When some people hear the word Doberman they think of the aggressive, snarling, fangs bared, beast of nightmares but that couldn’t be further from the truth. While Dobie’s can be a bit suspicious of strangers sometimes they are extremely friendly when you get to know them. They are extremely loyal, family dogs. They are quick to protect not only the human members of the house but also the other pets. When we adopted our male Dobie almost two years ago we knew what we were in for. We knew we liked the looks of Dobermans and when we researched them we absolutely knew it was exactly the breed for us.
The Doberman breed originated in Germany in the late 1800’s when a man named KarlFriedrich Louis Dobermann decided he needed a special sort of guard dog for his dangerous job as a tax-collector. In addition to making his living as a tax collector, Karl Dobermann also ran the local dog pound; so when he decided to create the best dog for the job he had plenty of varied breeds to choose from. Some of those breeds that went into the mix were German Pinschers, Beaucerons, Rottweilers, Greyhounds, Great Danes, Weimaraners, German Shorthaired Pointers, Manchester Terriers, and German Shepherds.
The Dobermans of the 70’s horror movie are not what you find with the breed today. Although according to some information I found they had been more aggressive in the past but due to better breeding standards they are now a much less aggressive dog. That doesn’t mean a Dobie won’t stop a stranger at the door until he is told its okay, but they won’t go chasing down the neighbors or the neighbors pets. They are incredibly smart and I am not just saying that because I am a huge fan of the breed. Everything I have read about them states that they are one of the most intelligent dog breeds out there. Because of their high intelligence, they are easily trained for the amount of protectiveness you wish them to show. A Dobie bought to be a guard dog will do just that and do it well, but a Dobie bought to be a family pet will be protective but will also be a goofy, playful, gentle, loving dog.
When we pulled up to the Doberman breeders home to pick out our pup we knew we were going to get a fantastic family pet. Our Dobie’s mother was incredibly friendly and a total attention hog. His father was a nut! He shot through the breeder’s house while we were filling out paper work and grabbed their young son’s stuffed animal and took off with it. It was hilarious but it is nothing compared to the times we have spent laughing so hard we cried at our own Dobie. We named him Dillinger after the outlaw of course, who was also of German descent, and he has lived up to his name. He has stolen many a stuffed toy himself but thankfully our kids are old enough to not really care too much. I guess that would be one thing I would warn people about, they need to keep a supply of toys, bones, or toy bones on hand! Luckily we have nieces who sold us all of their old ones, two trash bags full, in a yard sale for next to nothing.
Dobermans are large and muscular. They have a lot of force behind them when they are sprinting through the yard and if they jump on you, you know it! They are often referred to as “Velcro dogs” because they don’t stray too far from their owners. They are also notorious lap dogs which might not suit everyone because they are so big, but I think it’s sweet and Dillinger has his head in my lap as I am writing this. They might not be perfect for everyone but I cannot imagine I will ever not have a Doberman or two. I think they need buddies to keep them entertained but right now mine has Rupert, a stray we took in when we bought our house. Our vet thinks Rupert is a Pitbull mix which sounds a lot scarier than he is. Rupert is basically a snuggle bug who also acts as a makeup tester for my daughters. He is all white and extremely calm so it is not uncommon for him to come downstairs with blue eye shadow, rouge, and black eyebrows drawn on. He has even had “all you need is love” written down his side in multi colored magic marker. Not sure if that’s dog abuse so no one turn me in okay! Teen girls have to find some ways to entertain themselves I guess:)
When I was born, my parents had two dogs - Sis, a dobie and Carmen, a dobie/lab mix. Sis had always had a cropped tail, but when they took Carmen and had her ears and tail cropped I was at a loss. I kept trying to grab for her tail, but it wasn't there anymore. They were both awesome dogs and they were patient enough to help me learn how to stand and walk via pulling up on their cropped tails. They also protected our family from strangers unless my dad told her to stay - she wasn't a fan if she didn't like the person or felt they were a threat, but she was well behaved enough to do as she was told. I loved those dogs and agree that they can be the sweetest dogs ever.
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