Doberman as a first dog.

[JamieCannister]

I've always been someone who is no fan of dogs (probably dating back to young childhood, being scared by dobermans at a distance (a few doors down had three of them, who looked very intimidating when standing off lead 30 yards away when you're 5 years old!), an old english sheepdog on his hind legs towering over my pram, and a little yapper next door that would bark aggressively at me from two foot away behing a chain link fence multiple times a day for the best part of a decade!)

Saying that I am reasonably comfortable with them, especially well trained larger dogs (I especially dislike small dogs). When I have a bit of confidence it's well trained I am happy enough petting a rottweiler I've just met.

Anyway, I have stumbled upon a couple of youtube channels and I am falling in love with Dobermans. Or at least I am falling in love with very well trained dobermans - I do not like out of control dogs at all!

Aside from the obvious (all dogs need to be very well trained, not least big ones that can cause real harm, it'll need plenty of exercise and attention) what advice would you give someone considering a doberman as a first dog?

I'm a serial greyhound/galgo owner, and they have ALL been different. Respectfully, writing off all sighthounds having met one terrified one isn't sensible, nor is seeing well trained Dobermans on Youtube and deciding you want one just the same. As I said in my previous post, you are dealing with a living being when you get a dog, and personalities can differ so much, even in the same litter with the same upbringing. Like having kids, you need to commit to whatever your relationship with your dog brings.

Respectfully, dogs and kids are completely different. I am someone who loves animals, but they are not human, not close, nevrer will be. I might be as angry to see you kick my kid or my cat, but at the end of the day if my cat is really sick it gets put down, kid, very different.

I'm sorry I'm not sure why you want a dog in the first place, you don't really seem to know them nor like them.

Do not get a dog AT ALL.

Don't get one as a first dog, we've had 4 in our family ( not all at once) and all of them were wonderful, but we are very experienced dog owners. You need to find out what having a dog in your family is about first and learn everything you can about the breed. They are friendly, loving & loyal and absolutely wonderful company, but in inexperienced hands they can be lethal to you and others. Please don't get one, until you have some years of dog ownership experience behind you.

OP wants one for the status symbol side of it. Not because she actually wants a companion. She just wants to look like billy big balls.

That's only half of it. I also want to laugh as it scares adults and hospitalizes kids. I want to leave it howling outside to piss my neighbours off. I want to take it into food shops and tell the security "whose gunna stop me" when they tell me to get out.

OP I was you a while ago. Novice dog owner, posted on here about wanting a German Shepherd as a first dog. I was told that it would not be a good idea for similar reasons to what you have been told here.

Here I am, many months later, having listened to all of the advice with a 7 month old Labrador. I cannot tell you how glad I am that I listened to the advice I was given. Before you’ve owned a dog, you’ll be incredibly naive about it. I know I was. I probably still am in a lot of ways as I have adolescence to go through yet. Owning a dog is very hard work. But Labradors are very forgiving and he is turning out to be the best decision I ever made. I couldn’t imagine throwing in all the additional issues that can arise with a breed like a Doberman on top of the usual puppy territory - and as regular posters on here will know, my pup has a very placid temperament. Hasn’t destroyed anything, easy to train, even the landshark phase wasn’t too difficult but it’s still very hard work.

The PP above said not to dismiss all greyhounds based on only one you’ve met and I agree. There are breed characteristics but personality will hugely vary from dog to dog, the same as with children. I have a child and I can tell you the commitment is very similar. In some ways I have found raising a puppy harder than raising a child.

Thread over from my point of view.

Just a last thought on the impeccably trained aspect having had many dogs as a child and now my own as an adult. You can put in all the effort in the world and ultimately yes you can train a lot but there are some aspects that are innate nature. Some dogs come with much easier temperaments than others.

I'm sure there are some people who don't bother with training. But equally some of the dogs you'll see playing up may well have experienced owners with a less easy dog. Just because you are willing to put effort in no dog is a machine regardless of breed.

Brilliant summary.

OP is deliberately provoking and talking bollocks. What a strange thread.
Anyway, (s)he's gone off to not get a dog.

Bye then 👋👋

I completely agree @LandSharksAnonymous , the potential for a disaster makes me shudder.
The fact that someone is considering a Doberman as a first dog, when they’re bred as guard dogs, not family pets, is ridiculous.
I’ve had and trained dogs for the past 45 years and I definitely wouldn’t consider having a Doberman.

I rest my case.
Just about sums up why some people should never be allowed to have a dog.
And I presume OP thinks she’s funny.

I know the thread is over from OPs point of view, BUT I thought about it today. I thought about it as I walked my 9 month pup and made him sit and wait for the release command at each and every road we crossed on the way to collect my DS from his afterschool club. I thought about it every time he was stubborn about it, and every time I rewarded him when he got it right. I realised I will possibly have follow this process every time for as long as pup is alive in order to have a “well trained dog”. And therein lies the lifelong commitment that you just don’t comprehend until you get a dog.

*edited for clarity

Unfortunately at some point, some dickhead breeder WILL sell this woman a dog. What an awful thought, for both society and the dog.

Bloody hell, some of the posts on this thread...
I always find it interesting that The Doghouse is very much force free, +R only when it comes to dogs, but treats people like shit when they start a thread looking for advice and don't (yet) know what they're talking about.

From the PoV of people who know a bit about dogs, a well-bred Dobe with active protective instincts is NOT a good idea for a first dog. But someone who comes looking for advice is, at least, looking for advice. Even if that advice is then debated rather than being 100% accepted, at least the potential future dog-owner is thinking. Far better than rushing off to a questionable breeder and buying the first Dobe puppy she is offered.

And then starting a thread when they have an out of control 9-month-old Dobe who has tried to kill the neighbour's cat/ had bitten the postie/ lunges at every passing chihuahua.

Surely we want this board to be a place where people can ask what are to them reasonable questions but which people with dog experience think are idiotic, without them being slapped down so hard they never come back.

I'm not surprised OP got snarky and pissed off.

@EdithStourton , anyone who posts "I don't want a(ny) dog. I love the idea of having a loyal, protective, affectionate companion - a proper dog." is unlikely to be popular on here.

It's the same on all these threads @EdithStourton - it's grim.

I was puzzling over this. Because for some reason Facebook is feeding me lots of Dobie reels. Which appal me because they are American and all the Dobies are double docked which is very very horrible to constantly see.

So when OP wrote "Youtube channel" I thought it must be American and WTF how can you find that docking acceptable. How is that not the only thing you see about those poor dogs.

So am not surprised OP was just a wind up artist.

ps: I grew up with a Weimeranner/Dobbie cross who was none of these high energy untrained difficult profile dogs, but maybe dogs were different in 1970s...

I read the comment by OP as perhaps not wanting a dog yet, but as building an idea of the sort of dog she might one day wish to own.

I just wish this board would cut new posters a bit more slack. It can be utterly brutal.

Thank you.

Are you consistent - do you oppose castration of male dogs in all cases?

Docking and castration are different things? Unless that’s not what you meant? Slightly unclear!

Docking and castration are different things!

I was asking whether lljkk is consistent and opposes all medically unnecessary removal of body parts on dogs, or whether she is perfectly fine with castration but not docking.

To be clear, I can certainly agree that docking is unnecessary and should be banned, but on the other hand I have a feeling that (were they able to give an informed choice) male dogs (and cats) would say "you know what - if push comes to shove, if you let me keep my balls I'll let you cut off my tail!" I am very hesitant to take lectures on dog mutilation from someone who supports dog mutilation, and morally / philosphically / intellectually find it quite tough to think that castration should be allowed whilst docking is not.