[morgan1]

Hi,
I am new to this forum, and very excited to learn all I can about this beautiful dog. I am in college, and plan on living alone in the near future...do dobe's make good apartment dogs...I also spend 5-6 hours at a nearby barn so my dog will be able to have a LOT of room to run around during each day...are dobe's naturally protective...do they like to cuddle....are they extremely high strung???? I have so many questions, an d don't really know where to start...but I'm willing to listen and learn what any of you might be able to teach me.
Morgan

 

[LapDog]

Hi Morgan! I am in college too ...but I still live at home... I don't know if they make good apartment dogs...mine is REAL calm in the house...she knows when she is outside is when she can walk, run and play(we have a fenced in yard for that) I also recently have started taking a long walk to the park nearby and put her on her long 30ft or so leash so she can walk by me and not feel like she is leashed. What kinda hours do you work or plan on working? Do you work at the barn?

Dobes LOOOOVE to cuddle! that is why my name is LapDog! she loves sleeping next to me under the covers with her head on a pillow! I would say depending on how you raise your dobe or any dog determines how high strung they will be. Duchess like I said is real calm in the house cause we kinda taught her since a puppy that indoors is only for some light play...like tossing a ball...and that the outdoors is where she can go all out...but even then she just loves to run play frisbee...or some days she will just lay down and eat whatever she finds in the grass...mulch...mud...lol Duchess NEVER jumps up on us...to try to get us to play or anything...so that is a good thing I guess we accidently trained her not to do. lol socializing a dobe puppy I think makes them more adaptable to live with...we took duchess everywhere as a pup and I think that allows her to adapt easier to living the lifestyle you want.
to put it short and simple. Duchess will sleep in till lunch with me if I want or get up and be active with me if I want. I dont know about all dobes but mine is "Ready when you are" lol
here are some videos i have taken and posted before on this forum...that way you can see them in action lol.
http://www.clipshack.com/Clip.aspx?key=6342D244EC246534
http://www.clipshack.com/Clip.aspx?key=4C82245E7F9F370B
http://www.clipshack.com/Clip.aspx?key=2A4E48D4185405B5
http://www.clipshack.com/Clip.aspx?key=DE5FCCB4D136861A

 

[BackInBlack]

Welcome Morgan!

LOL, I have never seen those video's before! Rommel is flipping out!!! He cant find the dog barking and he is going crazy. That was really cute video!

 

[LapDog]

Rommel is going crazy because he just heard the bark of his long distant lady friend and has dedicated his life...or the next 10 minutes to find her lol

 

[Pyro n' Blaze]

Mine get walked and ran twice almost daily. Saying that, they are content when they are in the house. They will let you know when it's been too long and they need to go out. They definitely know there are indoor rules and roughplay is for outside. My wife and I have to spell out p-a-r-k and w-a-l-k because they know what it means when we say it.

 

[Dobesanddragons]

Hi and welcome. If you plan on getting a Doberman a female would be your best bet. Doberman males aren’t the easiest dog to raise as a first time Doberman owner.
Have you owned a dog before?
Are you looking at rescue or a breeder?
I don’t think young Dobermans make good apartment dogs for the most part, but older ones can relax in the house provided they get daily walks. The younger ones absolutely need a large fenced in yard to stretch their legs off leash safely several times per day, along with walks and lots of socialization.
If the barn is securely fenced in then maybe that can be like a yard for the Doberman and the arrangement could work out. Lots of apartment complexes have breed restriction clauses and don’t allow Dobermans, along with several other breeds. So you would have to check into your particular apartment complex.
Yes, Dobes are naturally protective and need lots of socialization. Most like to cuddle and take naps with you and sleep in the bed. Some can be a bit high strung; most all Dobermans are very high-energy dogs and plenty of exercise and attention.

 

[frznbuns]

Hello and welcome to the forum. you have come to the right place to learn about Dobermann Ownership. I have 4 dobermanns, 1 male and 3 females.
Dobermanns are beautiful house dogs. They love their owners and want to be close to them. That is one of the reasons they are called VelcroDogs..They love to cuddle! They do need plenty of excerise but I have several friends that live in apartments and have raised a Dobermann in apartment life.. like was stated before, be sure to check the lease for restrictions! again Welcome

 

[BackInBlack]

IMO, I don't think it is fair to the dog to bring it up in an apartment unless you have alot of time to dedicate to it. Some dobermens would do okay with it I think, but most that I have met, would go nuts in an apartment unless they had a VERY active owner and somewhere that they could spend time "off leash" running around. Don't get me wrong, it is not that they are crazy hyper or anything, but they are a very intelligent breed and get bored really easy. Boredom often times leads to behavioral problems. Then people start seeing the dog as a hassle, then they wind up in a rescue. Just my opinion... I am not trying to discourage you, they are great dogs, just know what you are committing yourself to before you bring a doberman puppy into an apartment situation. Good for you for doing your research though, BEFORE you brought home a puppy.

 

[morgan1]

I love all of the feed back I have gotten so far, but maybe this will shine some light on my life and you can further determine if a dobe would fit in. First of all I don't work, I just go to class for around 3 to 4 hours a day. I always have an hour or two in the middle in which I usually come home as I live very close to campus. The remainder of my time is spent at the barn where I board my horses, we have a huge indoor arena and a racetrack and just a wide open....feels like your own farm....sort of situation. Many of my friends have dogs that accompany them out to the barn and basically run the show they get to play and socialize while there owners do whatever (clean their stalls, ride...chat whatever). I am actually an Equine (horse) Major...and will be applying to Vet School in probably 2 years...I take my horses everywhere I go so naturally a dog would also be the same way. I am a very very experienced dog owner though I have never had a dobe I have had labs, and most recently a blue heeler and a siberian husky at my real farm. I plan on taking my dog everywhere, my city even has a fun dog park where people bring their dogs just to run free in a large fenced in "park"! So I think I would be really great at socializing him and I don't really forsee him being alone in my apartment much at all except when I am in class and I wouldprobably utilize a crate training method at least initially for those few hours I'd be away....so now what does everyone think??

 

[mariposa692001]

I raised my German Shepherd in an apartment for the first 3 years of her life...and she was much more active than my doberman....and we did fine. I used to run with her 3 times a week and she had lots of visits to parks and we also belonged to a dog training club where we did agility and obedience once a week....so, as long as your pup gets lots of exercise (which sounds like he or she will) you and the pup will be fine.

 

[Codysmom]

welcome to the forum Morgan. where are you located? that could really make the difference with you and your future dobe. Where I am in MD outside of DC there are not a lot of places that I can bring a dobe other than general outside walks, and Petsmart.nor are there a lot of dog/critter savvy people. but where my husband lived for years (in Montana, ) dogs go EVERYWHERE, bars, stores, restaurants, other rancehesetc so it's easier. sounds like you out west in farm/ranch country so an apartment would be OK, IMO. I don't see a whole lot of difference in people keeping their dogs in the house or apt all day. it's still inside not running around.

although pups can be a handful, with a rescue you never know what you are really going to get. my rescue is fabulous, but cats are one of his favorite food groups, so you can imagine what it would be like to bring Apollo to a barn and have him going after all the barn cats!! who know's what he would do about the horses!!! oi!

All that aside, you will never find a better companion than a dobe. they are smart and beautiful, they love to be with you and as frznbuns said definitely velcro dogs - so be prepared to share your bed, your lap, your chair, the bathroom (maybe not the shower) everything with you doberkid. I have had labs, and newfs, my husband had border collies, huskies, heelers and other working dogs on the ranch and feed lots and neither one of us will ever have another breed.

the best things about dobes is that they are always 'ready'. ready for play, ready for work, ready to run, ready to climb in your lap, ready for an ear scratch, you name it.

they can be a handful. if they don't get enough to do, they will find something to do and they can get creatively destructive. also the teenage years can be a challenge as well. but it sounds as tho you have spent plenty of time with working dogs and should do quite well with a dobe.

glad you found us.

cc

 

[micdobe]

You referred to your future Doberman as "him", but "her" would be better for your situation. One reason is what someone else said, that a male is hard for a first time Doberman owner. My first Doberman was a male, because I insisted even tho the breeder said it was not a good idea. But she gave in to me. I would have returned him to her several times over during his first year except that I didn't want to hear her say "I told you so". She was a friend and I saw her often which made it even more embarrassing. He was like no dog I'd ever known before to raise.

Another reason to get a female in your case is because it's so much easier to take them everywhere and do things with them than it is with a male. I love the males. I love the females. I give the edge to the males, but I love both. Some people feel the opposite way. Having said that, when I got the puppy I have now I wanted a female. Most of my Dobermans have been males and I wanted a change. But also I wanted to be able to take my dog to places like dog parks and in your case the barn where there are groups of other dogs.
Doberman males once they reach puberty tend to become aggressive to other male dogs. Not all of them, and not even all the time with some. But it's there. In addition you never know in a group of dogs which other males might be aggressive toward your dog. It's so much easier to take a female into these situations. That's why I wanted a female this time, and why I recommend a female to you.

 

[crxman321]

Welcome to the Forum!