Posted on 06/18/2015 8:00:40 PM PDT by Altariel
In family movies featuring dogs, Doberman Pinschers are often cast as the baddies. Why not? After all, they’re large with mask-like features, and if they’ve had their ears cropped, they can look a little frightening. In real life, Dobermans are often employed in police and security industries because of their intelligence, readiness to work and their inherent strength. This dichotomy has led to wild public misconception about the breed – and their role in family life.
Ready to separate the facts from the fiction about Dobermans? Here are the myths you may have heard, and the truth behind them.
Myth: Dobermans cannot be trained until they are 6 months old.
Reality: Any owner who doesn’t start training as soon as they bring a new pet into their life is inviting a world of terrifying behaviours into their home. Larger breeds mature at a slower rate than smaller ones, but any dog that is ready to leave its mother is ready to be trained. Indeed, the puppy’s mother has been working on training since birth. (And Dobermans are actually a medium breed.)
Your young puppy may take awhile to grasp your meanings, but you should always start training as early as you can (with any dog, not just Dobermans). If you take your dog to group training sessions, they might request a certain maturity level, or age – but you certainly shouldn’t put off home training while you wait. House training, name response, and jumping rules should be at the top of your list, even if you wait until class to tackle the sit command.
Myth: Training Dobermans is frightfully difficult.
Reality: Training any dog can be difficult if you are inexperienced. Dobermans are no harder to train than any other breed given ideal circumstances. In fact, because Dobermans have been bred as work dogs, they’re actually quite inclined to training. They love the idea of having a job, whether it’s guarding a warehouse, or fetching your slippers.
Dobermans, like children, love to be lavished with one on one attention – especially if it’s constructive. As long as you have not left training too late, you and your Doberman should have a fabulous time in training. If you are having a tough time training your dog, regardless of the breed, you should consider the other factors that may be influencing this (such as lack of attention or exercise, or stressful stimuli in the training environment).
Myth: Dobermans are hyper.
Reality: Most Dobermans are spirited, happy and playful. Without training, they can certainly be mischievous, but, Dobermans are not exceedingly hyper. There are, however, factors that can make them seem constantly excited.
Dobermans love to socialise and play, which means that they’re eager to see you. If they don’t see enough of you, they’ll get even more excited. Diet also plays a factor in the behaviour of your dog. But, one of the main reasons Dobermans may demonstrate hyper behaviour is that they simply aren’t getting the space and exercise that they need. As a large work breed, Dobermans need plenty of space to run around, lots of structured exercise, and a fair amount of sleep. If you ignore these factors, or make it difficult for your Doberman to move around, then they’ll appear hyper.
Myth: Dobermans come in small, large and extra large varieties.
Reality: There are Doberman Pinschers, and there are Miniature Pinschers; not Dobermans and their “mini-me’s”. The smaller breed has actually been around a lot longer than Doberman Pinschers have. But, despite the resemblance in markings, these are different breeds, and they have different personalities and health care concerns.
More importantly though are the fallacies surrounding “King” or “Warlock” Dobermans. There’s simply no such thing. There are certainly breeding lines that produce larger dogs, but there are no registered super breeds. Unfortunately, the idea that bigger Dobermans are better pets or guard dogs has led to a lot of heartache. The bigger a Doberman is bred, the more likely it will develop health issues and complications.
Myth: Dobermans should be isolated from anyone besides family for best protection.
Reality: Dobermans are naturally protective animals. There’s nothing they love more than their pack, which includes other dogs in the home and their human members. It’s an inherent trait, and it hardly needs to be nurtured. Of course, it can’t be ignored either, if only because your Doberman won’t let you.
This is one breed of dog that should be well socialised with everyone it comes into contact with – and opportunities should be made for just that. Dobermans love to meet new people, and tend to endear themselves to them. Isolating a Doberman is tantamount to starving it. As long as you continue to shower your Doberman with attention, he will always protect you because that’s what he wants to do.
Myth: Dobermans turn on their owners.
Reality: Dogs have teeth. If you abuse a dog, they will use their teeth. Dobermans are no different from any other breed in that respect, though their size and strength may provide them with an advantage. No dog that has been raised in a loving, healthy environment will turn on its owners unless given a compelling reason. And most Dobermans would rather sulk in the corner than harm their owners.
Bringing a Doberman into Your Family
All in, Dobermans make excellent family pets, simply because they want so badly to be a part of your family. They want to play games, and they want to protect you from anything evil. They do extremely well in larger families and homes with spacious gardens. If you’re considering Doberman adoption, here are just a few tips to consider:
Look for breeders who keep the puppies inside the house after birth; the pups are usually better socialised.
Don’t consider any breeders that advertise larger lines as better lines.
Do not wait to train your new Doberman; start as soon as you can.
Lavish your puppy with attention, but remain firm with your boundaries. Dobermans are clever – and playful – which requires attention.
If you’re often away from home, or you don’t have enough space, consider another breed.
Prepare to have Dobermans for the rest of your life; they’ll grow on you instantly.
Ya have to be careful when it keeps replacing your bubble bath with Stubb’s Pork Marinade. :)
LOL
And Dachshunds...
I had a 26-lb. Sheltie who I walked with a leash, on the bayou behind the house, every day.
One day I saw a Doberman running toward us. I looked at my dog and said, “Well, Kinsey, I think that we are both dead!”
When the Doberman got close the Sheltie went into her “I’m-insane-and-I’m-going-to-kill-you” routine, barking and running around in circles!
The Doberman took off running away from us and I just about died laughing!
Usually they will only get aggressive in three situations, they feel their human is being threatened, you come on "their" territory or you have cornered them.
Shasta got out once. She knew better then to go over the fence but she managed to wiggle out through the fence. A neighbor brought her back and said the moment he tried to unlatch the gate she started to growl.
He let go of the gate and she went back into her, "I'm a GOOD dog. Don't ya want to pet me? Huh? Huh?" routine. Not being a stupid man he decided not to try to put her back but took her to his own yard and kept her there until I got home.
She knew what yard was "hers" and that while I was not there no one else was allowed in.
When I lived in Spain 30 years ago, I noticed that many people had large guard dogs; mostly German Shepherds or Doberman Pinschers. One of the largest Dobie I have ever known, a blue and cream male, lived downstairs from my third floor apartment.
One summer afternoon I had been to the apt manager’s office to deliver papers, and on the walk back heard a commotion. I investigated and discovered that Dobie in a play frenzy - with a seven-week old kitten. That kitten danced and skittered along the top of the apartment’s stem wall surrounding its terrace which allowed it to bat that dog’s grinning face. Both were having a great time, and both went with the owners, a military family, when they returned to the States.
I’ve always been convinced that the reason Dobes’ tails are docked is so that bad guys won’t see the tail wagging in friendship. It’s hard to see that little stump vibrating. My Dobes have always been pretty useless as guard dogs. If any burglar tried to break in, they’d show him where we kept the silver and hold the flashlight for him. But they looked scary as the devil.
One of ours has a “serious drinking problem!”
We have two. My son tells me they were created by crossing Rottweilers with Greyhounds. Sounds about right. They love to run and have that “fifth gait” that they can open up. Fastest dogs I have ever seen. They do seem to have “dry skin” or eczema or something. Sensitive digestion as well. I do think it makes them a bit more alert. We give them Omega 3 supplements and one needs probiotic and a touch of Metamucil as well. They do love people and make friends with folks we introduce them to quickly and remember who is “on the list” quite well. A dog’s primary sense is probably smell unlike ours which is clearly vision. It can lead to interesting observations. They know when friends are in the driveway long before they can get to the door. It is akin to seeing around corners.
Like all dogs they respect the “pack organization”. If their behavior begins to be something you don’t want if you stand over them and speak sternly they get it right away. You are the Alpha Dog. You have to remember that. It is fun sometimes to watch my wife with them as she barely outweighs them but she is the primary source of their “sugar” as my asthma goes into overdrive if I get too intimate with them. She will stand over them and make them sit and then make eye contact and give them a 4 word lecture they don’t forget. They love her.
Dogs are amazing. Spend enough time with them and you begin to prefer them to people!
It’s fairly well known that the only breed of dog to ever rob banks is the Doberman Pinscher
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AMupA9_wLcw
“... they stared at me the whole evening..”
Hahahahaha! Yes, they do stare. No sure exactly why but I think they are always just watching you and figuring out what you are doing. Our Dobe does the same thing... watches, watches, watches. She is also quite the “cook”. She will stand next to me whenever I do any type of prep work in the kitchen and observe the entire cooking process. I would describe them as “interactive” vs another type of dog that goes to sleep or goes off to do something else. (Note: as I type this.. she is at my feet.. looking straight up at ME the entire time).
They were waiting for you to throw a ball....
My wife had a female doberman when we met. The tail was cropped but the ears were natural. If you sat down by her, she like to crawl onto (vs. into) your lap, lean against your chest and put her head on your shoulder - then she let out a big happy sigh. The only mean acting Dobeys I have been around were trained as tools vs. pets.
Anyway, he would stand on the couch with his hind feet and fronts on the floor while drinking Champagne out of a Flute.
We played Poker several times and I was putting my 80/20 Rum/Coke on the floor to have table space and one night He walked up and started guzzling away.
Gotta love them!
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