[CCnative]

I know, I know- everyone posts this!!!
We live in Central California (fresno area) and I wanted some honest and NON-biased opinions if thats possible.

I really am doing my hwk here and researching lots of breeders that are reasonably close to me and its honestly scary and I do not know WHO to believe. I dont want to name names, but it seems as if I have stumbled upon some weird territory of breeder drama where one breeder I found has a pup whose sire was just diagnosed as being a DCM carrier and will not know if he is a homozygous or not because that sire's dam has a breeder that refuses to test her... so im in a quandry where Im probably going to just avoid that breeder because there is no way of knowing if the ONE male she uses is a **** or hetero because his lineage hasnt been fully tested. I dont know if it is rude to ask this breeder if she would test her adults... and even if it comes out that they are heteros.... is that smart to buy a got that carries the DCM gene?? I dont know what to do.

It just seems like lots of people are confident with their breed, yet only a stud is tested, or people "dont believe in testing"- I know everyone's ultimate goal is to have a healthy dobie, I dont want to wind up in a situation where I regret the breeder I chose or want to know if it is smart to get a dog that isnt tested.. (im thinking not).

If there are any good referrals in my area please let me know. I have been on DPCA website, and yes there are lots of referrals in Ca, but I am hoping someone has knowledge or a relationship with a breeder vs. just going off of the internet.


Also (sorry this is a long post) we really are liking the blues, but I keep reading how unhealthy their coats become so Im going to avoid even going in that direction- are Red coats usually pretty healthy, or would you just stick with the black and tan?!

Thanks so much for any help- I dont want to have to go extremely far, I know the dog will ultimately be costly and gas as well as going back for crop touch-ups as well as having a toddler will be challenging

 

[Darkevs]

Well........good luck with your research and search.

Not sure if it would interest you............. but if you get the chance maybe you could look at a few Rescue doberman in your area too.

 

[CCnative]

Well........good luck with your research and search.

Not sure if it would interest you............. but if you get the chance maybe you could look at a few Rescue doberman in your area too.

I would be interested in a rescue, if we didnt have a 2 year old. I wouldnt feel confident in the dogs background (whether mistreated, stray etc.) unless we raised it from a puppy with proper leadership and training unfortunately.

 

[sam&macksmom]

Welcome to DT. Good luck with your puppy search.

 

[Rosemary]

I would be interested in a rescue, if we didnt have a 2 year old. I wouldnt feel confident in the dogs background (whether mistreated, stray etc.) unless we raised it from a puppy with proper leadership and training unfortunately.

A good rescue organization would know if the dog was good with kids, etc. I have two autistic kids, eight cats, and a bird. Personally, I'd rather go with either an older pup or adult, from a good rescue, who has been kid and cat tested. Young puppies also tend to go through a "landshark" stage, where they try their teeth out on everything, including people.

My husband says the best dog he's ever had was the Dobe mix I adopted when she was two years old. Gin had lived on a chain, and was basically ignored, for the first two years of her life. No training or socialization what-so-ever. She was still a friendly dog, and very good with kids. This was in spite of the fact that she lost her right eye because her original owner's kid hit her with a wire coathanger.

 

[Q734]

I know, I know- everyone posts this!!!
We live in Central California (fresno area) and I wanted some honest and NON-biased opinions if thats possible.

I really am doing my hwk here and researching lots of breeders that are reasonably close to me and its honestly scary and I do not know WHO to believe. I dont want to name names, but it seems as if I have stumbled upon some weird territory of breeder drama where one breeder I found has a pup whose sire was just diagnosed as being a DCM carrier and will not know if he is a homozygous or not because that sire's dam has a breeder that refuses to test her... so im in a quandry where Im probably going to just avoid that breeder because there is no way of knowing if the ONE male she uses is a **** or hetero because his lineage hasnt been fully tested. I dont know if it is rude to ask this breeder if she would test her adults... and even if it comes out that they are heteros.... is that smart to buy a got that carries the DCM gene?? I dont know what to do.

It just seems like lots of people are confident with their breed, yet only a stud is tested, or people "dont believe in testing"- I know everyone's ultimate goal is to have a healthy dobie, I dont want to wind up in a situation where I regret the breeder I chose or want to know if it is smart to get a dog that isnt tested.. (im thinking not).

If there are any good referrals in my area please let me know. I have been on DPCA website, and yes there are lots of referrals in Ca, but I am hoping someone has knowledge or a relationship with a breeder vs. just going off of the internet.


Also (sorry this is a long post) we really are liking the blues, but I keep reading how unhealthy their coats become so Im going to avoid even going in that direction- are Red coats usually pretty healthy, or would you just stick with the black and tan?!

Thanks so much for any help- I dont want to have to go extremely far, I know the dog will ultimately be costly and gas as well as going back for crop touch-ups as well as having a toddler will be challenging

Just pointing out that there are plenty of bitches who've had the DCM dna test. And no that test isn't the end all be all for predicting dcm.
That said if it's important to you start looking for dogs/bitches with longevity behind them, you can start with dobequest.org. Hit shows, study what you like from whom you like and go from there.

One thing tho, you've a toddler and say you want a puppy. It's no joke that puppies are a lot of work- it's like having another toddler....on speed.
If I were a breeder unless someone else in the house was WAY on board I would not sell to someone w/a baby/toddler.

I know that sounds mean but to do puppies right- they are fantastically time & energy consuming- and like toddlers you've always got to keep on top of those running @ top speed with sharp object moments.

 

[Murreydobe]

I dont want to name names, but it seems as if I have stumbled upon some weird territory of breeder drama where one breeder I found has a pup whose sire was just diagnosed as being a DCM carrier and will not know if he is a homozygous or not because that sire's dam has a breeder that refuses to test her... so im in a quandry where Im probably going to just avoid that breeder because there is no way of knowing if the ONE male she uses is a **** or hetero because his lineage hasnt been fully tested.

This doesnt even make sense. I think either you didn't understand what the breeder was telling you, or they're giving you a line of BS.

If the one male the breeder uses has been dna tested, then they'd know if he was hetero or ****. You don't need to test beyond the current generation to know this.

Personally, I'd pay far more attention to the results of current holter and echo tests on the sire and dam of any litters I was considering. I don't believe we're at the point where the dna test really provides too much useful information. Certainly a negative dna result is no guarantee the dog will never develop DCM.

 

[hvick]

This doesnt even make sense. I think either you didn't understand what the breeder was telling you, or they're giving you a line of BS.

If the one male the breeder uses has been dna tested, then they'd know if he was hetero or ****. You don't need to test beyond the current generation to know this.

Personally, I'd pay far more attention to the results of current holter and echo tests on the sire and dam of any litters I was considering. I don't believe we're at the point where the dna test really provides too much useful information. Certainly a negative dna result is no guarantee the dog will never develop DCM.

This is "ccnative" accidentally changed the email in my account (misspelled it as I was typing) to another one, and now I cant chat etc. because I cant click the activate link it emailed me!

There are 2 separate breeders, one who I found, and then upon doing research I saw that her stud came from another breeder who was informing her that hers tested (her studs dad) tested positive for DCM, and the other breeder said that the dams owner wont test her, so the stud from the breeder in my area( doesnt do testing anyway ) still isnt testing even though the breeder contacted her and told her to test her male before breeding... I found this troubling.

 

[Murreydobe]

There are 2 separate breeders, one who I found, and then upon doing research I saw that her stud came from another breeder who was informing her that hers tested (her studs dad) tested positive for DCM, and the other breeder said that the dams owner wont test her, so the stud from the breeder in my area( doesnt do testing anyway ) still isnt testing even though the breeder contacted her and told her to test her male before breeding... I found this troubling.

Again, I'd be more concerned about current holter and echo testing, as well as longevity in the pedigree. I don't think we know enough about what it all means for the cardiac dna test to be a particularly good screening tool at this time. It's a good thing to do this test to provide the researchers with as much data as possible, so that someday we may have truly useful dna cardiac testing.

 

[mangujowa]

As far as breeders go, are you looking for show or working/euro? There's soquel dobermans, darwin dobermans, and irongate dobermans in Northern california-ish, but I don't know how often they breed. Irongate has a ton of longevity certificates, but I don't know much about their current dogs. We're also lucky to have three euro/working breeders up here; incredible in santa rosa, von luka in modesto, and vom landgraf in sacramento and all three health test and title.

 

[Murreydobe]

I'd contact Irongate, they're in Truckee. I know they do a lot of health testing, and temperament is a big priority with them as well. I believe they just had a litter of 14 (!!!!), so don't know when they'll be planning another litter, tho.

 

[hvick]

As far as breeders go, are you looking for show or working/euro? There's soquel dobermans, darwin dobermans, and irongate dobermans in Northern california-ish, but I don't know how often they breed. Irongate has a ton of longevity certificates, but I don't know much about their current dogs. We're also lucky to have three euro/working breeders up here; incredible in santa rosa, von luka in modesto, and vom landgraf in sacramento and all three health test and title.

Thanks!! One of the breeders I was talking to lives in Stockton.. I dont want to name names because Ive heard there can be threatening emails. She has bread for a LONG time.. and I'll ask about cardio testing, not sure if there has been any (supposed to chat more tonight) I will look up those in the AM, I had heard about irongate.

 

[Murreydobe]

I dont want to name names because Ive heard there can be threatening emails.

LOL, say no more, I'm pretty sure I know who you're talking about.

 

[hvick]

LOL, say no more, I'm pretty sure I know who you're talking about.

I just PM'ed you... oh gosh now I know im not odd for feeling weird.. I have seriously stumbled into some intertwined breeder issues here (3 of them)

 

[mangujowa]

Thanks!! One of the breeders I was talking to lives in Stockton.. I dont want to name names because Ive heard there can be threatening emails. She has bread for a LONG time.. and I'll ask about cardio testing, not sure if there has been any (supposed to chat more tonight) I will look up those in the AM, I had heard about irongate.

Pretty sure I know who you're talking about (forgot their name, though), but I'd stay away and stick to the more reputable breeders. I'd look for regular and thorough health testing as well as titling in either AKC conformation or working sports. There are other unsavory breeders in the bay area as well that I would avoid.