[MarioKessaridis]

Hi everyone,

Introducing Dobey!

He's 1 and 1/2 months old.

After hearing me go on about how much I love and wanted a Doberman, my sweet girl got me one for Christmas! Best gift ever.

We are from Melbourne, Australia. Down here, unfortunately, it is illegal to dock the tail and crop the ears, and you can get some hassles for it. It's total bull****..

Anyway, as much as I would've preferred the docked tail & cropped ears, I don't mind the natural look. (I've been looking up the natural ear taping on this forum)

The little guy is settling in nicely. Didn't whine much on his 2nd night here.
He's got a friend in the backyard, Pilly.
She's a 7 year old Kelpie x Jack Russel, and already they love to play together. Which is very surprising since Pilly is not well trained and dog social, at all. After two days of supervision, I think it's safe to say they get along and I'm not too worried about them being together.
He will mostly always stay outside.

I've had a couple of very short training sessions with the little guy, basically introducing him to 'Sit' with the treats above his nose. He's very energetic and gets distracted very easily, and quite often doesn't even seem interested in the treat!

Overall he seems very happy and excited to be here.

Any advice and tips would be greatly appricated.


Glad to be apart of this forum,

Mario Kessaridis.

 

[brw1982]

The little guy is settling in nicely. Didn't whine much on his 2nd night here.
He's got a friend in the backyard, Pilly.
She's a 7 year old Kelpie x Jack Russel, and already they love to play together. Which is very surprising since Pilly is not well trained and dog social, at all. After two days of supervision, I think it's safe to say they get along and I'm not too worried about them being together.
He will mostly always stay outside.

Welcome to the forum.

Dobermans are not outside dogs. They are not property guard dogs. They are personal protection dogs, meaning they have been bred to remain and live close with their person/people. Raising a Doberman to live outdoors can cause behavior issues, to say the least.

Have you researched the breed much before getting this little guy? There are a lot of breed traits, characteristics, and specific needs that you really need to have your head around in order to raise a stable Doberman.

 

[KoaRad]

He will mostly always stay outside.

Welcome to DT!

I urge you to reconsider this portion - Dobes are known as "velcro" dogs because they want to be near their people ALL the time, and it's important to them. I think it is important for their development, temperament and your relationship with him to have him as an indoor family member.

 

[PatchworkRobot]

Welcome to the forum.

Dobermans are not outside dogs. They are not property guard dogs. They are personal protection dogs, meaning they have been bred to remain and live close with their person/people. Raising a Doberman to live outdoors can cause behavior issues, to say the least.

Have you researched the breed much before getting this little guy? There are a lot of breed traits, characteristics, and specific needs that you really need to have your head around in order to raise a stable Doberman.

Welcome! Dobey is.cute but I second what is said above. Please reconsider keeping him insode.

 

[Darkevs]

Hello and Welcome to Doberman Talk!

Hugz to Dobey.

 

[sam&macksmom]

Welcome to DT.

Did I read correctly that he's only 6 weeks old? Also, he needs to be kept indoors, as part of the family unit.

 

[MarioKessaridis]

Welcome to DT.

Did I read correctly that he's only 6 weeks old? Also, he needs to be kept indoors, as part of the family unit.

Yes, only 6 weeks.


Anyway, personally have a very little experience with this breed but I do have alot of family and friends who have/have had doberman dogs. None of which have lived indoors.

Not that he wont get to spend time in the house, he's in with me as I'm writing this. But he's out there %70 of the time. Eating, sleeping over night, etc, all outdoors. I have to mention that I spend a lot of time with him out there. And he does have the company of my other dog when I'm not out there.

 

[Amelia_]

Welcome to the forum, gorgeous puppy!

Dobermans are indoor dogs for sure, they do not have undercoats like outdoor dogs do and as they were bred for personal protection dogs, they want to be wih you all the time.

Had you thought about going to obedience classes? Put in the time now and it'll definatley pay off in the long run

I would really recommend sticking around and learning as much as you can, some people here have been in the breed for longer than I've been alive and are true experts in he breed. I feel truly blessed to have this wealth of information from people so willing to help.

 

[TxDobieLady]

Welcome you puppy is adorable.
I agree that they need to be kept inside.'
But 6 weeks is awful young he should stayed with his mom till 8 weeks
I would always supervise your puppy and your other dog whether you think you know they like each other or not things can turn bad in a minute
I would also minimize contact a puppy of this age has with any dogs until he gets his rabies and other shots up to date.
Please stick around and post more photos people here have a lot of advice to give

 

[dobegal]

Hi and welcome to DT. I agree with other members on DT that have already stated. Dobermans are not outside dogs. It will and does hurt them both physically and mentally and they were not bred for that type of living. Being only 6 weeks of age it was way to young to be taken from his mom and litter mates. Alot of learning happens in the whelping box. Please read up either here on DT as the information from members are very informative or in literature. Good luck with Dolby

 

[brw1982]

Yes, only 6 weeks.


Anyway, personally have a very little experience with this breed but I do have alot of family and friends who have/have had doberman dogs. None of which have lived indoors.

Not that he wont get to spend time in the house, he's in with me as I'm writing this. But he's out there %70 of the time. Eating, sleeping over night, etc, all outdoors. I have to mention that I spend a lot of time with him out there. And he does have the company of my other dog when I'm not out there.

It's not a matter of whether or not he has company of another dog while he's out there. Dobermans are a single coated breed, meaning they have no real protection against weather - hot, cold, rainy, or otherwise. Also because Dobermans have been bred to bond so closely to their person/people and they require lots and lots of socialization as babies, it's a bad, bad idea for them to spend so much of such a crucial developmental time alone. If he spends 70% of his time outside, away from you, by the time he's a year old he's spent 8-1/2 months outside and alone. I don't care how much time you THINK you spend outside. If you're not living in the back yard too, he's alone 70% of the time.

I'm sure because everyone you know kept their Dobes outside you think it's a fine idea too, but did you get him to be your companion or is he a pet for your other dog?

If someone wants a breed that will happily live out doors, why don't they just get a breed bred to live outdoors? Dobermans are not independent like a dog bred to live and work with livestock, not to say those dogs don't enjoy a cozy bed inside and the company of their people but Dobermans have been specifically bred to spend their time living with people.

Just because 20 other people you know and love have done something doesn't mean they're right. Please educate yourself about Dobermans rather than assuming how others behave provides adequate care. A dog is not a dog. Pure bred dogs have been developed for very specific 'jobs' and they all come with specific needs. You and your Doberman puppy will both benefit from you becoming educated.

I'd also read up on the serious health problems known in this breed since your pup came from a not so great breeder. Without the knowledge of pedigree longevity and disease rates, as well as known health testing results on your pup's parents, it's a good idea to become familiar with breed diseases your pup is at risk for. Do you know the vWD status of your pup? If not, I'd have your vet run that test sooner rather than later so you can prepare and learn about it if you need to.

Good luck.

 

[MarioKessaridis]

Lol... What kinda pipes have ya'll been smoking?

Excuse me, but I have done my research.

The doberman was created from several breeds - farm, guard and hunting dogs.
How do these all magically add up to make this an 'inside' dog, or a 'personal protection' dog?
Someone please explain how you think that works.

Just cause Karl Dobermann decided to use his for personal protection, does NOT mean this dog is purely for 'personal protection'. He bred a dog that would be great all-round - that is all. That does not make it anything other than that.


"A dog is not a dog"? What the **** does that even mean. A dog is a pet, is what it is.
Look man, you could sleep in the same room, same bed with your doberman for all I give a ****, go right ahead. But why don't you educated yourself beforehand. A dog will do what you train it and teach it to do.

So far Dobey's doing excellent.

 

[Cindylouwho]

Congrats on your new Dobie baby! He is adorable.

Dobes can, of course, be outside dogs...just make sure you get him housebroke. That way, when the weather is bad and he has to stay inside you won't have messes to clean up.

More pics please!

 

[ZeldaRules]

Ugh. Sorry Dobey that you are destined to be a yard ornament. I'm going to go hug my boy now and let him know how lucky he is. I also am appalled at the fact that a 6 week old baby puppy is living outdoors. WOW. I am also curious to see how his relationship develops with a non-dog friendly terrier that he's stuck outside with as he matures. Dobermans are too smart, too sensitive, have too little hair, and are too velcro for outdoor living. What a shame. Please bring your dog inside.

 

[Jones]

 

[ZeldaRules]

I don't think he's a troll. If people are gonna use their real name as their public forum name, I'm curious. Found the facebook and there are Dobey pictures on there.

 

[Jones]

I don't think he's a troll. If people are gonna use their real name as their public forum name, I'm curious. Found the facebook and there are Dobey pictures on there.

Wow seriously? That's scary. I thought only a troll would talk about keeping a 6 week old dobermann outside.

 

[ZeldaRules]

Wow seriously? That's scary. I thought only a troll would talk about keeping a 6 week old dobermann outside.

I don't know much about Australia and how they culturally view dog ownership over there. I like my dogs safe indoors where they belong. They are part of my family and are treated as such. It is just WRONG to keep a 6 week old puppy outside, the poor thing has no immunity yet! Are there any laws in Australia about selling a puppy at 6 weeks like there are here in the states? I wish OP could have got hooked up with an ethical Doberman breeder who could have helped him and his girlfriend with responsible and proper Doberman ownership.

 

[MarioKessaridis]

Lol.. And you think keeping him inside, protecting him and shielding him against everything will help him develop immunity?
ZeldaRules, perhaps you should've got yourself a cat instead. You want to treat your doberman like one and call that responsible.. okay then! Tool...

 

[ssgharkness020147]

What people have said about the Dobermann's ability to withstand the weather is true, as a general rule if you need to wear a coat your Dobermann should too. Good luck with him.