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.