Has anyone owned a Doberman? Are they good family pets? Five kids + big dog indoors, yea or neigh?

[Cactus]

If you have the ability to let the dog do some daily running, consider a Border Collie. They are very smart, loyal, and affectionate. I love Labs too. I liked the Portuguese Water Dog before they became so trendy. I’m concerned that their new-found fame will cause some some breeders to act irresponsibly. The dogs are great about not shedding!

 

[etspiri2sanctus]

Our dear old dog died last month & we’re considering getting a new one. He was a mixed breed - smallish sized dog who didn’t shed (poodle mix of some sort?) I like big dogs, but we got our little guy when our kids were young thinking it would be less hassle… and I’m sure it was. He was a good dog. Now we’re thinking it would be ok to go back to a bigger breed… although my husband questions if a little dog is still best for our busy family?

I have always wanted a doberman. When I was younger, I had a neighbor who had one and he was a fantastic dog, very obedient. My husband is a little leary … thinks we’d not know if the cute doberman puppy would grow up to be overly aggressive since they were bred to be guard dogs.

Here’s our family - 5 kids ages 18 - 5, medium sized house & fenced “in town” yard. We are very active & outdoorsy - walk, hike, camp. Dog would need to be kept indoors as we have freakishly cold winters. How badly do they shed? How hyper are they? Our house is 100 years old - wooden floors with wooden steps - would the big dog plow our kids over I wonder??? We’d take him to obedience classes - wondering if a female would be easier to train? If your experience, are they good family pets? Or am I crazy because a big dog is SO much more work?

Thanks!

Dobermans, as are German Shephards, can be tempermental. Look into a Labrador if you want a big mellow fellow or gal.

 

[MtnDwellar]

We love our dogs. The dog threads fill up pretty quickly.

When I brought my Rottweiler home from the shelter, I needed to socialize her. I knew that her breed was known to be dangerous. She started out loyal to me and aggressive to everyone else who she met. I invited people to my house. I walked her around the neighborhood. I brought her to dog walking parks. I took her to other people’s homes after receiving permission. We took a training class. I think it worked.

She remained loyal to me, almost never letting me leave her sight, but she learned to like strangers. She developed a practice of crawling around small children and my mother. Mom was afraid of large dogs. I think that she realized that her size was intimidating and so she crawled on the floor. I was so impressed by her innate sensitivity and intelligence.

I am sure that every dog of the breed is not the same. I wish I knew how Sarah became so sweet.

 

[severus68]

We love our dogs. The dog threads fill up pretty quickly.

When I brought my Rottweiler home from the shelter, I needed to socialize her. I knew that her breed was known to be dangerous. She started out loyal to me and aggressive to everyone else who she met. I invited people to my house. I walked her around the neighborhood. I brought her to dog walking parks. I took her to other people’s homes after receiving permission. We took a training class. I think it worked.

She remained loyal to me, almost never letting me leave her sight, but she learned to like strangers. She developed a practice of crawling around small children and my mother. Mom was afraid of large dogs. I think that she realized that her size was intimidating and so she crawled on the floor. I was so impressed by her innate sensitivity and intelligence.

I am sure that every dog of the breed is not the same. I wish I knew how Sarah became so sweet.

I believe your love and compassion made her trust again. You rescued her and she repaid you many times over. Good job, God bless.

 

[CB_Catholic]

If you have the ability to let the dog do some daily running, consider a Border Collie. They are very smart, loyal, and affectionate. I love Labs too. I liked the Portuguese Water Dog before they became so trendy. I’m concerned that their new-found fame will cause some some breeders to act irresponsibly. The dogs are great about not shedding!

My son has a border collie. She is extremely intelligent, housebroke early, loves to play, and they have her in agility training now, which gives her a lot of exercise and obedience training. They need a lot of exercise. She gets along well with their other dog, also, but from the time she was a puppy, she tried to herd the five cats, which doesn’t sit too well with the cats. But she is a wonderful dog and was very easy to train, being so intelligent.

They also have a Labradoodle (a cross between a lab and a poodle) and that is another intelligent, sweet dog that makes a great family pet. Plus their coats are supposed to be non-shedding and hypoallergenic. My brother has one of these, too, and it too is a sweet-natured, intelligent dog. There are breeders of these dogs now and they are becoming a breed of their own and a very popular family pet.

My mother had a chihuahua and she spoiled it rotten. It loved my mother to death, but was aggressive towards other people and other animals. The previous owner had it’s front teeth pulled (I think that is cruel) because it would nip at the other dogs and atttach itself to the ankles of people. I used to walk across the room with the dog hanging on to my pants leg. He would also sulk and pee on the floor when corrected. A prime example of what can happen when a dog is spoiled and untrained. Thank goodness he only weighed a couple of pounds and my mother carried him around in her housecoat pocket most of the time, because that little thing tried to rule the house. It also barked a lot. it didn’t need to be that way, it was allowed to act like that by poor training. But my mother loved that dog and they had a strong bond. He was her companion after the death of her husband.

 

[Alix1912]

OP:
As far as hair goes—I also have three cats and if you want to talk hair I can hang with the best of them. However, I body clip my cats and while they may look like miniature lions the hair is a non issue in my house.

We always had barn cats, and trying to give them the rare bath they needed required welding gloves and 4 people…I would pay good money to see someone body clip a cat.

 

[belmontmac]

I have a Dobe now, for the last 14 yrs. They are very protective of their family. We have never had a single incident with our 3 kids and her. She was very tolerant with them. I will admit that she is very anxious, high strung, and very protective(almost too protective). I don’t know that I’d get another, if I had a choice(I am sure I don’t have a choice when she goes). She really doesn’t shed much, which is why we have one. My wife is very allergic to dogs, but not so much to the Dobe because of the shorter hair. But with the short hair, as she ages, you get to see all her lumps and bumps. They are very smart dogs, almost too smart, and ours requires a lot of attention. She even likes to hold hands. All in all, she has been a great dog, and has lived a long life for her breed.

She has never bitten anyone, unlike a Lab that lived next door to us, who bit my 3 year old daughter out of nowhere, unprovoked, in the face.

 

[yellowbird]

I have a Dobe now, for the last 14 yrs. They are very protective of their family. We have never had a single incident with our 3 kids and her. She was very tolerant with them. I will admit that she is very anxious, high strung, and very protective(almost too protective). I don’t know that I’d get another, if I had a choice(I am sure I don’t have a choice when she goes). She really doesn’t shed much, which is why we have one. My wife is very allergic to dogs, but not so much to the Dobe because of the shorter hair. But with the short hair, as she ages, you get to see all her lumps and bumps. They are very smart dogs, almost too smart, and ours requires a lot of attention. She even likes to hold hands. All in all, she has been a great dog, and has lived a long life.

She has never bitten anyone, unlike a Lab that lived next door to us, who bit my 3 year old daughter out of nowhere, unprovoked, in the face.

14 years IS a long life for a Dobe. She must have been well cared for… lucky girl!

I laughed at your description of her aging & showing all of her lumps & bumps. I can relate.

Not sure about the high strung & anxious. I guess that’s the temperment she was born with… what can you do, right? Glad to hear she’s been a good pet.

We’re still talking about what’s best for our family. One thing I can say is we’re experiencing STICKER SHOCK… we haven’t been the market for a dog in over 12 years. I found some Dobe breeds from links off the AKC website and the pups go for $1200 - $1800. Yikes. Granted, the parents look like award winning show dogs - but that’s not what we want. We’re just looking for a good family pet. Are pure breds THAT expensive?

Follow up question - if we were to adopt a puppy from a shelter, how do we know what we’re getting? My older teenagers checked out the puppies at our local shelter, took pics with their phone & IMO they look to be mixed with pit. The shelter said they think boxer, but how do you know? And is a mix less likely to have any of the bad characteristics of a specific breed because of the genetic mix? (pit/lab mix vs. pure pit??)

PS> LOVE all the replies… you guys are great!!!

 

[freethinker83]

14 years IS a long life for a Dobe. She must have been well cared for… lucky girl!

I laughed at your description of her aging & showing all of her lumps & bumps. I can relate.

Not sure about the high strung & anxious. I guess that’s the temperment she was born with… what can you do, right? Glad to hear she’s been a good pet.

We’re still talking about what’s best for our family. One thing I can say is we’re experiencing STICKER SHOCK… we haven’t been the market for a dog in over 12 years. I found some Dobe breeds from links off the AKC website and the pups go for $1200 - $1800. Yikes. Granted, the parents look like award winning show dogs - but that’s not what we want. We’re just looking for a good family pet. Are pure breds THAT expensive?

Follow up question - if we were to adopt a puppy from a shelter, how do we know what we’re getting? My older teenagers checked out the puppies at our local shelter, took pics with their phone & IMO they look to be mixed with pit. The shelter said they think boxer, but how do you know? And is a mix less likely to have any of the bad characteristics of a specific breed because of the genetic mix? (pit/lab mix vs. pure pit??)

PS> LOVE all the replies… you guys are great!!!

As far as how the shelter knows, they are likely making their best guess. It seems that half of the dogs I’ve looked at in shelters are part pit.

I guess that is the going rate for a quality doberman. Price definitely varies by breed. Our Spring Spaniel was $1000, and I believe a friend of mine paid about the same for his boxer.

The one thing you are generally paying for with a quality dog is health. This goes beyond appearance. If the breeder knows what he/she is doing the dog will generally come from a good line and won’t have the genetic defects many people associate with purebreds. Oftentimes this is a problem in poorly bred purebreds. If you pay the extra money up front you may be saving yourself money in vet bills down the line. Most good breeders will guarantee against genetic health defects.

 

[belmontmac]

14 years IS a long life for a Dobe. She must have been well cared for… lucky girl!

I laughed at your description of her aging & showing all of her lumps & bumps. I can relate.

Not sure about the high strung & anxious. I guess that’s the temperment she was born with… what can you do, right? Glad to hear she’s been a good pet.

We’re still talking about what’s best for our family. One thing I can say is we’re experiencing STICKER SHOCK… we haven’t been the market for a dog in over 12 years. I found some Dobe breeds from links off the AKC website and the pups go for $1200 - $1800. Yikes. Granted, the parents look like award winning show dogs - but that’s not what we want. We’re just looking for a good family pet. Are pure breds THAT expensive?

Follow up question - if we were to adopt a puppy from a shelter, how do we know what we’re getting? My older teenagers checked out the puppies at our local shelter, took pics with their phone & IMO they look to be mixed with pit. The shelter said they think boxer, but how do you know? And is a mix less likely to have any of the bad characteristics of a specific breed because of the genetic mix? (pit/lab mix vs. pure pit??)

PS> LOVE all the replies… you guys are great!!!

Yes the lumps, the kids like to say she swallowed an ear of corn and it is stuck in her stomach protruding out of her side. I mean it is like a softball sticking out of her side. But the vet said it is just a fatty tissue. She’s had it for years.

We paid $300 for her in 1996. We didn’t research it much, just picked up the newspaper and found an ad and went to get her. Hindsight we werent very smart about it. The breeder wouldn’t let us see the mother, red flag, but we ignored it. My wife just fell in love at first sight. She was only 6 weeks old, another red flag, too young.

Something else to consider, the breed is prone to having a disease called Von Willabruns disease, a blood disorder where they don’t clot or something like that. Can’t say I know very much about it, but when we had her spayed, the vet needed extra time to “trick” her blood, so her could perform the surgery.

High strung, she chases(well used to) light from flashlights, sun light reflections on the wall, went totally bananas over squirrels and chipmunks. She loves to bark at the neighbors, and she sometimes forgets when people are over visiting, she runs up to them like she has never seen them before.

But, she has never torn anything up, never had any health issues, very well potty trained, very trainable, very good with kids(mine and others), and very protective.

Good luck.

 

[RazzsMom]

We love our dogs. The dog threads fill up pretty quickly.

When I brought my Rottweiler home from the shelter, I needed to socialize her. I knew that her breed was known to be dangerous. She started out loyal to me and aggressive to everyone else who she met. I invited people to my house. I walked her around the neighborhood. I brought her to dog walking parks. I took her to other people’s homes after receiving permission. We took a training class. I think it worked.

She remained loyal to me, almost never letting me leave her sight, but she learned to like strangers. She developed a practice of crawling around small children and my mother. Mom was afraid of large dogs. I think that she realized that her size was intimidating and so she crawled on the floor. I was so impressed by her innate sensitivity and intelligence.

I am sure that every dog of the breed is not the same. I wish I knew how Sarah became so sweet.

I liked your comment…that sounds just like our Sasha. I have no idea how she was so sweet. As I have said, she was our first Rottweiler. I was very leery of the breed before her, and she was the one who taught me so much about how sweet Rottweilers can be. Sasha never met anyone she did not convert to loving the breed. One look at her face and seeing her raise her paw to say “Hi” would make anyone smile.

She came to us from a Rottweiler rescue. She had ben found on a highway and had a mark on her nose where someone had shot at and grazed her. Yet she was the gentlest of souls…my DH took her to the Harley-Davidson shop where he worked and she soon became the store mascot. She loved to wander through the leather jackets and smell them. (We joked that she was doing inventory.) Soon, the shop would get people dropping in not for any purpose except to see Sasha! Everyone mourned her death.

To the OP - I heartily recommend a rescue to look at a dog. (Once you decide on a breed.) The dogs that are there often come from shelters that are full or about to euthanize a dog and the rescue takes it instead. The nice thing about the rescue is they never euthanize and they also check the dog’s temperment. You will know if the dog gets along with kids, cats, men, women, persons who wear hats, how they react with a person who acts aggressively, how they react to loud noises, etc.

Personally - I will never own anything other than a Rottie. But I also think you would like (as someone mentioned) a Weimaraner (sweet dogs) - Great Danes (they are true couch potatoes and they often think they are human!) Labs. Goldens, Labradoodles and Boxers (as long as you don’t mind drool). St. Bernards are sweet but REALLY drooly. (AND hairy!)

Going to see a dog show is a GREAT idea. Breed owners are always going to tell you about why their breed is wonderful but they are also great sources of truth about their breeds. A show person will always let you know the good, bad AND ugly about their breed.

Good luck! I hope you find one you can’t live without! I am anxious to hear what you decide to get!

 

[belmontmac]

OP, I see you are in Chicago, I am as well, well the suburbs. Our vet is in Elk Grove Village, excellent vet. He is very fond of Dobes. We got ours in Calumet City, don’t know if the breeder is still around. But she is a pure bred, we have the papers, for some reason she was just cheap??

 

[freethinker83]

I want to add that I don’t have anything against shelter dogs, my post may have given that impression. The main reason I went the purebred breeder rout was because I wanted a dog that I could have faith in being a good hunter. If I wanted the dog only as a pet I would likely have gone to a rescue or shelter. Everyone loves our dog though! He’s a very sweet guy.

I agree with another poster who said everyone is going to promote their own breed as being best.

 

[Nanny_PK]

I also can highly recommend rescue dogs. My Dixie is a rescue Schnoodle (half poodle/half schnauzer). One of the great things about getting a rescue dog is a lot of the rescues use foster homes. This gives you a chance to really find out about their personality – especially if they’re an older dog. Dixie was four when I got her and she’d spent a month in a foster home. Now, that wasn’t a huge reflection of her personality because they had to keep her very still and quiet because she was undergoing heartworm treatment; but I was able to find out information from the foster family.

If you’re wanting a purebred, most (if not all) states have a purebred rescue organization.

Just my two cents.

 

[Sarabande]

I was very leery of the breed before her, and she was the one who taught me so much about how sweet Rottweilers can be. Sasha never met anyone she did not convert to loving the breed. One look at her face and seeing her raise her paw to say “Hi” would make anyone smile.

I have to say that every single Rottweiler I have ever met (which I admit weren’t many - about 5) was very sweet. They had a mean bark and looked foreboding when they came barreling at me whenever I’d be taking a walk, but then I’d get slobbered with kisses and a wagging tail. It does go to show you how the right owners can make a world of difference for dogs which have “bad” reputations.

Our dalmation was a rescue. She was 2 when my family adopted her. The previous owners weren’t prepared to handle a hyper dog. We got her through one of those purebred rescues - not that my parents were specifically looking for a purebred rescue. It just happened to have one available at the time they were looking. She was a great dog, although very mischevious and high energy. We really needed to take her out a lot. The first day we brought her home, she tore through our screened-in porch and literally ran all over the neighborhood with three kids chasing after her and her looking back at us as if she was laughing and having a good time. A bond was made between all of us after that. She lived for about 16 years.

 

[mdrummer5]

I have heard enough tragic reports about pit bulls to not want anything to do with them… but I have to say, after researching dog breeds I’m very confused because they are often described as wonderful family pets???

Because they are. The “problem” with pit bulls is a repuation that they got because of movies or stupid people. Every breed of every domesticated animal can be predispositioned towards a certain “personality”. While pit bulls can be trained to be violent, typically they (or any dog for that matter) lashing out at someone is either due to poor training or provocation on the part of the person attacked it’s not the dog’s fault but they are often demonized by ignorant people that here one or two of the reports you refer to and want to write them off as crazy, blood thirsty beasts.

Most of my family are dog people. My sister has a pit bull that she’s had for several years and I’ve never met a more docile dog.

 

[horselvr]

“We always had barn cats, and trying to give them the rare bath they needed required welding gloves and 4 people…I would pay good money to see someone body clip a cat.”

SNORT! Actually, the very first time I brought out the hugh horse body clippers the cats made themselves scarce except for Forrest Gump (he’s a little neurological–hence the name) he got into it and actually stood pretty good even with the noise they make. I can also clip his nails without a problem and give him a bath whereas the other two are woosies.

Personally, I think he likes his clip.

 

[horselvr]

“Dobe breeds from links off the AKC website and the pups go for $1200 - $1800. Yikes. Granted, the parents look like award winning show dogs - but that’s not what we want. We’re just looking for a good family pet. Are pure breds THAT expensive?”

Ahh — NO! Not for pet quality. The show quality pups are very expensive but pet quality (and most in the litter are pet quality) go for cheap. The breeders DO NOT want their kennels filled up with pet quality animals. A lot of times a breeder (and I’m talking about good breeders with champion dogs and many titles) do allow the pet quality to go to good homes for a lot less than you would pay someone out of a newspaper ad and they are bred well and still quite good looking just not show quality. They may have a slight defect that does not hold to the standard and the standards for the show quality dogs is very strict. The advantage here is that these pet quality dogs from the show breeder are good quality PET dogs and the breeder knows the inside and outside of their bloodlines, health, temperment.

My MIL was a top Italian Greyhound breeder (US and INTL) and she often would let a pup or an older dog go for peanuts just so they would have a good loving home and her kennel was not over crowded. A contract was signed by the new owner and if for some reason the new owner could no longer keep the dog it came back home to my MIL. This did happen on occasion and it always amazed me how the dog would just jump back into the routine as if he just went away for a weekend.

Another breed you might be interested in is the Whippet. Definate couch potato, extremely quiet, wash and wear (no hair and clean dogs). They are sight hound so if you have cats that might not be a wise decision and also they are very quick and can run to NY in a skinny minute but wonderful house dogs.

Visiting the show breeder allows you to see their whole generations of breeding in one fell swoop. They will be more than happy to show you every trophy ribbon, dog, litter, pictures yada yada so pack a lunch. They can talk for hours about their bloodline that they developed over generations.

Honestly, there are plenty of the breeders that will gladly give away an older champion to an approved, good, loving home because it no longer is producing quality pups or the kennel is becoming crowded or they just want to bring in new blood into the lines. Of course the old champion is neutered/spayed to insure they will not be bred.

Seriously, go to the dog show in your city/town and you will be able to see an abundance of breeds all at one time. You will be able to see them in the show ring doing their thing and you can talk with handlers. breeders, groomers, owners, pet the dogs and watch them play at ringside with one another or being groomed while waiting for their classes. It’s great fun and very interesting. Some breeders bring along a litter with them to the shows.

If you decide to go to the show, please do not miss the pit bull ring. You will be pleasantly surprised at just how comical a well bred, well handled pit is. Also, spend time visiting the other “killer” breeds and watch them show too. It is a great family outing as long as you don’t have any alergies.

And then there is always the poor old pound dog just sitting around waiting for either a loving family or death.

 

[yellowbird]

Thanks all! You’ve given us lots to think about. We’re still leaning toward a female Dobe. We are dedicated dog owners & would be faithful with obedience training & establishing authority for the benefit of both the dog & our family. That’s one thing that stood out the most - it’s the training & handling of the dog that makes the biggest difference. Plus the love! We’re also going to consider other breeds as well. We love the idea of attending a dog show, and I’m certain there are breeds we’ve never seen in person - like a whippet?! I also poked around on the Illinois Dobe Rescue site. There are some stories there that would break your heart.

My husband wants to wait until it warms up so we’re not training a puppy in the freezing cold/snow. When are most puppies born I wonder? More so in the spring?

I’ll post pictures of the newest addition to our family once he/she arrives.

God bless all creatures great and small!

 

[gh4]

I’ve been around a few dobies and they can be pretty protective of their home and family.
I have had several great danes, large dogs with great personalities!
I’ve currently have a **standard **poodle who is wonderful with everyone and anyone he meets! He loves people. He is protective of my home, will bark when someone is outside. Not yappy like a small poodle, just a warning bark. He does require grooming. A good standard is not real cheap though. They are VERY intelligent and very easy to train and have plenty of energy to play with children.

I also have retired racing greyhounds. And while there are some who don’t care for kids, I have had several who ADORE children and love to play with kids! The greyhound is a very good pet, they are big (anywhere from 55-90 pounds) and they make great house pets when their careers are over.
I have had afghan hounds and some liked kids and some didn’t. Probably not for someone with a 5 year old. They are stubborn, I showed in obedience and they always did very well.
Saluki’s are great pets too, but I know not a lot about them being with small children, just teens.

A friend of mine who breeds dobies says that the females can tend to be more protective than the boys and can be snarkier than the boys. I would say that is true with the afghans and the greyhounds as well.

I’m pro rescue dogs, adopt a previously owned dog or a dog who is finished with their career (show dog or racer etc.) They are usually potty trained or at the very least crate trained, they don’t generally chew like a pup getting his teeth in and can be a joy to have as a companion. They generally have some training to walk on lead etc. and you know how big they’ll be when they are grown.