Tell Me About Dobermans please.

Beejou

I have a question about ear cropping. Why is military/guard dog cropping length considered nasty? I personally think it's lovely. Is it just a "scary fighting dog" stigma, or is it bad for the dog? If/when I get a Dobe, I will probably adopt an adult, so choosing the ear is not an option probably. Just wondering,..

I think that the reason that short crops aren't well recieved on dobes is because that style of crop doesn't really suit their head size/shape.  Most dobes with super short crops look silly.  They are supposed to be a dignified breed, & a short crop doesn't really fit that description.

Bevo has a longer, working crop.  He has a very "bitchy" head, so it actually fits him pretty nicely.  If he had a more substantial head, he would look ridiculous with his crop.

Here are examples of his crop...

Laurelin_429

I thought cropping was about functionality and preventing attackers from having an ear to grab.

Shorter crops are, imo, more functional.  They were, originally cropped short to prevent an attacker from having something to grab ahold of.  Nowadays, there aren't many dobes who are bred to actually do protection work.  :(

You will find that most breeders who focus on breeding a "working doberman" do tend to go with shorter crops.

Cropping feels like as much an art as a science, in that you want it proportional to the head... sometimes people who don't have the experience to anticipate what an adult dog head will come out of this 12 week old pup will make them too long, or too short.  Worse is uneven (which happened to my trainer's most recent working Dobe.)

I chose Gracie's length as "pet" - not working, not showing - but the vet had TONS of experience on Dobes, Boxers, etc, etc.  Show crops are ridiculously long for my taste, and take longer to post to be sure the tips stay all the way up.  It's a commitment that plenty of people give up on, resulting in crop-n-flops.  Which peeves me that the dog went through the surgery for nothing.  I think I spent 10 weeks posting G's ears.

 Josie has about a medium show crop. I LOVE her ears. Luckily her sire's owner is a DVM and is one of the best croppers in the country. All pups in Josie's litter got different crops based on their heads. I posted until she was about 6 months. She was cropped before i got to bring her home, but i believe she was cropped around 8 weeks, so i guess that's a long time of posting.

I love the way they curl at the top...

 Holy!  Josie is a Collar Whore too!  Love it.  And I love her ears.  I also love Bevo's as I think they really suit him.  I'm not sure what kind of crop I would want, but I know I want them cropped.  The floppy ears just don't do it for me.  It would be like a Husky with a shaved tail...

 I'm not positive Candace, but i think most breeders don't let you choose your crop. I guess it depends on when they're evaluated. Josie's litter all got show crops because they weren't evaulated for show/pet until a few days after the crop and they didn't know whose pup was whose until then.

 Josie is a collar whore :) 

Have you talked to any breeders or found any you like yet?

 See? I would want floppy ears, because I can't deal with posting. I've helped post both single, older puppies, and whole litters, and I just can't handle it, LOL. And, there is NOTHING I'd want to look at less than a floppy crop.

jennie_c_d

 See? I would want floppy ears, because I can't deal with posting. I've helped post both single, older puppies, and whole litters, and I just can't handle it, LOL. And, there is NOTHING I'd want to look at less than a floppy crop.

It gets sooo much easier! After about a month i could post by myself in about 5 minutes. but i agree, the crop and flop is NOT cute!

 Onyx has a floppy ear and a standy up ear...I think she's cute!  LOL, ya, I know, totally not the same thing.  Husky ears stand on their own.

Uh ya, I plan on moving next door to Gatehouse...and hounding her till she caves and gives me a pup.  LOL.  I've seen a few of her posts on the other forum and she seems like a nice lady so I'm sure I can swing it.  hehe.  Tell me, am I reaching for the stars?  I'm sure if I bug her for the next 5 years she'll get tired of me and let me get one.

BEVOLASVEGAS

I think that the reason that short crops aren't well recieved on dobes is because that style of crop doesn't really suit their head size/shape.  Most dobes with super short crops look silly.  They are supposed to be a dignified breed, & a short crop doesn't really fit that description.

 I agree that longer crops are prettier and hat is obviously why they are used for show Dobes (although some of them go the other way and IMO just look silly because their ears are soooooo tall). The only thing the standard says is "Ears normally cropped and carried erect. The upper attachment of the ear, when held erect, is on a level with the top of the skull."

Some historical Dobe pictures,  the first two are from 1907 and the other two are from the early 1920s. They were a much more substantial dog historically and far less extreme than today's show Dobes in build. They not only have less rear angulation but also much less chest (and I bet they didn't have the issues with bloat that the modern show Dobes have either).

 Funny how quickly things change, isn't it? Even in that 15 year stretch, the dogs got more refined and angled.

huskymom

 Onyx has a floppy ear and a standy up ear...I think she's cute!  LOL, ya, I know, totally not the same thing.  Husky ears stand on their own.

Uh ya, I plan on moving next door to Gatehouse...and hounding her till she caves and gives me a pup.  LOL.  I've seen a few of her posts on the other forum and she seems like a nice lady so I'm sure I can swing it.  hehe.  Tell me, am I reaching for the stars?  I'm sure if I bug her for the next 5 years she'll get tired of me and let me get one.

You should contact her! She is really nice and maybe she can tell you about a show...then you can go out and meet her and some of her dogs. IMO, it's never too early to start a relationship with a breeder.

 Thanks Megan, I think I will for sure...soon...hehe

RidgebackGermansShep

it's never too early to start a relationship with a breeder.

You can say that again! 

Candace, I'm a ways away from getting a puppy, but I'm already talking with breeders.  I have a top ten!