Doberman Forum : Doberman Breed Dog Forums banner

Talk to me

1K views 10 replies 6 participants last post by  triciakoontz 
#1 ·
We are thinking of getting a second dog after we buy a house next year. We have always wanted a dobe but I wonder if one would fit in our lives at this point.

I am a SAHM but plan on going back to work in 2-3 years. I have 6yo and 2yo boys. Each will be a year older by the time we actually get another dog. Right now I have an almost 5 year old pug. Completely non-aggressive and gets along well with other animals. I've socialized her with larger dogs, too.

Talk to me about daily exercise, what to expect, etc. I'm not interested in a puppy (I just got the 2yo potty trained!) and intend on rescuing. I am thinking about 4-5 years old to be past the teenage years. This dog will always be an inside dog and we will have a 6ft wood fence up (standard in most neighborhoods we are looking at). I have plenty of time to decide but I like gathering info early to make the best choice possible. I read and searched over a year before I got my pug.
 
#2 ·
My biggest concern for stopping points would be the age of your sons. NOT saying that your two boys aren't, but many rescues won't adopt to families with very young children unless the kids are extremely respectful of animals, and still sometimes not even then. If your boys have learned to respect your pug, and whomever does the home visit likes how they interact with dogs, then you might be good to go, but you might also have to do some convincing. Remember that a lot of dog bites happen due to some miscommunication (and sadly sometimes mistreatment) between kids and dogs and the rescue no more wants their dogs biting your kids than you do!

As for the rest... doberman ate a working breed! Even dogs that are not bred specifically to work will benefit from regular exercise (and a bounce around the yard won't cut it!) and training. Look into your area's local training classes, see if they have some decent obedience classes. They well not only benefit your future dog's thinker, but also improve the bond between you guys.

Dobes in general are not so great about the body awareness thing and you may see the boys (and yourself) bumped into sometimes until all of you work out a better routine to keep those occurrences to a minimum. This is another reason why a lot of rescues won't adopt to families with youngsters. I know as a kid I hated when the dogs knocked me over!

They are a clever breed with a sense of humor and a spark in their eye. They adore their people and are called Velcro dogs for a reason. If you manage to skip the puppy stage you'll skip a lot of crazy, but you'll have a reliable adult in no time that way :)
 
#3 ·
I have never taken Clove to a training class but we do training. Pugs are smart but very stubborn. I've also had dachshunds. I seem to have a thing for stubborn dogs, lol. I've never owned a large breed but ive also been in apartments since leaving home. Can you have a happy dobe when the people are working during the day? And what do you mean by romp around the yard? Yard play will be a lot of the exercise but it will be interactive. Like us playing with them. I love getting dogs involved in family games. It's always fun. My husband needs to jog to stay in shape for work so the dobe would have that. No way in heck would my curly tailed girl go for being a jogging companion and it wouldn't be very good for her, either.
 
#6 ·
Think of it this way: I can train dogs on my own, just fine, but am still taking Creed to training classes. They aren't required, but I find that the person learns just as much as the dog in these training classes. And it's great to have a second pair of eyes to catch mistakes :)

Short answer: it depends. I work full time at the moment. However, I make every interaction with my boy count, and when I'm not home he spends a lot of his day being looked after by my parents and their dog. They like interacting with him just as much as he likes not being stuck in a crate all day! If there was no one to let him out and play with him for at least a short while and he had to spend upwards of 16 hours per day in the crate, that would be totally unfair to him, and he would not be happy then.

Just being in the yard is not enough for most Doberman. Most will at least want that jog every day, and will still have the energy to go for more exercise. That's another reason training classes are so great... mental stimulation counts towards a happy dog just as much as physical exercise.
 
#4 ·
If you have never had a big dog, I'm not sure a Doberman would be a good first. The small children would be a concern, to reiterate, simply because they are big and rambunctious at times. They are one of the kindest breeds I've run across, but they are also the smartest which is a good and a bad thing.
The simplest way I can put the change to your household would be like adding a 6 year old boy into the mix ... without the ability to communicate with words. They are that smart and that mischevious at times.

We brought a dobe into our family with teenage children and a long history of big dog experience. He still challenges us every day. We wouldn't change a second of it, but it would have been much harder with small children in the house.

My recommendation would be to wait for a dobe until your children are older.
 
#5 ·
A dobie definitely isn't the type of dog that is happy just in the yard. If your hubby will take him/her out for a jog every day then great. They will also need somewhere where they can run free regularly to burn off some of that energy. I also used to own pugs (2 of them) they are so beautiful and silly but they are by no means a dobe. Just tonight I took my 15 month old girl on a 4 mile hike where at the start of the walk we met another dog (bull mastiff) and they ran rings around us, wrestling and chasing and playing. We got to the end of the walk and the mastiff was pooped...Lexi was still raring to go even though she had just ran and ran and ran for 4 miles uphill! (Realistically she probably ran 8+ miles)... Just to give you an idea of what you may be dealing with. I'm sorry to ramble but I would hate for you to have to return the dog because it is too high energy. They are, and for the first 6 months I was like 'omg, I can't cope'. They are also stubborn, mischievous and have a severe lack of special awareness and like a child if they go quiet you know they are being naughty...look out for the glint in their eye...having said all of that they are the nicest, kindest, sweetest, most loyal and gentle, caring dogs that you could wish to meet. They are fiercely protective of their family and love nothing more than a snuggle on the sofa (after they have had a nice long run). I for one would never look to own another breed again, they are very special. I loved my pugleys and they got right under my feet...a dobe will do the same because they have to be physically touching you at any given opportunity, even if they are only lying on your feet, or leaning up against you or their paw is touching you...they get upset if they can't be!
 
#7 ·
Thank y'all very much. I don't think this breed is for us. I'm rather sad. I have wanted one for a long time but we were younger and childless when I first fell in love with them. I can not devote that kind of time to exercising. That is my main concern. Again, thank you for the honesty. I asked for it because I really wanted it. I never want a dog bounced around or miserable.

Does anyone have any suggestions on other breeds to look at? I'm hoping to get the same lovable goofiness
 
#9 ·
Can you say specifically what kind of exercise the dog would get each day? If you are looking at getting a rescue, and are patient in finding the right dog, you could find a dog that is more laid back.

If you go for a 4 or especially 5 year old dog, they will be more content with missing a day of exercise or the yard stuff will be OK. It really is much more imporant to do daily runs and mental stimulation when they are say 3 and younger, up to age 4.

If your husband runs, and the dog gets a run every other day and active play in the yard like fetch, games, training, or even a long walk I think it could be totally fine. There's also chewies and puzzle toys if you need it. Not everyone here runs their dogs every day once they are older. Younger, well, that's just the way to keep everyone happy. ;)

How are your kids with the pug? With any new dog you'd just want to be sure they were as calm and respectful around the dog as possible, and that the dog had a place to go to get away from the chaos that can be kiddos. Silas is bombproof with kids and we don't have any. Many Dobes just seem to "get" kids. Others have a harder time. Again, you'd have to be patient in finding the right dog.

Dobermans can be stubborn and pushy. They need someone who will be firm, fair, and consistent.
 
#11 ·
Please consider a wonderful older Doberman in rescue. This would be a lovely way for your family to be introduced to this breed and an older dog does not need tons of exercise. My seven-year-old Bella would be perfectly happy to lounge around most of the day and have some time out in the yard and a couple of games of fetch.

Just take a look at this beautiful guy and he sounds like a total sweetheart!

https://www.petfinder.com/petdetail/29141492/
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top