Anyone had experience dealing with (caring for) Dobermans? Care to share?

One of my best friends has a 9 month old female purebred Doberman. She’s….. psycho. It’s probably partly because she’s a puppy. She’s SOOO hyper and out of control. I’ll admit it’s partly my friends fault too. Because of work and school she doesn’t have much time to take her to the park or anything, so any exercise the dog gets is in the backyard (which is big enough to run and play in, but not like an open field where she can really release her energy). She also never went to or had any actual puppy training. She knows how to sit, but she doesn’t know how to stay. She also gets so excited sometimes that she jumps up on people or runs around the house knocking everything over. She doesn’t understand no, she chews up everything, she begs at the table, she jumps on people whenever she wants…. she’s just a terror. I hate that dog.

Good luck with yours. Maybe if you take him out and train him to mind, he’ll be much better. I really really really really hope you end up with a better experience. And maybe since he has some injuries, he’ll be less rambunctious.

I’ve been in the veterinary field for over 20 years, and in all of that time, I met one aggressive dobie. The fear with which people react to them just boggles my mind. They’re smart, energetic, loving, and one of my all time favorite breeds. They may not be a good beginner dog for some people, just because they are so bright – they need an owner that will train them and work with them.

When I gave my mother a 9 month old rescue dobie, I warned her that the dog would probably be smarter than her when it came to training. I was right. Sadie now has Mom firmly twisted around her little toe – the dog is totally spoiled. But also utterly and completely devoted to my mother.

The breed does have some health predispositions (esp. heart), so have him checked out.

We rescued a dobie that we found running in the streets, starved. He was the most loving dog. He would put his head on your shoulder when you were driving and he was in the back seat.

Main thing with a dog that size is it is important to have them trained and responsive to voice commands, but I can’t imagine a better pet.

His picture is adorable!

I was bitten on the face near the eye as a child by a huge black & tan dobie named Apache.

He did have some protection training and was gaurdian of a very high end ranch estate, but, he was also raised with kids.

He attacked me playing baseball in the owners yard with their kids. I was very lucky as he just missed my eye itself and tore the lower eyelid and left a half moon gash in my cheek.

It was abd bite but could have been much worse. Later he bit several other people. He was a psycho dog no doubt, very agressive and unpredictable, but devoted to the woman of the house.

I think Dobermans are beautiful and elegant looking dogs but my experience with them was not a good one.

Dobes were bred to be watch dogs so they do usually have that guardian tendency lurking in them somewhere. It is like a beagle, they are hounds and you can’t breed houndiness out of them.

However I have owned 2 dobes and my parents had 3 and I have handled and shown many more and most were not aggressive, some were mentally unstable but I have never met a breed that didn’t have its nutcase members, including goldens and labs which are thought to be always friendly and loveable.

I couldn’t find where and what the “special needs” are or require. Right now we have an almost 13 year old akita and he is having trouble with his rear. We just moved into a house with 9 steps to enter and I am a nervous wreck that he will fall. I have put carpet on the treads and try to always be there when he is going up but…........ So before you commit to a special needs type dog, I would access your living arrangements and what the dog’s needs are and how much time you have to devote to the fella. He is a beautiful dog. Here they don’t crop or dock and the dobes look like hound dogs, I love that look of eagles when they are done! (I am not looking for an argument about cropping and docking, just stating my preferences!!!)

By the way, my akita whom we rescued from death row when he was 3, is the biggest pussycat in the world. Not in the least akita like. So dogs do not always follow their breed descriptions. The dobes I owned truly thought they were lapdogs, to me, they were annoyingly clinging. That is why I went to bouviers and akitas, they are more aloof!

Let us know what you decide.

I’m a huge fan of the breed.

All breeds have their good members and their bad members. Unfortunately, it’s the bad members that get all the press and gain any breed a bad rap. Pitts, dobbies, rotties, and boxers – along with chows, akitas, and even mastiffs – all suffer this notoriety to some degree.

With any large breed – especially one bred to be a guard dog of any kind, or that has had any breeding for an attack or fighting instinct – good training is always a must. A well-behaved dog will put many fearful folks at ease, and dogs pick up on fear and nervousness, and will echo that feeling. Also, you need to be sure that you will be able to calmly handle the dog at all times, no matter what is going on around you. If you start to become anxious or afraid, your dog will pick up on that, and that’s when bites happen – to you, or those around you.

Last but not least, you need to objectively assess his “special” needs. Are they likely to flare up in the future? Are they likely to cause other health problems? Do they hinder him from getting the exercise he needs? Dobermans are mid to high energy dogs, and need a good deal of exercise in order to behave properly. Will you be able to afford his old age, when his pre-existing conditions may cause costly vet visits? Are those special needs going to require more immediate costly vet visits? Will you be able to, in all honesty, afford these visits and anything else he might require to make him comfortable without seriously straining your budget?

If you can answer an honest yes to the last question, and you are willing to commit to calm, positive training and patient rehabilitation of any previous-owner trauma, then I say go for it. But be absolutely certain before you take him on. It’s very, very unfair to the dog to “take him back” once you’ve invited him into your home, and it’s unfair to put yourself out, because you will most likely, albeit unconsciously, blame the dog for your misfortunes. Taking pity on rescues is all well and good, over extending yourself causes more issues than rescuing the dog solves.

Best of luck!

I am so jealous.

I’ve never had a doberman, but know people who do. The dobies I’ve met have had wonderful personalities. Very active as puppies, but smart and loyal.

I’d love to get a doberman someday, and probably within a few years will have worn my husband down so he agrees. Part of my scheme has been to show him that dobermans are not vicious attack dogs. There are local breeders who clearly state their dogs are not guard dogs, but pets and have been bred with that personality in mind. Getting to know the breeders, the dogs, and other people who have adopted their dogs can give you a good idea of what to expect when you adopt from a specific place.

@jjmah He looks like a beautiful dog, and if you know what to expect when meeting his needs, I’m sure you will make each other very happy. Still very jealous.

Remi looks, truly, like man’s best friend. I’m sure you two will roll rite along