SearchHow can anyone say this is a vicious breed?!?!
Phin met my daughters guinea pig Lightening today, you can tell just how gentle he was being with him too, ended up giving kisses to Lightening too!
This is Mia and Phin this afternoon.
Because people make assumptions and other people just met a bad representation of the breed. It's really sad, isn't it?
Lovely photos - it is such a shame that people have such a bad perception of dobermanns, they are the most loving dogs - just love to snuggle. We just have to keep trying I suppose.
At our training class there was a woman there who professed to 'just love dobermanns' and to be fair she did make such a fuss of Cleo but if any new person joined the club she would immediately tell them to not worry as Cleo's OK, she's a really nice doberman, so even though she 'loved' the breed, she still had this steriotypical concept of them and felt the need to assure everyone that Cleo was a 'good' one. However, Cleo did a lot of good at the club for the dobermann breed by behaving really well with both the dogs and owners.
I'm careful with Gideon only because he is so assertive at play. People get nervous when he approaches their dogs. He's aways been friendly to most people he's met, but did shy away from one person at Petsmart one day (good judge of character). He's been very gentle with all our visitors - kids and adults alike. So far, I'd say he is a very good ambassador of the breed. Unfortunately, as long as the bad press is out there, people are going to form opinions based on what they read and hear. It will be a long road to change our kids' undeserved reputation.
Sir Phin.... LOVE love L-O-V-E the pictures you posted.. Phin is such a wonderful guy. He has gotten to be so regal... and Mia is absolutely the most precious little one!! Lightening looks as if he's planning an escape a.s.a.p. So sweet.
Dexter's Mom... Ooooo movie night.. adorable..
Thank you guys for posting.. How we love seeing our Doberkids ( and the *Others* grow)
Dextersmom - it's funny that you say that about the maltipoo, in my experience it has always been the "ankle biter" type dogs are the ones that you have to look out for, the whole "big dog in a small body" syndrome. I love your daughters movie night "pillow", funny how Dobe's don't care how they get to cuddle with you as long as you're touching them!
It's so funny because Phin will be on his bed and calm, but when he decides that he wants to sleep, he'll pester the heck out of me until I let him up on my recliner to do his best impression of a lap dog, the other night we had a 90 minute nap together with him on my lap!
Phin is too adorable giving the guinea pig a kiss! He looks soooo sweet doing that to the piggy. I never fully understood how so many people could portray the doberman breed with such fear or be unsure of them and why they could ever be stuck on a dangerous dog list (that part saddens me the most). There are so many great well trained dobies in the world who are total love bugs, but there will always be those handful of individuals who let the media and seeing them as guard dogs in junk yards turn you away and fear such a magnificient breed.
Dexter'sMom I love the pic where your dobie is being used as a pillow its tooo cute. I personally can't wait till my dobieboy is big enough to be used as my pillow as well :) he currently is my foot and leg warmer at the foot of my bed.
I had to explain to my own mother that Magnum wasn't going to turn into this big 80 pound doberman ready to be vicious at any moment, but that he was going to be this big loving gentle soul ready to give as many kisses as possible to the people he meets. We have already introduced him to many people ranging from toddlers to seniors and he seems fine with the people he comes in contact with he happily gives them his puppy licks and wags his little knub and we always are sure to assure him that those he meets are okay. We want him around many many more children and situations where children are running around playing with one another because we want to encorporate children of our own down the line and want him to know they are completely ok. He probably will be around 3 or 4 years old when we have our first so he will already have had time to mature and encounter the world. I want my own children to have the same love for this breed as my fiance and I do.
Dobielove - I grew up with Dobe's and I think the best experience I can pass on to people that are leary of the breed is that of the time that my cousin had her "just learning to walk" daughter at our house, which was far from being baby proof any longer.
Tesa, our then 2 year old dobe, had been in the company of the baby for about an hour, and Adrian had been getting told not to go into the kitchen (too many things for a toddler to get into trouble with in there) for just as much time. After hearing this being repeated over and over and watching Adrian being picked up and redirected out of the kitchen, the next time we told Adrian NO, Tesa got up from where she had been laying down, walked in front of Adrian, did the "doberman lean" into her gently and as Adrian dropped down onto her diaper padded bum, Tesa layed down in front of her as if to tell her "ok kid enough you're not going into that kitchen anymore" and she stayed there until Adrian left the house at the end of their visit.
Now if only my own father in law would get over his "media induced" impression of dobermans and meet Phin, it's only been 8.5 months since we brought him home and he refuses to be in the same building as Phin. I was pretty much told that I was a horrible parent for even considering bringing such a vicious beast into a home with children around!
Phin, still dealing with your parents about that? :( I wish your parents weren't so close-minded... Still, good luck with convincing your father! >.<
That is a wonderful story it truely shows that dobermans are in tune with whats going on around them and know how to handle a situation in the most gentle way possible she knew what he was doing was wrong in your terms so she thought quickly and made herself the barrier.
I believe a dog regardless of breed can be around children as long as they are trained in a manner that make living side by side with children possible and have the perfect demeanor for it so neither will be stressed. Dobermans are great with children my father had a red male doberman when I was younger and I interacted fine with him. I respected him and he did the same right back there were no problems there. I myself would have my own children interact with the family doberman as many more doberman owners would. My mothers interpretion of the breed still at this moment is beyond me, but with time will come around. She has met him once and I plan on more interactions between them to help persuade her toward the doberman. As for Phin and your father in law I hope he comes around one day soon so you can show off how great Phin is.
LoZ - yes I'm still dealing with the same situation with my father in law 8.5 months later with no light at the end of the tunnel in sight. This doesn't mean that I will change how Phin is treated in the house if/when my father in law stops by, I don't believe in putting him away while he's here. Phin is a part of our family and I wouldn't put my child away if someone that didn't like children came to our house.
Beautiful photo's :) Love the guinea pig one...you should enter it in a pic comp
eh, any breed can be viscious if you let them or teach them to be....
great pics though...love the guinea pig kisses one.
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This is what movie night at our house looked like! My youngest always used her 'pillow'...
What you can't see is my MILs Maltipoo. He got crated because he kept attacking/biting the kids sitting on the couch!