familydobes.com - Page 2

aquaholic · 05-13-2008, 03:15 PM

Hm. The price tag isn't an indication of whether it's a good dog or not!

btw. that's way too much.
LOL.

**greenkouki** · 05-13-2008, 04:42 PM

for $2500 it better lay golden eggs

**Megs** · 05-13-2008, 07:34 PM

Quote:

"Family Dobes guarantees the pup to be free of Hip Dysplasia (when raised on approved feed requires receipts for verification), hypothyroidism, von Willebrands disease (must be verified with Vetgen DNA test, and be “affected” and have active bleeding issues), wobblers syndrome, and progressive retinal atrophy or other genetically inherited problems that will cause early death to the age of 24 months. Other diseases not genetically inherited and will not be covered"

I have a few thoughts on this health "guarantee."

To me, this guarantee pretty much says "We don't health test, but we'll stand behind our dogs because we think we know what we're doing. Should something come up, before your dog is 2 years old, we'll gladly replace your puppy, as long as you've kept all your receipts to show you've been feeding what you signed to say you would. It doesn't matter that he's your family member and you love him dearly, just give us a call and if he's not 2 years old yet, you can come exchange him for a new one." UGH!

sarevok · 05-13-2008, 09:52 PM

Thank you all for the help/information. I really was only seeing what I wanted to see. Is there a "good breeder" list somewhere on the site?

**Megs** · 05-14-2008, 02:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sarevok

Thank you all for the help/information. I really was only seeing what I wanted to see. Is there a "good breeder" list somewhere on the site?

No, there isn't. There has been some discussion about creating something like that, but the general consensus is that it won't really work. There's so many breeders (good ones!) all from various locations that have different focus and goals within their own breeding programs, and not everyone is looking for the same thing. What's good for one, may not be good for another.

There are some specific things that are of utmost importance when looking for a reputable breeder, such as health testing, a passion for Dobermans and a strong dedication to bettering the breed with a quality breeding program. Beyond that, it's really about what you're looking for in a breeder/puppy, and what is important to you. Show? Pet? Schutzhund prospect? Agility dog? etc. Are you looking to have your puppy's ears cropped? Something else to consider is how far you're willing to travel or if you're comfortable having a puppy shipped.

I'll share my story - as brief a version as I can make it! When I first started looking for a puppy last fall, I was totally clueless. I knew not to buy from a petstore, or from a dirty/delapitated home breeder or puppymill, but that was about it!

In the beginning, I just wanted a healthy pet. I considered rescue and was so close to adopting a 7 year old male Dobe, but it didn't work out. I took a day off school and got a ride out to meet him, (an hour drive) with the re-homer guy, but the owner never showed up. I was so disappointed! I was told there were a lot of other people looking at this dog too, and I just couldn't afford to take another day off school, only to be let down. I now realize it probably wasn't meant to be anyways. And I'm pretty sure that boy did get a good forever home in the end

So I began my search for a puppy. After a little bit of research, I realized I had been looking in all the wrong places. (Newspaper and online ads mostly). When I realized that I was probably going to be spending a somewhat heavy chunk of change, even if I bought from someone advertising in the online ads, I began to very carefully consider what was most important to me in a breeder and puppy.

I knew I wanted to be active with my dog, especially in agility and competitive obedience, so I wanted to find a breeder that was very involved with their dogs themselves, and dedicated to the breed.

One of my first stops was the breeder list on the Doberman Pinscher Club of Canada website. I think I checked out EVERY breeder in Canada on that list that had a link to a website, and I Googled their kennel names if there wasn't a website link, just to see if I could dig up more info. I learned about health problems in the breed and the importance of health-testing, breeding minimally (for quality not quantity), the importance of a solid pedigree and producing puppies according to the breed standard. I also came to the realization that I wasn't going to find an available puppy overnight. Reputable breeders don't usually have puppies available at any given time, and they are very careful about screening homes. Many have waiting lists. I wasn't worried about being considered as "an approved home," but I knew I was going to have to put more into my search/purchase than just one phone call or email.

So I knew I wanted health tested parents, ideally both with Canadian or American championship titles. Any titles above and beyond that was a bonus I preferred a puppy with cropped ears, so it was important to me to find a breeder that took care of this before the puppy came home, and provided support through the posting process.

At the time, there were some nice puppies in Ontario that I was interested in, but I decided that one of the most important things to me was the location of the breeder. Because this is my first Doberman, I really wanted the breeder to be someone who was nearby, either on Vancouver island or at least in BC. Being a complete novice, I just wasn't comfortable having my first Doberman puppy shipped to me, without getting to at least meet the breeder face to face. However, I wouldn't rule out having a puppy shipped in the future.

It's been 9 months since I started searching. I contacted Mariah of Braebrook Dobermans just before Christmas after I saw her website updated with litter plans for the spring. We hit it off right away. It turns out we're the same age, both grew up only an hour apart from each other, share a passion for dogs and especially Dobermans, and best of all, she's only a 40 minute drive away from me. No ferry!

This is her first Doberman litter, which might not sit well with some, but everyone has to start somewhere, and Mariah has a fantastic mentor who has been involved with Dobermans for many many years.

I'm still very keen on agility and obedience training, but now I've also decided to jump right into conformation showing. I'm VERY excited.

Anyways, to help you along on this quest for your perfect puppy, may I suggest the following articles. These should help you to understand what you should be looking for in a good breeder. I found both of these to be a huge help when I first started my search for a puppy.

Buying a Doberman Pinscher Guidline

The Cost of a Litter

Once you've got a good idea what to look for and what to stay away from, check out the Doberman Pinscher Club of America (DPCA) Breeder Referral page, and/or the Canadian one (DPCC). The links are below:

DPCA Breeder Referral

DPCC Breeder Directory - 2008

Sarevok, you come across to me as genuinely interested in making a well-thought out, and informed choice, so if you have any questions, we're here to help. Welcome to the forum, and best of luck to you in your puppy search!

~Meghan

PS - my post about that guarantee wasn't very nice... I'm sure Family Dobes does care about their dogs, and I think they are quite involved with them in Schutzhund and other dogsport activites. I just think they dance around the health testing stuff, and their guarantee is worded in a way that leads buyers to believe their breeding stock is fully health tested, when they don't actually say that. I don't think that guarantee is much of a guarantee at all. I also think they produce too many Dobermans, too often. IMHO, it's sick and wrong to exploit animals, and turn profit from a business dedicated to breeding them, when five million animals a year are euthanized in shelters in the US because of the pet-overpopulation. It's disgusting.

**brumwolf** · 05-14-2008, 04:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by greenkouki

for $2500 it better lay golden eggs

For that price I would want it to cook and do laundry too!!!!

clipclop · 05-14-2008, 09:58 AM

Great that you are so open to advice! So excited to see where you get your puppy from

good luck!

Lexxsmom · 05-14-2008, 10:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sarevok

I think they do it so people dont feed the dogs the cheapest food they can find and then turn around and complain when they get sick. I don't understand having 4-5 litters at the same time though. thanks for pointing that out.

I'm sorry to point this out, but i would NEVER feed my dog Royal Canin. I don't feel that its a high end quality kibble at all.

therefore i think that clause is silly.

Also, 2.5k? are you JOKING? thats ridiculous for a pet dog. Some of the best show and working breeders with waiting lists years long still don't charge that much. keep looking.

**Megs** · 05-14-2008, 11:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lexxsmom

I'm sorry to point this out, but i would NEVER feed my dog Royal Canin. I don't feel that its a high end quality kibble at all.

therefore i think that clause is silly.

I agree 100% Leanne.

I checked out the ingredients of Royal Canin at PetSmart one day, after seeing the booth at a dog show. If I remember correctly, it's full of corn and processed grain. Meat something or other may be the first ingredient, but corn was a strong second or third. Canines are not biochemically equiped to obtain proper nutrition from corn. It provides nothing but a trash diet for them if you ask me.

Rosamburg · 05-14-2008, 11:39 PM

I was surprised to see that their less expensive version "sensible choice' actually had better ingredients than their supposedly high end food.