I would NOT give my money in support of this breeder as they are doing nothing but breeding poorly bred dogs.
Here are some red flags...
Health testing
This breed is so ridiculously unhealthy so breeding un-tested dogs is a pretty big no-no. If the health tests are out there what excuse is there for not doing them? Show dog, working dog, or pet dog - every puppy deserves to have the best start at life and it is every breeder's responsibility to be doing these tests for their puppies and the owners of the future puppies. The health tests that I personally look for are vWD, hips, cardio (an echo/holter, not the DNA test), CERF, and thyroid (I may be leaving one out). Keep in mind that these are done on the sire and dam and many of these tests cannot be done until after the dog is 2 years old.
Kimbertal
Kimbertal is nothing more than a very well advertised (and glorified) puppy mill for Dobermans and Rotties. You can search this forum as well as other doberman and rottie forums and find PLENTY of threads about Kimbertal. Anybody who promotes the use of Kimbertal breeding stock is doing so because they have not done any research (or they don't care).
Over-standard breeding stock
The Doberman is a medium-sized breed with both the North American and European standards being close to the same. Keep in mind that form follows function - an over-sized dog will not perform as well as a dog that is within breed standard and, the extra weight on their bones will cause them to degenerate faster than a dog that is built correctly. Keep in mind that the breed standard is decided by the breed club, not the registry (like the AKC). It was made by Doberman people.
Ears
My problem is not that the breeder gives you the option so much as that they leave the new puppy buyer to deal with setting up the appointment and the immediate aftercare. This is something that the breeder should handle. Aftercare can be quite taxing on a new and unsuspecting owner plus, not all vets are good at ear cropping. The procedure is not taught in vet school so it has turned into an art and there is a handful of truly skilled croppers out there. Another reason why a breeder should take care of the cropping is to ensure that the ears on all their dogs (barring a random outlier - because it can happen) look good. My boy's breeder handles the cropping on all of her puppies and, for that reason, every dog to ever come from her breeding program has been beautifully cropped. This goes for all reputable breeders.
One male bred to all of their females
A breeder who is breeding to better the breed puts a lot of thought into their breedings. They don't just stick two dogs together (even two great dogs) but instead find the dog that perfectly compliments their dog to that their puppies have the best chance at being correct in every way. This is because these breeders don't breed simply to create more puppies but to improve the breed as a whole.
About the breed standard Quote:
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Originally Posted by FCI (European) Standard SIZE AND WEIGHT: SIZE Height at the highest point of withers: Males: 68 to 72cms. Bitches: 63 to 68cms. Medium size desirable. |
Quote:
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Originally Posted by AKC (North American) Standard Size, Proportion, Substance
Height at the withers: Dogs 26 to 28 inches, ideal about 27½ inches; Bitches 24 to 26 inches, ideal about 25½ inches. |
*While the NA standard doesn't mention weight - a dog that is within standard height and is at a healthy weight generally won't weigh more than 90-95lb.
Links
Reputable breeders - for new folks "I don't want a show dog; I just want a pet" - RufflySpeaking
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