dobegal

After living with dobies for 23years I do not see never having one in my house. I love the velcro part and the way they tune into you there is nothing better. They are so smart and yes very demanding as a puppy. However after the training and the long haul of puppy hood I hope to always share my life with a doberman.

Eqstrnathlete

I went done because I live alone raisin my daughter. I wanted a dog I felt would be protective. At 7 m of age, Bodie has already proven he will be the protective boy I wanted. He is a Velcro boy, is funny, alert, and loving. If my daughter sleeps anywhere but her bed he is there all night. I wouldn't trade him for the world. I don't think I would chose any other breed, now that I have gone dobe!


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Darkevs

Owned by Dobes since 1975.

what more can i say.



Hugz to ALL Doberman!

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Thanks for making this signature for me Amelia!

KentnBarbara

Major is our first Doberman and I can tell you that I am absolutely nuts about him. Not a day goes by that he doesn't make us laugh. His antics at dinnertime alone are such a hoot! He is the smartest, most loving dog I've ever had and the ways he figures out how to communicate what he wants are nothing short of amazing. Those puppy months were rough, I don't mind telling you, but he has grown into quite the gentleman. He can be a bit stubborn with Barbara at times, but I only have to speak to him one time and he responds, which massages my ego. He loves our kids to death and tries to lick the ones who don't live here, to death, when they come over. Honestly, I have thought about whether I would ever have another one or not and I'll cross that bridge when we come to it. It breaks my heart when I read the posts on this board about folks who have lost their Doberman partly because it reminds me that the will probably come for us. After being owned by Major for 4+ years I just don't know if I will want to even try to replace him. Living with him has been one the most unique experiences of my life and one I will always cherish.

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ZeldaRules

I'm on my first Doberman after getting my experience with the breed by fostering them and being involved in Dobe rescue for a few years prior. I have always been a GSD person at heart and never paid any attention to dobermans and no one I knew had them so they never crossed my mind. I got to interact with them when I began working at boarding kennels and vet clinics and that sparked the interest.

I absolutely 110% adore the breed and never want to be without one for as long as I am able and capable. IMO I have the perfect mix with GSD and Dobe because they are different yet compliment each other well and I prefer the working, protective, and intimidating looking breeds. My next dog will be a Beauceron and I am hoping that these three breeds will be the ones I just can't live without together

Wbleyla

Kiki is my first doberman and first dog for my husband and i. there are a few things i have learned with having her. Poor kiki came from a back yard breeder (never again!), she had a bladder infection and was full up of worms. after going to a bunch of different vets we got the bladder infection under control. and the cropping.... oi vey.... my husband and i like the cropped look but after going through the cropping ordeal i dont think i would do that again. it takes alot of time and effort but out doberman as a pet? she is perfect. she is very sensitive like me she does every thing with my husband and i (and our other dog). Kiki is a great friend to me.

Rambo_007

I agree there is something about having one of each. It's just perfect.




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Odin's_Master

I can honestly say that we will always have a Miniature Pinscher in our home, but nothing perfectly accompanies a min-pin like a Doberman! We love our Dobe, and I think our next dog is going to be a female Dobe. My wife and I love the breed, temperament, size, trainability, coat texture. Just the perfect big dog for us! That being said, I definitely want to have other breeds like GSP and Argentinian Dogo.

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Rouleaux

I agree with everything stated! And I too am currently/was looking into the Beauceron breed. I was planning on one as my first dog, but when my Rouleaux fell into my lap (literally), I don't think I could go another day without a dobie! (especially while I am able and capable to do so, as you stated). One day I will have a Beauceron, but for now, I focus all of my attention and devotion to my boy

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JennZilla

@HarvestMoon

Oh man, I feel like we have gone through the same thing, but just slightly different. Roz is going on 4 this february... and I love her to death but she is so high strung that long road trips and hiking to places that require a dog to pay attention were just not really feasible for her. Along came Apollo... he came to a clinic I was working at, only 2 months old. A hit by car stray. I had used roziel as a foster mom several times already for stray pups that we take in. I would keep them for approximately 2-3 months until they were social enough to be re homed. Being a vet tech at the time, I came across all sorts of animals and could keep from emotionally bonding to them. Something was different about Apollo though. He was such a calm puppy.. everyone always commented on it. Him and Roz got along wonderfully. She treated him from the get-go more as a play mate than her normal mothering character. So I kept him, as I knew that my old flat coated retrievers time was coming to an end and she was going to need a new companion soon anyway. Both dogs together ended up filling the entire need I had out of a dog companion. Roz is my cuddle bug, and Apollo is my sweet and calm boy. He goes with me on all my long road trips and all my desolate hiking adventures. He doesn't like to cuddle much as he gets too warm.. but he will for a few minutes then move to the cool floor. He also loves to learn, which was a frustration with Roz because no matter how many treats or toys were involved, she just doesn't seem interested in learning. She will whine and groan every time we get into a learning session. Apollo just sits quietly and looks at me with a sparkle in his eye, showing me excitement and enthusiasm... which really delights me because I love to teach dogs. My old flat coat had a full routine that he and I did, including home positions and leg weaving and other such fun tricks.

I do believe I will always keep a dobe around, but I think I will always need another dog to fill a different need that the dobes cannot be expected to fill. I like it this way. Two dogs=twice the love! Lol.

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"That awkward moment when you fake your own death to see how your pet reacts, and they respond by trying to eat you."

ZeldaRules

Awesome! there are two breeders I've been looking at, I'm on the list for one but it will still be a while before I can get one.

Lori Z

To be perfectly 100% honest, no I will not get another doberman. I love Eli but he was a very difficult puppy and don't think I have the energy or inclination to do it again. It has taken a long time to get where we are today, too long. I am also horrified with the health state of dobermans. I have had many dogs over my life, some easy, some not so easy but none as hard as Eli. I prefer herding breeds I guess, GSD's being my heart dog with aussies and collies a close second. No dog is perfect but some I connect with some better than others. I seem to connect with herding dogs for the most part. I like dobermans, I love the way they look but they have so much energy and it's harder to channel it than it is to channel a herding dog, at least that has been my limited experience with my one doberman. I know others pretty well, had three in my training group, all males and all were about the same, very intense but not in a biddable way really, all learned but all were easily distracted. I don't like being run over or bumped into hard, that really, really bugs the *hit out of me. My other dogs have never done this, they pay attention to their people and don't push them aside and seem to be able to turn and miss them when flying by. If chasing a ball they would never plow through a person to get it, they would go around.
This is perhaps my biggest complaint, their lack of spacial distance including with other dogs. Eli recently ran full bore into my 7 month old collie bowled him over twice, slaming him repeatedly after he was on the ground. He has always played this way and I hate, hate, hate it. He can have no playdates because of it. Oh well...so ummm for me, no. That being said I wouldn't trade Eli for the world now, even though he doesn't hold back his strength when playing on a field.

Baron1

I love Dobemans Baron is my dobe who was rescued and has been through hell he has physical and emotional scars it was a bumpy road but he is the greatest dog now fully recovered and extremely thankful ^_^
I've had other breeds before and right away I saw the intelligence of the doberman breed I even see Baron stare at other dogs at the dog park that act a lil dumb XD it cracks me up

tattoogirl73

i love dobermanns and can't imagine not being owned by one. my next one won't be until after opie has passed on, so hopefully not for a very long time. i'm loving having two dogs again, and think little and large is the best formula for us from now on

Meldrew79

Brandy is our first dobe and we will absolutely get another one at some point. I love that they need you and want to be with you. I wasn't quite prepared for how much energy they have, but we eventually found our happy medium. With our next one, I will be doing at least some obedience/agility training.

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PorschaLei

Kratos is a big baby, do i regret getting him.....hell no. I love the doberman breed things i would have liked if his feet werent so goofy and he wasnt so accident prone but hes my dopie dobe and I would give the world for him. I would def own another dobe again but i would want a female. Either way I love this breed and i think i will always own one


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Burns

Also, this. I don't know what it is, but Red just has no awareness of his own body.

He constantly runs into things, turns his head and knocks it into desks/walls/whatever, runs into people, turns and takes people knees out, and just generally ALWAYS stands in the way. He has no forethought of moving when someone is walking at him, he just stands there until he gets told to move or gets run into. It gets so aggravating to constantly tell him to move or go lay down just so he's not in the way all the time.

I don't remember any of the big dogs I grew up with doing this, now that I think about it... Not saying I regret anything with Red, of course, but I never thought about this until it saw someone else post it!

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Gorrmae's Fantasy Red XIII CD RE CGC TDI
DOB 2/17/07, red/rust, male neutered Doberman

JennZilla

Lol, I'm pretty sure that is a trademark dobe thing. My girl is exactly the same. It baffles me, because my former flat coat would move out of the way even if you were still 6 ft away. Actually, roz and Apollo together just pummeled into my dad at the park 2 weeks ago and slammed him to the ground. Poor guy had to go to the hospital for the shoulder he landed on, and isn't recovering. Going back in tomorrow for additional xrays.

It cant be helped.. I suppose we are to watch out for them, not the other way around lol.

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"That awkward moment when you fake your own death to see how your pet reacts, and they respond by trying to eat you."

GingerGunlock

Elka is my first Doberman. I hope to make a far better choice of breeder (or rescue) for my next Doberman, but I honestly have a hard time imagining another breed in my life without Doberman presence as well (Example: getting a Corgi or Pug or something in addition to our Doberman). I love how smart Elka is, and how very responsive she is to us and the rest of the people in our lives.

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Burns

LOL thanks for posting this, it makes me feel better about my own bonehead lol

Sorry your dad is hurt though! Hope he heals soon!

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Gorrmae's Fantasy Red XIII CD RE CGC TDI
DOB 2/17/07, red/rust, male neutered Doberman

Jonesy'sMom

I'll add to that, but I do love him for it... He doesn't move for nothing. My biggest peeve with him is if I am laying on the couch watching TV he will come right in between me and the TV and just stare at me, until I tell him to move. (Then I get sad eyes)

But I must say Jones is pretty good about avoiding people at the park, and doesn't really run into people, he's pretty quick on his feet. (Though it might be his own quirk because he really doesn't like to be touched sometimes, lol)

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~Summer~
Summer's Lost Ark Raider AX AXJ OF CGC (ASCA) RS-E JS-E GS-O
Jynx

When individuals bring nothing but drama to the table... Know it's time to let them eat alone. - Unknown

PatchworkRobot

I think that the doberman was the right breed choice for me. Yes, there have been times in which I have been absolutely frustrated with Dreizehn and I do have my peeves about him but, over all, I feel like we are a great match for each other. While much of that was the breeder choosing the right puppy for me a good amount of the match has to do with a good breed match, I feel.

While there are a good handful of breeds that I want to own in my lifetime I will definitely have another doberman in that time (or two or three). I really want a red boy when the time comes.

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PortersMama

This is a really great thread! I love reading everyone's opinions. OP, I hope you don't mind another post from a non-first-time Dobe owner.

Dobermans chose me, in a way. Grizzly is my fifth Doberman - my parents had three when I was in my teens, but I was in school and then went off to college. I couldn't tell you anything about raising a puppy at that time, but I could tell you that I loved how sweet our Dobes were with my baby brother and sister (my sister was only a year old, my brother was three). I loved that I could take them for walks - me, a teenager! - and they would walk nicely and listen to me and simply be really enjoyable dogs to be around. I loved how they physically attached themselves to our family members, just like Velcro. I loved how beautiful they were and how much expression they had on their little faces, and how their eyes were human-like sometimes.

When I moved out on my own and it was time to get a dog, I just knew I wanted a Doberman. My ex-husband, who I was with at the time, was a veterinarian and a behaviorist, and so it was easy as anything for me to have one. That was my Porter, and he was the love of my life. He was the best, kindest, most special dog I was ever around in my whole life. Everything about him was, for me, perfection. He was my heart.

When my husband and I had to put Porter down last month, I turned to him during the procedure and I said, "I'm done. I'm never, ever going through this again, not ever in my life." And I meant it when I said it, I meant it like I'd never meant anything before. But you know what? I missed the joy. I missed his presence, and the space he left behind was crushing my heart. Within hours, I was set on getting another dog - another Doberman. My husband said, "Are you sure you want another Doberman? You'll compare him to Porter forever." And my answer to him was, yes, I was sure, and yes, I probably would compare him to Porter. And that would mean that the new pup would be the best pup he could be, because I would have high expectations for him. Dobermans are people-pleasers, at least that's how they've always seemed to me. Show them what you want, teach them how to act and treat you, give them love, kindness, and compassion along the way, and they will live their lives giving you exactly what you asked for. Because it's what they do.

I knew Grizzly would be high energy. I knew he would be finicky as a puppy, and maybe even as an adult! I knew he would need those damn ears posted. I knew he wouldn't want to poop in the rain. But I also knew that there is no dog like a Doberman, and for me, they're perfect.

Lori Z

I was laughing to myself reading the responses about the bull in a china shop dobermans. I must let you know on my other lists, aussies, GSD's and collies there are never "injuries your dog gave you" types of threads. LOL LOL. I think we can complain and still totally adore our dogs. Like I said no dog is perfect. Just because I don't feel up to another doberman doesn't mean I don't adore my boy, just wanted to mention that.

ZeldaRules

Prime has no spatial awareness, he has taken out a lady at the dog park before..actually two! That being said, my mom has been thrown in the air from her Border Collie slamming into the back of her knees. The only dog that has ever knocked me in the air and on the ground was a very exuberant pit bull, and while the GSDs I currently live with are highly trained, they like to play fetch and run with huge sticks and I have to move out of their way when they are running around at full speed because they laugh at spatial awareness. The breeder told me that that is one thing she wishes she had worked with them on when she got her dogs because they will run into and over you if you're not watching.