Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hello. I am new to this board and have a couple of questions. My husband and I are thinking baout getting a doberman as a family pet. We have 2 kids ages 9 and 3. I have heard that dobermans make great family pets. Do they get all great with kids? What makes them special compared to other dogs. Can anyone recommend a good breeder in the Columbus, OH area? Are their any good books to read in regards to this type?

Any information would be great!!

Thanks,

Toni

There are lots of dogs that are great with kids (including dobes), I beleive it is important also to consider your lifestyle that is ask yourself :
Do I want to spend lots of time with our dog?
Am I prepared to give up 10mins a day practice time and one session a week at training ( for approx 6months ) to train my dog to be a good family member?
Do i have a suitable house for a very energetic dog?

IMHO you need to be a commited yes to each of those questions, as they can be a handful if they are not taught good manners early. BUT if you do put in the effort (with any dog) the reward is for the lifetime of the animal. And dobes love your attention and lots of it.

Both dobes ive had are great with kids - love them i think because they have lots of time for pats and hellos, My male was quite bouncy and would run everywhere as a pup without thinking, so the only worry we had was him knocking someone over! but he soon learned 'his place' in the house or yard and will sit there until told he could go if someone frail or very small was around.

Try to meet some dobes at a dog beach or park and ask their owners about them - Theyll probably love to answer any questions you have. And watch the dogs with their families and make a decision with lots of information behind you.

happy dog hunting and take your time in choosing a puppy/dog, dont pick the first one you see, or the one with the flashiest paperwork, take time to think it over. The breeder should appreciate the care you take, beware someone who rushes you.

>>Hello. I am new to this board and have a couple of questions. My husband and I are thinking baout getting a doberman as a family pet. We have 2 kids ages 9 and 3. I have heard that dobermans make great family pets. Do they get all great with kids? What makes them special compared to other dogs. Can anyone recommend a good breeder in the Columbus, OH area? Are their any good books to read in regards to this type?
>>
>>Any information would be great!!
>>
>>Thanks,
>>
>>Toni

>>>>>>>>>>

One thing you need to know before getting any dog is that experts now agree it is unsafe to leave any dog alone--even for one second--with any child under school age. So you would be taking on a big responsibility to add a dog to your family when you have a 3-year-old child. This situation changes substantiallly when the child reaches school age, because of a profound shift in the mental development of the growing child. Here are links to a couple of articles on dogs and kids that should be helpful:

http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&A=1661&S=1&SourceID=47

http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&A=1531&S=1&SourceID=47
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Kathy Diamond Davis, author, "Therapy Dogs: Training Your Dog to Reach Others," 2nd edition, and the free Canine Behavior Series at www.veterinaryforum.com

Dobermans and kids can be a wonderful combination - my two children now in 1st grade and 3rd grade have lived with Dobermans since the day they came home from the hospital. The key is in training, training, and some more training.... and mucho supervision with young children.

My 2 year old bitch came from a wonderful show/performance breeder and came home with us at 8 weeks. At the time my youngest child was 4 and my oldest was 6. Velma never had a problem recognizing my older child as being "dominant" over her, but did have issues with the younger child. It took quite a bit of work and just time for my 4 year old child to mature a little to get past it. My bitch is a status seeking dog, and a more submissive dog may be easier - not too submissive because then you will deal with fear issues and that is just as bad.

First decide if this is really the right breed for you - they are high energy, intellegent dogs, that are very people oriented. They require a dedication to training, lots of exercise, and lots of attention. If they are the right breed for you, then you will never want anything else after having one.
Second, find a good breeder. Go to the Doberman Pinscher Club of America website www.dpca.org and READ READ READ about what to look for in a breeder. Then start with the breeder list - ask all the questions... don't be intimidated by the fact that they breed top 20 Dobermans - you want a healthy even tempered family dog, and many top breeders produce exactly what you are looking for... but some don't. Be willing to travel a few hours to find the right pup for you. There are several good breeders within a few hours of you. Once you find a breeder - you might have to wait for a litter - it is worth it. Then let the breeder pick the puppy they feel is best suited to your home. This will often be a bitch when you are dealing with a home with young children.

Good luck to you. Dobermans are a wonderful family dog - my family is living proof of that. However, they are not the best family dog for every family. Make sure they are what you want - there are already way too many Dobermans in rescue because of people who wanted one but did not really know what this breed is like.

Also make sure to check with your home insurance company, most of them, including the big ones like Allstate, have a list of restricted breeds. Dobermans are inevitably going to be on that list and your insurance company may refuse to insure you because of it. They are considered a liability because they are a guard breed (pretty ridiculous, I know..) and many companies have a no-exceptions policy.

I believe there's an article about it on the Dogs in the News board right now where a family was refused insurance because they have a 14 year old GSD..

Good point! I have State Farm and they do not breed profile, but many insurance companies do. It would be a good idea to check with yours - if they breed profile, then maybe it is a good time to look for another insurance company that doesn't!