Searchpuppy behavior
I'm in the process of learning all I can about Dobermans with the hope of owning one in the near future. I've read much about what terrible trials they are as puppies. I have been a dog owner all my life, with the last 4 being labrador retrievers. I am wondering if any of you have ever owned a lab and can compare the difficulties/joys of dealing with the puppies of both breeds, as I have found labs to be very hard puppies to deal with for at least their first two years, and wonder if Dobes could be that much worse.
Hey Montana1, welcome to the forum.
All puppies are a challenge. You may have better luck with a particular Dobie than a particular Lab, or vice versa. If you leave the Dobie alone for a lengthy period of time, he will get bored and begin to entertain himself with something you don't want him to do. This is why you will see many references to crate training. I keep all of mine their crates at night and when I'm gone. Also they get restricted when I want a break.
I have a 110 pound six year old red male (Red) and a 65 (est) pound 7 month old red female (Princess) who dearly love to chase each other and tussel. This gets a bit much in the house, so outside they go if possible. Another reference you will see is that they are called "velcro dogs" because they stick right by you. If I leave my front bedroom (office) and head to the kitchen, I have a large red shadow right behind me and he has a slightly smaller red shadow right behind him. In the evening when I am watching TV, he is laying across my feet, and she is just on the other side of him.
They are also very perceptive and can change attitude in a instant depending on your mood. There have been many comments about someone who has a young Dobe and begins to doubt them because they are so friendly, only to be confronted by someone, who is suddenly in turn confronted by a fully alert Dobe displaying his dental attributes. I witnessed this one evening when at a friends house and an acquaintance of ours was let in the front door. My friends teenage daughter had experienced an uncomfortable moment with him several weeks earlier, and we were not pleased to see him come by "to ask a question". His daughter in the living room was even less pleased. The family dog a two year old female Dobe, was suddenly standing in front of the daughter, hackles up, growling and displaying her denture to be admired. The unwanted guest, immediately left and never came back. After the door closed, the Dobe went back over and laid down and went to sleep. We had never seen her greet a visitor like that before or afterward. They will read you. In this case, the family member the Dobie had bonded to was the daughter, and my friend and his wife were always comforted with the knowledge that as long as the Dobie was home, the daughter was safe.
To me the big difference between the Dobie and all other dogs is that they seem to have this incredible knack of reading the mood of their caretaker, and will react accordingly. This is not to say that a bad owner cannot destroy this knack for unfortunately that has been proven the case.
I agree rgreen, they certainly are very perceptive to their master's mood and react accordingly. A properly trained doberman will sound the alarm and put on a display of barking and showing of teeth, but should not attack unless their master is being attacked or in immediate danger. What I have also found as they are very good judges of character, I have seen where the dogs have sounded the alarm first based on someones body language and been 100% correct. I.E several years ago we took the crew on vacation
to a cabin, many people were able to walk by without incident, there was one particular individual who set them off causing them to bark and raise their hackles. He was later arrested for stealing from the other cabins. In regards to raising a dobe puppy, it is up to you and how dedicated you are, it is a baby and needs supervision,attention and guidance. If left alone and ignored it can and will destroy your house;eat your shoes , couch,carpet,cell phone, etc. but then again so will a Shepherd weimeraner, viszla etc. The doberman is a working dog it needs exercise daily; several times. The more exercise it gets the calmer it is going to be. In my experience the female is easier to train, the male tends to be a little more boneheaded
till about 2 years of age. If you work and are away from home with no one else to tend to the dog, you must establish a routine to ensure the dog is properly exercised and socilaized. I know of many "single parent" dobe owners who have raised fine dogs.
I want to thank all of you for your input - it is very helpful! I think I have found a breeder that lives within 2 hours of my home. I plan to drive to meet her (and her dogs) sometime this fall in hopes of securing first pick from one of her litters next spring/summer. I've looked at my schedule coming up this fall and just don't feel that I will have the time needed to devote to a new puppy - at least not the amount of time I want to spend. And I live in Northern MN, so the thought of trying to housetrain and train a new pup in the winter is simply not appealing to me. The more I look into the breed, though, the more I am convinced it is the breed for me. I do live in a rural area and my husband and I own a bar and grill. My lab is a wonderful watchdog, but I'm not convinced he would protect me the way a doberman would if someone were to break into our home. I've always loved the looks of dobermans but have been fearful of the breed until a good friend of mine got a female. I absolutely loved her! When my husband suggested that we get another dog (as my lab is 9) and said he'd always wanted a doberman I was floored. That's when I started my research and now I can hardly wait to bring one into the family.
Again, thanks for your comments and I plan to be around this site for awhile!
I can only give you my brief experience in picking up my little girl this past January in the Northern Ohio/Southern Michigan area. The breeder had already partially crate trained the puppies before they were picked up. She sent me photos of two puppies that met my desires, and I picked one by photo. When I got there, Princess and a litter mate sister (same color and the other puppy in the photos sent to me) were the last. She was waiting for me to arrive and actually have a chance to interact with them before releasing the other pup. The others were already in their new homes, and were at this point 9 weeks old.
It was a very cold time, I had timed my trip to coincide between snow storms and took the precaution (thankfully) of driving my 4WD truck rather than my mini-van. I spent the night just south of Covengton, Ky, and the low was 15 degrees F. I drove up, picked up Princess and put her in her crate. I stopped twice going back to Coventon to let her relieve herself. She did not like the wet and cold of snow on her paws, so didn't dawdle, but went quickly.
She gave me no problems on a leash and actually whined to get outside during the night. I was very attuned to the new puppy and also I never sleep very soundly on a trip, so we did make one outside trip in the wee hours of the first night. This was the easiest first night I have ever had with a new puppy, and while she was not fond of the cold, did well in it (of course her place of birth is cold during the winter).
While I realize that you could not leave a new puppy outdoors in the winter in Northn MN, I can't leave a new puppy outside in the winter in S. Georgia either. While I didn't have to put a coat on her, I would have considered it if I lived in your area. I also took the precaution of once she was through, I there was any distance to travel to get back in the warmth, I would put her inside my coat. I did promise to take her away from the ice and snow, but I did forget to warn her against the summer heat. She comes in now from a romp outside, panting and draining the water bowl. (I make sure she goes out for a quick visit about 30 min later to get rid of the excess water). She enjoys the A/C in the summer almost as much as she enjoys the warmth in the winter.
In the meantime, I would definitely make sure to keep in contact with the breeder you have found only two hours away. Make arrangements if you can to make a day trip to visit (at their convenience) to meet their dogs. Even though they may not have any puppies currently, they will probably be glad to have you come by and meet their dogs. Discuss with them the timing of their anticipated litters and your timing on being able to provide a home for a new puppy.
Wow, I can't imagine picking up a new puppy in the winter. I have heard that a Doberman has about the same temperature range as we do, so if we are too cold or too hot, they most likely are too, would you agree with that rgreen, since you have experience in both seasons with her? So far it has only been in the 90's for a few days and ever since then it has been in the 70's and 80's. But I did notice that when it was hot, Lou would plop down directly on top of the floor vent to get the most of the A/C.
Oh, I agree, and remember that we were out in the 15 degree weather for about 10 minutes or less every several hours. No dog without an Alaskan fur coat would survive long outside in that weather. In that temperature by the time she finished, she was shivering a bit and if it was more that 15 feet to the door, I would pick her up and put her inside my heavy jacket. (I still have some heavy coats from when I lived in Virginia).
I did promise her that I would take her away from the ice and snow, and ever since we got home in S. Georgia, we have not had any, and she is very happy about that.
We will be having a winter litter this year (not by choice) The one good thing about getting a puppy at this time and potty training is they do it very quickly!
I've been involved with both. More specifically, my parents had a lab they got around the same time I was born.
She chewed everything and did a great deal of damage as a puppy. Dobes and Labs have this in common.
Most puppies I've been involved with (Lab, Airedale Terrier, Pug, now Dobe) love to use their mouths.
Dobes are a bit rougher than those other breeds, particularly with small children, and need a firm hand. They can snarl and snap. It's all in fun and is kind of cute, but you need to keep in mind that habits developed in puppyhood are difficult to break when your dog weighs 80 lbs. and it's no longer "cute" when they snarl.
There is a grain of truth, in my short experience, to the Dobe's reputation - even the newer, more gentle Dobes. They are not for everyone, but have some very key advantages.
One is this: I have never had a dog come to me as consistently as Ike does. If I'm around, he's right there with me. Seldom have I had to chase him down. The only time he runs away is right after he gets something he wants, like a pig ear, which is normal canine instinct.
Another: They are extremely quick learners. Whereas you may be accustomed to repeating a command dozens of times for another breed (and probably not the Lab, who is also fairly bright), you will find very quick results with the Dobe.
Another: They look fantastic. Everyone knows what kind of dog it is, and since they are less common than Labs and have such a repuation (both good and notrious), you will get many compliments on your Dobe! This is even better if he is socialized early with people, and friendly.
I have not seen (yet, knock on wood) any propensity to wander. My boy stays on our property, even when other dogs pass by on the road. He may bark, but stays put guarding his place. I do not know if wandering behavior develops over time, but have not read of it being a big problem for the breed. Boxers, for example, are notorious wanderers. If you are not in a rural area, you'll still probably need a fence as so many people, rightly or wrongly, fear the breed.
Good luck with your search, and I'm pretty sure a few others will weigh in as well! You sound like the "right" kind of owner for the breed, given your desire to research it first. :-)