Question:
My wife and I will soon be looking for a female red (large size preferred) for a house pet (not to breed). Any breeders out there that have nice (not show) dobies from time to time? Thanks, Brent
Response:
> My wife and I will soon be looking for a female red (large size preferred) > for a house pet (not to breed). Any breeders out there that have nice (not > show) dobies from time to time? > Thanks, > Brent
Hi Brent, please contact New England Doberman Rescue for reputable breeder referrals, there are several you want to steer clear of. But New England Doberman Rescue may very well have a dobe needing adoption that might be what you are lookin for. http://home.att.net/~nedobermanrescue/ Also, contact Doberman Rescue Unlimited http://www.dru.org And here is some info I hope you find useful. — (replace "dot" to email) BUYING A DOBERMAN PINSCHER A person deserves a doberman that is healthy, attractive, mentally sound, functionally correct, has the best possible chance of providing years of companionship whether it be a dog for show (conformation), for a pet, to compete in obedience, agility, flyball, tracking, Schutzhund, or to perform SAR or therapy work…anything. Talk to breeders who are open and honest about health & temperament testing. All ethical and responsible breeders health test, temperament test, title their dogs, and produce only the highest quality dobermans which will better the gene pool. A breeder who doesn’t health test, temperament test and title their dogs is basically saying that a buyer does NOT deserve any of this. And it’s extremely insulting that a breeder would try to satisfy a person with something that requires less knowledge, less effort, less commitment and less cost per unit. Don’t settle for that! THINGS TO ASK; *Ask at what age the breeder will let the puppies go to their new homes. If it’s before 8 weeks, run, don’t walk away from this breeder! *Ask what health testing was done on the sire and dam of the litter. The Doberman fancy is working very hard to eliminate the genetic diseases that are harming our breed. Yearly shots & a vet’s "okay" ARE NOT an equivalent or substitute for health testing. http://www.dog-play.com/ethics.html http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Valley/7315/bjfhlth.html http://www.geocities.com/wellesley/2174/ -What is the OFA rating of hips & elbows on sire and dam? -Was a Penn-Hip done on sire and dam? -What is the vWD status, (either VetGen clear, affected or carrier) and what is the Elisa % (factor for clotting) for sire and dam? http://www.VetGen.com http://www.ozemail.com.au/~gentest/ -What is the status and last date of thyroid testing done on sire and dam? -What were the results and last date of their cardio testing? [Cardio ultrasound usually done yearly] -What were the results and last date of their CERF (eyes) testing? [CERF certification is only good for 1 year] -Can the results be found in the OFA stats to any of the tests mentioned? http://members.aol.com/michkram/ofa.htm http://www.offa.org *The breeder should be able to show proof of such tests and the results. You can also look to see if the breeder has listed the results with the OFA. *Beware of breeders tell you that their dobermans are guaranteed free of Cardio and/or CVI. There is no genetic test to screen for Cardio or CVI (Wobbler’s) at this time. *Avoid breeders who purposely breed "OVER-SIZED", "GIANT" or "KING" dobermans. Some even call them "GENTLE-GIANTS". Dobermans were not meant to be a large size, and when they are purposely bred as such, it jepordizes their health in many ways, regardless of what the breeders of these dobes tell you! -Do sire and dam come from lines with any Longevity Certification (LC) or Bred For Longevity (BFL) certification issued by the DPCA? http://www.hsc.missouri.edu/people/robin/dobelink.html -If the breeder does not have any Longevity Certification, what is the longevity of the sire’s and dam’s ancestors is like? -Does the breeder know the current ages, causes of death, age at time of death of the dogs in the pedigrees? -What are the AKC registered names of the sire & dam? -Will be puppies be registered with the AKC? -How old was the sire and dam at the time of the breeding? -Do the sire and dam come from pedigree lines that are free of albino or albino-factored dobermans? *The albino/albino-factored dobermans are often mistakingly referred to – or sold as white, white-facored, creams or cremellos dobermans. DON’T BE FOOLED BY THIS!! A breed of albino/albino-factored dobermans are purposely breeding and selling a defective bill of goods. *To anyone considering purchasing a doberman, be sure that it does not carry the gene for albinism, [read: albino doberman], otherwise referred to as white and white-factored dobermans! Be cautioned against the "Z" on the AKC blue slip of any puppy/dog you are considering purchasing! A "Z" in the litter number will identify puppies/dogs that could produce a litter resulting in albino or albino-factored dobes. Ethical breeders DO NOT breed for this! Make sure the dobes are "Z" free. You can read more about this information at the DPCA web site at; http://www.dpca.org/opwhiteout.html *And read facts about albinism at; http://lenti.med.umn.edu/iac/facts.htm#school http://www.cbc.umn.edu/iac/facts.htm -Will the ears be cropped? -At what age will you crop? When do you dock? *Usually breeders who do NOT crop, are cutting corners to save on out-of-pocket expense on the litter. A good breeder – ethical breeder will already have this done. Also, it prevents an owner from changing their mind somewhere down the road whereby they might decide to crop and have the procedure done by a vet or other who does NOT know what a proper doberman crop should be, (or know about proper ear after-care). -What performance championships and/or titles have the sire and dam of the litter earned? Have they earned titles in conformation, obedience, agility, flyball, tracking, Schutzhund, SAR, therapy work? -Have sire and dam been temperament tested or passed the WAC test given by the DPCA? -Is the breeder a member of the DPCA, DPCA chapter clubs, the UDC or any other dog clubs (excluding the White Doberman Club)? http://www.dpca.org http://www.compusmart.ab.ca/udc/puppy.htm http://www.aztecdpc.com/ *Conformation, obedience, temperment testing, etc., are strong indicators (when combined with health testing) that the breeder produced the litter to better the breed and not just to produce another litter of dobe puppies (which usually means a "for profit" litter). Is the breeder a member of the DPCA, the UDC or any other dog clubs (excluding the White Doberman Club)? Good, ethical breeders participate in breed clubs, rescue, breed education and help in any way possible. -Will the breeder be able to at any point and time in the lives of the puppies, be able to take back those puppies – NO QUESTIONS ASKED? *A responsible, ethical breeder (including the owner of the stud) will at any time take back dogs they bred for whatever reasons. *An ethical and responsible breeder will ask just as many questions of you. They will be just as concerned what type of home their pup is going to, so be prepared! An ethical and responsible breeder will be there for the entire dog’s life to help with anything concerning it. To learn more about the breed, health testing, performance titles, and anything else doberman-related, join the Doberworld email list. There are many extremely knowlegeable and experienced people in the breed on DoberWorld. —– To join DOBERWORLD, send a message to: —— In the body of the message put ONLY THIS: SUBSCRIBE DOBERWORLD-L Yourfirstname Yourlastname —– OR for automated subscription help, etc, email: Doberworld Web site http://www.geocities.com/Athens/1878/ Please have a look at these Doberman rescue web sites; http://www.dogworks.org http://www.ultrainternet.com/dare.htm http://home.att.net/~nedobermanrescue/ http://web2.airmail.net/brogers/directry.htm http://www.aztecdpc.com/rescue.htm http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Meadows/8436/index.html http://my.voyager.net/endesign http://www.dru.org http://nhdrl.sai.com/ http://hometown.aol.com/dfdobes/index.html And here are some web sites with tons of doberman info, including important health and general dog related information; http://www.dog-play.com/ethics.html http://www.compusmart.ab.ca/udc/puppy.htm http://www.dpca.org/standard.html http://www.dpca.org/costs.html http://www.uncc.edu/lis/library/reference/human/k9vetmed.htm http://www.geocities.com/Athens/1878/links.html http://www.akc.org http://www.canismajor.com/dog/dobe.html http://www.aztecdpc.com/ Unauthorized Reproduction prohibited without express written permission of original author.
Response:
Their is also a very informative Doberman FAQ on the Doberman Pages at www.dobermanpages.com Sean