flat Coat Ret. mix we got from the pound. Do you have any dogs yet? or do you just want a Dobe and are looking into it?

[trayi52]

I love the Doberman breed, like I said before, you get what you put into the dog. They seem to be naturally protective of their humans, thats why I say they need obedience training. That way you can call them off if they do something wrong.

My Pax was amazing, she took care of all of us, and she just was just naturally protective of me. I have seen some funny things that she has done, like one guy was walking across our yard rolling a wheelbar and she went after him, he said he kept turning in a circle and turning, and was about ready to just put the wheel bar over her, and she quit, I think she was just playing with him, because she knew him, but he was afraid of her.

Back then when I first got her, everybody thought the Doberman was the worst dog you could ever own, they said she will turn on you, just wait and see. She never, ever hurt any of us, or for that matter anybody else, she would grab a person by the hand if she thought they were reaching for me, she never brought blood. She chased a man back to his car, but she was just loping behind him, not really running, she did not trust him, and for good reason I found out later on.

She died of old age, I still miss her even now, and get misty about her, she was a good friend.

She even saved a baby pigs life, I thought it was dead, but she brought it back by licking it until the little guy got up, she done that several times.

I put a lot of time in that dog, If you want a good Dobie, then you want to put a lot of yourself in that dog, just make sure it is the good part of you, don't make it mean, or something to be feared for certain. Just train it to obey you, then it will narurally take care of you and you take care of it.

tray

[Dobiegirl24]

I have a dobe. A blue rescue boy. He is wonderful and picks up training very easily, even though when we got him at ten months he had NEVER been trained. He has a great personality and loves little kids, I took him to a car cruise a while ago and he loved all the little kids there. Right now he is prolly about 70-75lbs, but could prolly stand to gain about 5 more pounds.

[trayi52]

Pax always loved riding in the car, she would go and sit in my daughters car when she came to visit and would not get out of the car until she took her for a ride in the car, all she had to do was drive her up the road and come back and she was happy with that.

I used to carry her everywhere I went, but I got to thinking about what would happen if I was in an accident? I was afraid she would be so protective of me that they might have to shoot her or something to get me out of the car, so I started making her stay at home.

Wonderful dog she was.

[veegan]

a good friend of mine has a 22 month old red dobe boy named Jiminy. (Ive talked about and posted pics of him quite a few times on PT). He weighs about 80 or 90 lbs now, and is still developing more muscle tone, but he is on the large size for the breed, even for a male. he was socialized very well and at a young age, and therefore is AWESOME with other dogs, big & small, and people of all ages. he was around children while with the breeder (for the first 6 weeks of life) and even though he rarely sees kids now, he is very good and patient with all the children he meets.

he has a LOT of energy, and loves to push your buttons. he is very clever, has a LOT of personality, and is a total clown. he loves to be the center of attention and is quite the entertainer. jiminy is ever alert. he will suddenly leap out of what appeared to be sound sleeping to bark or investigate a suspicious noise. he barks (though not in excess) when he hears or sees people walk by the house or in the yard, and he is reserved with people he doesnt know, but has *never* shown any signs of aggression. he can be quite a handful and his energy is seemingly endless. but he calms down in the house pretty easily as long as he gets enough daily exercise. hes a very fast learner, and is generally pretty obedient. he has completed 2 basic obedience classes, and just recently passed the CGC! he especially loves car rides, being with his people, food, and.. THE DOGGY PARK!

dobes are strong willed and can be very hard headed, so obedience must begin as soon as possible, and you have to make it clear you are in charge. however, this does not mean you have to be mean and pushy! in fact this can have very negative affects. they do not do well with harsh training methods. positive reinforcement works best. thorough and early socialization is also a must, (though its probably the most important thing for all dogs, no matter what breed).

they are extremely affectionate, and bond very closely with their family. they are naturally protective so there is no need to "train" them to be guard dogs. a well rounded, well socialized dobe is sensible enough to differentiate between a friendly person and a threatening person. this is why early, thorough socialization is so important. they need to be exposed to all kinds of people and situations and be knowledgeable about the world they live in. they are aloof and cautious around strangers, but they quickly accept people once they know its okay. they have good sense and can read you well. dobes should never by shy or fearful.

dobes are awesome dogs; they are one of the most devoted and loyal of all breeds, but they are a LOT of dog- powerful, energetic, athletic, smart, and stubborn- they can be too much to handle for some people, and you can not let them walk all over you. you definitely have to be prepared. but in the right hands they are a joy to be around. jim is a ton of fun and just a big lover! not to mention GORGEOUS!

[Layka3000]

YOu can never know if they will attack, cuz as you know sometimes dogs can be un predictable even if they are traind by a pro.

[pit chic]

Any dog (breed) can attack, it's up to the owner to make sure the dog has no ability to attack. You really have to be able to read your dog's body language in different situations to be able to predict how it will act or react. Most of the Dobies I've met were nice dogs, pretty calm at first meeting a stranger, but warmed up quickly when they sensed from their owners that I was a nice stranger.

FlatCoats mentioned the www.akc.org for breed info. You can also find Dobie breed clubs that can give you referrals to good breeders and you can find Dobie rescues all on the AKC's website. I mentioned this to someone on here before. Stay away from classified adds in the paper and magazines, people on the side of the road, parking lots or flea markets. They are all backyard breeders out to make money and they pretty much damage the breed. Do lots of homework and shop around. Don't pass up the rescue option. Most rescued Dobies are purebred and have already gone through the puppy stages. What you see is what you get with an adult dog.

You can use this to help you weed out the good and bad breeders:

http://www.geocities.com/Petsburgh/Fair/1901/chart.html