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Central Florida Family Looking for Family Dog

981 views 10 replies 7 participants last post by  LadyDi 
#1 ·
Hello everyone! We are a family of five including three children, smallest is 7 years old. We have been reading a lot about Dobermans over the past few weeks and we have decided they would make an excellent addition to our family!

We are looking for reputable breeders in or around the Central Florida area. We would be open to shipping as well. For instance we loved the Dogumentary YouTube video with Linda from Adlecrest Dobermans in California.
We want to make sure that our new addition has a great temperament and can perform some guard duty for our house but also be very gentle and playful with our littlest human family member.

We do expect to do some training activities to keep our addition exercised in both mind and body. We have glanced at some local Schutzhund/IPO clubs in the area but we are
concerned about price and the effect on temperament of this type of activity.

We do not have a fenced in back or front yard and we are a little confused to determine if this is a necessity.

Is there any advice from the community on our situation? Thank you all!
 
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#3 ·
We do not have a fenced in back or front yard and we are a little confused to determine if this is a necessity.
I live in an apartment and had my Doberman. We lived adjacent to a 20 acre field and I ran him multiple times a day, every day, in all kinds of weather. He would be there for an hour first thing in the morning, and an hour at lunchtime , an hour in the afternoon and another hour in the evening when it was still light. In between we walked around the complex on leash. The only time we deviated from that routine was when competing.

Dobes need exercise and on leash is not sufficient (JMO).
 
#4 · (Edited)
It may be hard to find a dobe from a reputable breeder who will send a pup to someone without a fenced yard. If you can establish a relationship, or show a past history of active dog involvement to a breeder so that they trust you will keep up your end of the bargain to keep your dog properly exercised, you *might* be able to find a breeder, especially if you can show them a plan for how you will meet the dog's exercise needs. But if a breeder is willing to sell you a dog with no questions asked about fencing and housing, your lifestyle, the kids ages and other pets, they're not reputable.

Which goes to the following you need to know--dobes require a LOT of exercise. About an hour every day, preferably off-leash, is generally about the least you should figure on. They are not good dog park dogs, so that is out of the question. Jogging, biking, etc are options (though dobes are very heat sensitive, so you may need to find another outlet in warm weather), but not for a dog who is younger than 18 months, so you'd need to find another way to exercise your puppy.

Obedience training and scent work are good mind exercisers which can help keep the dog occupied, and go some ways toward getting him the physical exercise and the mental stimulation he needs, but it is not a substitute for physical exercise. With children and no experience in dobermans or IPO training, I wouldn't consider that to be a good option. IPO training takes a lot of time and strong commitment (and a quality training club); it might be tough for you to even get enough time with kids in the mix, let alone the rest.

I had a very similar situation as VZ for my first dobe in terms of places he could exercise, though I didn't put in as much time--but it was at least an hour a day Every.Single.Day--no allowances for bad weather or lack of energy (from me). We had no kids; he was our baby. In addition to the daily off-leash exercise in open fields around our apartment, he went with us on hikes (off-leash--it was a long time ago when that was more of an option than now) every weekend--and obedience training. He was happy and well-balanced. I don't have a fenced yard now, and actually that is one reason I got out of dobes. It got too hard to find a good place to exercise them. We managed, with a lot of work, but I'm getting older :( and wasn't sure I could commit to exercising the dog so much.

If you are looking for guard duty as a requirement, dobes aren't the best breed for that. They are personal protection dogs; dobes with good temperaments will protect their people naturally. In order to do that well, their breeding leads them to DEMAND personal attention; they are not the kind of dog you can just throw into the backyard to patrol your property. They are indoor attention-seeking dogs.

I personally think having 3 kids with the youngest at 7 is a good group of ages to start with. Kids can really get a lot out of working with dogs, training them, playing with them, etc, if they are interested, and the dog generally will benefit too. The only caveat to consider there is whether you are already so busy with their schedules (athletics, school etc) that you can't pay as much attention to the dog as he needs. And of course, you also need to know and accept that you can't depend on the kids to do everything to care for him (exercise, pick up poop, even feed regularly), even if they promise cross-their-hearts-and-hope-to-die that they will. LOL You'll need to be quite involved.
 
#5 ·
Hello and welcome to our forum.
Congrats on the decision to get a doberman .
Here are my thoughts regarding a puppy.
A fenced yard is a must. I was taught early on rule number 1 be a good advocate for your dog.
Fenced yard allows your pup to roam around,sniff, and just be a dog.
Dog parks not a good idea with this breed. They can pick up diseases, bad habits from other dogs and as they mature Dobermans play real hard. So for me no dog parks.
I do have a few choice neighbors and we schedule playdates for the dogs at my home within the fenced yard. Hoss is only allowed 1 visitor at a time.
Remember when you came home with a newborn. Remember that loss of sleep the first 3 to 4 months . Yep you can experience that with a puppy their bladders are little so they need to go out more at the beginning and that can be every 4 hours or so. You might get lucky and have a pup that adapts quickly but thats a roll of the dice soto speak.
This time period can be exhausting for us humans initially. The the sharp puppy teeth can do quite a number on your arms.
We call little pups " little sharkeys" for that exact reason. Long sleeves help.
A member of this forum under the name "Dobegal" resides in central florida as I recall maybe she will chime in regarding breeders.
And do your homework regarding "Ear posting" make sure you are ready for this process as it will be important to do this yourself versus having vets or others post for you.
In Crystal River there is a really good Doberman Rescue called "Dobie Ranch Rescue". They will expect a fenced yard of course. But they get a really good dogs sometimes you just have to keep your eyes out for a good fit. Some are dogs that have no problems at all and fully trained. Maybe their humans passed away or career changes etc.
Hoping your find the dog of your dreams.
 
#6 ·
As luck may have it, I do happen to live next to a wide open area much like what some have describe.

How did you relay this information to the breeder when they asked about your
fenced yard?

As far as IPO training, maybe that is a bit much for what I want.
The goal is that I want to do some training with my new dog should I get one
to help get the exercise of mind and body. It sounds like the scent work and
obedience training could be a good alternative.

I do not expect this to be an alternative to other daily exercise requirements.
Just to give some things to practice at home, etc.

I am not planning on the children to take responsibility from myself.

I have read and learned a lot about posting. Although, the thought makes
me hope I would get it right and as I understand even then it may not work,
I would not be deterred by this responsibility and work.

My first thought was to go directly to rescue. However, I got the impression that
this may not be such a good idea for the doberman breed. My first priority, obviously,
are my children so that is my main concern with rescue. I get the feeling that acclimating
a puppy to children would be easier than an adult dog. Please let me know if this is not correct
or something to reconsider.
 
#7 ·
As luck may have it, I do happen to live next to a wide open area much like what some have describe.

How did you relay this information to the breeder when they asked about your
fenced yard?
When I applied to purchase Bacchus I was living in Illinois. I had a house on 5.6 acres. The property was a combination of deep ravines and old woods on a private road high on top of a hill overlooking the Illinois River at the end of a private 1/2 mile road. I had no fence and the terrain was not really able to be fenced. The driveway was 400' long. Only one way onto the property. I talked with the breeder and sent her pictures of the land. One of the questions was what about when the dog is off leash? My response was "I will train him to stay with me". Within a matter of a few weeks he had a rock solid recall. After many more questions and pictures Bacchus became mine. For the first two years of his life we were in Illinois and he was never on a leash except to train. Then when I moved to Delaware I moved into an apartment on a bottom floor a stone's throw away from the field. From the moment I got him I stayed in touch with the breeder.
 
#9 ·
My personal preference is to buy from a good breeder who has selected a puppy suited to your family and your lifestyle, and has dogs with predictable temperaments. I've had a rescue and I loved him dearly. I worked in rescue for years. However, my personal choice from now own is to buy from great breeders who are breeding the type of dog I want and is best suited to my lifestyle. There's nothing wrong with buying a dog from a great breeder.
 
#11 · (Edited)
Good morning.
Nosework is a great for pups.
Nothing exhausts my dog Hoss more than mental work.
Once we get done with some nosework he sleeps for hours. Just totally washed out!!LOL
Make note of this because when you get your puppy they have so much energy.
Initially I tried to physically exhaust Hoss as a puppy in hopes of getting some human rest.
Many walks and lengthy play times but .....
Nope,did not work the only creature exhausted was me the human!
I learned about nosework thru this forum (wish I knew this back at the beginning) mental games like hide and seek or nosework are so much fun.
Fun for everyone actually especially older children like your 7 year old.
Through training nosework games will be great for a 7 or 8 year old and really fun to watch.
Good luck in your search for a great puppy.
 
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