Doberman owners

We’re on the waitlist with a reputable/certified breeder for a female Euro Dobe puppy. My husband and I are not new to dogs but this will be the first dog we have together and first dog for our kids. I have done a lot of research and joined a few Doberman groups on social media. After reading some of the things others have posted, I’m starting to get a bit of anxiety. I am prepared for the long, T-Rex, puppy phase but I am still a bit concerned since we have two toddlers. Obviously both puppy and kids will need to be supervised, corrected, and taught to play together properly, but is there any ‘easy’ method others found to work when raising a bitey breed puppy along with small kids? Also, we decided to choose a female, due to them being a bit more protective, more focused, and not as messy, but a lot of people have been telling me females are not great ‘family dogs’ as they only tend to bond with 1 person… All of the dogs I have previously owned have been female, and have been great with others members of my family. All of the female Dobermans I have known have been so sweet and affectionate, which is why I initially leaned towards that gender. I know every dog has its own personality, and dogs tend to bond to the person/people they are most around. We plan to invest a lot into this dog regarding proper professional training and hobbies to keep her active/stimulated, and would love to get the kids involved in some of that too. Just wondering what experience other Doberman owners have had….

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Hey, I’m a Doberman owner, I personally do not recommend a euro Doberman. I think you should consider an American or half American half European Doberman

I can’t speak to female vs male since I have a male but the Americans are smaller and more manageable and also sweeter/ gentler. A European is bigger and protective which can lead to anxiety and reactivity if not well tempered and also can lead to issues with your kids’ friends coming over especially young kids.

Professional dog trainer here! Never owned a Doberman myself but I’ve worked with quite a few! Dobermans are a tricky breed to try and generalize! I’ve worked with tons on both ends of the spectrum and thru the middle regardless of gender! Are you aiming to train the dog for protection work or just have them be a companion dog to the family? Most modern lines aren’t necessarily as instinctively protective as they are riddled with anxiety which result in reactivity at some point in life, but ethical breeders do exist, just takes a lot of looking & research.

I don't know differences in Euro vs American, I rescued my girl when I was starting college. She was only a year old so still before she really imprinted on her person. She was never a huge fan of the college boyfriend I had (he turned out to be a shit person lol) but she surprisingly accepted my now husband immediately. She had a high level of separation anxiety but was managed with the right style of crate and moving to a remote country road so she didn't hear neighbors. She immediately welcomed my first born and was super timid around him, basically was a couch potato. Even though she never had any formal training for protection there were more times than I can count where she would position her body between us and a stranger when on walks/etc if they were acting odd.

Hi! Also a dog trainer here — have you met the parents of puppies at the breeder? Do you know their temperament? Seems like you’ve done a little research on behavior…. I would just hire a trainer from day one and consult with them on the best way to raise your puppy for your lifestyle. Definitely start crate training immediately and create structure and boundaries around the kids/furniture. Since you’re getting a puppy you’ll be able to do a lot of shaping/molding them. Just be careful of them developing unwanted behaviors from the start. As far as male vs female — I’d lean more towards male. Don’t get me wrong there’s amazing female dogs out there. I have one! BUT she has her quirks. Female dogs in general operate on more of an emotional level than male dogs. They can hold grudges and therefore have more issues with reactivity. Sometimes female dogs of working breeds are honestly too smart for their own good. Male dogs tend to be a little bit more flexible. Hope this helps!

@Gal We already have our breeder. I’m personally not a a fan of the American lines. I do not like the look of The American style. Some of the crosses are ok, but we’re looking for a dog truer to original foundation breed standards/structure. I personally find them to be healthier and more structurally sound. As for anxiety, help me understand how that is a Euro trait? I understand the want to protect, which is what we are going for, but anxiety in dogs is an emotional response, usually from not being given the proper outlet or enough stimulation to release energy.

@Cass I’m familiar with the b*tches/dams the breeder has. The stud males’ semen are imported. The kennel has a long family history of breeding exceptionally well minded and put together dogs, which is why I chose to go with them for this puppy. Both parents are health and genetically tested, puppies are under a lifetime guarantee with breeder, puppies are desensitized, socialized, and behavior tested before being matched with a person/family. We do plan to continue socialization and professional training. Crate training is a definite staple for us. We definitely love the smarter mindset of the females. Although they can be more opinionated, I find them to be more trainable and focused. I heard males can be extremely loving and goofy, but considering how big these dogs can get, looking for one that is ultimately more ‘grounded’ especially in a house with young kids.

I think if you plan to do proper professional training from day one then you are an amazing dog owner regardless and if you prefer the European then go for it, I personally would just recommend not doing protection training but more socialization and friendly pet training. They can easily be over exercised and they need to learn to chill, especially around kids. Give them grace if they are a lot during r-Rex stage, they will get over it haha. With a European Doberman (especially a protective female if she is) they will have protective instincts which will develop naturally and it’s important you first teach them socialization and kindness and turn them into a well balanced dog. I find that people I know who have European breeds and taught them protection ended up with an anxious reactive mess, and personally mine and others who are socialized at a young age to get along with everyone and kids included are gentle giants and if we are threatened they will scare but not attack (safe).

Ask your breeder to pick out a temperament that works for your family, good with kids, and tell them what you are looking for and how comfortable you would be in certain scenarios. I assume one of the online groups you joined is Doberman owners on fb? Fun group to be a part of.

@Gal Yes, for this breeder we had to fill out an application and go through a telephonic interview, and disclose our living situation (house, yard space, who’s in our household, other pets, etc). The breeder is very adamant on placing a puppy with an aptitude that would be fitting for their clients’ situation/lifestyle.

I have a European Doberman that is a trained protection dog. He’s 3 now but is still full of energy and is very needy in terms of attention. He arrived to us already fully trained but the company we purchased him from is called protection dogs worldwide. I’d suggest sending them a generic email and maybe they can assist with details regarding how difficult training is and any other questions you might have