Triplekgirls

Hello all, I live In the Philadelphia area, i have been obsessed with dobermans my whole life. Now my wife has agreed to us adding a dobe into our family. We have 3 little girls (2.5 year old and 7month old twins) by the time we end up getting a pup the twins will be big enough/walking so i think its time to start really looking. after researching online for a reputable breeder I think I may have found a few. Although they do not have websites. Does anyone know from first hand experience of any reputable breeder in PA? Also it seems that everyone is a critic and seems to know everything and tells me "thats not the kind of dog to have around your kids" I KNOW they are wrong and uneducated but i have no word to back myself up from an actual doberman owner with children. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.


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Hank

You have three very young children and you want to add a working breed puppy!?

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Triplekgirls

I have three very young children and I want to add a loyal loving companion who will not only be a great family pet but also a great guard dog. Is there something wrong with that...?


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astra

Hello and welcome to DT What breeders have you done research on so far? There are quite a few reputable breeders in PA and the surrounding areas.

PatchworkRobot

The concern that Hank has (and this is a concern that will be shared by reputable breeders and rescues alike) is that dobermans are rambunctious and energetic dogs that take a few years to learn where their limbs are as they're running about. This can be quite dangerous around young children.

Also, welcome to DT and good luck on your search :]

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Triplekgirls

I understand that concern completely. But I also want a dog I can trust at home with my family when I'm not there to provide the protection they deserve. I acknowledge the puppy/toddler topic and am willing to work with it. Plus I want the pup to grow with the children so he is more protective of them. Note I said HE... The lord decided I have 3 daughters I need another boy in the house


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Triplekgirls

The one breeder I have heard good things about is "mandre" barbera and George Ross, but I have also heard they moved to Florida.


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avianantics

Welcome to DT. Check with Pat at Shadeko Dobermans. She is in PA and also a member here.

Good luck with your puppy search and please don't be discouraged if you have to wait. Many breeders won't place a puppy with very young children. So, you may have to really prove yourself or wait a few years.

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Shelly Wing
AKC GCH/UKC CH Lyndobe's Wheel of Fortune, "Wheeler"
AKC Ptd Lyndobe's Loquacious Charm, "Lola"

Rouleaux

Welcome to DT!

I side with the rest. You may want to wait until the little ones have gotten a bit older. Dobermans are great companions and can have an excellent guard mentality, but they in themselves.

My boy is 6 months old and a child in himself. Any time I have to myself is redirected in keeping him happy, exercised and in training. I haven't had a moments rest since I brought him home, but I wouldn't have it any other way! However, other than work, I have no other obligations but bills and my other pets (a small but needy parrot, two cats and two bearded dragons).

I'm not sure that breeders would feel comfortable placing a puppy in a home with little ones simply because the breed needs so much in itself, and they want what is best for the pups they are producing IMO.

Please do not be discouraged. I would take the time to read through the forum and soak up as much information as you can. Plus you may have to wait for a pup anyway depending on where you are looking and when their next breeding may be. As you can tell, most reputable breeders put as much time into fixing the breeding pair together as they do finding the offspring new, loving, dedicated homes!

Good Luck!

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AgileDobe

You can't go wrong with Barbara & George (Mandre Dobermans). They still live in Pennsylvania, but winter in Florida. They are in Florida at the moment. I have a 6 year old girl from them who is absolutely wonderful. Barbara does everything she can to give the puppies the best start in life.

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MACH7 Delta Duchess of Davenport CD RN MXC2 MJB3 MXF T2B TQX CGC - Delta
CH MACH3 Mandre's Grace Under Fire MXC MJB2 XF T2B - Grace
LH's Heart of a Dragon MX MXJ MJB - Draco
Dancing Star's Born To Prevail NAJ (major pointed) - Reva
U-CH Tri-Star's Avalon Sunset MX MXB MXJ MJB OF WAC ATT CGC VCX - Ava

Juneau Duchess of Davenport OA AXJ MXP3 MXPB MJP5 MJPS PAX - Juneau
11.22.1999 - 10.6.2009 - DCM/CHF

Brandy&Melanie

Dobie pups aren't vicious around children, but they are very nippy and pushy! If you are adult, it is a little easier to avoid the nipping because puppies are smaller than you and you can control them, but for children, the puppy has nipping access to every part of their body (especially face), and might even be able to push them over! They love to romp around and play rough, and they think everyone is playing their game, so watch the kids!

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Doberman Club of Canada:

http://www.dpcc.ca/

Read this before you get your pup:

http://www.dobermantalk.com/puppy-co...-your-pup.html

Jazi

I met Mary from Fitzmar Dobermans, who is a member here, at a show and I will say that though I know nothing of her breeding program, she is very kind and informative and patient. She put up with the world's biggest doberman n00b here pestering her during the show, after all

I will say that although he's a rescue dog and thus may not have the proper training a 2.5 year old doberman should have, Skoll has nearly knocked me over a few times. He's not attacking me, he's bouncing! He bounces down the steps, sometimes he gets silly on walks, sometimes he spots me, grabs a toy, and bounces over. I'm used to big dogs having grown up being knocked around by GSDs, but he'd knock a kid flat on it's butt in an instant and that can make some children nervous around dogs. It can also accidentally injure them. Dog bones are very hard as well and can break and bruise us; my mother's cheek was broken by an exuberant GSD, Skoll just knocked his head against my chin this morning and I have a welt and a bruise there now. Again, I'm used to big dogs having had this happen my entire life, but it's something to keep in mind.

Something else I remember having grown up with big dogs is my lack of ability to control them until I hit puberty. I was too small and slight to have any effect on leash or trying to get them to move out of a doorway so I could go through. I was very frustrated that they could knock me down so easily even when I was 10 and occasionally I did not like them very much. Of course, I never voiced this to my mother, so she was unaware of how frustrated I was with them until I was finally strong enough to handle them and she saw our relationship improve. Food for thought.

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Rouleaux

Another thing you will notice on this forum's threads are not to leave a doberman unattended in general. They are nicknamed dobersharks, dobergoats, etc. My boy has eaten a wooden block. He found it in a spare room while unattended (10 minutes or less?) and a few days later he wasn't able to hold his food and had diarrhea for a few days from the stress of it all. If it wasn't vomited up (which it thankfully was) it would have gotten stuck in his stomach/intestines and he would have needed surgery to remove it. Very scary stuff. Needless to say he is never out of my sight since (I watch him ever so closely now!! Closer than before anyway).

Just some more food for thought.

Young children's toys, trinkets and clothing are perfect targets for destruction and consumption!

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feverone

I would say raise your kids til they are about 7 or 8 yrs old then get a puppy... Doberman puppies are VERY high energy and knock kids flying by the time they are 5mths old they are already 55 lbs ... Please wait. I know as a breeder myself I would never sell you a puppy with kids this small.
As far as protection well you'll be protecting the puppy for the next 2yrs at least and any breed /mixed breed can bark.

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Deb

triciabri

I think Dancing Star Dobermans is in Pa but again I am sure she would have problem with children that small. but you check her out until the time is right. Good luck.

Triplekgirls

Thanks all, although I really hate to.. We will wait until the kids get bigger.


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jmradcliff

lots of great advice so far. i won't repeat too much of what has been said, but having 3 youngsters in a home, and then adding a rambunctious MALE puppy is not a good idea.

males tend to be more of a handful anyways; at least my male is usually always in play-mode and he is 3.5 years old (never going to grow up apparently). my females are more relaxed and are better around kids; i think others would agree. also, working breeds tend to not realize their size and will bounce around quite a bit, knocking over your kids or lamps or pictures, etc.

children usually don't understand how to act around dogs and will pull their ears, approach them from the rear and spook them, among other things. taping and caring for a dobe's ears takes lots of time and effort; would a child understand they won't be able to mess with the posts and tape for several months until they are standing up without being posted? doubt it.

a lot of breeders won't sell a pup to a home with small children. you may be waiting several years until a reputable breeder will consider sending a pup your way. i know a breeder who won't sell males to a home with children under 10 years old.

do you have the patience to teach your children the rights and wrongs around a pup, as well as teach your pup his boundaries (plus crate train, housebreak, basic obedience, etc.) at the same time? lots to consider here.

falnfenix

everyone in your family will be much happier, including the dog.

Fitzmar Dobermans

While raising your kids with a Doberman is great, I wouldn't suggest starting with a large working breed puppy when they are so young - it truly would be a disaster waiting to happen.

When my children were born, we had two adult dogs and the 3 year old Doberman was fabulous with them - the older Greyhound tolerated them but had to be watched carefully. I would not have wanted to bring a puppy into the mix when my girls were babies or toddlers......

I've sold to people with young children - but not multiple young toddlers and babies & those with young children were previous Doberman owners. I truly don't know of any reputable breeder that would be comfortable with your family at this point in time. Of course you could find a breeder that would sell to you, but I would question if that was a breeder that you could count on if you have issues.

My recommendation would be to wait a few years till your youngest girls are about 4+ and while I know that is not what you want to hear, I truly as both a breeder and a parent think this would give you a much better chance of success.

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CH Cha-Rish A Moment Like This RN WAC CGC "Louise"
AKC GRCH/UKC CH Fitzmar's Command A Minute CGC "Harvard"
Fitzmar's Victory Hop Devil "Jezebel"

smudgeid

What about an adult? You'd have to look for a trained dog - and be aware that even older dogs get the 'zoomies' and race around madly sometimes.

I was very lucky with Chanel, she's a kijiji dog (similar to craigslist) and had a loving home & training before I got her at 4.5. She's excellent with kids & also with cats.

Read the puppy forum - lots of people have problems with dobersharks & I agree that it could be very tough on the kids.
Kate