FIRST DOBERMAN - Page 1

Hello, I've just bought my first ever trained Doberman (import from Czech Republic) which will hopefully be with me within the next few weeks. I'm excited at the prospect of his arrival and am keen to ensure that I continue his training  in a manner appropriate to the breed. The seller, from whom I've previously bought several working line German Shepherds has, as always, been very helpful with regard to this and I have begun doing research into this. The dog is approx 15 months old, has had some basic obedience and bite work  training and will be with me as pet/family protector.
 I would be truly grateful for any guidance anyone could offer with regard to:
1) how to make his training as effective as possible,
2)what to be most aware of with regard to differences in Doberman and GSD temperament and
3) any other bits of Doberman specific wisdom you might have.


Many Thanks in anticipation

you will have to post some photos when you get him..... :)

Finding a good training group in your area will be most helpful as the internet can only offer so much.
Where are you located?
Best wishes with your new pup.
Fry

What is the pedigree on the dog? Dobes, in general, are very "touchy" (as in, they want to be in physical contact with you all the time!).  Often take things personally, so careful with your corrections and make sure they are very fair.  It is difficult to find a nice dobie, even by importing one, so I hope you get a good one! Health-wise DCM is the biggest thing,  vWD isn't as big of a concern as people make it out to be (most good breeders only breed so they will have clear or carrier puppies, fairly simple to do, and if they do have litters where there may be affected puppies, they are generally very open about it), Hip dysplasia is not too big of a big concern, especially compared to shepherds.  There is a genetic test for DCM now, but most agree that it isn't the "end all" of tests.  They've had some dogs that were negative still develop and die from DCM, and some that were positive homozygous that never got it, so take that with a grain of salt.  There are other tests you should do before breeding (thyroid, eyes, etc.), but my main concern would be DCM in the pedigree.  Would love to hear more about the dog you're getting.  :)    

Thanks for all your guidance so far. I'm importing him into Ireland from the Czech Republic. We have a few clubs here and I have some experience of training dogs myself but not many Dobes around.
Here's a pic from sellers site
x

 

Very nice looking dog, congratulations and I hope you find great joy working him.

Very good looking dog, best of luck!

I am in love.  Beautiful dog.

Like said before, they are very attached. If you let him sleep in your bed, you will wake up on the outer inches of your bed as he will bury himself into you. I don't want go say they are more in tune with their owner, but they almost know what you're going to do before you do it. that's no lie. It hurts them in training. They are so detail oriented, that if you change one thing, it disrupts their world. They absolutely love mixed drinks. Lushes, all of them. Difference with Shepherds? Look at what they're bred for. True, both breeds are far from their initial intentions, but they genetically are different. Generally speaking, the dobe tends to dip into the defensive side more than the prey oriented. This is slowly changing. More and more Dobermann breeders are selecting for prey. Like said before, corrections (and negative situations) tend to stick more with the Dobe. They tend to be less hard and a negative experience will stick for longer duration. They are goofier with their owners in the privacy of their home, but throw in a stranger and that defense kicks in.

I could go on and on, but football is on.

Just keep your alcohol up high and don't give in to any furniture. Oh, and in my experience, I have seen much more animal aggression in the Dobe.

Oh yeah, they fart more. Find a good diet.