[drsalwan]

Hey everyone!

I'm getting my first Doberman from my breeder in two weeks! I'm excited!

Here's the thing, am I ready for this beautiful creature?

I have a couple of things I would like people's input over...

• How many times do you feed a 7 week Doberman? I heard four times a day.
  
• What is the best puppy food to feed your Doberman, and best treats for tricks? I want to get a good brand so hit coat shines
  
• For potty training, how long did it take for your dogs to know where to go and not have accidents? And any other stories... I plan on using the bell on the door by putting his nose on the bell and saying potty.
  
• Potty timings... I read for a puppy normally in the morning when waking, after eating, and after playing.... Any real persons account of how many times they would have to take their pup out??
  
• Also I heard ears should be cropped best time is 8-10 weeks.. Anyones input on when they did it and how long it took to stand with what crop size also?
  
  I hear Doberman puppies are very easy to potty train, how much of this is true?!?! And how long did it really take???
  
  And last question... Why are Doberman puppies so cute?!
  
  Thanks everyone, this forum is full of Doberman enthusiast, I think I found my new web page to check everyday along with eSpn and Facebook

 

[Whiskey]

Couple of things... a reputable breeder (one that health tests and titles their dogs) probably will not let a pup go home at 7 weeks. They usually come home after the ears are cropped and healed.

I fed my pup 3 times a day when he was a little one. I fed taste of the wild but I have since switched to Acana and am very happy with my decision!

I took my pup out every half an hour. I didn't even give him a chance to make potty mistakes. I set an egg timer every time I brought him inside.

Every single crop takes a different length of time to stand. One of the most important things is to make sure you go to a crop artist. Many vets can crop but very very few turn out a beautiful crop. People close to your area can give you a better idea of the vet they use to crop but some people travel as far as 8 hours to get a good crop. Remember you'll be looking at this crop for the rest of your dog's life.

Hope this helps.

 

[Dakotadobe]

I second what Whiskey said! It's illegal in some states to rehome a puppy under 8 weeks old, because they learn a lot of their doggy social skills from their dam and littermates at that time. It will make your life a lot easier(not to mention save your arms and hands from needle teeth) if you wait that extra week, so you don't have to teach your puppy bite inhibition, for one.

Doberman puppies are easy to train, period(including potty training) as long as YOU are consistent. However it can take months before they have enough bladder control to stop having accidents in the house completely, so be aware of that and don't get frustrated when it's not an instant thing. The bell is a good idea too.

 

[Beaumont67]

I free feed my pup holistic/organic "all life stages" kibble, with no corn or by-products (same quality for treats) / no puppy food purchased.
- quality food helps and my old girl just turned 11 y/o

Potty training, an 8 week old puppy:
- both my females took 3 weeks, to be accident free / I talk it it with much praise outside
- tried a bell hanging from a shoe string off the door handle / our current dog was super smart, as a pup, but had no interest in ringing it
- first dog needed out every 2 hours max....second dog needed out every 1 hour
- at night, puppy sleeps in out bed and the alarm clock was set at 3:30 am for a trip outside...did this for the first month...then they slept through the night

Ears cropped by breeder at 7 weeks old.

I didn't puppy proof our home / I fully supervise and use the slight mistakes as training opportunities.
Our Amy got to learn our expectations so quickly, that she could be left alone (without a crate or being confined) at 4.5 months young.
When I was at work, I always came home at lunch time to let her out and play with her. So her baby crate time was limited to only 4 hours.
She enjoyed sleeping on the leather couch or love seat so much, that her dog bed was unused after a month...expensive dog bed now in the back of my Jeep...lol.

drsalwan - congrats on your new dobe addition...be sure to post the cute pics. of the baby arrival.
- put in much love and play time early, teaching along the way...then the adult stage is a piece-of-cake

 

[SchumiTEC]

I free feed my pup holistic/organic "all life stages" kibble, with no corn or by-products (same quality for treats) / no puppy food purchased.
- quality food helps and my old girl just turned 11 y/o

Potty training, an 8 week old puppy:
- both my females took 3 weeks, to be accident free / I talk it it with much praise outside
- tried a bell hanging from a shoe string off the door handle / our current dog was super smart, as a pup, but had no interest in ringing it
- first dog needed out every 2 hours max....second dog needed out every 1 hour
- at night, puppy sleeps in out bed and the alarm clock was set at 3:30 am for a trip outside...did this for the first month...then they slept through the night

Ears cropped by breeder at 7 weeks old.

I didn't puppy proof our home / I fully supervise and use the slight mistakes as training opportunities.
Our Amy got to learn our expectations so quickly, that she could be left alone (without a crate or being confined) at 4.5 months young.
When I was at work, I always came home at lunch time to let her out and play with her. So her baby crate time was limited to only 4 hours.
She enjoyed sleeping on the leather couch or love seat so much, that her dog bed was unused after a month...expensive dog bed now in the back of my Jeep...lol.

drsalwan - congrats on your new dobe addition...be sure to post the cute pics. of the baby arrival.
- put in much love and play time early, teaching along the way...then the adult stage is a piece-of-cake

Happy Birthday to her

 

[Nubis'sDad]

Congrats!!!! on your new arrival. Sleep lots now and get that little pup on a schedule and you will be much more happier.

 

[brw1982]

Hey everyone!

I'm getting my first Doberman from my breeder in two weeks! I'm excited!

Here's the thing, am I ready for this beautiful creature?

I have a couple of things I would like people's input over...

• How many times do you feed a 7 week Doberman? I heard four times a day.
  
  You shouldn't. They should still be with the breeder and therefore the breeder should be feeding them. At 8-9 weeks old my puppy was eating 3 times per day.
  
  
• What is the best puppy food to feed your Doberman, and best treats for tricks? I want to get a good brand so hit coat shines
  
  Dobe pups don't have to be fed puppy food. You can feed them a good quality all-life stages food and it will be as good for them as anything. I wouldn't buy treats. They have sensitive tummies. For now I'd just cut up little bits of string cheese or hot dog and use that as treats.
  
  
• For potty training, how long did it take for your dogs to know where to go and not have accidents? And any other stories... I plan on using the bell on the door by putting his nose on the bell and saying potty.
  
  It depends for each pup. Some learn more quickly than others. It also depends how vigilant you are to make sure they don't have any accidents. I trained with a bell but I would just hit it before opening the door to take her out and say, "You wanna go outside?" She picked it up pretty quickly that ringing the bell = going outside. I also treated her for pottying and pooping in the yard so she understood that was desired behavior.
  
  
• Potty timings... I read for a puppy normally in the morning when waking, after eating, and after playing.... Any real persons account of how many times they would have to take their pup out??
  
  All those times and generally I just took my puppy out every 30-45 minutes in the beginning (unless the pup is sleeping - I wouldn't wake them up to go out). They don't have great bladder control so it helps to preemptively take them out.
  
  
• Also I heard ears should be cropped best time is 8-10 weeks.. Anyones input on when they did it and how long it took to stand with what crop size also?
  
  If you've chose a good, ethical breeder they should be handling this for you. If you've chose a bad breeder who is sending the pup home at 7-weeks, uncropped, I'd not worry about cropping the puppy. You may very well need the money you'd spend on a potentially bad crop for health problems your pup could have because the breeder didn't properly health test or evaluate the parents.
  
  
  I hear Doberman puppies are very easy to potty train, how much of this is true?!?! And how long did it really take???
  
  It depends. There is no black and white answer to this question. How good are you at raising a high energy, pushy, puppy is a better question as to how long it's going to take you and your pup to learn a lot of things.
  
  
  And last question... Why are Doberman puppies so cute?!
  
  Thanks everyone, this forum is full of Doberman enthusiast, I think I found my new web page to check everyday along with eSpn and Facebook

• 
  
  I would seriously reconsider the breeder you've picked. I have no idea who it is but if they're sending pups home, uncropped, at 7 weeks old it's safe to say they're not a good breeder.

 

[tuxedojack]

I too would reconsider your choice for a breeder. No ethical breeder will let that puppy go before they are 8 weeks of age because they need to socialize and learn puppy skills from their mom and other littermates. A couple of weeks at this age makes a HUGE difference and ethical breeders will keep those puppies anywhere from 8-11 weeks. Also, they wouldnt send their puppies to a new home without the ears being cropped. I would think hard about this choice before you go ahead with this decision.

 

[sam&macksmom]

I don't think you are ready. More research is needed, particularly the red flags regarding the breeder; cropping and sending home under 8 weeks old.

All the questions you asked are questions a good breeder will answer for you and provide you with the knowledge to transition your pup to his/her new environment.

Please, take time to do more research: http://www.dobermantalk.com/breeding-breeders/47441-reputable-breeders-new-folks.html

 

[PatchworkRobot]

I would also recommend waiting for a puppy from a reputable breeder. They will not only take care for the cropping and immediate aftercare but the crop job will be beautiful (the good breeders go to the best vets). That being said...

How many times do you feed a 7 week Doberman? I heard four times a day.
I fed my boy 3 times a day until he was 6 months old, then I changed it to two times a day.

What is the best puppy food to feed your Doberman, and best treats for tricks? I want to get a good brand so hit coat shines
There is no one best food but there are plenty of good brands including (but not limited to): Taste of the Wild, Fromms, Canidae, ZiwiPeak, Orijen, Acana, Blue Buffalo Wilderness, Innova...

For potty training, how long did it take for your dogs to know where to go and not have accidents? And any other stories... I plan on using the bell on the door by putting his nose on the bell and saying potty.
Dreizehn had MAYBE four accidents and 3 of them were because nobody was paying attention to him even though the poor guy was giving all of the right signals. I think if we had been watching him better he would have been completely potty trained by 15 or 16 weeks of age (got him at 13 weeks) or maybe sooner.

Potty timings... I read for a puppy normally in the morning when waking, after eating, and after playing.... Any real persons account of how many times they would have to take their pup out??
Dreizehn went out ALL THE TIME! Up until he was about 6 months old we'd not only take him out right when he woke up, after eating, etc but we set a timer for 30-45 minutes and every time that timer went out we'd take him out to pee. Once he came back inside the timer started again.

Also I heard ears should be cropped best time is 8-10 weeks.. Anyones input on when they did it and how long it took to stand with what crop size also?
Ears should be cropped between 7 and 12 weeks of age. If it's done any later the chances of the ears standing are much, much slimmer. A reputable breeder will have the puppies cropped around 7 weeks and would not be sending them home until the age of 8-10 weeks. The whole cropping thing is hard to deal with, especially as a first time owner, which is why we are all suggesting you perhaps go to a more reputable breeder. It's worth it, trust me.

Hope that helps.

 

[Brandy&Melanie]

I am a new Dobie owner, but I might as well share my experience!!

How many times do you feed a 7 week Doberman? I heard four times a day.
We feed her twice a day, breakfast is at seven thirty am, and dinner is at six pm.

What is the best puppy food to feed your Doberman, and best treats for tricks? I want to get a good brand so hit coat shines
I agree, there is not one BEST food, but we feed Brandy Purina Pro Plan Salmon, and I heard Taste of the Wild is good. They LOVE hotdog weiners (Brandy would leap off the Eiffel tower for just a little piece), but maybe check with your breeder.

For potty training, how long did it take for your dogs to know where to go and not have accidents? And any other stories... I plan on using the bell on the door by putting his nose on the bell and saying potty.
Brandy is still learning, but the less accidents she, or your dog, has in the house, the faster she will learn. I have a little bell on her collar so if I am not hearing jingle jingle jingle, I get really nervous, but otherwise, do NOT trust them to be out of your sight. They can pee faster than anything and keep running around right after! I am about to start the bell tactic! Wish me luck!!

Potty timings... I read for a puppy normally in the morning when waking, after eating, and after playing.... Any real persons account of how many times they would have to take their pup out??
HOLY COW my puppy pees a lot. I take her out every twenty minutes to be VERY safe. Like I said before, less accidents means learning faster, and I don't give her a chance to be alone, or to be full of pee!

Also I heard ears should be cropped best time is 8-10 weeks.. Anyones input on when they did it and how long it took to stand with what crop size also?
Yes, best to do crop at eight to twelve weeks, or it won't stand very well/ will take FOREVER! I think every puppy is different, but I did a medium and I think it will take about a couple of months. They are already standing alright.


Good luck with your puppy! I really hope you have a good breeder, but the age he/she is giving you the puppy is making me reaaaally suspicious. I hope your puppy is healthy and has a long life full of cuddles with you!!