SearchQuestions about my girl
I have a White/Albino Dobe. Have any of you ever seen one or heard anything about them? I have had Dobes all my life and this is my first White one. She is a good girl, so just wondering if anyone has heard anything about them.
Interesting reading.. welcome to Gentle Doberman Forum.I wish you luck with Calli
Yea, I have been on that web site and it scared me. The people on there are very negative about everything.
People are so weird about albino dobermans because they ALL come from the same line. There have been about ten thousand descendants from the original albino doberman of those dobermans only less then two thousand have been white. The only way to get white dobies is to breed two carriers or breed two white dobermans. Either way they all lead back to that original dobe. Not all but some do come with genetic defects so you would be taking more of a risk with these dogs...and supporting people that "breed" them. A real breeder would be testing for the genetic "Z" defect to make sure their lines do not carry it...
Here's my article on the subject: White (Albino) Doberman Pinscher
Knowledgeable people are negative on the subject because breeding albino Dobermans harms the breed. Of course, individuals dogs don't. But the pursuit for the all white coat does. Breeders who produce albinos choose their breeding dogs for their color and only their color, and do so with the intention of making money off of a rare novelty dog.
This pursuit is the opposite of the proper pursuit - which is producing healthy well-tempered Doberman Pinschers.
We had an albino rescue Doberman in our home for a short time. Besides some behavioral problems - probably due to neglect - she was a sweetheart. We had to be careful to keep her out of the sun. And she had trouble seeing in the day time. And she didn't have anything like the normal Doberman temperament.
Albino Dobermans don't usually live long. That doesn't mean your's will die young. Genetics is a game of chance and if your dog is albino - the dealer is cheating - the odds are stacked against you. I'm not trying to be negative. These are just the facts. It's hard to produce healthy long-lived Dobermans utilizing the whole population. When you cut your stock choicest down to a fraction of a percent of that population - you're doing to end up with serious genetic diseases.
None of this means you should enjoy Calli any less. 
Did you purchase her from a breeder or find her through a rescue?
Most all responsible Doberman owners agree that albinism in Dobermans is not a good thing. That said....these dogs should be given the same love as any other Doberman. Treat them like any other dog, train them, socialize them and love them dearly.
Also, have her or any other Z factored dog spayed (neutered). That way we assure not passing the negative genetic factors on.
We do not blame you and certainly do not blame Calli. You will need to be sure to keep her out of strong sunlight for she will sunburn and the bright light will be uncomfortable for her eyes, but with the stoic Doberman nature, you may not know it unless she has problems.
But, I do the same for my Dobies anyway, because they do better with me in the house all day. I agree with other that she should be spayed as breeding her would be irresponsible for the above stated reasons.
Calli is a beautiful name as befits a beautiful little girl. With care and loving you will have a wonderful and loving girl when she matures, and hopefully you will have her a long time.
There is another member who posted once that when she was young the family had a white Doberman and was looking for one. She had good memories of the Dobie. If you were provided with a registration form, it would be interesting if either or both of the parents had the "Z" coding in their registration numbers.
Here is an article on the DPCA website about the white Doberman and the "Z" coding:
thank you for your words of encouragment. i found her in the news paper for sale, here in indy. so far she is learning really well. she is going to the vet on saturday for a check up and will get her ears done the following week, and yes i am having her fixed in october when she is old enough. i do not want puppies. i have no desire to breed any dog even if they would make great puppys.
Thank you for giving Calli an obviously good home. Bless you for having her spayed. And bless you for loving Dobermans, no matter what color.
My Sofia is a fawn, and I've been concerned about any skin or coat problems, and so far there's been nothing but joy in this house since she came to us. I do put sunblock (SP50) on her nose when she's in the sun)
There's not a whole lot we can do about irresponsible breeders ( aside of course, from refusing to "reward" them with the purchase of the pups.) But we can give the dogs good and safe homes, raise them to be happy and hopefully healthy.. ( Lord.. there I go again.. what is it about this letter fixation??. .Monday: P's Tuesday s's.. now it's the H's) but I digress, Every dog deserves a good home. And it sounds like Calli has found hers..
Please keep us posted..
If you have any questions or problems, do not hesitate to ask. One of the benefits of this forum is the exchange of information along with the great Dobedman stories. Plus we get to see the great dogs the members have.
Be sure to give Calli a few scritches between the ears and a hug from all of us.
Thank you all for the great words of support, i was really starting to second guess myself. 
Do i need to put sun screen on her whole body or just her nose? i did buy some coppertone kids spf 70, in the spray can. i was not sure if i would need to do her back and legs so i figured this would be easier for both of us to deal with.
I will deffinatly be posting lots of pics for you all to see. if any of you live in indy let me know and we can have a play date.
GREAT NEWS FROM THE VET!!!
He says Calli is not Albino, she is a very light Fawn. I was so happy to hear that. I will post more updates for all of you. Thank you so much for being so welcoming.
Wow! I've never seen one so light.. What color are her eyes? She truly is a lovely girl.
The albinos sometimes do have a small amount of pigment giving them a cream coloured appearance. She's still an albino. I think the albino supporters call them "cremellos".
She may have some very low level of pigment, which will help. The true fawn when a puppy will look like a Wiemaraner puppy except for the rust bowtie and paws and of course the Dobie's tail is cropped much shorter.
When the Fawn Doberman matures, the body will darken almost to a deer coloration which of course why it is called "fawn". The head however, will develop a silver haze coloration at the ends of the hairs which gives an unusual coloration. This can best be seen in the classic headshot of HRH Sofia in Sofia's Photo Gallery (Photo 11). You can see the silver in her face, and the darker fur on her body.
If Calli is a "light" fawn then she should darken up when she reaches one. If she is not, then she will stay light.
your girl is very beautiful.. i have added some new pics of calli. she does look like she is getting a little darker.
Sorry I was not clear. That is not my girl, that is a photo of a Wiemaraner puppy I found. I did have a fawn puppy 24 years ago. I got her from a friend of my late sister and she had an entire litter of fawn puppies. On the way back to my parents house (I was in Texas visiting family) we stopped in the pet store to get a collar, etc. In discussing Heidi with the clerk, I made the comment "I bet you don't get many of these in here", and she replied that they did. I then asked her what breed she thought the puppy was, to which she replied "Wiemaraner". I then asked he to look closely at her chest and when she saw the rust bow tie, she asked "What breed is that".
I then told her it was a fawn Doberman. That is the last one I have seen in real life. Of course, I have only seen one blue as well. As for reds, I have two and they are not the first.
amandazoe82,
I applaud the fact that you are giving this Dobey a good home. I wouldn't worry about thw controversy she is beautiful, and you Love her tha tis what matters. I understand all the genetic issues, but without eventually getting these animals to responsible owners like yourself then the cycle would continute. I think sometimes Mother Nature can also throw a curve ball or two.
Nonetheless, she is georgeous, and I wish you luck.
Albino or Fawn she is a beautiful pup..:) Glad to hear she is truly a Fawn, gives you less to have to wonder or worry about..
Well I got her ears done on Monday. Posted some new pics of her, she looks so sad.. she is doing really well with it though.
Her eyes are a beautiful blue. She does squint just a little in the sun, but we stay in the shade so that is ok. I also have a baby blind for the car that I put up for her in the car to make it a little easier on her anyway.
You're a great mom, look at that care and consideration!
I had a white cat who got skin cancer on her ears.. she was the best cat but we had to get them removed to save her :/.. I hope you put sunscreen on her when you go out, especially the areas that have the least amount of fur. I regret not having known to do that with her (I was a kid, but still!)
Keep us updated.. she looks great. We are just getting Steve's stitches out from his ears tomorrow.. I'm hoping we don't have to have him taped too much longer but thankfully he doesn't seem bothered by them at all at this point.
Ah, the posting period - what fun! It's a pain, but if you stick with it, it will be worth it and Steve and Calli as well will both look great.
There are many posting articles and discussions on this forum, but the first time you do it, you will feel like you are all thumbs, and the little one will not be cooperating. If you have someone help hold the little one while you do it, it will be easier.
Pet Profiles
http://www.whitedobes.com/
While I can't comment on specific problems with dobes, in general, albinism is a genetic defect in the animal world and will most likely lead to problems. Here is a link I found