Doberman Pinschers and children?

Question

My husband and I were discussing getting a doberman puppy. We have a 14 month old child. We have already decided on taking it to training classes and we were wondering if there was anything else we could do to ensure a healthy relationship between our son and the dog, if anyone has any suggestions on reputable trainers in the Southeastern Mass area, and if the sex of the dog makes a difference? Any and all input is welcome, except from the person(s) who will claim that all this dog will do is eat my kid. Thanks!

Answer 1

I've never owned a Doberman myself, but I did know a lady who owned 2 and had 3 children ranging in age from 4 to 13. It was quite a household! :) According to her she had never had any problems with either dog wanting to be aggresive toward her children.

Both her dogs were female, and I would suggest that females are probably going to be less aggresive than males. (you find this to be true in almost every species of animal, not just dogs)

Answer 2

I am happy to hear you are getting a dog. One thing that is very important is to do your research before you get any pet. Very important!! You need to do that and there are questions you need to ask yourself also. Is this the right breed for you? Which you may have done.

Puppys are alot of work. Do you have time for them? This involves, training, spending time with the dog and socializing your puppy with others. There are many people who get a puppy and then say, "They are too much work and get rid of them."

I would suggest contacting a doberman rescue group and ask them all about the personality of the breed. They just might have the perfect dog you are looking for. They certainly are not going to tell you any fibs. They want to make sure these animals will go to a good forever loving home. They screen potential adopters.

I also strongly suggest staying away from puppymill/pet stores and backyard breeders. There is a huge animal over population and they are contributing to the problem. Plus, there is no guarantee that their animals are healthy. Yeah, they will tell you their animals are healthy, remember they want the sale and know that once you bring this animal home you will become attached and keep it. All too often, people get a puppy, become attached and find out it has major health issues. Major expenses down the road. This doesn't happen all the time, but it does happen. Yes, a backyard breeder would give this answer a bad answer mark!! They want your sale, if they do that. If you must get from a breeder, then get one from a reputable breeder, go to: www.akc.org and find one.

There are many animals that end up at shelters and rescues for many reasons. People get the wrong pet and didn't realize what all was involved or the owner developed health issues and can no longer keep their pet. There are many reasons and it is very sad.

Go to: http://www.mypetnanny.info/pd/Rescues/MA.htm#Dogs

Find a doberman rescue and help save a life!! Some of these dogs are already house trained!! They currently have a Dobe in rescue because the owner has health issues and can' take care of their dog anymore. What do you have to loose, by just looking.

Training: You can get a book on postive training at amazon.com Thre are dog training DVD's as well.

Good Luck on your research!! Your new friend is waiting for you.

Answer 3

Absolutly! Dobermans are very gental and intellgent.They know what babies, and young kids are. I breed/train/raise Dobermans all my life. My dad Had 6 he was training when i was born. and they stayed with me until i was 12, And they passed away. But Its on how you raise the puppy, even an adult would be fine. Just becareful becuase your baby may hurt the dog and the dog may yelp, or growl becuase the baby may be pulling on his ears or ect ect. But the the baby and puppy play togther on the floor and get used to each other. But do not force the two to get along right away. The dog may be afraid of the baby.
Seriously, If you NEED ANY help at all, E-mail me . I know everything about dobermans, I can give you training and health advice If you want.
Good luck, and you are making a Great choice on a dog :]

Answer 4

Ahhhhh, someone that has educated themselves and is continuing to educate themself before jumping in with both feet... FANTASTIC. And willing to go to obedience classes...YEAH!

Dobermans are wonderful family companions and very protective. In the wrong hands, as with any medium to large breed dog, yes they can be very aggressive, but raised properly, you couldn't ask for a more loving and caring dog.

A few suggestions ..... your little one being 14 months, should never be left unsupervised with ANY puppy or dog. No offense but children under 5 are usually considered eye pokers and ear pullers, and yes, a dog could nip or bite.

If your child can carry and use a sippy cup... teach him/her to pour food into the dog's bowl. This helps not only with bonding, but the dog sees the child a provider as well. ALWAYS ALWAYS make sure your dog allows you to reach into his food bowl.

Your child is too young to assist with the training, but once words start coming, like "SIT", teach the child and the dog to work together!

With my experience with Dobermans, I have to admit that they do have a problem with their size. I honestly think they just don't realize how big they are until they are almost fully mature (2 yrs).

Raised lovingly and consistantly, you will have a great dog. Good luck, and please make sure you thoroughly check out the breeder you get your pup from. DO NOT buy a pup and leave without the paperwork (breeder claiming they will send them when they come in, they should already have them).

Answer 5

Male doggies tend to be less aggressive, but either way, you should neuter the dog. It really depends how it is raised. Make sure doggies know that the people are the alphas....train them, feed them after you eat, make them sit or do other command before they are fed, make them stay in another room while you eat, etc.
My grandfather had a female doberman and she was/is the nicest animal...so gentle. I used to dress her up, take her in the shower wearing bathing suits and play singing in the shower. My brother was much younger and would ride her, slam her into walls when they were playing fetch, etc. and she would just look at him. The only issue was when we were outside running around, she would get excited and jump up onto us. And going for walks, we had to use a choke collar and depending where we were going, sometimes a spiked choke collar. In general, she was an excellent dog and VERY good with children. Make sure you train her properly, love her, and she will be a great dog for you. Good Luck. You can contact me if you would like any elaboration or have other questions.

Answer 6

There has always been that nature vs. nurture theory. I think that you and your husband have a great plan by making sure the dog is trained. Since your son is so little, make sure you are with him and the puppy at all times just so neither one of them gets hurt. Socialize the puppy around children frequently and you should have no problems. Good luck to you.

Answer 7

Have you done any research on a BOXER rather than a Doberman with a child just a suggestion you would be impressed if you done a little research on a Boxer as for as a FAMILY PET but whatever you decide good Luck and its only common sense to use extreme caution with any dog I personally with a child would not reccomend a Doberman, Chow, Pitbull, Rottweiler, Dalmation, or Cocker Spaniel.I have worked many bite incidents involving these particular breeds biting their OWN OWNERS, This is only from experience that I make this suggestion. GOOD LUCK!!!!!!!

Answer 8

A dog should be trained on how to eat, walk with you, not to bark, potty training and sleep on its place etc. You can teach anything to your puppy, dogs get trained easily with some good instructions. If you want some good training tips visit https://tr.im/dupnI

If properly trained, they should also understand whistle and gesture equivalents for all the relevant commands, e.g. short whistle or finger raised sit, long whistle or flat hand lay down, and so on.

It's important that they also get gestures and whistles as voice may not be sufficient over long distances and under certain circumstances.

Answer 9

A dobe? Where do you live? Dobes are very devoted to their families and have strong guarding instincts. In a few years when your boys friends start coming over, the dog won't be too happy with them in the home. If you get a dobe, my biggest piece of advice would be SOCIALIZE! Take him everywhere with you as early as possible to interact with all kinds of people and dogs.

Answer 10

I have had dobes for 30 years and raised 4 daughters among them. They are great with kids. I just this morning was watching Wild About Animals on NBC in which they featured Dobes, Rotties and Pits.The trainer himself had dobes and highly reccommended them as family dogs. He did have a lot of but this and but that with the pits and said the rotts were great dogs but needed more training.He clearly said the dobes were the easiest to train because of their intelligence.They are very loving with children and accept them as their own. I was raising a show quality litter many years back and had a baby of seven months myself. You may find this disgusting but I take it as proof of how accepting they are.I came into the living room to find my daughter nestled amongst the pups and nursing right along with them.(I was nursing also) Now can you think of a better example of acceptance of children? I cant!Go to www.kimbertal.com for great dobe info. from the most respected breeders in the U.S. Go buy one soon!