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I think a rescue would be a great idea. I own a small 1300sqft house with my brother with a very small (soon to be fenced) yard. We are both students working part time. I think as long as you can supply an ample amount of time for mental and physical stimulation you can own any dog in any environment. Rescues might be a little uneasy letting you adopt with no fenced in yard, but if you can show them that you really want to be the best you can they should have no problem with you adopting. I think an adult doberman would probably suit your lifestyle better too since you have a small child and do work part time. It would also be a good idea to get your child socialized around dogs more before you do consider adopting (maybe make it like a game for her, watch videos, read, meet dogs etc.) just to see how she behaves with them-- even if she would never be left alone with the dober. Best of luck!
 
Thirty years ago, we brought home our first dobie as an 8 week old puppy to a small 2-bedroom apartment. Fortunately, the building adjoined acres and acres of open land so he could be walked off leash about 45 minutes a day, with lots of hiking on the weekends. He did just fine, though we did have to provide him with lots and lots and lots and lots of toys to chew on! We also postponed his potty training until he was about 5 months old (leaving him in a safe room with papers in corner) because we had to be gone at work longer than we felt he could wait. When we had to move, however, we ended up having to rent a small house because we couldn't find an apartment that would accept dobermans--so that's another thing to think about.
 
I got my puppy 3 weeks ago. He was 7 months old. He is my first Dobe, first " big " dog as an adult. I have a 10 year old son and 13 year old daughter. Honestly, if my kids had been five, I would have been worried about their safety around the dog.

My dog is the sweetest dog in the world, very affectionate, but oh, so strong and not delicate at all. He bumps into you, steps on your toes, hits your face with his and so forth. Last week, he accidentally hit my lip with his head and made me bleed. He's done it to my son too. My son is pretty tough be he was almost crying. You wouldn't believe how hard his head is ! My puppy is a male, I don't know, maybe females are more careful around people. I'm sure he'll improve with time though.

So in my opinion, if you are going to get a Dobe, you will need constant supervision. You know your daughter - is she a tough little girl or more fragile ? You need to take that into consideration too.

I think an adult female dog would probably be more suited to your situation.

In any case, I wish you good luck finding the right dog for you.
 
I live in a little 2 bedroom apartment with a blue and gold macaw, a cat, 2 kids and a husband, not to mention Sage.... While our apartment is small we do pretty good, my daughters room is the cats "safe place" where Sage can't go, and the bird lives in the kitchen so she is part of all the action.

I don't think that I would try this with a puppy but with an "adult" (do they ever really grow up?) it seems to be working very well. All the advice you have gotten on this is great, and I agree with all of it. Just make sure that you give lots of mental stimulation as well as the physical (tired can come from more than source).

One thing you don't have to worry about with a dobe in a small apartment is that they don't clear the coffee table with their tail every other day. lol
 
Discussion starter · #25 ·
I'm worried about getting a rescue because I don't know the situations it's been in. I'm afraid one day it would just snap. I wouldn't be if I didn't have my daughter, but with her around its a different story.
Now that I've been reading these posts maybe I should wait another year that way I can teach her how to act around and train a larger dog.
 
I live in a 1-bedroom apartment, and have TWO dobes!

It worked out fine for us, but I make sure they get a lot of exercise - we're talking about daily off-leash runs. Granted, Ilsa is 6.5 and Ronin is 4.5, so they're not puppies or adolescents.

Where there's a will, there's a way. You just have to be serious about it. :)
 
I'm worried about getting a rescue because I don't know the situations it's been in. I'm afraid one day it would just snap. I wouldn't be if I didn't have my daughter, but with her around its a different story.
Now that I've been reading these posts maybe I should wait another year that way I can teach her how to act around and train a larger dog.
Dogs don't just "Snap" and no dog is predisposed to human aggression. Dogs are one of the few creatures on this earth that will continue to forgive, forgive, forgive for what a human or humans may have done to them in the past. Rescuing is a great option and as long as you are a cautious, assertive and knowledgeable owner you won't have a problem. Every dog my family has owned has been from a rescue of some sort. All of our Pit Bulls/Amstaffs were rescues. The first we had lived to be 17 and not once during those 17 years did he show an ounce of aggression. My parents currently have a 11 year old female amstaff (rescued at 6 months) and a soon to be 2 year old Amstaff also a rescue at 6 months. They most recently rescued a 4 1/2 month old Boston Terrier.

Socialize, socialize, socialize and no dog is beyond rehabilitation if you have the time and the patience.
 
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I'm not a breeder but have owned the breed for over 35 years. Without suger-coating, most good breeder's will be hesitant in selling a first time owner a pup without a fenced yard. If you go below the radar to a not so great breeder they either won't care or won't have a clue re what a suitable puppy would be for your situation. I really think you need someplace with a good fence to take the puppy at least daily to play and burn the energy off. By play I mean you taking toys and playing with the puppy. Also all dobe puppies need obedience classes.

I will have to disagree slightly here. while I understand and applaud breeders who would be more hesitant in selling a first time dog owner without a fenced yard and only an apt, it does not mean that the dog owner would be a poor one. besides, I know of many people with dogs with big houses and gardens/fenced yards, but take their dogs out only once a day for a short 5min walk, IF AT ALL!!

I think the OP already coming on this forum indicates sincerity on her part in learning as much about dobes as poss, and very possibly she wants and will do the best for her new dobe. so with that, I am confident she would be a responsible dobe owner, potty training the pup as soon as possible, and also giving the dobe sufficient exercise.


I live in a 800sqf WALK-UP apartment (on the 4th storey!!), so it really was a @*(*&^%! to potty train my pup as I had to walk down and up 4 flights of stairs about 10 times a day. those were the days. now that he is potty trained, I still go out for walks with him 4-5 times a day, even if they are 5-10minute walks.

as for space in the apt, it depends on the layout. there are very few walls in my apt so there is actually surprisingly a lot of space for moonshine to run around and play with his toys. also, think about where youw ould put the crate for your dobe in the future. I also hope you that you know not to leave your daughter and the dobe alone without your supervision, at least not in the first few months (if at all!!)

now, that said, I find that living in an apt with my dobe actually made the both of us (and my guy) much, much fitter. we walk up and down the stairs just to go potty, and we also have some offleash run in the fenced park just opposite my place for about 15-20mins a day. you should consider that too - do you have a park nearby for your dobe to run offleash? it would help immensely. I don't let him offleash at the park everyday, but try to as much as possible.

having a fenced yard is not the end-all solution for dogs. I find that if I do not 'play' (throw ball, etc) with moonshine when let offleash in the park, he would DO NOTHING and stand there motionless looking at me! you have to be playing with them in the yard, in the garden, or park, in order for your dog to have the exercise that is needed.

a responsible dobe owner is just that, apartment or not!!

good luck! :)
 
I will have to disagree slightly here. while I understand and applaud breeders who would be more hesitant in selling a first time dog owner without a fenced yard and only an apt, it does not mean that the dog owner would be a poor one. besides, I know of many people with dogs with big houses and gardens/fenced yards, but take their dogs out only once a day for a short 5min walk, IF AT ALL!!

I think the OP already coming on this forum indicates sincerity on her part in learning as much about dobes as poss, and very possibly she wants and will do the best for her new dobe. so with that, I am confident she would be a responsible dobe owner, potty training the pup as soon as possible, and also giving the dobe sufficient exercise.


I live in a 800sqf WALK-UP apartment (on the 4th storey!!), so it really was a @*(*&^%! to potty train my pup as I had to walk down and up 4 flights of stairs about 10 times a day. those were the days. now that he is potty trained, I still go out for walks with him 4-5 times a day, even if they are 5-10minute walks.

as for space in the apt, it depends on the layout. there are very few walls in my apt so there is actually surprisingly a lot of space for moonshine to run around and play with his toys. also, think about where youw ould put the crate for your dobe in the future. I also hope you that you know not to leave your daughter and the dobe alone without your supervision, at least not in the first few months (if at all!!)

now, that said, I find that living in an apt with my dobe actually made the both of us (and my guy) much, much fitter. we walk up and down the stairs just to go potty, and we also have some offleash run in the fenced park just opposite my place for about 15-20mins a day. you should consider that too - do you have a park nearby for your dobe to run offleash? it would help immensely. I don't let him offleash at the park everyday, but try to as much as possible.

having a fenced yard is not the end-all solution for dogs. I find that if I do not 'play' (throw ball, etc) with moonshine when let offleash in the park, he would DO NOTHING and stand there motionless looking at me! you have to be playing with them in the yard, in the garden, or park, in order for your dog to have the exercise that is needed.

a responsible dobe owner is just that, apartment or not!!

good luck! :)
.............I'd thank u twice if I could. :clap_1:
 
I think it truly depends on the person and their dedication to the dog. However, as a breeder I would most likely not sell a puppy to you for numerous reasons and the apt would only be one reason. Not being a previous Doberman owner, having a young child AND no fenced yard would all combine together to be too many risk factors for me.

That said, if you are determined to get a Doberman, I'm sure you will find one. As someone else said, try not to get a high drive puppy. I would aslo recommend a bitch for your first Doberman as you would be more likely to need a dog park for exercise and males are notoriously male on male aggressive at maturity.
 
I live in an apartment, we havent had any problems with that. But the difference is that my girlfriend works in the morning until 2pm, then i leave for work at 330pm and come home at 11pm. So he has someone with him at all times, i think thats why we were so successful with duncan. He gets lots of excersize everyday and at night when i get home we go for a two-3 mile walk/jog/run/play depending how i feel that particular night. So even though he lives in an apartment all his energy gets spent and hes happy so im happy! I hope this helps!
 
I think it truly depends on the person and their dedication to the dog. However, as a breeder I would most likely not sell a puppy to you for numerous reasons and the apt would only be one reason. Not being a previous Doberman owner, having a young child AND no fenced yard would all combine together to be too many risk factors for me.

That said, if you are determined to get a Doberman, I'm sure you will find one. As someone else said, try not to get a high drive puppy. I would aslo recommend a bitch for your first Doberman as you would be more likely to need a dog park for exercise and males are notoriously male on male aggressive at maturity.
I really don't get the male on male aggression thing. I do understand that Dobermans are one of a few breeds that if not socialized properly will have a problem with other male dogs. I've had Pit Bulls my entire life and they too are supposed to be "same sex" aggressive but not once in my 25 years have we experienced anything close. I'm not saying it doesn't happen, I'm sure it does but if you are socializing your dog like a good dog owner should other dog aggression shouldn't be a huge issue regardless of sex. I know there are people here that have even tempered males so are they members of the minority and just got lucky? Or is it a testament to their pups socialization from an early age. I personally subscribe to the latter.
 
I really don't get the male on male aggression thing. I do understand that Dobermans are one of a few breeds that if not socialized properly will have a problem with other male dogs. I've had Pit Bulls my entire life and they too are supposed to be "same sex" aggressive but not once in my 25 years have we experienced anything close. I'm not saying it doesn't happen, I'm sure it does but if you are socializing your dog like a good dog owner should other dog aggression shouldn't be a huge issue regardless of sex. I know there are people here that have even tempered males so are they members of the minority and just got lucky? Or is it a testament to their pups socialization from an early age. I personally subscribe to the latter.
Doberman Pinschers of Kinetic and Weimaraners of Unity - Quality Breeders in Florida

You might want to read the above link written by a respected Doberman handler and breeder. This certainly wasn't lack of socialization!
 
Doberman Pinschers of Kinetic and Weimaraners of Unity - Quality Breeders in Florida

You might want to read the above link written by a respected Doberman handler and breeder. This certainly wasn't lack of socialization!

In this case both males were intact and living in the same household. It should be obvious for most that two intact males in the same house can and most likely will become a problem. You specifically mentioned taking the male to the dog park which is with dogs that aren't a part of the family and certainly don't live under the same roof. If the plan of the owner is to keep the dog intact then sure you may have a potential issue. However for someone that is just looking for a pet and intends to neuter, I can't see a properly socialized male being a problem. Pit Bulls are typically regarded as the most animal aggressive and while my families first and now second (Males, we also have a female) are/were neutered I never had an issue.

I personally feel the male/male aggression with dogs outside the household is wildly overblown by the breeding population. I can't say I blame them, it's better to be safe than sorry. However I know there are more than a few people on this board alone with more than one male in the same household, let alone those that own one male and take him to the dog park without issue.
 
In this case both males were intact and living in the same household. It should be obvious for most that two intact males in the same house can and most likely will become a problem. You specifically mentioned taking the male to the dog park which is with dogs that aren't a part of the family and certainly don't live under the same roof. If the plan of the owner is to keep the dog intact then sure you may have a potential issue. However for someone that is just looking for a pet and intends to neuter, I can't see a properly socialized male being a problem. Pit Bulls are typically regarded as the most animal aggressive and while my families first and now second (Males, we also have a female) are/were neutered I never had an issue.

I personally feel the male/male aggression with dogs outside the household is wildly overblown by the breeding population. I can't say I blame them, it's better to be safe than sorry. However I know there are more than a few people on this board alone with more than one male in the same household, let alone those that own one male and take him to the dog park without issue.
In my opinion a Doberman is not a breed for most people to start with. For a first time owner especially, to get a male when they may have to resort to dog parks is NOT the best idea! Personally I'd never do dog parks with any Doberman, male or female. Male to male aggression does happen with neutered Dobes as well. I actually recommended the OP get a female because of her small child and for the most part the females tend to get their brains in their heads a tad sooner than the boys. I think it was Velmadobes who brought up the female because of the dog park issue and I agree with her.

The OP came here asking for opinions on getting a Doberman puppy (with no Doberman experience) while living in an apartment. I never stated it could NOT be done but I did try to point out somethings to her; like that it would take some convincing to get a good breeder to sell her a puppy! I think many in her situation then tend to go to not so good breeder's only interested in cashing the check. Then we have the situations with a person with no experience and with no one with knowledge or that cares to lean on. As well as the byb or mill selling them a puppy without any clue to the drives and levels of experience needed to manage the puppy.
 
I have a doberman in a 900square foot loft downtown.

I ended up quitting my full time job, so I could spend more time with him. He was terrible, when I'd get him walked twice a day. And it was costing me a fortune in dog walking ..
It wasn't enough for him.

I'm out with him, daily, for at least 3 hours, or he's crazy (and very very naughty) in the evenings. When he's bored (or has a lot of energy) he gets bored very easily, and that's when he gets into trouble.
It's taken me awhile to get him housebroken. It takes us up to 3 minutes to get downstairs in the elevator. We've had a lot of accidents in the lobby and hallways. :(


I wouldn't recommend it. It's very very challenging.
But it can be done! I'm doing it, but it's a lot of work.
 
I think you should go for it - we live in a store front apartment, but I think Ruger gets more excersize than most of the dogs I know. As long as theres a little one around, he will grow up fine with it. And as far as excersize, I'm sure a 5 year old would keep him busy <3
 
My hubby and I lived in an apartment for 6 years and couldn't wait to get a big dog. But we waited until we bought a house with a fenced yard, and I'm sooo glad we did.

I'll be honest and say that I don't think I could've handled raising our puppy in an apartment. The constant potty breaks, exercise, playing, training, etc - I just don't think the apartment we were in would've been conducive for raising a ball of energy Doberman puppy. Our fenced yard has been a integral part to raising our dog and I don't think I could've done it without one. Lots of others have made it work for them, but I just don't think it would've been as successful for me.

Maybe going the rescue route for an adult would be a better option for you. Adequate exercise, play, and training is still something you will have to plan for every single day though. And like the others have said above, finding a rescue that will adopt a Doberman to someone with a small child, lives in an apartment with no fenced yard may be tough. Also, you have to be VERY careful about the dog with your child. Even if the rescue says the dog is ok with kids, you can't always trust that. I had a bad experience with a rescue dog who was supposed to be fine with cats, but would've killed my cats in an instant if given the chance. I don't want to scare you or anything, but I would do A LOT of research if I were you and make sure you are getting the right dog for your situation.
 
My hubby and I lived in an apartment for 6 years and couldn't wait to get a big dog. But we waited until we bought a house with a fenced yard, and I'm sooo glad we did.

I'll be honest and say that I don't think I could've handled raising our puppy in an apartment. The constant potty breaks, exercise, playing, training, etc - I just don't think the apartment we were in would've been conducive for raising a ball of energy Doberman puppy. Our fenced yard has been a integral part to raising our dog and I don't think I could've done it without one. Lots of others have made it work for them, but I just don't think it would've been as successful for me.

Maybe going the rescue route for an adult would be a better option for you. Adequate exercise, play, and training is still something you will have to plan for every single day though. And like the others have said above, finding a rescue that will adopt a Doberman to someone with a small child, lives in an apartment with no fenced yard may be tough. Also, you have to be VERY careful about the dog with your child. Even if the rescue says the dog is ok with kids, you can't always trust that. I had a bad experience with a rescue dog who was supposed to be fine with cats, but would've killed my cats in an instant if given the chance. I don't want to scare you or anything, but I would do A LOT of research if I were you and make sure you are getting the right dog for your situation.
Being good with kids and good with cats is apples to oranges. A rescue organization at least a reputable one isn't going to label a dog "good with kids" if it isn't good with kids. My two cents.

As far as the apartment goes, I'd say it 100% depends on the apartment. I live in a 900 sq/ft apartment with my gf and two cats. We'll be getting a Doberman the first week of August. (male) Walking out the front door is a pretty substantial court yard and there is a walking trail that goes for miles a 5 minute walk away. We also have a few dog parks close by once the puppy gets fully vaccinated. I definitely wouldn't want to deal with elevators or tons of stairs or a more urban environment with a Doberman puppy or any large breed puppy for that matter. Ultimately because of those factors it's all relative. I can't wait for all the energy and time spent. However I'm also very active to begin with....

Good luck with whatever you decide.
 
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