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.