[marymouse]

Hello Everyone,

I just joined this forum as I am on the prowl for my first dobie puppy in 28 years. It's been to long. We just lost our show ridgeback puppy to bone cancer at 13 months of age and decided to change to a different smarter breed. He was a good dog though and we sure do miss him. A little about us. I own a pet grooming salon/boutique for 22 years, been in florida for 30 years, originally from chicago. I started showing dogs in high school, maltese, then moved to florida and got involved in IG"S and saluki, the Igs were not the breed for me, and stuck with salukis and got into papillons. The salukis have all passed on and then we got our ridgeback. We still have the papillons shown on occasion by a judge/breeder/mentor/mom, I do enjoy showing myself when I have the time. I treat it like a hobby and like keeping the fun part in it. WE currently have 3 papillons, 3 pet poodles(models) 2 cats, one barn cat one indoor devon rex, 4 miniature horses. We live on 5 acres, so a perfect place for a dobie to be at its happiest.

 

[Sinister]

Welcome from another farm owner in Virginia!

 

[Amelia_]

Welcome to the forum from the UK.. Im sorry to hear of the loss of your ridgie, good luck in your search for a dobe.

 

[dobegal]

hi and welcome from a Florida member. If you do a search on DT you will find reputable breeders in Florida.

 

[PatchworkRobot]

Welcome to the forums :]

 

[Darkevs]

Hello and Welcome to Doberman Talk!!

did you have black and tan salukis too? Love the breed!

I had a Rhodi once, he was very different from the Dobes, but one cool dog.

Hugz to all your animals!

 

[marymouse]

thanks for the replies

Thanks for the replies. I wrote on another thread and have had a few breeders suggested to me, checking into that. Our ridgeback was great, but he was always trying to combat or bully me. Listened to husband like a charm. I have owned 4 salukis, 2 were black/silver, 1 white and 1 red. They have all passed on, great great dogs but not protective enough for us anymore as we get older. Found a show bitch in alabama, but she is going to be small they said, not sure I want that. What exactly is the size I should be looking for. What about skin issues? do you guys do their anal glands, food etc. We feed wellness to the paps and used to on the ridgeback. Mary

 

[orlando89]

Welcome to DT.

 

[DobieGal15]

Welcome, from another Floridian

Dobermans are, by breed standard, a medium-sized dog and are best if they stay that way. They also have A LOT of energy and need owners that are highly devoted to spending tons of "me time" with them as well as proper training (of course I'm sure you have already learned/read this at some point). They are naturally protective, but are not the dog portrayed in movies. They love to cuddle, sit with/on you, go everywhere you go, and are definitely one of the most intelligent breeds. GOOD LUCK on your search for your next BFF , you will learn as much as you want to learn if you stick around!

 

[Murreydobe]

Found a show bitch in alabama, but she is going to be small they said, not sure I want that. What exactly is the size I should be looking for. What about skin issues? do you guys do their anal glands, food etc. We feed wellness to the paps and used to on the ridgeback. Mary

Doberman bitches should be between 24-26", with 25.5" being the ideal. I'd say most well bred dogs are at the very top of the standard or slightly over, fewer being in the 24" range.

If an experienced show breeder tells me they think a puppy is going to be small, that usually suggests to me there's some concern they might not be big enough, may not meet the standard in height, or may wind up lacking substance. If this is a concern, then I wouldn't consider the dog a really solid show prospect.

I've owned quite a few dobermans over a period of 25 years, and have never needed to express anal glands on even one of these dogs. This is more a small dog thing. Usually these glands express themselves with larger, active breeds.

The best food for a dog is going to be the food they do best on, and this varies between dogs. A lot of the time this is a trial and error process in finding the right food for that dog. There are two dobermans here right now. One eats the top of the line quality and very very expensive, dehydrated Honest Kitchen food. The other eats Eukanuba-after trying many, many of the super premium foods I had to admit defeat-he didn't do well on any of them, they were just too rich for his system.

 

[ZeldaRules]

Welcome to DT and good luck on your Dobe quest...would love to see pics of the mini horses!!

 

[marymouse]

I am going to try and send a picture of the mini horses, I have three, scout (stallion) sangria silver/white and starbucks is black, but looks dark brown, she hasn't been clipped yet, getting another paint filly she is red/white, but not here yet. Mary