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So you have decided you want a Doberman, how do you go about selecting the
right Doberman puppy or adult trained Doberman for you? Ultimately that is a
question only you can answer but begins at the end instead of the beginning.
What is the picture you have in your mind of a Doberman all grown up in your
home? What will your Doberman be doing? What jobs will your Doberman have? Will
you be competing in shows or sports with your Doberman? Will your Doberman have
advanced training? Are you relying on your Doberman for personal or property
protection? Do you have an active lifestyle that your Doberman will be expected
to participate in? Are you expecting a golden retriever in a Doberman costume?
These questions and many more are the starting point for your Doberman puppy
selection. You have to know what you want in the end in order for us to help you
find what you want in the beginning. You need to have an understanding of Energy
level and drive level. Many people put a lot of stock in puppy testing and
scoring systems, and I don't. Let me explain why. There is a certain amount of
character that is pre-packaged in a Doberman puppy, the genetic makeup of
personality. The whole argument of nature vs nurture comes up though that never
gets resolved. So much can be influenced by an environment on a young Doberman
puppy that the results of any formalized testing are quite skewed. For a large
sample population I think they could show some trends but they are not
individualized. For example, our Doberman puppies are held and cuddled from
nearly the moment they are born by me, my kids etc. When you roll them over on
their backs at 6 weeks old, they don't fight to get back over, they are already
accustomed to that. This does not mean however that they are submissive pups. My
Dog Texas for example will let me roll her on her back, and she is the farthest
thing from submissive I have seen. There are many more examples I can give but
the point always concludes with, there is so much done in early development with
our Doberman puppies that the results of any generalized testing will be skewed
by conditioning that has already been imposed on them. Secondly with Puppy
testing, it is an age sensitive thing. at the age the test results would be most
accurate, is the age at which there has already been a lot of environmental
influence. If I could see a 1 year old dog that somehow had no environmental
influence upon it during it's lifetime, I could tell you the genetic character
of the dog. This is however impossible at that age or any other. We can take
calm Dobermans and condition them to be out of control, or take high drive
Dobermans and mellow them out with operant conditioning upon them in their early
development stages. So when it comes to personality, you do need to start with
the best possible match, and then raise them appropriately towards the end goal.
You can not procrastinate the training and socialization, you need to have a
written goal, and a written plan of how to get there and follow it from day one
or you may find you missed the opportunity to shape your Doberman in a certain
way.
So if we don't put a lot of stock in generalized testing what do
we do? We have our Doberman puppies under a live web cam 24/7. You can check in
on them during feeding time, play time, sleep time anytime! You do get to see an
overall picture of what the Doberman puppy is by nature, and what it may become
with your nurture. We also do videos of the puppies interacting with each other,
with children, with toys and noises so you can see what their instincts are as
well as some of their learned behaviors. Selecting a Doberman puppy with the
right temperament begins with looking to the parents. They are a good indication
of what your Doberman puppy should be, however it is not a guarantee. Some times
a high drive Doberman comes from low drive parents or visa versa, but generally
you will find similar temperaments in offspring that their parents display. Also
repeat breedings are always a good indication of what to expect as you see how
other pups are coming along. Again look to human families though, how much
difference exists between siblings? It can often be the same with a Doberman
litter. There will be variation within a litter, but it is unlikely you will get
amazing offspring from average parents. I tell people to trust their gut
instinct when selecting their Doberman puppy, and this is why. Anyone familiar
with Dobermans will tell you it is as if they can read minds. Obviously they are
not mind readers, they are just masters of communication. Dobermans can take in
more information in just a second, than we can absorb in many minutes. Dobermans
can take in information we never could. Dobermans read body language, energy
level, posture, biochemistry, muscle tone, all kinds of things we are usually
unaware of. On a subconscious level though people do the same thing. We process
a lot of information quickly, then quickly purge out what we don't deem useful.
Studies show that children are better at reading body language than adults are
because they haven't learned to ignore much of it already. This is where gut
feeling comes in. There is a natural chemistry between perspective puppy buyers
and the right Doberman puppy. The "Best Dog" or "Pick of the litter" is a very
subjective thing. The best Doberman puppy for me may not be the best one for you
even if we have the same end goal in mind. My methods and patience level and
experience etc may be different than yours and the relationship may not be as
good between me and the puppy you pick as it would be between me and the
Doberman puppy I would pick. This doesn't have anything to do though with the
quality of the Doberman puppy. Your gut feeling is what your subconscious mind
is trying to tell you based on all the data that it perceived. Trust it! It is
normally spot on, of course you still have to follow through with the nurture to
create the end product you are after. This is why I do not pick Doberman puppies
for people. I give them answers to their questions, and as much information as I
can to enable them to make a good decision, but ultimately here at our kennel
you pick your Doberman puppy. You will have enough information to make a good
decision provided your decision to get a Doberman was a good decision :)
Other important factors to consider are genetic health traits. Here again, if
you are getting a Doberman puppy from FamilyDobes, we have put a lot of time and
effort into ensuring we are breeding dogs with correct temperament, structure
working ability and health traits. There are many things that we can test for
that have a high genetic heritability. Many things like cancer we can not test
for, but we follow family lines and see trends and try to avoid those in the
future. It is important to understand that although health tested adult
Dobermans should produce Doberman puppies free of genetic health issues, it does
not guarantee it. That is why we have a health guarantee. Also there are many
health problems that are not genetic that we can have no way of predicting. A
responsible Doberman breeder gets as much information as they can, and makes the
best decisions they can based on that information and experience. This makes it
probable that Doberman puppies from parents with good health testing results
should be healthy long lived Dobermans
Some people have a color preference, and although I believe the right dog is
never the wrong color, I understand preference. You need to decide if you prefer
Black and rust or Red and Rust (Brown and Rust as they are called in Europe)
Doberman puppy as those are the only acceptable colors under the FCI
standard.
Gender is something that everyone wants a magic answer to. They want to know
which is better male or female Dobermans? That is a question that can only be
answered with more questions. Better for what? Again we have to come to the end
goal. Males typically are going to be larger slightly more independent, slightly
more territorial and mark things. Male Dobermans can become very aggressive
towards other male dogs. Females typically will be more clingy, leave brown
spots on lawns, and more dependant. They are also slightly smaller. Females can
be sassy especially with other females when they are in heat. Altering them
(spay and neuter) will have an affect on those aggressive behaviors. Those are
stereotypes that typically run true, but you always find exceptions. Some people
get along better with one gender or the other because they do train slightly
differently. They also behave slightly different at home etc. The best advice is
come meet some of our girls and some of our boys. Spend some time with our
Dobermans and see which ones you are more drawn to.
Here is some more information:
It is important to note
I do not put a lot of stock in this kind of puppy testing, this is
offered as an information resource only. For more on my opinions of
puppy testing
click
here
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The Critical Stages of Dog's development and Volhard Puppy
Aptitude Test
The following section is reprinted from an article "A Novice
Looks At Puppy Aptitude Testing"
By Melissa Bartlett from Kees News - August 84 issue
...The following is a brief synopsis of the critical stages of the dog
as revealed by the research of Scott and Fuller. |
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Stage I
1-3 weeks (1-20 days) The puppy needs warmth,
food, sleep and his mother. Neurologically very primitive, the
puppy responds by reflex and essentially it is unable to learn.
4th week (21-28 days) The puppy needs its
mother most at this time. It is a period of extremely rapid
sensory development. Neurologically the brain is suddenly able
to receive messages; the circuits are "turned on". Weaning
should not take place at this time; the puppy is extremely
vulnerable.
5th-7th week (29-49 days) The puppy needs his
mother and litter-mates. Dogs removed from the litter at this
period tend to be unable to socialize with other dogs, may
fight, refuse to breed, etc. Contact with humans and gentle
training is beneficial and helps the pup set the stage for more
intense contact with humans later on.
7th week (49th-56th day) This is the ideal
time for the puppy to transfer his loyalty to his new owner.
Mentally he is able to learn whatever any adult dog can learn,
his being is neurologically complete. However, physically he
will not be able to do the tasks of an adult dog. For example he
can't jump one and a half times his height with the dumbbell in
his mouth, but he can learn the exercise if it is scaled down to
his size. Socialization and training should continue on a
regular basis. Bonds formed at this time are extremely strong.
8-10 weeks (57-70 days) This is the
fear-imprinting period. Any traumatic experience such as
shipping, ear cropping, severe punishment, etc. may have a
lasting effect on the dog. New experiences must be non-fear
producing. Proper training and socialization should continue.
11-16 weeks (71-112 days) The puppy continues
to learn from his experiences. If left with other dogs, he may
become imprint only to dogs; taking his leadership from them and
never developing a strong relationship with human beings. Lack
of socialization with humans will result in shy behaviour such
as found in wild animals. Lack of exposure to other environments
and exploration may result in "kennel syndrome", where the dog
is unable to cope with any change from his routine environment.
Clarence Pfaffenberger was able to put the critical
stages of puppy development into practical application in the
breeding program of Guide Dogs for the Blind. He used Scott and
Fuller's research and supplemented it with specially developed
puppy tests to pinpoint the potential guide dogs in a litter at
approximately 8 weeks of age. Through planned breeding, careful
attention to development, and puppy testing he raised the
percentage of successful guide dogs in the breeding program from
9% to 90%.
An experiment of Clarence Pfaffenberger's for example,
demonstrates the importance of early socialization. After
testing the population of 154 puppies who were all trained later
for guide work he found: "of the puppies who had passed their
tests and been placed in homes the first week after the
conclusion of the tests, ninety percent became guide dogs; those
who were in the kennel more than one week and less than two
weeks faired almost but not quite as well; those left in the
kennel more than two weeks but less than three, showed only
about 57% guide dogs; of those who were in the kennel more than
three weeks after the tests, only 30% became guide dogs."(The
New Knowledge of Dog Behavior) The break in socialization
between testing and placing at this critical point (after 7-8
weeks) resulted in dogs who could not take the responsibility
for a blind master, while their litter mates whose socialization
had not been interrupted, succeeded at the task.
By using Campbell, Pfaffenberger and Working Dogs, the
Volhards developed a system for testing puppies which would:
1) indicate the dog's basic temperament traits, and
2) indicate the dog with the most obedience potential.
(...)
Ideally, puppies are tested in the 7th week, preferably
the 49th day. At 6 weeks or earlier the puppy's neurological
connections are not fully developed. (If the test is conducted
between 8-10 weeks, the puppy is in the fear imprint stage and
special care must be taken not to frighten it.)
Also included in the Obedience Aptitude Tests is a
section on structure. Over 60 breeds conform to what is called
"conventional body type", that it, 45 degree shoulder layback
and 90 degree angulation front and rear. The greater the
deviation from this norm the less efficiently the dog will be
able to perform obedience exercises. Other impediments to
efficiently are HD, cowhocks, eastie-westie feet, crossing in
front or rear when gaiting. A simple guide to follow for puppies
at this age (7-8 weeks) is "what you see is what you get"
notwithstanding the all-too-familiar assurance "don't worry,
he'll grow out of it". Be particularly wary of the statement,
"he's not much of a conformation dog but he'll do fine in
obedience." This could mean the dog is perhaps mismarked or has
light eyes, but is structurally sound. However, often it means
the dog has a serious structural fault. This dog will be unable
to take the strenuousness of training and competing in the
obedience ring.
If you feel that evaluation structure accurately is
above your head, seek competent help. Last but not least, the
prospective puppy tester must have a chance to observe the
parents of the litter, preferably both parents but at least the
dam. If the sire and/or dam have characteristics which are not
desirable there exists a good chance some, if not all, of the
puppies will have inherited these undesirable traits. The fact
that the breeder of my "pick of the litter" puppy warned me not
to get my face close to the dam should have been a tip off to
watch for excitability and a tendency to bite in the puppies.
The safest and easiest thing to do when faced with
parent dogs of undesirable temperament is simply to look for
another litter of pups whose sire and dam more closely conform
to your ideals. If you must have a pup from this litter pay
particular attention to the test scores of the litter and do not
select a pup which shows any tendency towards undesirable
traits.
The following is a concise chart explaining each test
and the scoring, a sample score sheet and an interpretation of
the scores:
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CHOOSING THE RIGHT TEMPERAMENT
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TEST
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PURPOSE
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SCORE
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SOCIAL
ATTRACTION:
Place puppy in test area. From a few feet away the tester
coaxes the pup to her/him by clapping hands gently and
kneeling down. Tester must coax in a direction away from the
point where it entered the testing area.
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Degree
of social attraction, confidence or dependence.
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Came
readily, tail up, jumped, bit at hands.(1)
Came readily, tail up, pawed, licked at hands. (2)
* Came readily, tail up.(3)
Came readily, tail down.
(4)Came hesitant, tail down.(5)
Didn't come at all.(6) |
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FOLLOWING:
Stand up and walk away from the pup in a normal manner. Make
sure the pup sees you walk away
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Degree
of following attraction. Not following indicated
independence.
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Followed
readily, tail up, got underfoot, bit at feet.(1)
Followed readily, tail up, got underfoot.(2)
* Followed readily, tail up.(3)
Followed readily, tail down.(4)
Followed hesitantly, tail down.(5)
No follow or went away.(6) |
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RESTRAINT:
Crouch down and gently roll the pup on his back and hold it
with one hand for a full 30 seconds.
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Degree
of dominant or submissive tendency. How it accepts stress,
when socially/physically dominated.
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Struggled
fiercely, flailed, bit.(1)
Struggled fiercely, flailed.(2)
* Settled, struggled, settled with some eye contact.(3)
Struggled then settled.(4)
No struggle.(5)
* No struggle, straining to avoid eye contact.(6) |
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SOCIAL
DOMINANCE:
Let pup stand up and gently stroke him from the head to back
while you crouch beside him. Continue stroking until a
recognizable behavior is established.
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Degree
of acceptance of social dominance. Pup may try to dominate
by jumping and nipping or is independent and walks away.
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Jumped,
pawed, bit, growled.(1)
Jumped, pawed.(2)
* Cuddles up to tester and tries to lick face.(3)
Squirmed, licked at hands.(4)
Rolled over, licked at hands.(5)
Went away and stayed away.(6) |
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ELEVATION DOMINANCE:
Bend over and cradle the pup under its belly, fingers
interlaced, palms up and elevate it just off the ground.
Hold it there for 30 seconds.
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Degree
of accepting dominance while in position of no control.
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Struggled
fiercely, bit, growled.(1)
Struggled fiercely.(2)
* No struggle, relaxed.(3)
Struggled, settled, licked.(4)
No struggle, licked at hands.(5)
* No struggle, froze.(6) |
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RETRIEVING:
Crouch beside pup and attract his attention with crumpled up
paper ball. When the pup shows interest and is watching,
toss the object 4-6 feet in front of pup.
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Degree
of willingness to work with a human. High correlation
between ability to retrieve and successful guide dogs,
obedience dogs, field trial dogs.
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Chases
object, picks up object and runs away.(1)
Chases object, stands over object does not return.(2)
Chases object and returns with object to tester.(3)
Chases object and returns without object to tester.(4)
Starts to chase object, loses interest.(5)
Does not chase object.(6) |
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TOUCH
SENSITIVITY:
Take puppy's webbing of one front foot and press between
finger and thumb lightly then more firmly till you get a
response, while you count slowly to 10. Stop as soon as
puppy pulls away, or shows discomfort.
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Degree
of sensitivity to touch.
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8-10 counts
before response.(1)
6-7 counts before response.(2)
5-6 counts before response.(3)
2-4 counts before response.(4)
1-2 counts before response.(5) |
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SOUND
SENSITIVITY:
Place pup in the center of area, tester or assistant makes a
sharp noise a few feet from the puppy. A large metal spoon
struck sharply on a metal pan twice works well.
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Degree
of sensitivity to sound. (Also can be a rudimentary test for
deafness).
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Listens,
locates sound, walks towards it barking.(1)
Listens, locates sound, barks.(2)
Listens, locates sound, shows curiosity and walks toward
sound.(3)
Listens, locates the sound.(4)
Cringes, backs off, hides.(5)
Ignores sound, shows no curiosity.(6) |
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SIGHT
SENSITIVITY:
Place pup in center of room. Tie a string around a large
towel and jerk it across the floor a few feet away from
puppy.
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Degree
of intelligent response to strange object.
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Looks,
attacks and bites.(1)
Looks, barks and tail up.(2)
Looks curiously, attempts to investigate.(3)
Looks, barks, tail-tuck.(4)
Runs away, hides.(5) |
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STRUCTURE:
The puppy is gently set in a natural stance and evaluated
for structure in the following categories: Straight front,
Straight rear
Shoulder layback,
Front angulation
Croup angulation,
Rear angulation
(See Diagram Below)
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Degree
of structural soundness. Good structure is necessary.
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The puppy is
correct in structure.(good)
The puppy has a slight fault or deviation.(fair)
The puppy has extreme fault or deviation.(poor) |
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INTERPRETATION OF SCORES
Mostly 1's: This dog is extremely dominant
and has aggressive tendencies. He is quick to bite and is
generally considered not good with children and elderly. When
combined with a 1 or 2 in touch sensitivity, will be a difficult
dog to train. Not a dog for the inexperienced handler; takes a
competent trainer to establish leadership.
Mostly 2's: This dog is dominant and can be
provoked to bite. Responds well to firm, consistent, fair
handling in an adult household, and is likely to be a loyal pet
once it respects its human leader. Often has bouncy, outgoing
temperament; may be too active for elderly, and too dominant for
small children.
Mostly 3's: This dog accepts humans as
leaders easily. Is best prospect for the average owner, adapts
well to new situations and is generally good with children and
elderly, although may be inclined to be active. Makes a good
obedience prospect and usually has commonsense approach to life.
Mostly 4's: This dog is submissive and will
adapt to most households. May be slightly less outgoing and
active than a dog scoring mostly 3's. Gets along well with
children generally and trains well.
Mostly 5's: This dog is extremely submissive
and needs special handling to build confidence and bring him out
of his shell. Does not adapt well to change and confusion and
needs a very regular, structured environment. Usually safe
around children and bites only when severely stressed. Not a
good choice for a beginner since it frightens easily, and takes
a long time to get used to new experiences.
Mostly 6's: This dog is independent. He is
not affectionate and may dislike petting and cuddling. It is
difficult to establish a relationship with him whether for
working or for pet. Not recommended for children who may force
attention on him; he is not a beginner's dog.
A. When combined with 1's, especially in restraint:
the independent dog is likely to bite under stress.
B. When combine with 5's: the independent dog is
likely to hide from people, or freeze when approached by a
stranger.
No clear pattern: (several 1's, 2's, and 5's).
This dog may not be feeling well. Perhaps just ate or was
recently wormed. Wait two days and retest. If the test still
shows wide variations (lots of 1's and 5's) he is probably
unpredictable and unlikely to be a good pet or obedience dog.
TIPS
C. in social attraction and social dominance:
The socially attracted dog is more easily taught to come and is
more cuddly and friendly. Its interest in people can be a useful
tool in training, despite other scores.
A. in restraint and 1 in touch sensitivity:
The dominant aggressive dog, insensitive to touch will be a
handful to train and extremely difficult for anyone other than
an exceptionally competent handler.
E. instablity:
This is likely to be a "spooky" dog which is never desirable. It
requires a great deal of extra work to get a spooky dog adapted
to new situations and they generally can't be depended upon in a
crisis.
F. in touch and sound sensitivity:
May also be very "spooky" and needs delicate handling to prevent
the dog from becoming frightened.....
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Dobermans carrying on the European legacy can be found in
Payson, UT
ph. 801-615-0249
email: Legacy@familydobes.com
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It is important to note I do not put a lot of stock in this kind of
puppy testing, this is offered as an information resource only. For more
on my opinions of puppy testing
click
here
Campbell's Test.
One can predict a Doberman puppy's temperament by using the
Campbell's test if the pup is not more than 6 to 8 weeks of age. William
Campbell developed a test for evaluation of the future temperament of a
dog this test will help you to make a judgment about the puppy's
aptitude. The test was tried for eight years on more than ten thousand
of canines of different breeds.
Basic rules: You have to be alone with the pup. When you choose an
environment for the test, choose a calm area to avoid disturbances.
Don't talk to the puppy, don't pet him. This test should be performed
only once. Each subtest lasts about 30 seconds. |
| 1. Test his Trust
Set the pup on the ground and walk away from him, a few steps. Then
kneel and clap your hands several times. Pay attention of how the puppy
reacts to the clapping. See if he comes to you, tail, high or low. The
puppy will show you right away the level of trust he has placed upon
you. Note the result.
A. Comes easily, tail high, hopping and nibbling hands
B. Comes easily, tail high, while yelping toward your hands
C. Comes easily, but with the tail lowered
D. Comes hesitantly
E. Does not come at all
2. Test his willingness to follow
Set the puppy on the ground, beside you. Then walk away from him. If
the puppy does not follow, it could mean that he is independent. If he
follows you, it might mean that he is obedient.
A. Follows easily, tail high, hopping and nibbling feet
B. Follows easily, tail high only
C. Follows easily, tail lowered
D. Follows hesitantly, tail lowered
E. Does not follow, keeping it's distance
3. Restraining test
Flatten the puppy and roll him on his back. Hold a hand upon its
sternum for at least thirty seconds. His attitude should tell you
whether he is accepting or refusing this physical domination. Note the
result.
A. Struggles vigorously, wants to get away, bites
B. Struggles vigorously, wants to get away
C. Struggles a moment, but surrenders
D. Does not struggle, licks hands
E. Lays still, very frightened
4. Social dominance test
Again, flatten the puppy against the ground. Stroke him, from head to
back, a few times. A dominant dog will resist such fondling; he will
even try to bite you. An independent puppy will go away. You may repeat
this test many times. Note the result.
A. Jumps, yelps, scratching, bites, growls
B. Jumps, yelps
C. Squirms, licks hands
D. Welters, licks hands
E. Gets away, does not budge
5. Lifting test
Raise the dog, hands across the puppy's belly. Hold him at a
reasonable level. At this point, the puppy has lost all control. The way
he reacts will tell you how submissive he his. Note the result.
A. Ferocious, bites, growls, cries
B. Kicks a lot, cries
C. Struggles, soothes himself, licks
D. Does not struggle, hanging or licking hands
E. Noticeably frightened
Test Results
2 A's or more, with B's. This Doberman is a leader and
will try to dominate. He can be aggressive and can bite if mishandled.
Not recommended for babies and elderly persons. Excellent watchdog if
trained by an experienced trainer with calmness and gentleness.
3 B's or more. This Doberman is calm and confident
with a tendency to dominate. Strong aptitude for training; Will be good
for obedience competition in IPO or agility. If trained, this Doberman
will become a great and obedient friend. You will find him equally great
in the crowd or on the sofa.
3 C's or more Excellent family dog. Perfect for
children and elderly persons. No major problems. Might be less capable
to serve as a protection dog.
2 D's or more, especially if combined with E's Puppy is
submissive. Has a great need of love and tenderness. Will be good for
family with children, though can bite if treated badly.
2 E's or more (including one in the D Test) Has a hard
time socializing. Can attack due to fear, stress, especially if
punished. Not recommended for families with children and elderly.
A and E's mixed. Start over the test elsewhere. If the
result is the same, the puppy is unpredictable.
If you have never had a Doberman before, you might consider a
female. The female is easier to train and is less dominating. For a man
a male Doberman can be more suitable. Males are more impulsive, have to
be trained and exercised. They are more inclined towards leadership, but
the rewards of having a well-trained beautiful noble Doberman by your
side outweigh the efforts that you will need to put into training of
this great intelligent animal.
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Dobermans
carrying on the European legacy can be found in Payson, UT
ph. 801-615-0249
email: Legacy@familydobes.com
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