Tell Me About Dobermans please.

 Dobes also have that DA tendency, particularly males, from what I'm told. Of course, you see people all the time who have Dobes with other dogs and have them out all the time, but like you said, that's training Bean's Bestest Buddy is a Dobe. Ditto is 13 months, and her mom is dealing with some pretty strong reactive behavior, right now.

 

They're also not super weather tolerant, with no coat to protect them. I never realized, before I got the hairless dog, how MUCH an undercoat (even a crappy one) does to keep a dog cool. 

 

Otherwise? They're awesome I may very well end up with one, some day, after Emma is not here, anymore. I love how protective they are, and I love the look. I love the low maintenance, and possibly needing a sweater on a cold day/extra protection in the heat doesn't bother me at all. I cannot care for a baby with cropped ears, though. The posting and taping is more than I'm willing to do. 

 We've got a few that come into the clinic where I work - and they are all SWEET, big time leaners. Casey had a puppy friend at the park for a while too

They do have a lot of health problems though - most of ours are regulars because of issues... DA can be a big one, I think it depends on the breeding.

I really want one one day too - so I'm looking forward to the responses! 

I am so glad you asked this! I'd like to get a Doberman, probably a female to be T-Bone's best buddy (in 6 months or more) but I've heard they're even more protective than GSDs. I'd like to know the truth about that from dobie owners.

From your description of the type of dog that you want I think that you'd do great with a dobe.

I know that you know what to expect in terms of training needs, & in terms of energy requirements, so I'm just kind of listing other stuff that might be helpful.

• Plan on socializing early & often.  In my experience, it is much, MUCH better to have an over socialized dobe (if that's possible) than it is to have an undersocialized one. 
• They are very sensitive to what is happening around you.  If you are stressed or unhappy, then they are stressed & unhappy right there with you.  If you aren't comfortable around someone, then they know it & will be more watchful of that person. 
• They are whip smart, & they love to use their intelligence to make you look like an ass.  Trust me on this one....
• Although they are very intelligent, they are not blindly obedient.  Our trainer jokes that the difference between a GSD & a Dobe is that if you aked your GSD to go into a burning building, they would take off without ever looking back.  Just  because that's what you asked of them.  If you asked the Dobe to enter the same burning building, you should expect a five minute conversation with them in order to explain why you want them to do this.  Dobes tend to think on their own quite well.
• It is common, & accepted for there to be some level of dog aggression.  It's more common for males to be male aggressive, but it does happen with females as well.  Bevo is not DA in the least, but if another male dog gives him stink eye, he will not back down.  Even though I do not think that there would ever be an issue, he & Brutus are kept in separate areas of the house when I am not home.  (Bev & Shoe are weird together.  From the moment that I walked in with Shoe, Bev was sure that he had a puppy of his own.  That's how he acts with Shoe, even now.  I am absolutely, without a doubt certain that there will never be an issue between them, so Shoe stays with Bev.)
• They are comedians.  For all of their serious looks, they are total goofs around the people who they love most.
• As pups they are usually friendly with everyone that they meet.  As they grow up, most of them develop a more aloof attitude towards strangers.
• They are great judges of character.  If Bevo doesn't like someone, then I don't push the issue.  I've come to realize that he's a better judge of character than I am.
• Many dobes are serious chewers.  Read, lots of them end up having to have surgeries to remove foreign bodies from stomach/intestines.
• You have to be a bit thick skinned or a real bitch to own a dobe.  Otherwise, you won't be able to deal with the idiots who "know" everything that there is to know about the breed.  You know..the brain/skull issues, the fact that they are all killers issues, & don't forget the idiots who believe that all dobes should be banned....Some of these people are maddening, but others are just stupid & very fun to screw with.
• There is a split in the dobe community.  Working vs show.  You really need to have a clear view of what you want in a dobe, & then choose which ever style works best for you.  IMO, there isn't a right or wrong dobe, but there is, most likely, one that will fit into your house better than the other.
• They are quite affectionate, but they do it with style.  They want to be close, & they want your hand or foot touching them, but they don't have to act like fools climbing all over you to get your attention.  Unless you went to the bathroom without them.  Then you can expect to be greeted just as you would if you had been gone from the house all day!

I really can't tell you anymore than Amanda did, i agree with everything she wrote.

I will tell you i'll never be without a dobe again. Josie and I have such a good bond. I love how dobes are silly, athletic, low maintenance, potentially protective, social, and SWEET! I've never had a dog that was so affectionate before Josie. She can be a little turd at times though...stubborn and naughty.

 As far as breeders go, BE CAREFUL! There are a lot of no good dobe breeders. I would look for someone who titles, temperament tests, health tests, and KNOWS their lines. I acutally know of a few good breeders in Ontario. A good breeder will also have ears cropped and healed before sending them home.

 They are expensive, but it's worth it if you think about all the health testing, ear cropping, tail docking, etc.

 I've extensively socialized Josie and i am confident wherever i take her she will be good. She LOVES children (but will sometimes jump on them), is good with other dogs. She's laid back, confident, and playful. I went to the DPCA nationals last week and it confirmed that dobes are NO DOUBT the breed for me!!!

 You should join the forum at dobermantalk.com. There are several members who don't own dobes. I'm glad i found the forum before i got a dobe because i learned SOOOO much. PM if you want to get in contact with the Ontario breeders...

 Thanks for the info everyone.  So from what I'm seeing, the biggest issue is the health problems prevalent in the breed.  Some of them are pretty scary.  DCM's biggest symptom is Sudden Death?!  Yikes!  But I suppose the disease is not exclusive to Doberman's... They're doing some research on it in Guelph, I'm gonna go look that up later on. 

I think I may start looking at potential breeders.  I'm not sure if I'd get one from Ontario, as they're likely all in Southern Ontario, looking in Manitoba first would be a better option.   But I certainly won't limit the search.  I'm starting with the national breed club.  Is that a good place to start?  I've got at the minimum 5 years before I actually want one...or can actually get one anyway.

 Yes, DCM and cancer are probably the number 1 issues with dobes. Breeders can choose dogs from lines with lower incidences of DCM, and holter and echo before breeding...but it can still pop up, even though your chances are less.

Maybe you could contact Gatehouse in Ontario and she could let you know about any shows. Shows are a wonderful place to meet breeders, and to see what you like.

I really have no right to add anything to this post but I was interested to learn more about dobes so here I am. When I read through your wants, my immediate thought was "lab" "golden" or a similar do what your human wants with no q's asked style breed. Being a former husky owner I totally understand why you want what you do out of a dog. Believe me! Reading the description of dobes though a few things jumped out at me that would steer me away (again because I owned a husky and know the frustration involved). The first thing is the part about having to justify to the dog why you want it to do something. This is not that much different from a husky who is in it for themsleves. The training challenge will still be there. 2nd is that you want a well rounded out doors (all season) dog. From the dobes I have seen, they tend to be more sensitive to the cold this is not to say they are wimpy cold dogs but Being used to a husky who's coat is built for that it was a change for me when winter came with my aussies. Even though they are double coated, it is not nearly the same. Huskies are care free in the winter but I have to pay more attention to my aussies feet and coat (not as water and ice repellent) than I ever did with dakota. I can't imagine how the snow and ice would impact a dobe. Finally the part about care free easy handling. When I read the dobe description I thought free thinker and somewhat intense. This says to me that you have to stay alert and ahead of the dog. Maybe that's not an issue but one of the reasons I went with aussies is so that I could relax and pretty much take them with me every where even off leash. Anyhow, I'm not trying to be negative here or sway you to one dog breed or another, I just want to throw these points out as an outsiders perspective based on the 2 posts.

 Julie, I appreciate your input.  I'll answer it though.  The free thinker part doesn't really bother me.  I find the two very different.  I do enjoy the challenge of a husky, the only part of training I don't care for is the impossibility of a perfect or anywhere close to a perfect recall.  I am at a point where I can let both of my dogs loose, if I'm out in the bush, with no other distractions.  I know plenty of husky owners who can't even say that.  I'm not looking for an easy breed, just a different one. 

Now the coat aspect.  I get what you're saying.  I know it will be a big change.  Colassal actually going from a husky to a doberman.  But I have seen Dobes here, in the winter, out for walks with their masters.  I would assume that if you could be out without a risk for frostbite, so could the dog.  That said, when its -40 out, I'd really rather be inside anyway.  Right now, the ONLY reason I go out in those temps is for the dogs, who WANT to be out in it.  We don't spend alot of time in the really frigid temps around here.  We do go Ice Fishing when its nice out, but I'm sure a set of booties, a winter coat and a touque* would suffice.  We take the truck anyway, so the dog could go hang out in it, if it needed to.   Or the Ice Hut. 

I know that for huskies, they have headbands for dogs who have ear issues.  Tears from fights or infections or whatever, that need to be kept warm during a run.  But would a Dobe be able to wear one?  The ears are quite a bit bigger after all.  

ETA: The question that I was going to ask before I noticed Julie's post...brain fart...I've been looking at different dogs, and it seems that an awful lot of them are vWD Carriers.   I realize that doesn't mean they have it, only that they carry the gene or whatever for it.  Would it not be prudent to leave these dogs out of breeding programs and only breed dogs that test Clear?  Or am I missing something here?

 And they have skinny heads. LOL

A clear to carrier breeding is fine. Here's a site that tells why clear to carrier breedings are okay...

http://www.narackdobermans.com/vwd_info.html

Yes, dobes don't really tolerate cold very well, but that's nothing a coat wont help. I have 2 for Josie.

I've never had recall problems with Josie...she is very good off leash and will basically stay wherever i am. She can be stubborn at times, but no more than Wyatt

 Thank You.  That helps.  So Carrier to Clear will result in Carriers at worst.  Got it.

 Yep! I don't even know what Josie is...her dad is clear, mom is carrier. I am not having her tested since she wont be bred.

 I wonder if I'm close enough to Guelph to participate in the heart study?  Are there any big studies being done in the states?