skyeedavidson

It is fenced in most parts - just not a whole perimeter fence.

Thanks for the feedback guys. To be totally honest I've been racking my mind thinking of alternatives - because she's such an intelligent, obliging dog she has been very good but I certainly wouldn't want her chained up as a long-term solution. Runs and pens sound like decent alternatives. But I really think I will go ahead and aim to have her just having free rein of the house/front paddocks. A few friends and family members have done similar things with their dogs - a few of them being dobes. The other option is to teach her to patrol the perimeter in the time that she isn't busy - which I've thought about as well. Of course - this will take place of a few weeks of supervised, focused training. Happy to have tips and know-how knowledge from those who have dogs they do this with.

Hi TwoDoggies if you read above "Here is a pic - before I put the bedding into her kennel - and also had my carpenter friend come over and extend the top to allow for a bit more head space. We will still need to upgrade it as she grows obviously." My intention with her is actually to have her have run of the property. The only thing that is preventing that at the moment is that I want her to have a bit more experience around the horses before she has loose rein. She's highly intelligent (as are most dobes) and as the property is set back quite a bit from the road I think I'll have success with this. There's actually a bottom deck where we are going to move her whilst she is tied up as well - with overhead protection and cool brick for the heat. I think because she does spend so much time off the leash and working it really isn't bothering her too much - but in the next few weeks I'd like to move away from it entirely. Here's a video to show the kind of space she has to move around in on our walks and runs. View My Video

Yeah she's only really tethered at night and a few hours in between activities during the day - I'm going to monitor her very carefully and if she seems like she starts not enjoying herself I'll look into invisible fencing an area for her. Her chain isn't that heavy but the keys of the chain are quite large - I wanted to go with a heavier one rather than a lighter one to avoid her tangling herself. However, happy to take comments and direction for what others have done :p

I'm a bit curious - does anyone on here own or breed springer spaniels? My parents owned a springer back in the UK and when they moved over here back in the 80s they flew him over as well. They had him for 16 years and my Mum is still devastated about losing him. Not that I'm in a position to get a second dog at the moment (well I suppose I am - but I'd like to wait a year or so longer :p) but I'd potentially like to look at owning one of these. I've had a very tentative look around and they seem quite rare over here. Does anyone have any further info?

Hi all :) I came on here briefly a few months back but have been very busy with work and life so haven't been back nearly as much as I'd have liked. Wanted to give a little update on my gorgeous 9 month old Dobermann girl. I just recently moved out of the 'burbs and onto my dream property on acreage here in Brisbane. We now have horses, 6 acres of usable land and everything that comes along with life on land. There were some transitions that had to take place - the place isn't fenced and I tossed and turned about what to do - whether to put up an invisible fence, keep her inside, etc. I'm not sure if this might be controversial on this forum - but we decided to designate her an area and leave her tied up for a few hours during the day. She still runs on a definitive routine - as I think she'd be totally lost without it. I run her in the mornings around the property off lead for 30 minutes - she is then tied up till around mid-morning when my house mates let her and their gorgeous 2 farm dogs off the lead for a few hours. During this time they roam the property (supervised), work with the horses, etc. She is tied up again after this but let off again in the afternoon for a big long run/walk. So far she has taken exceptionally well to it all and seems to be thriving with so much land around her. We bought her a nice new kennel from Bunnings which she has really taken to and she enjoys having her designated area. Once again - the breed is incredible if you have the lifestyle and capability for them. I think I was asked last time I was here as to whether she intimidates people when we're out and about - she does now a bit to some people as she is getting bigger. But she has never been trained or encouraged to be aggressive - she is a very gentle dog - however it does work in my favour being a young female and having a dog that is 'presumed dangerous'. Here is a pic - before I put the bedding into her kennel - and also had my carpenter friend come over and extend the top to allow for a bit more head space. We will still need to upgrade it as she grows obviously. Anybody else here got dobes? Anybody else run their dog on a similar routine?

Yes I've heard of all those affecting the breed - not nice. Terrible shame to lose any dog to those first four - really feel for you and your friends discodobe. I guess all you can do on the outset is do your best to do your research to get a healthy pup (with a good background).

That's terrible Discodobe - I've heard that can be the case What problems have you encountered?

Hi Raineth - I can completely relate. I remember my godfather when I was a kid telling me that the dobermann was the dog with a human brain, as in they are very intuitive and able to read and respond to situations as required. Ava alters her tact and approach to the personality of dogs and people she socialises with - it's very interesting to observe. Here's a better picture of the rottie - although not my dog he's very cute. You can see how much she cares for him in that picture though - she's been following him around making sure he keeps out of trouble for the past day :p The Rottweiler is 7 weeks old and is called Ewok (yes, like from Starwars).

Hi I'm new here - I'm an exec in her early 20s living in Brisbane, Queensland. I've been fascinated by Dobermanns since I was a kid and my god father and his friends used them for property protection and security work and always wanted to own one myself. Finally in August last year, I was in the position to do so so I bought a beautiful little female Dobermann pup and called her Ava. I'm very lucky that my personality and lifestyle seems to be very suited to the breed ( or perhaps it's just her... ) but at 8 months old she is developing into a beautiful, well adjusted and highly athletic loyal and loving companion. I thought I might be able to add something to the forum in this sense as I know a lot of people consider the breed and are a bit unsure as to whether they could handle them or not... I can't speak for all Dobermanns but I'm happy to give a bit of insight into what the daily ritual is like for my girl. I work 4 days a work and quite long hours so I make sure to exercise her for half an hour every morning normally at around 5:30am when it's nice and cool. When I say exercise, I've found it's not really about wearing her out physically - it's more about stimulating her mentally as well as giving her muscles something to do - so I try to do a 10 - 15 minute brisk walk on a different local route and then alternate fetch with agility ( I use this word lightly - what I really mean are ramps at the local dog park :D ) and also just a regular 15-20 minutes socialising with other dogs at the dog park. Luckily my partner takes her a lot of the time when I'm at work so she just goes around with him in the car whilst he runs errands or she sits at home with him whilst he studies - but when she is left alone we try to leave her with a bone and that normally keeps her occupied and busy for the hours I'm gone. In the evening I try to exercise/stimulate her a bit more - so normally about an hour in total - basically made up of a variety of different walking routes/scenes and mental stimulation (be it training on the local soccer field, dog park, fetch, etc etc.) For someone who doesn't own a Dobermann this might seem all very calculated but to be honest I'd probably do the same with any dog that I got because I'm an active person who likes to be outdoors in the time I'm not in the office - and who better to share it with? One thing I can say about Dobermanns is that it is very true when people call them velcro dogs. As I speak she is under my legs watching me intently. They also, from my experience, are astute and intelligent protectors. Part of the reason I really went for the breed is that I'm a runner (obviously she doesn't run with me yet - her bones aren't ready for it) and most of the running I do is either very early in the morning or quite late in the evening. Dobermanns are naturally athletic, suited for that kind of exercise and of course quite intimidating so as a young woman running alone - a dobe provides with you a sense of security. That being said, I have never (and would never) train her in aggression or protection - please, please correct me or feel free to disagree with me here but from what I have observed it is instinct for this breed, if socialised and trained properly in other aspects, to be naturally protective of their family and I would never, as a novice dog owner, want to encourage aggression by instilling it in her. As an example of her protective nature, my partner recently bought a Rottweiler puppy and she has taken to him like her own pup - very protective, watching where he goes, observing everyone near the dog carefully - but without being possessive or jealous. Very fascinating! One thing I did do with her was to socialise her A LOT from a young age and I still place a huuuuge emphasis on socialising her with other dogs and humans - but I think this is the same with any dog. In terms of food - I have my girl on Royal Canine Maxi Junior and she looks fantastic. We had her on a large puppy breed mix of the Advance brand originally and she hated it. She gets off cuts and bones a few times a week in addition to the kibble. I'll attach a few pictures of her. Would love others opinions on her development - vet says she is a nice type and coming together nicely for 8 months - but I'd love outsiders views too (I'll get my boyfriend to help me get her to pose for a profile shot later today). Also would love to hear about everyone else's dobermanns. If anyone has any questions that they feel a novice owner can answer - shoot away. As you can tell I can talk about my dobe all day.....