We considered a standard poodle. They’re amazing dogs. But we decided we want a dog with a little more brawn, since we live in a rural area and there are coyotes and stuff. So, we got a dobie. He’s still a puppy, so he’s got that puppy energy going on, and it’s hard to wear him out.
He’s incredibly sweet and intelligent, but he always wants to be doing something. Plus he’s like a toddler. He won’t go to sleep when he’s tired, he just gets restless, ornery, and bitey. We have to put him to bed and make him take naps. The biting has almost completely stopped now that he’s nearly finished teething, so that has been nice.
But he requires a lot of attention and exercise. He spends a good chunk of the day outside just kind of exploring around, and attacking his huge plushie toys. He will relax in my office if I lock him in there with me, so there’s that, but we go outside several times during the day. During my lunch break I sometimes take him for a 1 mile walk. Then after work I take him for a 1.5-2.5 mile hike depending on the difficulty and his energy levels. Then he eats. Afterwards he has to chew on stuff for like 2 hours! lol. Then we do some training, and sometimes scent work. He finally starts winding down around bedtime assuming he got enough exercise that day. From what I understand, they will need less exercise as they get older, but right now he has a nearly bottomless supply of energy.
This is our first Doberman, first large breed dog, and first working dog. It’s been an adventure. That said, we love him to pieces. He is a total character, full of personality and quirks, and he’s the sweetest, gentlest boy, when he’s not in zoomie mode. If he’s got the zoomies then all bets are off. I highly recommend this breed, assuming you know what you’re getting into, and you have the fitness level and time to meet their needs.
Let me know if you want to know anything else about them. I’ve done a million hours of research on them, plus I live with one. I’m happy to answer any questions you may have.
Thanks for the write-up! That tracks everything I’ve read about them. Unless my life changes to accommodate that level of involvement - fewer work hours and getting my kid’s ADHD under control, namely - I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t be able to be the right human for a dobie any time soon.
Hopefully you are able to get your kid’s condition under control for everyone’s sake, especially for theirs. And hopefully you find the right doggie for you someday!
One thing you probably haven’t read about Dobermans is how much attention they attract. We’ve always had dogs, but we’ve never been mobbed by people wanting to meet our dog until we got our Doberman. I guess because they’re fairly rare, and they look really cool, that people really want to come say hi and pet him. Everywhere we take him (which is pretty much everywhere) he attracts attention, and people come over to talk to us.
They do have a great style. Do you have opinions on the ears? I’ve got concerns about the welfare of the animal sure, but I also just like the floppy ear look.
We were thinking that we wouldn’t crop our puppy when we got one, but when we finally found a puppy he was already cropped and docked. He actually just finished his posts a couple weeks ago. After going through the process, I’ll tell you that it was more of an issue for us than for him. He really didn’t care at all. He scratched at the posts periodically on the first day for around 4 hours and that was it. After that he didn’t care about them at all. He was super well behaved changing them, and really enjoyed getting his ears cleaned. They’re less likely to get ear infections with their ears up, and their sound localization is much better too. It helps us see what he’s listening too as well. He’ll move his ears around, and when he figures out where the sound is, he puts them both forward and looks in that direction. That’s pretty cool. So, I’d probably do it again if we were given the choice. Plus, they look so very handsome with their ears done.
I have a kid and want a dog
I am overwhelmed constantly by responsibilities
And yet
Get a high energy dog like a Doberman Pinscher or a border collie, and you’ll never have a moment to yourself ever again!
Source: have no moments to myself
Damn, I actually did want a Dobie for a minute, but my favorite is a standard poodle. Good mix of brains and personality.
We considered a standard poodle. They’re amazing dogs. But we decided we want a dog with a little more brawn, since we live in a rural area and there are coyotes and stuff. So, we got a dobie. He’s still a puppy, so he’s got that puppy energy going on, and it’s hard to wear him out.
He’s incredibly sweet and intelligent, but he always wants to be doing something. Plus he’s like a toddler. He won’t go to sleep when he’s tired, he just gets restless, ornery, and bitey. We have to put him to bed and make him take naps. The biting has almost completely stopped now that he’s nearly finished teething, so that has been nice.
But he requires a lot of attention and exercise. He spends a good chunk of the day outside just kind of exploring around, and attacking his huge plushie toys. He will relax in my office if I lock him in there with me, so there’s that, but we go outside several times during the day. During my lunch break I sometimes take him for a 1 mile walk. Then after work I take him for a 1.5-2.5 mile hike depending on the difficulty and his energy levels. Then he eats. Afterwards he has to chew on stuff for like 2 hours! lol. Then we do some training, and sometimes scent work. He finally starts winding down around bedtime assuming he got enough exercise that day. From what I understand, they will need less exercise as they get older, but right now he has a nearly bottomless supply of energy.
This is our first Doberman, first large breed dog, and first working dog. It’s been an adventure. That said, we love him to pieces. He is a total character, full of personality and quirks, and he’s the sweetest, gentlest boy, when he’s not in zoomie mode. If he’s got the zoomies then all bets are off. I highly recommend this breed, assuming you know what you’re getting into, and you have the fitness level and time to meet their needs.
Let me know if you want to know anything else about them. I’ve done a million hours of research on them, plus I live with one. I’m happy to answer any questions you may have.
Thanks for the write-up! That tracks everything I’ve read about them. Unless my life changes to accommodate that level of involvement - fewer work hours and getting my kid’s ADHD under control, namely - I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t be able to be the right human for a dobie any time soon.
Hopefully you are able to get your kid’s condition under control for everyone’s sake, especially for theirs. And hopefully you find the right doggie for you someday!
One thing you probably haven’t read about Dobermans is how much attention they attract. We’ve always had dogs, but we’ve never been mobbed by people wanting to meet our dog until we got our Doberman. I guess because they’re fairly rare, and they look really cool, that people really want to come say hi and pet him. Everywhere we take him (which is pretty much everywhere) he attracts attention, and people come over to talk to us.
They do have a great style. Do you have opinions on the ears? I’ve got concerns about the welfare of the animal sure, but I also just like the floppy ear look.
We were thinking that we wouldn’t crop our puppy when we got one, but when we finally found a puppy he was already cropped and docked. He actually just finished his posts a couple weeks ago. After going through the process, I’ll tell you that it was more of an issue for us than for him. He really didn’t care at all. He scratched at the posts periodically on the first day for around 4 hours and that was it. After that he didn’t care about them at all. He was super well behaved changing them, and really enjoyed getting his ears cleaned. They’re less likely to get ear infections with their ears up, and their sound localization is much better too. It helps us see what he’s listening too as well. He’ll move his ears around, and when he figures out where the sound is, he puts them both forward and looks in that direction. That’s pretty cool. So, I’d probably do it again if we were given the choice. Plus, they look so very handsome with their ears done.
That’s good to hear. They do look a treat.