[maggiemay]

So....all of you knowledgable, reputable, informed Doberman people who try your darndest to enlighten some n00b who wants to buy from a BYB... how do you do it?

How do you manage to write such informative, educated, enlightened posts (much better than I could ever write) just to have the OP disregard it and go with the BYB anyway?

So many times I have started to write out a reason to avoid said "BYB", but by the time I have written one or two paragraphs, I am thinking, WTH? Why bother? I am talking to a brick wall here!

This recent thread: http://www.dobermantalk.com/breeding-breeders/65536-i-may-trouble-please-do-not-beat-me-up.html is a case in point.

I was thinking "Yes! You are you are getting it! Yes! you are making progress!

But, no... Sadly, no...

How do you do it day after day? And then, start all over again the next day with the next n00b ?

Doesn't your heart just hurt?

 

[PatchworkRobot]

For me I know that I have made a difference before and that's what keeps me going. No, what I say may more often than not fall on deaf ears but it's the few times that somebody actually takes the advice given and learns from it and makes better choices that keeps me going.

 

[Murreydobe]

I've been doing this for close to 40 years now. One thing I know all too well is that if you can reach one person out of dozens and dozens, then you've been successful.

Stupid is just global, no sense in beating yourself up about that.

A lot of the time I stay away from newbie questions on this board, I want to see if they're actually trainable before I put any time into them.

 

[MeadowCat]

I try to just speak from my own experience. I've been in their shoes, but didn't find DT (or really know what research I needed to do). I do try really hard to be polite and not jump all over people.

The one thing I don't do is say something about the breeder after they already have the pup in their possession. Even a casual "wish your breeder would have done this for you" when someone posts looking for a cropping vet seems pointless to me when they already have the pup. It's not like they're going to return it, and it's more likely to turn them off of DT. I'd rather have people stick around and learn to make a better choice next time than berate them for what they've already done.

 

[Australdi]

It's not just the gems of people who do "get" it and develop, learn and go on to be great ambassadors....it's also the silent lurkers who read the threads and avoid the bad breeders/situations without ever posting in that thread. it's unquatifyable...but there's enough posts here that proves it does happen. All behavioural and schemata change happens one step at a time...and each step in the right direction brings a better world just that little bit closer.

Good deeds are cumulative.
Bad deeds can be restituted and nulled in an act of true repentance.

 

[maggiemay]

It's not just the gems of people who do "get" it and develop, learn and go on to be great ambassadors....it's also the silent lurkers who read the threads and avoid the bad breeders/situations without ever posting in that thread.

True, that.

 

[beedub1981]

It's not just the gems of people who do "get" it and develop, learn and go on to be great ambassadors....it's also the silent lurkers who read the threads and avoid the bad breeders/situations without ever posting in that thread. it's unquatifyable...but there's enough posts here that proves it does happen. All behavioural and schemata change happens one step at a time...and each step in the right direction brings a better world just that little bit closer.

Good deeds are cumulative.
Bad deeds can be restituted and nulled in an act of true repentance.

I'm a "lurker" and "n00b" who is happy to say thanks to a certain member making we aware of a certain thread I "got" it. Rest assured, it is not all for naught.

 

[RedFawnRising]

I try to remember I'm making the attempt on behalf of the dogs, not necessarily the person in front of me (cyber-wise or in real life) at that moment.

And, there really is a special kind of satisfaction in seeing those few who do open up and learn, and get it, and go on to become superduper cool dog people.

 

[OliviaB]

I guess personally, I just hope that eventually it will make a difference. I do my best to educate people and then it's up to them with what they choose to do with that information. For every 20 people who ignore our advice, maybe one or two will actually listen and learn. Even if they don't, at least I know I've tried and done my best. I was uneducated once too, so I remind myself that if people hadn't stopped to teach me, I'd still be completely misled. We grew up with backyard bred dogs who were never fixed and ran loose. Obviously now I've learned better, but it is only thanks to people along the way who showed me the correct way to own a dog. I guess I feel like it is my duty to pass along that information.

 

[Cjp8407]

These posts DO reach people.

I am a noob to the board but have been faithfully reading it for quite some time now ( a silent lurker . I have never posted questions etc yet because to be honest a lot of times I didn't need to. There are so many informative answers that you are truly reaching people even if the posts may not reflect it . Keep up the great work and know that every answer educational or opinionated is reaching people who are honestly looking for answers not just what they want to hear.

 

[GingerGunlock]

For whatever mysterious reason, I didn't find DT when I was Googling around and doing my preliminary research and found Elka's breeder. I really wish I had, and that I'd waited. Not because we've had problems *knock wood* but because I'm afraid of what might happen.

I'm new at this too, and while a lot of what I say is what I assimilated on-board, it doesn't mean I don't believe it. That, and I like feeling like I'm right, whether people listen or not (a lot of people don't listen to me in real life anyway).

 

[RedFawnRising]

I am a noob to the board but have been faithfully reading it for quite some time now ( a silent lurker . I have never posted questions etc yet because to be honest a lot of times I didn't need to. There are so many informative answers that you are truly reaching people even if the posts may not reflect it . Keep up the great work and know that every answer educational or opinionated is reaching people who are honestly looking for answers not just what they want to hear.

The "thank you" button just isn't quite enough, so thank you, for this.

 

[Kayree]

I'm a "lurker" and "n00b" who is happy to say thanks to a certain member making we aware of a certain thread I "got" it. Rest assured, it is not all for naught.

I am also one of these n00bs and I agree. Not all n00bs are dumb -- some of us not only want what's best for our future dog, but ourselves. If we make an educated decision about our doberman's breeder then maybe we will be lucky enough to have more good times than bad with our new companion (and feel good about our choice!).

Thanks DT. :thanx:

 

[dreamsongs]

Nothing's in vain. A couple of weeks ago under my kids pressure I went to a BYB drove 4 hours RT and put a deposit on a 6 week old pup. Already on the way home I felt a little strange and not as happy as I should've been.

Then when I got home, I started doing what I should've done initially and did some research. While I was doing that, I ran into DT and started reading threads like crazy. I joined the MB and read some more and realized that I had made a mistake. I read a lot about BYB and reputable breeders, health testing, temperament and how important all this was in my decision to buy a puppy.

The following morning I put a "stop" on my check and spoke to the breeder apologizing that it was a rushed decision and we were unfortunately not taking the puppy home. It was hard to do but I felt better afterwards. My kids were disappointed because they wanted a puppy "NOW" !

Anyway, after many many phone calls I got on the waiting list with a local reputable breeder and we're awaiting her litter soon. It looks to be very promising as the Sire is Trotyl and he's a gorgeous dog. The Dam is beautiful as well.

The moral of the story is that I came to my senses and did the right thing, so thanks to all who contributed and answered my posts here. It may take another 9-10 weeks to get the puppy but it'll be fully worth the wait...