ATTN: Dog Experts

[Brewster]

I have always wanted a doberman and I am moving out soon.

I live in the city and will be moving into a house with a back yard.

This would be my first dog, and I want to know if I should get one or not.(basically, will I be able to handle it?)

Also, I definatly want to do cropping but have read that its not the easiest thing to get done. Does anyone have any exp. with this as well?

[DSM4Life]

I am an expert in doggy style.

[SlimmerMe]

YOU need be an Alpha Dog from the beginning:

EAT first
WALK thru doors first
Make him sit for his food for a second before giving him his food

If a puppy, take him to puppy kindergarden...yes...I am serious. This HELPS socialize the dog from the beginning. They have these classes in the big pet supermarket chains.

Make your dog deserve every single thing. NO jumping on furniture for a long time. NO sleeping in the bed.

Basic training is a must for this strong breed. This dog CANNOT jump up on people. This dog needs to learn bite inhibition very early.

A Doberman needs to be exercised EVERY SINGLE DAY A LOT! RUNNING...RUN...Run..RUN..Needs to be WORN out. Like Caesar says: Exercise. Discipline. Affection....in that order.

GREAT DOG if handled correctly from the very first minute with lots of consistency and routine. Everyone like friends and family MUST be on the same page. NO cute stuff if brought home as a puppy. NONE!!!

[Brewster]

YOU need be an Alpha Dog from the beginning:

EAT first
WALK thru doors first
Make him sit for his food for a second before giving him his food

If a puppy, take him to puppy kindergarden...yes...I am serious. This HELPS socialize the dog from the beginning. They have these classes in the big pet supermarket chains.

Make your dog deserve every single thing. NO jumping on furniture for a long time. NO sleeping in the bed.

Basic training is a must for this strong breed. This dog CANNOT jump up in people. This dog needs to learn bite inhibition very early.

A Doberman needs to be exercised EVERY SINGLE DAY A LOT! Needs to be WORN out. Like Caesar says: Exercise. Discipline. Affection....in that order.

The bolded part is what concerns me. how the hell am I going to be able to excercise him so much

[SlimmerMe]

Then not the dog for you. A Doberman is wired tight. And if not released with tons of excercise, then he could become something you do not want to be around. This dog needs to run along a bike or out in the open for at least 30-45 minutes every single day. Minimum

[matt77]

A Doberman is a great dog but I feel that it is not a good dog for someone who has no experience handling a working dog. All of the working dogs especially the ones bred for service work (military, law enforcement) require a much larger amount of care and training. This type of dog will make one of the best dogs you could ever have if it is trained well and given a purpose in life. They want to work. If they do not have a job to do no matter how small it might seem to you they will start having issues. I guess you could say they are a masters dog. They love doing what their owner tells them (If they are guided properly). If you let a working dog do what it wants it will own you!! A good dog that has a lot of drive and loves to play and work but has less of a demand to control their actions is any of the water dogs like the yellow or black lab, etc. Now these dogs still require work to keep them from having issues but thats true with any dog just in different degrees.

Nothing ticks me off more than someone that has a dog that does not mind, barks all the time, and jumps all over them while they "love it" for doing it all. If you remember that dogs are pack animals and they require discipline so there position is made in the pack (which should be below you) If you do not offer guidance to any pack animal they will live their life lost (not Happy) because they do not understand what their purpose is. The very best advice I could offer is to google ceasar milan and do some rersearch on his site. He has books and videos that help people understand dogs. The guy is kind of weird but he is one of the only ones that are mainstream that really understand how to raise and train a dog. Good Luck!

[SlimmerMe]

Second choice? have another breed you like? because as a first time dog owner and not being able to put in the excercise....I suggest to stay away from this breed. Not worth it for either of you, Dogs and owners need to be matched up...like people!

[stack_it]

Get a lab. There great dogs and easy to own and train. It would be a great first dog.

[HitIt]

get a boston

as for dobies, one must be aware of it's possible genetic probs. and know that the breeder's choose sires and dams without such problems (ethics)..the last thing you want is a puppy predisposed to hip displaysia

one of the greatest dogs i ever knew was a rust colored dobie...he was huge and gentle and would protect you from anything. he also had floppy ears.

[jbran23]

A Doberman needs to be exercised EVERY SINGLE DAY A LOT! RUNNING...RUN...Run..RUN..Needs to be WORN out. Like Caesar says: Exercise. Discipline.

I agree with everything Slimmer said about disciplining and training from the very start but the exercise thing is a little exaggerative. Granted, a doberman is a big dog that you dont want living in a one room apartment or having its only source of exercise being a leash walk because you live in the city but if you live in a decent size house or apartment with a decent size backyard you shouldnt have any problems. Dobermans are very adaptable to their surroundings. I have owned 2 of them and they are the best dogs and the only breed I will ever own from here on out. They are the greatest companions and are what they call a "velcro dog" meaning everywhere you go in your house they are going to want to go with you. You go in the kitchen, they will go in the kitchen. You go in the garage to do something, they will want to go in the garage to see what you are doing. They will be your shadow so if thats something you wouldnt like then maybe not the dog for you.

[zimmy]

Yah I agree ...doberman's find ways to exercise themselves also...like they are protective animals...so to burn off some energy + their instincts...they will run out and secure the perimeter alot (run circles along the fence very fast). That kind of playing + walking on a regular basis is good.

[Hazard]

LOL If you don't want to excercise the dog much - get an english bulldog. Those fvckers get tired walking up a flight of stairs.....

I love em to death tho!

~Haz~

[Hazard]

Yah I agree ...doberman's find ways to exercise themselves also...like they are protective animals...so to burn off some energy + their instincts...they will run out and secure the perimeter alot (run circles along the fence very fast). That kind of playing + walking on a regular basis is good.

My fathers pitbull and boxer tour the yard together..... they run from one side to the other..... all along the fence LOL. I swear they take shifts patroling for the ground hog that lives under the shed.....

~Haz~

[nath78]

I WOULD GET ONE OF THESE OVER A DOBERMAN!
VERYONES DIFF THOUGH...JUST LETTING YOU KNOW WHATS OUT THERE..

[Hazard]

I WOULD GET ONE OF THESE OVER A DOBERMAN!
VERYONES DIFF THOUGH...JUST LETTING YOU KNOW WHATS OUT THERE..

I love bully pitts......

~Haz~

[nath78]

I LOVE PITS ASWELL..PITY THERE BANNED IN THE UK THAT PIC IS OF A PRESA CANARIO ABOVE AND HERES ANOTHER BELOW.

[Brewster]

There banned in canada to.

My grandfather used to have a doberman and it was the most vicious dog you ever seen if you didn't know him.
All dogs that are mid sized require more attention.
I just always saw myself getting one to. Im a bit of a ***** so I need a dog to protect me from my ex girlfriends.


as for the ear cropping, anyone have exp. with this?

[jbran23]

There banned in canada to.

My grandfather used to have a doberman and it was the most vicious dog you ever seen if you didn't know him.
All dogs that are mid sized require more attention.
I just always saw myself getting one to. Im a bit of a ***** so I need a dog to protect me from my ex girlfriends.


as for the ear cropping, anyone have exp. with this?

My first dobe didnt have her ears cropped when we got her at about 7 months. We got them done and they used popsicle sticks wrapped in tape to hold them up until they healed. The thing was, she kept pawing at them and pulling off the tape so we had to keep retaping them. In the end one ear stood sometimes and the other one never did. lol. Even to this day when she is alert and listening for noises one ear sometimes stands up with the other one down. Its pretty funny. My other dobe already had her ears done when we got her and they look great.

I think the longer you wait to get them done the more you run the risk of having problems in the end.

[HitIt]

when i was a kid the neighbors behind my grandparents bred boxers..there was always a plethora of pups running around with styrofoam/plastic cups taped to their heads like a dunce cap...this kept them from scratching their freshly "clipped" ears..

[dec11]

dalmatians rock, but like the dobe they require a tonne of exercise or they go in destruct mode! if im very busy for afew days and cant get mine out, they re- landscape the garden for me

[Nooomoto]

I would search for a doberman forum and read up on what owning and raising the breed requires, from people who know from first hand experience. Thats what I did with my Bull Terrier and I learned a whole lot.

[Brewster]

I would search for a doberman forum and read up on what owning and raising the breed requires, from people who know from first hand experience. Thats what I did with my Bull Terrier and I learned a whole lot.

thats actually a good idea