Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hello all

My wife and I did research for months before choosing our newest addition to the family, a Doberman. We found a local breeder, met them and the parents of the new litter and picked out our pup. Today we went and picked him up (at 9 weeks old) and brought him home.

We had some family come over and I was really let down by their reaction. "Oh my god, you got a Doberman! You have a 1 year old! They are dangerous!". Lots of stuff like that...

Now we realize that when a Doberman doesn't receive the proper exercise, training and attention they can be dangerous dogs, but we have no intentions of letting that happen.

So my question to all of you is, do any of you have small children and a Doberman? What about small dogs as well (we have a dachshund)? Have you had any issues? If so what is your advice?

Thank you in advance.

a doberman is no different than any other dog if trained and socialized. just like any breed if u dont do any socializing or training u probably has something to worry about. at one point we had 2 female dobes an american bulldog, dachsund or however u spell it and 2 yorkies and all lives together and happily and forgot about we also had my sister child. so its all in how they are raised just like any other breed. not to sound like an ass but your fam is what keeps the stereotype on people that like dobe and guard dog breeds etc because they speak before doing any real research to back up there claims. just be responsible. oh and u shouldnt leave any dog alone with your child. dog are fairly consistent but u never no when the kid is gonna do somehting to upset the dog and if ur not there somehting could happen and something could not. better not to even take a chance. good luck and post some pics of the new addition

I have small children and two dogs- not dobermans- but a breed not necessarily known to tolerate pesky children. My family isn't overly thrilled I have any of the animals I have and wanted me to get rid of the animals when I had children. Didn't happen. Won't happen. Oh, and I also don't believe in breed bias so in my opinion without training the Golden Retriever is just as "dangerous" to a child as any Doberman out there.

First- my dogs are obedience trained and continually are proofed on their obedience skills. When you have children and dogs living together, you can't skimp on training.

Second- both my dogs have "safe zones" in the house where they can get away from the kids and the kids can't follow.

Third- all interactions are supervised to the best of my ability and my ears are open to changes all the time. PS- I don't scold my dogs for growling at my kids. I scold my kids for bothering the dog to make them need to warn the child to stop what they are doing.

Forth- my kids are "hot dog dipensers" for the dogs. My dogs are allowed and encouraged to nicely take treats from the kids from a very early age. My kids are also encouraged to make the dogs do commands- even my 2 year old daughter knows to make my dogs "sit" or "shake hands" before getting a treat.

Fifth- my dogs are exercised on a very regular basis- yes sometimes that means at very early hours of the morning and very late at night when the kids are in bed.

These are still not guarantees all will be ok forever, but they are the best I'm able to do right now and so far, the arangement has worked.
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Chelle and the rest of the crew including, but not limited to Kita and Taiko (the shiba inu wrestle maniacs), Adi (reserved and dignified tabby cat), and all 28 reptiles

well said chelle. i too agree that skimping on the training is were most people totally go wrong. and a tired dog is a good dog imho.

Do you recommend any books or videos for large breed training?

i dont know of any books right off. but i will say that u should go to a profesinal trainer to atleast get the basic down.

Books are good for pre-dobe times, but you are going to need to find a local trainer. PetSmart is not classified as a trainer. Hands on and in motion!!! Puppy Kindergarten is very beneficial to both you and the pup. You get trained on how to execute the basics and creates a wonderful bond between pup and owner. This is a good opportunity for young socialization also as there are usually up to 10-12 others in the class.

Yes, a puppy is going to be a puppy, but there is such a thing as a well behaved pup too. Proper training is the only key. Your Doberman is not going to eat your child!

Keep in mind a small child in a walker, in a high-chair or toddling around will lose a cookie very quickly. No child should be left unattended with any dog (regardless of size or breed).

A 1 yr old is difficult to teach "don't poke the doggie's eye", so yes people that leave the two together unattended will probably tell you some spooky stuff.

Yes, Dobes need ample amounts of exercise. A slow walk around the block isn't going to cut it. They need to be able to run and burn off energy. If they get bored, yes, they do tend to get a little wound up in the house and even destructive. And yes, a tired dog is a happy and well behaved dog.

There is a book called "Childproofing Your Dog" I've had it recommended to me, but have not actually read it myself.
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Chelle and the rest of the crew including, but not limited to Kita and Taiko (the shiba inu wrestle maniacs), Adi (reserved and dignified tabby cat), and all 28 reptiles

IMO, you really did not choose the most optimal time to add a Doberman puppy to your family and you really are going to have your work cut out for you.

I've owned and loved Dobermans for 26 years so it's not like I'm biased against the breed. It's just that Doberman puppies tend to be rambunctious little monsters at times. It's almost a given that your child is going to get hurt unintentionally be it scratches, mouthing or being knocked over and then you're going to have your family all over your case.

When puppies are teething, they will mouth everything and that includes your child. You are going to have to be extremely diligent about ALWAYS supervising EVERY interaction between puppy and child. You never know when they are going to lift a mighty paw and give an unintentional paw to the face. One of my 11 week old puppies jumped enthusiastically right into my nose yesterday when I was bending over for something, caught me right off guard and yes, it really hurt. I'm an adult. If that happened to a kid, it would have been screaming bloody murder. Doberman puppies don't seem to recognize that they are getting bigger, have a total lack of body awareness and your kid is going to get knocked flying.

It's truly one of the reasons why I don't know many responsible breeders that would place a puppy with a family with really young children. As I said, what the Doberman does is going to be unintentional but your family is not going to understand that, and neither is your child.

As for the dachshund, same thing. Dobermans like to play rough. I hope the Dobe doesn't unintentionally step on your dachshund's back. You've got a breed that needs some care there, and a young, rambunctious Doberman puppy may hurt the dachshund. Overall, I'm not a fan of mixing small breeds with larger breeds. Dog spats happen, you never know when, and I just think that the small dog doesn't have much of a chance if something really decides to break out between them. I hope they aren't both males?

You don't need books and videos. You need a qualified obedience instructor in a class setting.

I see we've got some people trotting out the old "a tired puppy is a good puppy" cliche. A tired puppy is a tired puppy. A trained puppy is a good puppy. Don't mistake exercise for training. They need both.

mary k awesome response. also note that everyone that said" a tired puppy is a good puppy" also recommended training right off the bat. also i have a 120 lbs american bulldog that has lived with a dacshund for 4 yrs and never had a problem, and ab's are alot rougher than a dobe. also had 2 dobes that lived with the same dachund until they passed so dont let what mary k said to deter u from thinking it wont work out. my ab happens to be very dog aggresive with almost every dog on the face of the earth but sleeps with the dacshund and 2 yorkies in the same bed. dacshunds are also a fairly rough breed themselves, dont forget what they were breed for. if they dont like something they will not hesitate to let the other no its no acceptable. a dobe is no differant than any other breed in regards to if its raised right and trained properly youll have a great dog. and a few bumps and scrathes never hurt anybody. kids cut and scrapes all the time just something that happens.

anyways post some pics of the new addition already im super excited to see the lil booger.

i know this post is old, but i just found it. i grew up with a doberman. i belive we were born within 2 months if not the same month. we have pics of her as a puppy guarding me in my walker. that was the best dog i have ever had. she would have protected me to the death. she never bit me or anything. the only time there was an issue was when i had to jump the fence because i forgot my keys and she did what any gaurd dog should do and protected her yard. i just put my hand out and prayed that she didnt bite me, after smelling me she looked up at me and was like opps..... and atacked me with kisses saying she was sorry. best dog i ever had and we grew up together, can wait to get a pair now that i am buying a house of my own.