What makes a Reputable Breeder? (Read if you are looking for a dog, or thinking about breeding your dog)
Here is a list of things to keep in mind when looking for a GOOD/REPUTABLE Doberman breeder, or to think about if YOU are planning on breeding your Dobe.
A good starting point would be the Doberman Pinscher Club of America's breeder referral page. (http://www.dpca.org/breeder.html)
A reputable breeder:
...Is educated and highly proficient in the breed standard, health afflictions of the breed and the breeds temperament.
...Never breeds white/albino or over-sized/warlock Dobes, and few (there are SOME good breeders) breed blue or fawn Dobes because of coat problems frequently associated with those colors.
...Is more interested in finding the right home for a puppy than collecting the "price" for that puppy.
...knows when to, and frequently does, turn down potential puppy buyers that are not a good match for the breed.
... Requires that all puppies sold as "pet quality" be spayed/neutered.
...Is responsible for each and every puppy produced, in addition to any pups that may result from those puppies, and ensure that they are happy, loved and never touch foot in a rescue or shelter.
... Is there to help the owners of puppies they have bred FOR LIFE, and willing to take any puppy bake for any reason.
... Does ALL the recommended health testing for the breed! For Dobes this means OFA hips and elbows, vWD (clear or carrier, but never affected) annual Cardio, CERF eyes, and thyroid testing.
... Never breeds dogs too young to have completed all of the health testing (about 2 years old).
... MOST (in the USA) will have the ears cropped before the pup leaves for their new home.
... Never lets a puppy leave before 8 weeks, preferable older (9 or 10 weeks)
... If they are not breeding for AKC show champions, they ARE breeding for working tittles AND still take into account correct conformation, health, and temperament!
... Their studs and Bitches have AKC Championships OR working tittles (SCH III, IPO III, etc.)
... Actively shows their dogs in AKC conformation and or actively competes in working trials, ie. Schutzhund.
... Is a member of local breed and/or working clubs.
... When selecting a pair for breeding, carefully pairs their dog with another dog that will complement each other to help improve the breed.
... Specialize in 1, maybe 2 breeds, no more. (If they are breeding more then one breed one of them should NOT be a "designer breed"
... Provide references upon request with addresses and phone #'s
... Would not hesitate to show their facilities when requested to do so, facilities appear VERY clean.
... Doesn't run AD's in the paper or online (because they don't need to)
... NEVER breed for money, never breed because the want their kids to whiteness the miracle of birth, never breed because they think that females should be bred at least once, never breed because THEY think their dog is show quality (without the title to back it up), never breed because they love their dog and just want one of his or her puppies, etc.
I realize most of us are just looking for "pets" not show or working dogs... BUT all of the above is still important to look for in a breeder! These breeders will always have some "pet quality" pups in their litters. If a breeder isn't doing 95% or more of the above (and some things like health/genetic testing are NOT negotiable) then they have NO business breeding! Breeders like that are the reason there are some many dogs in shelters, and with so many dogs already in shelters NO one should be breeding dogs without a good reason.
If you can't afford or don't want to pay for a quality bred dog then you can always go to the shelters or breed rescues to look for a new pet, or you can just SAVE UP, which shows real commitment, and keeps people from getting a dog on a whim! (Expect to pay ~ $1,200-$1,500 or more for a "pet quality" Dobe. *BUT* Just because a breeder charges $1,000 + does NOT mean they are a good breeder.)
Feel free to add to my list if you think of something I left out.
And any breeder who actively breeds whites and tells you there's nothing wrong with them physically or mentally - BEWARE, they're lying!
Whites are extremely sensitive as pups and adults both health-wise and mentally. A good number of them are vWD positive. If considering a white, take it on only as a pet and know ahead of time you're going to invest an arm and a leg in vet bills. It's a constant job to care for a white with all of their health risks (eyes, skin, GI, hemophilia, cancer, easily agitated and quick to react just to name a few), not to mention they have a decreased life span. It's an investment of love, and with a white - money cannot be an issue or you shouldn't have one.
Anyone breeding white/albinos is not a good or even a decent breeder. Breeders who care about the breed AT ALL would never breed Albinos, for the very reasons you gave. There are too many potential problems with albinos. If you want an Albino Dobe then I would look in the shelters and rescues.
PLEASE don't support the breeding of these dogs, it's unfair to them! These breeders just want to make a buck off of a novelty.
If you have bought one from a breeder, love your dog (because they deserve it as much as any dog), and learn from your mistake... then get your next from a rescue.
We bought our Dobe from a high school girl who bread her dog. It was the first dog I'd ever bought from a "breeder" and I wish I'd done more research on how things should have been. The dog was very young and this was her third litter. They had another dog they bread and were trying to sell us puppies from that litter too. Billy has worms and fleas and she insisted we pick him at 6 weeks old. Her mom didn't want the puppies anymore. She clipped his tail way too long and he has a bald spot on the end. Our vet said it could be fixed, but he didn't want to do it and neither did we. She wasn't sure who the father of the puppies was becuase the got together with a second male by accident. Billy is a giant, 125 lbs, neither of the supposed fathers was that big and the momma only weighed 65lbs so I really wonder about his paternity. She was supposedly going to sendus the papers in the mail after we picked up the dog. We never got them and didn't expect to and didn't care because we had him fixed and never intended on showing. He was waaaay cheaper than any other dobe we found, which should have tipped us off that the whole thing was shady.
In the end we ended up with a great dog. But I am very frustrated every time I think of that family thinking breeding their poor dogs was a great way to earn quick cash. After we got him I called her told her some of things I thought she mishandled. She was very respectful, but I doubt she changed her ways.
We talked to our vet about it and he said there really any way to report it or do anything about it. It just sucks that people use animals for personal gain without any consequences.
i just have a question about the ear cropping is it some sort of health concern if the ears arent cropped? our dobie does not have her ears cropped only her tail and i watched some youtube videos on ear cropping and it just looks mean to the animal to do so thats why we choose not to crop them
I don't think it is for health reasons. Anakin is cropped and docked. That is the "look" hubby wanted. I probably wouldn't have done them with out his vote for the reason you listed.
Quoting mommam58122:i just have a question about the ear cropping is it some sort of health concern if the ears arent cropped? our dobie does not have her ears cropped only her tail and i watched some youtube videos on ear cropping and it just looks mean to the animal to do so thats why we choose not to crop them
................................................actually it's my 2nd 5k.....but I am too lazy to change the ticker ;)
Most reputable breeders have their Dobes cropped because:
A. They want their own vet to do it so that they know the dog will look good and represent their kennel/breeder name well as opposed to someone who gets the dog and has their own vet do it and it comes out looking bad.
B. Because they often don't know for sure (at 7-8 weeks when they prefer to crop) which pups will go to "show homes" and which will go to pet homes (uncropped dogs don't show as well in the AKC)
And C. Because Dobes in this country are traditionally cropped and that is the look a lot of people want it makes it easier for them to rehome one of their pups if the dog is ever returned to them for any reason.
As far as health benefits it's much the same debate as circumcision. I CAN reduce the risk of getting ear infections, but so can proper hygiene, i.e. regularly and properly cleaning your dogs ears. Even with cleaning my floppy eared dog will occasionally (2 or 3 in 6 years) get an ear infection where as my Dobe has never had one in his 4.5 years and I don't clean his ears nearly as often.
A nice long crop can also help a dog socially communication wise, since their ear position better reflects the natural ear positions of wolves.
Quoting mommam58122:
i just have a question about the ear cropping is it some sort of health concern if the ears arent cropped? our dobie does not have her ears cropped only her tail and i watched some youtube videos on ear cropping and it just looks mean to the animal to do so thats why we choose not to crop them
Our new addition... not a Dobe but still cool :)
What should I name my next Dobe?
- Blueliner
on Jan. 19, 2009 at 10:28 PM