Why I love Doberman's

I am a sucker for puppies -- which is why we have four dogs. At no point was I able to "put my foot down" and "just say no." I remember being extremely annoyed that Joe wanted a third dog-- a large dog, and a Doberman at that. I was easily convinced by You Tube videos of Dobermans with pugs and Dobermans with babies.

The videos only convinced me that I was willing to go look at a litter of puppies. Of course, once I saw them, my puppy fever was raging and I had to have one! Max had a lot of litter mates-- he was one of only two red's though, both males. Joe wanted a black Doberman, but because I didn't want the dog to begin with, so he let me be the one to pick the dog.

I chose Max because he was continuosly playful with us. Unlike his litter mates, who would come out for a second and then creep back to sleep, Max would stay out with us. We saw him twice the afternoon we chose him and he was like that both times. I also loved the color-- Red Dobermans are not as common as the Black ones.

Max has been a constant joy interspliced with moments of being a constant pain in the ass (haha). At only one year old, he has already surpassed the high end of the average size of a male Doberman. The max is typically 90 pounds and 28 inches. Max has maxed out and is still growing! In fact, this weekend we have noticed that his chest is beginning to drop.

It's difficult to explain to people just how much I love my Dobermans. They have amazing personalities, are sweet, sensitive and protective dogs. They love us in such a huge way, it makes not loving them back impossible.

Sadie, for example, is the sweetest dog. She is lovable and gentle. While writing this at our dining table, Sadie came up to me and rested her head on my arm. She left after some petting and kisses to her nose. Not a single person has met Sadie and not immediately commented on how sweet she is.

Max, looks terrifying. I'll admit it- I nearly cried at a Vet visit awhile back because the Vet put a muzzle on him. The Vet assistant kept saying "look at his eyes, look at his eyes" and they didn't want to risk him losing it and attacking them. Clearly, the Vet had not worked a lot with Dobermans, which is a common problem for Doberman owners. By contrast, one of our neighbors is a dog trainer (personal and police) and as such, has worked with Dobermans. He talked about how people will be afraid of Max but said "look at his eyes, you can tell he is a puppy."

I understand the fear-- they are used in movies a lot to show a "scary" dog. We saw one on a preview for Sons of Anarchy the other day. Just yesterday, Joe and I were watching America's Sweethearts and Catherine Zeta-Jones character has a Doberman. We laughed a lot at the end because the Doberman at the very end (you see a close up the face) is supposedly growling. The Doberman is actually not growling, it must have been spliced in after. The Doberman then jumps at Billy Crystal's character and "attack" barks. The bark is actually a play bark, and the jump is play too-- our Dobes do it to us if we ask them to jump up onto our chests.

We've heard that the reason they are used in movies is because they look ferocious but actors are not afraid to work with them because of how sweet they are.

The point is simply that when it comes to Dobermans, you definitely cannot judge a book by it's cover. I would recommend one to anyone, with the only stipulation being that they are not dogs that can be left alone alot, require a lot of personal love and affection, and are athletic and need someone who can work out with them. Beyond that, they are priceless and I am constantly marveling at how much I love them and how much happiness they have brought into my life.

Here are some great videos that showcase just how sweet they are (Sidenote: Joe and I do not children, but when we do, we will now allow our Dobermans to be around the baby alone. Nor, would we allow our baby to bathed by a Doberman like one of the videos, unless we were absolutely sure they would not react to anything the baby could do. Dobermans are wonderful, but like all dogs, extra care must be taken around small children to ensure that nothing bad happens. We will work tireless with all four of our dogs, to make sure they are good and safe around children)

Doberman bathing baby
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ixvim4OlPfg

Doberman guards baby from other dog
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZXCrmrcQnU4