r/Doberman

I’ve always been personally against ear/tail cropping

A few debates I’ve heard:

It prevents infections: A lot of people believe that cropping ears prevent dobies from infection but it’s the opposite. Doberman aren’t prone to infection so cropping their ears makes them more likely to have increased debris and internal post surgery infections

Risk of injury: Some people debate that cutting tails lowers the risk of tail injury but most if not all of the time that’s incorrect. Most working breeds nowadays don’t actually work and even if they did the chance of them needing an amputation is incredibly low

Guard dogs: I understand cropped ears do look more intimating but it’s not your dogs responsibility

Aesthetics: Ultimately the reason behind cropping today is aesthetics. I don’t understand how it’s normalized to cut off ears for no cause.

I hear a lot of people tell me it’s not a big deal but to me it is because it’s painful and pointless. Its like if your parents cut your ear lobes off because they liked the way it looked

Some people compare this to getting kids ears pierced and while that is a massive size difference (a small piercing hole vs an entire limb/ chunk of tissue being cut off) I also disagree with really young kids getting piercings. I don’t think you should get your two year olds ears pierced or any kid unless they tell you they want it done for themselves. I could be wrong on some things but id like to hear options or why it’s justified for you

thank you for coming to my Ted Talk

Я писатель и у семьи гг в книге живёт пёс.

Это доберман, на первое появление ему 1.5 года. Он играет не очень значительную роль, но показывает отношение гг и окружающих людей к животным. Из важного, что он делает в книге: защищает гг, пока они рядом (потом гг уезжает из деревни). Пëсель знает много команд, очень послушный, воспитывался в строгости (без насилия). Характер добрый, но немного ленивый - в обычное, не прогулочное время он или спит, или просто лежит в тени деревьев. Но! Стоит ему увидеть воду (ручей, озеро или реку) - пытается в неё залезть. Обожает плескаться и играть с людьми в воде ( и не только в воде).

Писатели и хозяева собак, помогите!

Hi everyone,
I’m looking for reassurance, advice, and hopefully some success stories from people who have been through something similar.

I have an 8-month-old female Doberman from a reputable breeder. She has been attending balanced obedience training since she was 11 weeks old and has always been an incredibly fast learner. She loves to work, excels in obedience, and attends weekly group classes as well as private lessons. She has also completed a structured board-and-train program and will be starting daycare soon.

We’re first-time adult dog owners, so we’re definitely still learning. We work closely with our trainer, follow her recommendations as best we can, and are doing everything we can to provide Billie with structure, appropriate exercise, mental enrichment, consistency, and a positive environment.

Our trainer currently has us using either a flat collar or a head halter, depending on the situation. We are not using a prong or e-collar at this time, based on her recommendations, and prong collars are illegal in Québec.

The issue is redirected aggression.

Around 5.5 months of age, she started having episodes where, if she became highly aroused or frustrated (usually when seeing another dog or in another exciting situation), she would redirect onto me or my husband by jumping up and biting our arms, hands, or clothing. These are not puppy nips—they’re intense bites that seem to come from frustration and over-arousal.

What confuses me the most is that she has never done this to anyone else.
Not our trainer.
Not people in obedience class.
Not strangers.
Not visitors.
Only me and my husband.

She’s friendly with people, enjoys meeting strangers, and has never shown aggression toward anyone outside of these redirected episodes.

She also does very well with other dogs. She regularly interacts with familiar dogs, respects social cues, and has never shown aggression toward them.

Because we’ve become much better at recognizing her body language, she now wears a basket muzzle on walks, and we create distance as soon as we notice her escalating. That has significantly reduced the number of incidents because we’re preventing her from reaching that level of arousal.

We’re actively working on engagement, impulse control, and helping her stay below threshold. We are completely committed to continuing her training and doing whatever is necessary. If needed, we’re also open to consulting a veterinary behaviorist.

What I’m really struggling with is the fear that this means she’ll grow into an aggressive adult dog.
Everything I read about adolescent working breeds says that adolescence can be a very challenging period, but it’s hard not to worry when your own dog is redirecting onto you.

I’d really appreciate hearing from people who have experienced something similar.

Has your adolescent Doberman (or other working breed) gone through redirected aggression?
Did it improve with maturity and continued training?
Did your dog become a stable adult?
Were you ever convinced your dog was becoming aggressive, only to realize it was an adolescent phase combined with poor emotional regulation?

I know there are no guarantees, and I don’t expect a quick fix. We’ll keep putting in the work regardless.
I guess I’m mostly looking for reassurance that redirected aggression during adolescence doesn’t automatically mean she’ll become an aggressive adult, and that if we continue doing the right things, there’s a good chance she’ll mature into the stable dog we know she’s capable of becoming.

Thank you.

My previously well behaved easy-going male Doberman has suddenly regressed dramatically and inexplicably as a 14 month old into a non-housebroken, reactive, destructive dog. He was neutered three months ago, so the hormones should’ve settled by now, and he happily partnered with a spayed female rescue Doberman /German Shepherd mix; the two are inseparable. They play constantly and happily calmly coexist with cats in the house that he’s known since since he was eight weeks old. yet two weeks ago the cats escaped the house. This was a first in 10 years and tragically a freak accident during during a thunderstorm through a blown- out screen, shockingly he broke both their necks in a shake. I am devastated at their unnecessary deaths, but have to tell myself and truly believe that encountering two small animals in a thunderstorm in the dark outside the house did not equate to his happy cat friends inside. I have to believe he considered them like the squirrels and moles and rabbits he happily chases on the farm all day. He still enters the kitchen, looking for his friends, the cats. however, I am seriously wondering whether his behavior is correctable or just a new phase and I don’t like this dog at all. How can I figure out what changed him from such a happy pleasant companion to a non-trustworthy dog that I don’t want to be around.