Reptile & Amphibian Forums

anybody know anyone in sothern california that has dobermans? i live in the inland empire and am having trouble finding anyone with dobermans. the only thing i have found is some back yard breeders that i didnt like. house was a mess and they had a problem with letting my kids interact with the dogs.....not a good sign. so any help would be great. i really wanted to adopt a rescue but i think it would be better to get a puppy so that it would be used to the kids,5,3 and 5 months.

The American Kennel Club offers information on their website. You could look at their website for information on breeder referrals: www.akc.org/breederinfo/breeder_search.cfm?requestTimeout=90

thank you, for some reason i didnt even think of that. i will check them out right now. im not to worried about it being registered and from champion lines and all that, my dobie was from a back yard breeder and was the best dog i have ever had, hence why i want another one, i just want one that will guard the house and be good with the kids, ya know what i mean?

Because you want the dog to have a stable temperament and be good around kids is the exact reason you want a dog from a reputable breeder and not a back yard breeder. Generally speaking, most back yard breeders do not do the health clearances required on a breed and they aren't concerned with meeting a breed standard. The reason meeting a breed standard is important is becuase when you are buying a purebred dog you are asking for specific genetic traits. If a person isn't concerned about those traits, you might as well be buying a mixed breed dog and not paying the high price for a purebred. Also, health issues effect the mind as well as the body so again, buying a dog with health clearances is very important. AKC papers are not necessarily much more than a guarantee that a dog is the breed that is stated, but in my opinion a breeder who can't even be bothered with meeting the requirements of the AKC is probably skimping in other areas of their breeding program. So, although I don't always love what the AKC stands for, minimally it's a sign that the breeder can pay a bit of attention to detail.

Also, other than the AKC website, most purebred dogs have a Parent club that had breeders listed somewhere. Asking around a parent club for referrals is an interesting and very educational experience.
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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

i never thought about it that way before, but it does make sense. i will be honest, i just have a problem with paying(reads affording) $2200 for a puppy. but i guess looking back at my experience with my last dobie as a kid, she was well worth that and some. i have to wait for escrow to close, then landscape the back yard, then i can get my dobie, so i have a couple of months to find that perfect dobie, i just need to find some dobies to find that perfect dobie. thank you for your reply!

>>i never thought about it that way before, but it does make sense. i will be honest, i just have a problem with paying(reads affording) $2200 for a puppy. but i guess looking back at my experience with my last dobie as a kid, she was well worth that and some. i have to wait for escrow to close, then landscape the back yard, then i can get my dobie, so i have a couple of months to find that perfect dobie, i just need to find some dobies to find that perfect dobie. thank you for your reply!

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Think about getting not a puppy, but a young adult dog from the same kind of very responsible breeder. Temperament will be more apparent than with a puppy, and the cost is likely to be significantly lower. Good breeders take their dogs back for any reason people want to return them. They never knowingly let any dog they have produced go homeless. So they often have a young adult to place.
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Kathy Diamond Davis, author, "Therapy Dogs: Training Your Dog to Reach Others," 2nd edition, and the free Canine Behavior Series articles at http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=SRC&S=1&SourceID=47

You don't necessarily need a "show quality" dog. In my breed, $2200 would be paying for a show dog. What you are looking for is a dog that if from a great responsible breeder that is showing their dogs in conformation and hopefully performance events as well and they have a breeding. In all litters there is some differences between the puppies. Not all puppies in a litter are going to be great show dogs. In fact, many times none of those puppies will be great show dogs. It's not that the puppies are "bad" or deformed in any way, but they may be a bit large, a bit too small, have an over bite, or have a toenail that is the wrong color. The dogs are from the same careful breeding that wanted to produce a good show dog, but through no fault of their own, just won't be. These puppies go to pet homes or performance homes. These "pet home" puppies are typically half the price of a show dog and should be sold on a spay/neuter contract that requires you alter the dog.

Also, Kathy's suggestion about getting a teenage dog or adult is also a very good idea. My second dog I got that way and will do that again probably for the rest of my life. He was a show dog and finished his championship, but wasn't doing well as a stud dog in a kennel situation. His breeder decided it was better to put him in a home than let him go insane pacing in a kennel all day. It was a definate win/win scenario for both of us because I didn't have to deal with the puppy stage and he got a warm bed to sleep on every night.
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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

Chelle,

There are no AKC "Requirements" when it comes to health testing prior to breeding. The only requirements they have is that both the dog's sire & dam must already be AKC registered, and they cannot be under (I believe) 10 months or over 10 yrs.
I raise purebred dogs, and we do in depth health testing. And even if EVERYTHING is done correctly does not mean you will be accepted as a member of "The Parent Club".
If the AKC had such strong requirements, they wouldn't allow white dobermans to be registered (it's a disqualification, not just a fault), and I see ALOT of classifieds listed on the AKC site that shows the sire & dam of the litter, and one is either white or a white carrier! So.......I would recommend even though they are listed on the AKC site, does NOT mean they are reputable breeders. Check them out thoroughly regardless of where you find their ad or information!!!

Please reread what I wrote in my post. I did not say it was AKCs requirements that a breeder is trying to meet and that AKC is nothing more than a registry, but if breeders are skimping on having appropriate registration for their dogs and are not even meeting the minimum requirements set forth by the AKC, then you don't want to buy a dog from them.Breeders who can't even be bothered with AKC are typically skimping on health clearances and other things as well.

My comment about Parent Clubs is to show an alternative place to go for breeders. Most parent clubs have a Code of Ethics that need to be met to be in the club. Again, it's not always a guarantee that everything will be great, but again, it's going towards the right direction of finding a responsible breeder that has the health and well being of a breed as the cornerstone of their breeding program.

There are many many many breeders out there that are only breeding dogs to line their pocket books. Finding the ones that are not takes a bit of investigative work.
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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

Other than the actual AKC papers from a breeder or "greeder" (depending on who you're dealing with), the only requirement is that the dam be a minimum of 8 months or a max of 12 yr (babies & seniors) and a sire being a min. of 7 months & max 12 yr (at the time of breeding) in order for a litter to be registered. Pretty crappy requirements don't ya think?!! An 8 month old female is (on average) about the equivalent of an 8-10 yr old girl and a 12 YR old, OMG....and they wonder why there are so many AKC Registered dogs in shelters and rescues!

For someone looking for a breeder.... set your own requirements and stick to them. Don't settle for a pup just because it is available right now. Make sure there is no "Z" in the registration #, (a good breeder will NOT purposely breed towards a disqualification, fault or health problem). Ask for proof of any claims of health testing (especially Cardio, Thyroid & vWD results) "Champion Bloodlines" (some claim CH Bloodlines even if the last champion was 6-8 generations ago), ask for references with 1 being their vet (make sure you ask the vet how long they have been a client (if dog is older and they've only been a client a few months...who was their previous vet, call them too) and ask vet about temperament).