Doberman Owners,info

[Berber King]

Id like to get a dog next year when we return from our honeymoon.Ive always had a soft spot for dobermans,but we will also plan to start a family around the same time.Various people have advised against getting a large guarding breed with a baby/young child.I grew up with lots of dogs,and was made to attend dog-training classes for many years.I firmly believe any breed should be trained to be suitable for a family environment,from a yorkie to a mastiff,its down to the owner.My fiance is uncomfortable with the prospect of a doberman-mainly down to size,and would prefer a toy/small breed.Obviously no dog would be left unsupervised with a baby,regardless of breed,but im just looking for peoples personal experiences with dobermans.Id prefer a large,tan dog,than a bitch,chosen for temperament.Also,what are they like for allergies?

[Shell195]

When I was pregnant with my first child I got a Rottie pup, she was wonderful with the new babyDoes someone in your family have an allergy then?? If so visit breeders before you get any dog to be sure they dont react

[FoxyMumma]

Hiya, I cant really offer advice on Dobies, But as to children and dogs.. we have a young daughter and own a staffordshire bull & a rotweiller, both are soft as... but I would never leave them in the same room with my daughter, not even something small like a yorkshire terrier would I leave alone with her, that small minute risk is still far to big for me to even contemplate leaving them together, A child is on eye level with a dog and as staring a dog out is seen as a challenge to a dog, the dog will think your child that is innocently staring at the pretty dog in the room is actually challenging it to a fight.
My dogs have the kitchen as their room (dog gate seperating them from our daughter) and they have the kitchen door leading out into the garden open all day for them to come and go in the garden as they like. The only time they are allowed near our daughter is when 2 or more people are in the room to assert leader of the pack and to prevent anything untoward happening.

I hope any of this helps, im sure there will be lots of other more experienced dog keepers along to give you advice!

[Bosscat]

The same with any dog, its behaviour is mainly down to how it is trained and it's owners! Allergy wise, Dobermans have short hair and when in good condition, moult very little so are a good pet on that front.

If you are looking at getting an older dog however, it's backgroud is already strongly formed, so could be difficult with young children unless you know the background.

Dobermans are known for their jealousy like attention wanting behaviour and also their dominance, so need from an early age to know who's boss!

With babies, its a strong debate for and against, and only you can weigh up the pro's and cons... as you have already said, the dog would never be left alone with the baby, but there are lots more issues that need to be taken into account, and your partner is right to have worries on this with any dog, not just bigger dogs...

[Berber King]

Originally Posted by Shell195

When I was pregnant with my first child I got a Rottie pup, she was wonderful with the new babyDoes someone in your family have an allergy then?? If so visit breeders before you get any dog to be sure they dont react

My fiance has a bad cat allergy,but even gets itchy around her parents labs if she cuddles them.We will visit breeders to check on this before getting any dog.

[Berber King]

Originally Posted by Bosscat

Dobermans are known for their jealousy like attention wanting behaviour and also their dominance, so need from an early age to know who's boss!

With babies, its a strong debate for and against, and only you can weigh up the pro's and cons... as you have already said, the dog would never be left alone with the baby, but there are lots more issues that need to be taken into account, and your partner is right to have worries on this with any dog, not just bigger dogs...

Thanks,im aware of a lot of the potential problems any dog could bring.Much as id like to have a rescue,the "unknown quantity" would be too greater risk for me so i would be looking to get a pup of any breed.

[kodakira]

Hi,

We have had Dobermans throughout our married life, over 20 years. At present we have two Dobermans, Koda and Kira hence the username.

I have to disagree with a couple of comments. Dobermans are not a jealous dog. They are a loving family orientated dog. If you get a Doberman you become its family. they are devoted animals and will protect their families. As part of the family they want to be involved. If I play with my children the want to play. If I want to snuggle them, the dog will want to get up and snuggle with us. This is not jealousy, it is being part of the family. If you stop the dog joining in and being part of the family you are alienating the dog, you are telling it that it is not part of the family. It is you who is giving the dog a problem, not the dog giving you a problem.
If you get the dog first you must introduce the dog to the baby. We did this as our children first came into the house after being born. Rocky who we had at the time immediately went to sleep at the end of the moses basket ( on the floor ). Every time one of the little ones woke Rocky would tell us, even though we were in the room.
As people have mentioned a dog is a dog, it is how you mould them as a puppy that makes the dog. In my opinion though, if you mould a young Doberman puppy correctly they are one of the best dogs in the world.

I would trust my Dobermans 99.9% with my children and all my pets. As a responsible owner though, as with any dog you cannot trust them 100%. So you take appropriate precuations ie never leave your baby / young children alone with them.

As I am writing this Kira is sat licking a new Kitten we have just got. The kitten snuggles into her. The dog just takes it in her stride.

Best Wishes

[Bosscat]

Originally Posted by kodakira

Hi,

We have had Dobermans throughout our married life, over 20 years. At present we have two Dobermans, Koda and Kira hence the username.

I have to disagree with a couple of comments. Dobermans are not a jealous dog. They are a loving family orientated dog. If you get a Doberman you become its family. they are devoted animals and will protect their families. As part of the family they want to be involved. If I play with my children the want to play. If I want to snuggle them, the dog will want to get up and snuggle with us. This is not jealousy, it is being part of the family. If you stop the dog joining in and being part of the family you are alienating the dog, you are telling it that it is not part of the family. It is you who is giving the dog a problem, not the dog giving you a problem.
If you get the dog first you must introduce the dog to the baby. We did this as our children first came into the house after being born. Rocky who we had at the time immediately went to sleep at the end of the moses basket ( on the floor ). Every time one of the little ones woke Rocky would tell us, even though we were in the room.
As people have mentioned a dog is a dog, it is how you mould them as a puppy that makes the dog. In my opinion though, if you mould a young Doberman puppy correctly they are one of the best dogs in the world.

I would trust my Dobermans 99.9% with my children and all my pets. As a responsible owner though, as with any dog you cannot trust them 100%. So you take appropriate precuations ie never leave your baby / young children alone with them.

As I am writing this Kira is sat licking a new Kitten we have just got. The kitten snuggles into her. The dog just takes it in her stride.

Best Wishes

I said jealousy LIKE attention wanting behaviour, please don't misquote me. They are a dominant breed and as such need firm boundaries and training. Which route of training you take, would mould the dog, don't forget what these dogs were bred for. Yes they are loyal, and I never said they weren't an ideal family pet. If you have had your dogs from puppies then you have made them into the loving family orientated dogs they are today. Any dog is capable of being a 'member' of the family and an ideal pet, it comes down to how it is raised and treated.

You saying you are part of 'it's' family, makes the doberman head of the family, being the dominant dog that he is....

[fenwoman]

Originally Posted by Berber King

Id like to get a dog next year when we return from our honeymoon.Ive always had a soft spot for dobermans,but we will also plan to start a family around the same time.Various people have advised against getting a large guarding breed with a baby/young child.I grew up with lots of dogs,and was made to attend dog-training classes for many years.I firmly believe any breed should be trained to be suitable for a family environment,from a yorkie to a mastiff,its down to the owner.My fiance is uncomfortable with the prospect of a doberman-mainly down to size,and would prefer a toy/small breed.Obviously no dog would be left unsupervised with a baby,regardless of breed,but im just looking for peoples personal experiences with dobermans.Id prefer a large,tan dog,than a bitch,chosen for temperament.Also,what are they like for allergies?

Personally? I would put off getting a dog for a few years. Presumably your fiance will be the one at home all day to deal with the demands of a dog, do the walking etc aswell as caring for a baby. It's asking too much. As a breeder I never sell to people with children under the age of 5. No dog will be happy being pinched and pulled and poked by a small toddler and yes that's what toddlers do as they don't understand that it hurts. No matter what breed you get, if it's fast asleep and a baby stumbles and falls onto the dog, that dog will wake up snapping. If either of you has allegies to dogs then I have no idea why you are even considering a dog. It isn't the hair which causes the problem it is the dander. So called hypoallergenic breeds are simply nonsense.
If I was back being a mother again with a 5 year old, I would go for one of the large German guarding breeds 100%. Their instincts are to be part of the family and guard with their life. As long as pack heirachy is put in place, with the dog knowing it's place, and the dogs wellbeing is cared for, i.e. proper exersize (not on the lead amble around the block twice a day), training is put in place, the child taught that the animal should be treated with respect as a living being and allowed to sleep/rest/eat in peace, then even a rottweiler will make a good pet. I would definately not get a little dog. They tend to over react and suffer from 'little man syndrome'. I'm not biased for or against any breed since I keep a 65kg rottie X newf, and another 17 dogs, down to chihuahua size.

[fenwoman]

Originally Posted by Bosscat

I said jealousy LIKE attention wanting behaviour, please don't misquote me. They are a dominant breed and as such need firm boundaries and training. Which route of training you take, would mould the dog, don't forget what these dogs were bred for. Yes they are loyal, and I never said they weren't an ideal family pet. If you have had your dogs from puppies then you have made them into the loving family orientated dogs they are today. Any dog is capable of being a 'member' of the family and an ideal pet, it comes down to how it is raised and treated.

You saying you are part of 'it's' family, makes the doberman head of the family, being the dominant dog that he is....

I really don't believe that any breed is 'dominant'. Dominance is something which can happen in any breed of dog. The dog's place in the pack and it's dominance is determined right after it is born. The first pup out gets the back teats which have the most milk. Thos pups grow better and become the dominant ones in the litter. So if you don't want a forceful dominant adult dog, get one of the less pushy pups. My giant schnauzer bitch was very dominant to the extent that she cockerd her leg to scent mark and never squatted like a bitch. Luckily, she ended up with me as an owner and no matter how dominant she was, she knew that I was alpha bitch and respected me. Had she been a spaniel, poodle, rottie or borzoi, she would have still been a dominant dog. I fostered a lovely, huge giant schnauzer dog here for a few months for the rescue and he wasn't dominant at all. In fact, the little dogs bossed him about. He was happy, confident and normal in every way, simply not very dominant.
All my dogs are part of my family (aka pack). That doesn't make them dominant. It simply makes them feel secure to be part of a stable pack. If I had kids here, I would trust them all, the large rottie cross newf especially so, as long as I was here. The ones which would get bossy and stroppy would likely be the chihuahuas, the breeds you would not deem to be 'dominant'.