Nancy B

For me it's Dobes, of course! :D [img]http://www.whitneyandmason.com/images/Home%20Pics/WhitAzalea1Q5.jpg[/img]

[quote name='Sanvean']Too cute! I made one with Macy: [url]http://veepers.hanes.com/service/RetrieveCard?id=CF337F52-3DF5-11D8-AFEF-93801D9ED7CE[/url][/quote] Yes she is the cutest! :D

I own two Dobes. Both are cropped, docked and have dew claws removed. Docking and dew claw removal was done at 2 or 3 days old (different litters), cropping at 7 to 8 weeks old. Personally, I prefer the look of a cropped Doberman but, if the breed standard changed, I would be willing to consider a natural eared Dobe. The big problem with Dobes is that if you wish to buy from a breeder who has done all the recommended testing for the breed as well as considered pedigree and temperament issues, you will wind up buying from a show breeder. (I'm not saying all show breeders test and are paragons of virtue but, the breeders who test and do all their homework with regard to health and temperament issues are show dog breeders.) All show breeders do also produce and sell companion Dobes. So, what's wrong with that you're saying. Well, while there may be some pups in the litter that are very clearly pets or conversly very clearly show potential, most of the final litter grading isn't complete until after the time a Dobes ears must be cropped. That's the first factor and one reason why show breeders routinely crop all pups in the litter. The second reason is rescue. Polls have been conducted on placement of rescue Dobermans and cropped Dobes are much easier to place than uncropped. Now the responsible breeders do screen homes and do everything they can to place in a forever home. they also have contracts specifying that if the owner can't or doesn't want to keep their Dobe the breeder will take it back at any time. Guess what? Some folks still don't want to contact the breeder and will still dump a dog. If the dog is tatooed or microchipped, it may be possible to trace back to the breeder who would undoubtedly take it back but, in the event that doesn't happen, the breeders feel that the Dobe would have a better chance for adoption if it's ears are cropped. My feeling on tails and dewclaws. I run my dogs in agility. I've been at far too many trials where a dog tore a dew claw. I will always remove them. My dogs have no difficutly holding their bones without them. With Dobes, I'd dock tails too. I've seen far too many rescue Dobes split and/or break tails. Dobe tails can vary all over the place. since it's a docked breed, there has been no selection for the tail itself....just tailset, carriage and such. Yes, you might "get lucky" and get a Dobe with a more "Lab like" tail that can absorb blows such as hitting a wall without breaking or splitting but, it's equally as likely that you might not. If the pups is docked at 2 to 3 days, it's far less traumatic than to wait until it's older and then realize that you have a problem....that turns into a major surgery, amputation. My aunt's rescue Boxer stayed with me for a couple of weeks last Christmas. She split her tail open three times just wagging hard and hitting the wall....painted it with blood. Saw her this Christmas for the first time in a year. Poor baby now has a "kink" in her tail. She broke it, wagging into something. Boxers have the same issue. Docked breed so, no breeding selection for tails.

Mason let me know exactly what's on his mind! :lol: [url]http://veepers.hanes.com/service/RetrieveCard?id=68DA2E20-3CD5-11D8-A25A-93801D9ED7CE[/url]

I voted! He is adorable!

I'm just not even gonna get into this yet again! Well.....I will say that it's not the judges who decide on whether or not the tail must be docked on a show dog. The parent club for the breed writes the breed standard and submits it to the AKC. The judges learn that standard and are supposed to judge according to it.

[quote name='StarFox']WHAT?! Raising the food dishes actually INCREASES the risk of bloat?! I thought it was the exact opposite. I'm so confused now. :-?[/quote] For about the past 10 years or so Purdue University has conducted many bloat studies. I think the recomendation of raising food bowls was originally based on one of their early studies. On the Purdue website I referred you to, they do not cover the entire study but, they do mention in the "non-dietary risk factor" link that raising food bowls definately had a correlation with a higher incidence of bloat in their study. I've read the entire paper. (Hard copy or I'd share it.) I used to feed raised but, after I read the paper I tossed my stands. No one really knows why dogs bloat. The precautions that K mentioned are ones that most folks who worry about bloat take. Unfortunately, that latest Purdue study pretty much says that those precautions don't really have an affect at all. My feeling is that they sure don't hurt so, I too observe them. I think that there are a few major things to keep in mind with regard to bloat. First is your dog's body type....a very deep chested and tucked up waist body type is most likely to bloat. (IOW, Dobes are prime candidates and that's why I've read all I can about it.) Second is genetic...it's been proven that dogs who have close relatives who have bloated are much more likely to bloat than dogs who do not. No one knows why but, because of that, more and more breeders are eliminating dogs who have bloated or had a close relative bloat from their breeding programs. Third is to LEARN THE SYMPTOMS and be ready to RUN to the vet when you suspect bloat. Time is crucial with regard to bloat....a relatively short time can mean the difference between life and death.

If you go to the "health links" page on my kids website you'll find a link under "Bloat" for the Purdue study that included raised feeding dishes. They concluded that raising the dish increased the risk of bloat.

This is absolutely hilarious. Check out the Schnauzer Breeder From Hell's website. [url]http://www.katewerk.com/sbfh.html[/url]

Most folks who compete in performance events with their dogs consider this to be a BIG problem. The agility training center I teach at give a copy of Suzanne Clothier's "He just wants to say hi" article out to each and every new student. If you have never read this article, I would highly recommend it. You can read it online at [url]http://www.flyingdogpress.com/sayhi.html[/url]

Fabulous Carol, congrats to you and Candy!!!!

I would suggest that you take Miles to group obedience classes. Yes, you may already know how to train him quite well but, the real benefit of the classes for Miles will be learning how to be "obedient" with the distraction of other dogs around. I would further suggest that you enter at a very low level. Give Miles a break with regard to that. He may know all the commands that will be covered in that particular class session but, he'll be learning to perform while "ignoring" the other dogs. See if you can find an instructor who has experience dealing with this sort of thing. Do let them know up front just what Mile's issue is so that they can better help you.

[quote name='StarFox'] - How often have you preformed this type of surgery? What precent of these surgery's is a total sucess?[/quote] Good luck!!! I would also ask him to define what he calls a "total success". Sounds like a no brainer but, sometimes a total success surgically can still mean restrictions in activity for the rest of their life. (I know nothing about this type of surgery. I'm thinking in relation to wobblers and how surgeons define success with that. Dog's mobility is still very bad but, the surgery was a success.)

[quote name='Sharpeigirl']:roll: :roll: Ever since her acident, Sassy won't touch dry dog food unless we dish it out like a treat. She loves canned food, but if we try & put the dry in as well, she walks away like a snot. Any help would be nice, I'm at my wits end[/quote] I know that Sassy has been through a very traumatic experience recently. I'm sure you want to do everything that you can for her but, I really wouldn't advise adding special stuff to her food. A dog will eat when it's hungry....as long as it hasn't basically "trained" it's owners to add new/different goodies if it holds back from eating. Once someone get into that practice it can escalate into an owner constantly having to search out goodies to add to the food to apease the dog. If I were you I would simply place the food on the floor when it's mealtime. give her about 10 minutes to eat and, if she doesn't, pick the food up. Do not offer any food or treat until the next mealtime. At the next mealtime, put food on the floor again for 10 minutes and, if uneaten, pick it up. Continue this practice until the dog learns that meals will be offered for a limited time period and if they want food they better eat. My Mason tried to be a bit of a picky eater when he was younger. I did quite a bit of research on the subject. Spoke to vets, behaviorists, and a bunch of very experienced breeders. I also tried to apease him initally by adding goodies and, sure enough, he would settle for the goodies for a while and then suddenly they weren't "special" enough and I'd have to search out new ones. Once I'd done all the research on the "offer food and pick it up" method, I tried that. I think Mason was shocked at the first meal when I picked it up since he didn't eat. He gave the next meal a harder look but still wouldn't eat. the third meal he ate a bit but, since he wandered away mid meal, he wound up loosing the rest since I picked it up. The meal after that he must have been pretty hungry because he ate the whole thing. We had another few days of partial eating and then I guess he figured out that no, I was not going to be adding goodies (aside from the regular stuff my dogs always get with kibble) so, he threw the towel in. Now, whenever I put his meal on the ground, he goes and cleans his bowl as soon as I release him from his sit. This may sound hard hearted but, Sassy will be much better off in the long run if you don't start catering to her now.

A growl doesn't always mean "protection". Fear can also trigger a growl.

I have always trained my dogs myself at home but, I also have taken them to obedience classes. My dogs go into the class knowing the behaviors that will be taught in the class so, I'm using them more for the "distraction" factor. A dog that is "perfect" at home, in the yard or down the street may not be so perfect in a class with a bunch of other dogs as distractions. The only way to know for sure if your dog will remain focused on you and obedient to your commands in situations like that is to expose them to those situations.

[quote name='K']If she is only 9 months now even by the end of next year she will not be old enough to breed...you must plan for 2005 not 2004.....ok?[/quote] K is absolutely right! If you check the health testing on the DPCA page, one of the most fundamental tests is having the hips/elbows x-rayed and sent to OFA (the orthopedic foundation for animals) to receive a rating prior to breeding. The OFA will not give a rating prior to the age of two. They will do a prelim rating but, since that can change, it's not good to base a breeding decision on. I am also assuming that you will be "proving" your girl in some way prior to breeding. A conformation championship or a performance championship? Lack of a title doesn't necessarially mean that your bitch isn't breed worthy but, a title means that imparcial folks have looked at her and agreed that she is. Doberman resuce is up to it's neck in Dobes needing homes that were bred by folks who just wanted to produce one littler so that they could have one "just like" the sire or dam. An average litter is probably 5 or 6 pups but, it's not all that uncommon for a bitch to have 12. A breeder is responsible for not only finding those pups good homes but, being willing to take back any pups they produce for the rest of the pups life. If someone a breeder placed a pup with has a change in circumstance (death, divorce, etc) when the pup is 6, an ethical breeder will take the pup back in a heartbeat. They may attempt to place it in a new home but, if they're not able to, they will keep that pup for the rest of it's life. Breeding, the right way, is a huge responsibility!

[quote name='DobyLvr'][color=blue]I am a huge Doberman lover..My baby is a 9 months old female. Her name is Mia and her akc name is Mia De La Cour. We hope to do some further showing and by next year her next heat we will be breeding her for some puppies.[/color][/quote] Hello and welcome DobeLvr! I have two Dobermans, Whitney and Mason. Both are doing very well in agility and Mason has been shown in conformation.....we call him the major reserve king! I am planning to neuter him in November because, as nice as he is conformationally, being an intact male is just a bit of a pain in performance events. Quite frankly, I'm more interested in the performance end and, since I never planned to breed him anyway, it's not important for him to finish a championship. If planning to breed Mia next year you should probably go to the Doberman Pinscher Club of America's website ( [url]http://www.dpca.org/[/url] ) if you have not already done so. You can access a lot of information there. You will find out which genetic diseases are common in Dobes, something you'll want to take into account when you select a stud. You can also see which health testing required prior to breeding is outlined in the Code of Ethics. There are links to both breeder and judge's education pages that have a lot of information on breeding and how to decide if your bitch is worthy of breeding....if breeding her will be for the betterment of the breed.

[quote name='ferky1']we purchased him under what we were told was a 'limited AKC registration contract,' [/quote] If this is specified in your contract, tell the breeder that you will be notifying the AKC if she does not forward the registration to you immediately. The AKC will come down hard on breeders who sell pups as "AKC registered" and then do not supply the registration. Doesn't matter if it was a full or limited registration. If your contract specifies AKC registration, the breeder needs to supply it. If your breeder does not respond to your demand then, go ahead and contact the AKC to let them know that the breeder is selling "AKC registered" dogs but, not supplying the registrations.

[quote name='Taurus and Jada']I was just wondering if anyone else has a pup that has had it's ears cropped? Our presa got hers done about 4 weeks ago. SHe had a foam glued to her head for the fist 2 1/2 weeks, and we have been taping her ears for 2 weeks now. My question is, how will I know when we don't have to tape them any longer? When I asked the vet, his anwer was " just tape them until they stand" Well, will they feel different? They last time I took her tape off, the ears stood really well at first, we left the tape off for a day, and they started to fall, so we taped them right back up. Any help? Kara[/quote] Hi Kara, I've hesitated to answer your post. I have a cropped breed (Dobermans) but, the style of the crop as compared to a Presa's is so different it's difficult to relate. Dobe pups have their ears glued straigt up onto styrafoam cups until the edges are healed and the stitches are out. Once they're healed, the ears are posted....some folks use tampons to do this, some use a foam caulking rod availible at Home Depot. Since the crop of a Dobe is much longer than a Presa, I would imagine it would take a lot less time for a Presa's ears to stand. A few Dobe owners are lucky and may get away with a few months of posting ears. The majority probably post until the pup is around 6 to 8 months old. (Dobes are cropped at about 7 weeks.) Some Dobes must be posted near to a year for the ears to stand properly. My Mason was one of those. Anyway, with Dobes you do not want to let the ears fall. When you take the ears down to change the posts (after you clean them up) you can leave them unposted for a short time but, never until they fall. If you leave them down long enough to fall, you've just lost all the ground your last posting gained. I think what your vet meant was that you need to watch the ears when you take them down to change the supports. If they hold hard, with no drooping at all, they may be done. Of course, to find that out you really need to allow them to droop.....and I'm sure that, as with Dobes, that will set you back in getting them to stand. Sorry I can't be more help.

Weims, among other breeds, were used in the developement of the Doberman as a breed. Whitney has always had a natural point, Mason doesn't. Mason's sister, Kiss, was taken to a hunt club "fun day" by her owner (who also has a Weim) and Kiss pointed, flushed and retrieved the second most number of quail. Also outswam a lot of the Weims. Guess Dresden is just "showing a lot of Dobe"! :D

Given what you've just been through with Sassy, it would most definately not be a good idea to allow Sassy and Dante to get together.

[quote name='abker17']I'll have to ask around next time I go to an agility trial, and see if any of the competitors left their dog's on. :-?[/quote] As I said, some agility folks prefer to keep the dew claws (thinking they serve a purpose) and some remove them. I didn't have a choice with either of my dogs since the dew claws were done at 5 days old along with their tails but, if I ever did have a choice, I would choose removal. I have seen quite a few dew claws ripped when doing agility.

[quote name='courtnek']I guess I should add this - for a show dog, they are not necessary. But if you pkan on doing field trials, or agility, I would leave them. They put the dog at a distinct advantage when doing agility - they can round corneres faster than dogs without them.[/quote] Actually, as far as agility goes, the opinions are divided. Some folks want dew claws and some folks don't. I've seen enough torn ones in agility that I'm firmly in the camp of those who prefer not to have them.

[quote name='Kat']Don't mixed dogs competing in Agility and Obedience etc have to have a kennel name? They do here in UK!! [/quote] No, a kennel name is not required to compete in agility or obedience.