Doberman Discussions

Reading your post, I was reminded of my very special Dobe girl.  She's been at the Bridge since 1986, but I still miss my velcro dog!

I had dobermans from the mid seventies.  The thing I remember most, is the very distinct personality differences between males and females.  I have often heard folks say it can be like two different breeds at times.  I enjoyed my time with them.

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I LOVE THIS BREED!!!
 
DH and I researched breeds like crazy looking for a dog that would fit our lives. This breed is definately everything we could have wanted. Easy to groom, easy to train, velcro-people oriented dog. Not to mention the 'guard' factor.
 
We had a DPCA breeder contacted and were setup for a puppy but then decided to look at breed rescue. I am so glad we were able to adopt an older dog. Prince is such a great dog and I don't know if we will ever purchase a puppy when there are so many other Dobes in rescue. They are such goofs! And for being a 'big mean scary' dog breed...they are the most gentle creatures. Even slightly raising your voice to them is like you are digging their heart out with a spoon. So sensitive and they just want to please - any disappointment towards them makes them want to curl up in a little ball and cry. Well at least, thats how Prince is. He's such a big baby. I have also heard there are differences between the males and females. I hope to find out when we adopt a female dobe in the future.

Even slightly raising your voice to them is like you are digging their heart out with a spoon. So sensitive and they just want to please - any disappointment towards them makes them want to curl up in a little ball and cry.

 
I so identify with this.  My Orca would go to the end of the Earth to please me, and if she even thought I was displeased she would melt.
I never yelled at her, or anything, but I suspect if I had, she would have turned into a quivering mushball.  But, if someone came to the house that she didn't know - they did not get in without me.

ORIGINAL: spiritdogs
......But, if someone came to the house that she didn't know - they did not get in without me.

 
I would be scared for the unfamiliar person that tries to get into our house or come onto our property when Prince is out and about! He is quite the intimidating dog when hes 'protecting' his territory.
 
But at petstores and other public places, he loves everyone he meets. And soaks up any and all attention he can get. Hes such a goof []

Hi, I just joined as soon as I saw this great place to talk dobie-eze! Mine is a red dobie little lady named Sturgis. I bought her from a breeder; however I consider her actually a rescue because of the circumstance under which she became available. The first time I ever saw a dobie smile was when I opened the back door to let her into the house the day I brought her home...and man, oh, man! I have been hooked ever since! She certainly has the velcro gene!  I think they are the best breed in the whole world, she is so intelligent and so funny. She lights up the room as she gallops towards me with the wonderful smile. She loves to play in the water so much that she will dump out the water bowl unto the kitchen floor to play in it..then when I walk into the kitchen she will give me this big smile. My floor gets washed alot these days..lol

 

My trainer says the females tend to bond sooner to their owner and challenge less.  The males spend a good 2-3 years being punks, and still try to one-up the order later on.  Not that females won't, but there's something about that testosterone!  []  Some say there's even a Red Male Syndrome!
 
Despite the people who would cross the road when I was walking my 14week old puppy, we all know that our Dobes are goofs!  Tough when they need to be - either at the door, or when some injury or illness hits them and they're so stoic you're not sure something is wrong right away.  My girl ripped her entire toenail out (nailbed and all) and made no cry, no hint at any trouble. [&:]

Could you describe the breed, as I did in another thread in this topic? That would be neat. I had described the Siberian Husky and others who own purebreds were keen to learn stuff they didn't know. And you just might create some dobie converts.
 

That's a really good idea! Dobermans have always been one of my absolute favorite breeds. My aunt and uncle have had 2 of them now, so I've spent some time around Dobes, but never been owned by one.
 
I'm interested to hear more about the differences between males and females. I really prefer males normally but with this breed I'm not sure. I like it that males aren't moody and are more straight forward than girls. But I don't like being challenged constantly either! lol

Eeek!  That could take forever, and I think we all know that no breed description represents every dog in the breed.  This link does a half-decent quick-hit job of explaining the breed to those mildly interested in the breed:
[linkhttp://www.dru.org/introdobe.htm]http://www.dru.org/introdobe.htm[/link]
 
As for male versus female, I think it's subjective.  I've always owned male Dobes until now, and always thought I would.  But I have bonded incredibly differently with my female.  She's more reliant in and trusting of me, but that could be because I raised her from puppyhood.  I've known tough and gentle Dobes of both genders.  Females just appear to have their personalities settled out more easily than males, from my perspective.  It seems like many males find so many more opportunities to challenge heirarchy and obedience.  Again, it's subjective.  Feel free to ask me questions and I'll do my best to answer from my experience/perspective.

Dobes are incredibly active and agile.  It is not at all surprising to have a puppy who rarely has four feet on the ground at the same time.  They tend to be clowns and jokers with their people.  They will accept folks into their circle and rarely seem a one person dog to me.  They can be weather senstive as one of my bitches could tell us the temp by how quickly she barked to get in the house.  I personally refer to them as the labs of the working group.  They dont always want to work for you in the way you request unless there is a pay off for them, but that seems to change as they age.  Mine have all been incredible chewers so things to crunch were always necessary.  They need socializing from day one.  A good dobe has absolute discretion.  A kid can fall on them, they just sigh and maybe raise their heads to look.  A stranger comes, get between kid and stranger.  If necessary convince stranger to leave post haste.
 
I ended up switching to belgians because they are every thing I like about dobes and none of the things I disliked.  Really wanted a speed of light herding dog all along []

I personally refer to them as the labs of the working group.

 
Having worked primarily with adult Dobes, that is not an analogy I'd use.  Much more complicated that Labs.  That's one of the toughest things to overcome for Dobes - the extremes in the breed that can entice or repel potential owners.  Most Dobes are not land sharks -  ready to eat every dog, cat, person, child it meets.  Equally, most Dobes are not "black-and-tan Labs" prepared to act like easy-going couch potatoes every day.  They are active, intelligent, perceptive, persistent, affectionate, protective, often capricious beasts which is why we love them so much.[]

Guess you should have met my Reggie.  She spent the first two years of her life going over, through, around or under anything in her path.  Her mouth was always moving and connecting with anything in her environment (hence the comment land shark). It was not aggression or anything else, just that happy dobe smile that resulted in lots of teeth related bruises.  Lest you feel my comments were not adequately based in experience, I owned multiple dobes from 1977 to 2004.  As to the lab comment, dobes can be far more singled minded and willing to offer their opinion (with a smile) on how you should really do it. 
 
Reggie taught me, that should I NQ in an event, I should do it to applause.  She was one great girl.

I have only owned one Dobe so far but love this breed. I love what Prince has shown me and love everything I read about other Dobes. Here are some things I have experienced with Prince:
 
Appears fearless at all times...yet can be the biggest baby - hates rain, snow, wind and LOVES LOVES LOVES to cuddle
Extremely loyal
Determined
Territorial and protective of his turf
Extremely easy to train, learns commands quickly
Wants to please 110%
Thrives on praise
Very sensitive...no loud voices for this guy...DH & I bickering causes him to stay glued to us to find out what is wrong
Acts like a big goof and shows off when happy and excited
Very athletic with great stamina
Loves mental stimulation (Kong, treat balls, clicker training...)
 
Grooming is extremely easy for this breed. Shedding is very minimal if they are brushed on a regular basis. Coat is thin, so they need to be protected from extreme weather. Nail trimming needs to be kept up as nails that are too long will ruin a dobes form quickly. Thats all I got for now!