Dobermans - Need Info

[animal_rescue]

Sorry but my dobie friends and I were EXTREMELY upset over the Doberman Issue of DogFancy. They wrote like they were killers. Ugh it truly upset me.

[.sarah]

Sorry but my dobie friends and I were EXTREMELY upset over the Doberman Issue of DogFancy. They wrote like they were killers. Ugh it truly upset me.

The "to crop or not to crop" section really pissed me off, especially the quote "The Doberman is a cropped and docked breed. If you don't like it, get a Coonhound." How ignorant

[animal_rescue]

The "to crop or not to crop" section really pissed me off, especially the quote "The Doberman is a cropped and docked breed. If you don't like it, get a Coonhound." How ignorant

Very true! I know dobie owners with both uncropped/undocked purebred dobies and they look absolutely fine. While I like the look of cropped/docked a mix of either or is absolutely adorable as well.

[wolfsoul]

I think that same sex pairs are fine in any breed -- it just depends on the dogs, their ages, temperments, etc. Visa's breeder never had trouble having more than one male when she bred dobes, and everyone I've talked to has told me that you can't have a multiple female Belgian household, but Visa's breeder usually has several females at a time with no problems.

[MsLadyLyn]

I'd like to tell you about my sisters Dobie so you can see how gentle they can be.

My sister had a female Dobie who was the greatest dog! She was so much fun. At first I was a little scared because of all the "stories" I'd heard about the breed. But after a few minutes with Lady I was hooked! She came to my sister as a Mother's Day gift, and I have to say she was the greatest gift anyone could have gotten. Lady was 6 mo's old when my sister got her, I had a 6 mo old Cocker/Dalmation, I took my Buttons to meet Lady, after I met her first, and they got along great! They played for hours just like two little kids. They did this whenever I got the chance to go visit my sister. We told people they were cousins lol.

When Lady grew up the vet said she was the tallest female he'd ever seen. He said she was taller than most males. She did turn out to be quite large lol.

Lady could intimidate people something awful. But she was the biggest softy I've ever seen! She would bark at people that came to the door but, let me tell you if they wanted to come in she'd let them lol. I think her size scared people the most.

She was the most loving dog I've ever known, klutzy as all get out, playful, and could make you laugh in a heartbeat. She had this game she played with me that drove my sister nuts, she would grab my ankle and "shake" it lol. She was extremely gentle when she did this too. I never felt her teeth! She also had the greatest, and biggest smile I've seen. Plus, she was THE BIGGEST chicken you could meet. I say that because my sisters son and mine were playing with squirt guns one summer and when Lady saw them, the squirt guns, she made a mad dash for the computer desk and hid under it for an hour! We just couldn't figure that one out, if there was a loud noise she'd head for the computer desk for cover.

Lady also got along with all of my sisters cats. When one of the cats had a litter she would pick one kitten and become it's foster mother. She would clean it, help it go potty and clean up after it. Lady would gently lift it up in her huge mouth and put it on the bed with her. I've never seen a dog do that before and the mother cats never seemed to mind. When she came into season the first time she took one of my nieces' dolls and carried it around like it was her baby. She would lay with it under her chin and clean it like she did the kittens. If you took the doll away she would wine until she got it back. When she went out of season she hid the doll until next time when you'd see her carrying it around.

I agree with most that it depends on the dog itself and how they are handled. I think that Lady was just one of the exceptional Dobies. Lady passed last year and we all miss her terribly. My sister would like another Dobie but she says it's still too early for her, but when she's ready she wants a red one this time.

If you do get a Dobie I hope your lucky enough to get one with a personality like Lady's.

[EastJenn]

I really can't think of a nicer way to say this other than saying that Dog Fancy article is almost entirely a load of crap. The ear cropping thing really got to me ... the EDUCATOR of the DPCA, our BREED CLUB, making Dobies sound like non-people dogs. That's a wonderful representation to have out there on an already misunderstood breed.

About the male/male pairing thing ... it just doesn't make sense to me. For one thing, does anyone really believe that Dobermans are that very unadaptable and untrainable that you could not make it work? Sure, some dogs are going to have more territorial instincts or whatever, but isn't that why you WORK with your dogs? We have had behavioral problems with dogs over the years, but we have ALWAYS worked through it with our dogs. It just takes time and commitment on the part of the owner, sometimes more than others.

Secondly, I think we all need to take a minute and remember that dogs are DOGS first, and their breed SECOND. All dogs want to please their owners. All dogs are adaptable and trainable. It is up to the OWNER to help them become well behaved and adapted though. You can't expect a kennel to do that for you, you can't expect them to come to you that way. It is entirely your responsibilty, and trust me, with time, care, and hard work, males CAN coexist peacefully.

I would love to hear what animal behaviorists have to say on this issue ...