dobermans???

[lute]

i have a few questions about dobies!

what are thier most common health problems?
do they eat a lot?
are they easily trained?
do they need a lot of excersize?
are they good with other dogs and kids if raised with them?

they may be some pretty simple questions,but i would really like to know.

[Karen]

Like many "big" dogs, they eat a lot while growing, then level out.

They are excellent with kids and other dogs if raised with them and trained correctly. Some, though, are "one person" dogs - who prefer "their" person above all others, and the rest of the world could disappear without them noticing too much. A lot has to do with the training.

They are intelligent (for the most part) and so easily trained when they want to be, but can be kinda stubborn ...

They do need exercise, and are a combination of energetic and couch potatoes.

Any Dobe owners wanna weigh in?

[Shelteez2]

Dobes are prone to heart problems, hip dysplasia, vWD (a bleeding disorder), wobblers syndrome (a neurological disorder), just to name a few.

All the dobes I've met (which are quite a few as I babysit quite a few and I'm friends with a breeder) have been good with dogs and kids.

Out of all the ones I babysit, only two aren't well trained, which I know for a fact is the owner's fault.

Dobes are smart dogs and thrive with training (like all dogs). They do need lots of exercise (nothing looks better than a well muscled doberman running full out). They are also very good bed warmers though.

If you have any other questions just ask and I'll try to answer.

[cubby31682]

Sure I'll weigh in..

Gracie which is a full bred dobie, she gets fed twice a day. She gets 2 cups in the morning and 2 at night. So far we have had her almost a month and a half. He have bought 2- 40 pound bags of food for her. We just got the second bag today.

So far I have been the only one to work with her to train her. She and I are both trying to be 'top dog' in this house. I make her sit and stay before she is allowed to eat. If she goes for it before I say 'go' it gets taken away and we start over. I also make her sit and stay before she goes outside. I walk out the door and look around. I am being the alpha by doing this. It lets her know I am protecting her and she isn't the one to protect. She is very smart almost to smart for her own good.

Most are very good with other dogs. I have read that you don't want to have 2 dominate dogs such as a doberman and a rott. They are both very protective dogs and will fight if need be. I am not saying they will, that is just what I have read and heard from other people.

So far I haven't run in to any helth problems. Knock on wood. Most common that I have read about is bloatting.

I also take Gracie outside once an hour or so and I let her run for 15 - 20 minutes at a time. I also TRY to make her sit while she is in full run. So far it hasn't worked with out a few nips here and there.

Gracie loves and I mean loves children. When my neices and nephew comes over she is very gentle but is more than happy to run in the yard with them. And she doesn't chase them like she does me.

If I had to do it all over again, I would get another Doberman. And this is alot for me to say considering this is my first 'real' dog. She isn't the family pet. Well she is mine and my husbands, but I do all the feeding, the training and all of that.

I hope this helps and I'm sorry it's so long. If you have any questions please feel free to pm me. Lorraine has been a huge help to me. I'm sure she will have alot more to say than I do. She has a lot more experiance with them.

Katie

Also just as a side note. You will want to feed high quality food to them, just like any dog. The cheaper the food the more you have to feed. I am also not sure if this is common in dobes or not, but Gracie gets very bad gas and I mean bad. She farts and burps like no ones business. It's kind of funny to watch her. She will look at you like you did it.

[Lexi_Lover]

I was studying into Dobies for quite some time before I got my Lil' Lexi!

Dobermans are to answer your question and a bit more are:

-Prone to some health deffects such as bloat,
neck and spinal problems, inherited blood disorders, hip dysplasia, and heart disorders.

-Any dog will eat as much as you give them...give them a good amount: for an adult 1 cup 2 times a day instead of 1 big meal! Maybe even less for the cup amount since these dogs are prone to bloat!

-This strong handsome dog requires very careful and consistent training. Strive to ensure everything is harmonious throughout the training. If you have little experience of training dogs, then you are seriously advised not to acquire one of this breed. If Doberman’s are wrongly brought up they can become quite neurotic making them fearful and/or snappy – while their natural character is straightforward and reliable. Always act clearly and fairly with a Doberman. Never hit it and make absolutely sure it is not pestered. Doberman’s are ideally suited to defense-dog training, but do not start too young and avoid too much pressure on the dog in the early stages – never force it! Wait for really serious activity until a Doberman has matured somewhat.

-A Doberman cannot be fobbed off with a daily trot around the neighborhood. It is built for speed and has tremendous stamina. Take it swimming, or let it run alongside your bicycle, or run free in the woods. This breed is ideal for a variety of sporting activities.

- A properly socialized Doberman can get along fine with other dogs, other household pets, and children. Unwanted visitors are stopped in their tracks.

-The Doberman is an active, cunning dog which bonds closely and is brave, intelligent, a good guard dog, loyal, dependent, occasionally nosy and boisterous. It has tremendous stamina. Doberman’s have a tendency to become extremely loyal to one particular person.

That's about it for now! So if you have any questions just PM me or post it here! Hope this helps!


Before buying a puppy it is recommended that you have a veterinarian give the dog a checkup.

[Lexi_Lover]

The HYP DYSPLASIA is mainly known through genetic, but yes dobies are prone to it as they get OLDER! It is like many big and active breeds! Expect throughout the older stages of any big breed!

Maybe some occasionaly may not have this deffect!

[cocker_luva]

we are getting a doberman in the future (2 years max) and i plan to name him Damien or her Raevyn.:D

[Vette]

My parents used to have a red Dober when i was little. but she ended up having a stomache tumor and by the time it was found it was too big to be removed and she was sent to the bridge. :(

i found this website that i thought might be helpful to ya.
http://www.dogbreedinfo.com/doberman.htm

Cocker_luva already has listed most of the stuff you asked about. but it has info about their personaitly and stuff too.

[hannah danielson]

dobies sleep alot! they always want to be on the sofa. or on the bed or eney other place that you don't want her/him. they love the attetion and they usealy get it (they are cute) dobermens are better off with a other dog arownd my dobie is with a rottwiler and they love etch other! if you teatch them somthing then they will use that for eney thing they want, our dog knows how to shake with her paw, and now if she wants attetion then she trys to give you a paw shake and it hits me in the knee or the stomach and it hurts from her nails.speaking of nails, they hate to get there nails cliped it is sutch a struggel!!!..... i gusse that is all the info that i have to give you...

[lute]

thanks everyone for the info!:D