Thinking of getting a Dobermann

[VirginiaCreek]

Anyone had one? What should I expect? What are they like with kids? Off-lead? Male or female?

thanks

My friend has 2 . One male, one female.
She has a lot of experience with other breeds.
They take a lot of early training and socialization as are large breed. But hers are a pleasure, she runs a business from home ( beauty therapy) so hers see lots of people coming and going.
Off lead they are really good, hers have bomb proof recall.
2 secondary age children in the house and they are fantastic with them.

They're not easy dogs - they need a lot of socialisation and tons of consistent training from a young age.

Have you had dogs before? What is it that appeals about a Dobie?

Their intelligence and loyalty mainly.

it’s between a dobie, Great Dane or Leonberger.

I’ve had dogs before never these breeds. My last dog was a French bulldog and I need something more “switched on” next time.

My aunt had one. A brown female called Zoe. She was a proper lap dog.

Loved people and just enjoyed lounging everywhere.

My niece and her husband have one. Her husband is experienced with the breed. They've put a lot of hard work in. He has a beautiful temperament, his recall is faultless, he loves people and he walks beautifully on lead. They don't have children but he's patient with children and other dogs.

My sister had a doberman bitch. She was a wonderful dog and brilliant with her children and mine. Always gentle, kind and bombproof.
This is over 30 years ago when they had a reputation as fierce guard dogs and I was horrified when my sister got her.. My son is profoundly disabled and I was very wary but he fell in love with her and she adored him. She lived to be 15 and we were all distraught when she died.

They are the most beautiful dogs. A friend had one who when someone came to the door ran upstairs and barked from the landing. You dont see too many of them now. Have you ever seem Father of the Bride with Steve Martin? There are two very naughty ones in that film.

Lovely dogs , can be a little excitable as pups but usually turn into gentle stoic adults.
I work in a vets and of the few we see, sadly not that many at the moment, we have one only that is untrustworthy , it doesn't look like a good specimen .
They are a breed that are widely liked by my vets and nurse colleagues .
I have many years experience in my field and over the years it has been very rare to see an aggressive dobermann .
They are beautiful both in looks and character.

I wouldnt call a Leonberger or Great Dane the most switched on of dogs. So of the three you list Doberman is the most switched on but that again can cause issues and you will need to spend time on training.

We dogsat a 1 year old doberman bitch once. It was supposed to be for 3 months and it ended up being over 2 years!

Beatuful looking, intelligent dogs that need a good amount of daily off lead exercise, preferrably spread through the day with lots and mental stimulation. Need to be kept lean.

It will certainly be more "switched on" than you will have experienced with a French bulldog, the problem is the constant whining and distructive behaviour if that energy isnt channeled.

They’re not always great with kids tbh - not in a shouldn’t be round them or will eat them way, but , they’re not always very sociable and have a tendency to be one person dogs and only tolerate the rest of the family.

Breeding and socialisation are massively important because they should be high energy and alert but that can come out as anxious and nervy instead.

Health wise they're a bit of a car crash. Need a lot of research into the conditions that impact them (DCM mainly)

They are such big dogs that if you have young children this can be difficult. Even if you manage to train them well the bouncy jumping on people stage can be scary for young kids . And may make it difficult for your children to have friends over

Look into the health conditions - as a PP says, DCM is an issue, and there is a lot of it in the breed.

In my limited experience of them, they can be very neurotic if not given an adequate outlet. This is true of any intelligent breed, so is not a criticism, just something to be aware of.

I typed out a long post & lost it.
I have one, she’s 7 now.
Positives are she’s very intelligent, picked up training very quick, recall is great. She’s been well socialised & is great with other dogs & very gentle with kids.
Negatives are she was very bouncy as a puppy, all legs & very boisterous, she’s needy, cries a lot, has a sensitive stomach, has mild hip dysplasia ( but not needing meds), is urine incontinent even though I paid £££ for a laparoscopic spay & is not tolerating exercise well now at 7. We all love her but have agreed we wouldn’t have another.

What would you get next time?

What have you had before and what are you looking for that they didn’t do?

Other than more switched on than a frenchiebecause that’s a fairly low bar tbh, lol

leobergers and Doberman are very very different breeds, so if you’re open Maybe look at a working line retriever (not a show line like you typically see on YouTube, but the lithe dark ones that work) . Very switched on, good drive, very clever and you can have great fun training, loyal, but friendly.
leobergers and Doberman are very very different breeds.
if you really want a Doberman then I’d get in touch with a breed club and meet a lot and see if you can join some training sessions with some.

Can I ask in what way are they different? (other than the hair lol)

We had one growing up and he was very territorial, almost as if we lived in his house. We were 13 and 15 when dad brought him home. He was great with us but all our school friends were petrified of him.
My DH is a dog walker and has one he walks and he’s a beautiful dog with a lovely temperament so it shows it’s all down to putting the work in with the training which my parents didn’t do enough of.

A giant schnauzer is not too different from a dobie in temperament, but with fewer health issues.

I thought giant schnauzers were a bit temperamental and neurotic?

My girl is half German Shepherd and half Doberman.

She is definitely switched on!

It might be a bit of a shock to the system though.

Firstly, she knows how to open doors and the kitchen bin...

Secondly, I agree with a PP about the constant whining when they're bored. Like a small child 😑

I work from home and she frequently comes in to see me and to whine about being bored. And if the whining doesn't work then she'll bark at me 😬

She is beautiful though. Very loyal, very clever and very affectionate...

Total Grade A pain in the arse

@VirginiaCreek
A spaniel, I have a springer now, but would like a working cocker.