FAQ
Here you'll find some frequently asked questions both specific to our program, and general to Dobermans as a breed.
Are Benchmark Dobermanns friendly?
The Doberman breed standard calls for an aloof temperament with strangers. Dobermans are bred to be a personal protection dog, the only breed created to protect man from man. Dobermans are not Golden Retrievers and are not a breed known for being social and friendly with everyone they meet.
That said, our Dobermans range from social, to socially neutral. It is our opinion that a Doberman cannot truly fulfill the role of a PPD if it is not stable enough to go just about anywhere with its owner. If properly trained and socialized, a doberman should be comfortable and confident around strangers and attuned to its handler, responsive if there is a real threat but otherwise safe to take out in public.
Many of our personal dogs are actually very friendly and enjoy attention and pets from strangers, with permission from their handler. Some are more neutral, stable and safe in public but don't care about anyone except the handler. We do not own any dogs that are unsafe to take in public, that are at risk to bite unprovoked.
That said, our Dobermans range from social, to socially neutral. It is our opinion that a Doberman cannot truly fulfill the role of a PPD if it is not stable enough to go just about anywhere with its owner. If properly trained and socialized, a doberman should be comfortable and confident around strangers and attuned to its handler, responsive if there is a real threat but otherwise safe to take out in public.
Many of our personal dogs are actually very friendly and enjoy attention and pets from strangers, with permission from their handler. Some are more neutral, stable and safe in public but don't care about anyone except the handler. We do not own any dogs that are unsafe to take in public, that are at risk to bite unprovoked.
Do Benchmark Dobermanns have dog aggression?
Dobermans are very prone to SSA- Same Sex Aggression- and most tend to be dog social as puppies and become less tolerant of strange dogs as they mature, specifically dogs of the same gender or dogs with an unstable energy. Ours fit the breed norms, most have some degree of SSA, and are standoffish with dogs they don't know. Our girls can all be together inside but we limit who is allowed outside together. Some of our boys fit that description as well. None of our dogs are outright dog aggressive.
Does Benchmark Dobermanns breed Euro or American Dobermanns?
The term "euro doberman" usually refers to eastern european showlines, often oversized hypertypes. Our pedigrees are comprised of mostly Western European working lines, with small outcrosses here and there to some east euro showlines and some american showlines. On each individual dog's page you'll find a link to their pedigree, and we're happy to answer any questions anyone may have about our pedigrees! We do not breed for oversized dogs, we do not breed for big heads or chests. Dobermans area medium sized breed, and we value athleticism and health over size.
Do Benchmark Dobermanns resource guard?
Our dogs tend to have high genetic possession, a trait that aides in their working abilities as PPD's and bitesport dogs, but we have never owned a doberman who had resource guarding issues. Many RG issues stem from a genetic predisposition, but can also be created by improper handling. Our dogs eat their meals in their crates, and get high value chews either in their crates or closely supervised. We have no issues being able to take food or other resources from our dogs. In a bitesport dog, RG would be a dangerous and highly undesireable trait- typically the dogs most valued resource is the bite equipment (sleeves etc), and the handler needs to be able to take them from the dog without risk of being seriously bitten.
Are all Benchmark Dobermanns extremely high drive/high energy?
Our dogs are working lines, so for the most part we are not producing lazy dogs that are content to spend most of their time on a couch. However they are not out of control maniacs either. Our dogs tend to be medium to high energy, and medium to high drive (with the exception of our American showline outcrosses who can be medium to low energy and low drive). While we are working hard to improve the working Doberman with better drive, better nerve and more stability, the majority of what we produce are nice, stable working dogs suitable for most dedicated handlers in bitesports and performance venues (Rally, Obedience, Agility, Barn Hunt, etc). The vast majority of our own dogs and dogs we produce have a great off switch and make wonderful family dogs when not working. They spend their down time holding down the couch, taking turns sleeping in our bed, going for neighborhood walks with our kids, and enjoying the cushy pet life. A dog who can't be kept in the house as a pet when not working is not desirable to most, even top level competitors. Working dogs should be able to also be calm family companions, provided their physical and mental needs are being met. Please keep in mind your Doberman is not public property and advocate for their personal space. Don't let people hug and hang on your dog, put their face in your dog's face, or roll around with your dog. Dogs of any breed should always be closely supervised with children, as children are often rough or disrespectful of dogs without any malicious intent. Even the most loving and patient dog can bite if hurt, teased or mistreated.
Does Benchmark Dobermans provide breeding rights with their puppies?
All of our puppies leave here on limited registration, but breeding rights may be opened once the dog is fully health tested and titled. We do not "sell" breeding rights with puppies.
How are Benchmark Dobermann's puppies raised?
We are a small hobby breeder. We raise our litters inside our home, with constant supervision. We have an extremely low mortality rate in our litters, and that is largely due to our puppy rearing methods. We have arranged our dining room to be our whelping space, with vinyl flooring that can be easily disinfected and sanitized. Our litters are born in a clean, nonporous whelping box, under close supervision so that any potential complications can be headed off. We use short pile carpet as a puppy-safe whelping box flooring, steamed for sanitation before use. We do not use heat lamps, as they are not always safe and can create hotspots. We use a lectro-kennel brand heating pad, which maintains a constant temperature of 102 degrees, safe for newborn puppies. Our puppies are able to choose to get on or off the heating pad as needed. We weigh each puppy daily to ensure appropriate weight gain, and supplement as needed. The first 2-3 weeks of our litter's lives, we have a cot set up right next to the whelping box and our puppies are never unsupervised for even a minute. Because of this, we don't have the tragedy of mama dogs laying on puppies, or becoming stressed and killing their puppies. We do not allow other dogs in the house to interact with the mother or newborn puppies, as this can cause undue stress to both. All other dogs are kept completely out of the room. We utilize the ENS- early neurological stimulation- and ESI- early scent introduction- with our litters. As our litters grow, we introduce a litter box and start conditioning our puppies to have clean potty habits. As it becomes developmentally appropriate, we introduce environmental stimuli to the puppies in the form of different surfaces to walk on, a wobble board, age appropriate toys, and sounds playing. Our puppies also have the advantage of being exposed from birth to the normal household sounds of a home with children and other pets, so none of that is new and stressful when its time for them to go to their new homes. Weather permitting, as the puppies grow we start having outdoor play time in our fenced yard. Once they are old enough we set up a large ex pen and provide stimulating toys and safe equipment to climb and play on, in, and under. Our puppies are introduced to new surfaces, sounds, and stimulus to gauge their reactions, and puppies needing extra support are worked through their stress carefully. Reactions, recoveries and inclinations are noted for the puppies to be later matched with their ideal owners. We start crate training, leash breaking and temperament testing before the puppies go home, in order to best match them to the right applicants and make their transition to their new homes as smooth as possible.
We do not, and have never, raised our litters in any kind of commercial breeding facility, and do not sell puppies to commercial breeding facilities.
We do not, and have never, raised our litters in any kind of commercial breeding facility, and do not sell puppies to commercial breeding facilities.
How do Benchmark Dobermanns live day to day?
Our dogs are housed indoors. Dobermans are not a breed well suited to being housed outdoors with limited human interaction. Our dogs live with our family inside our home. We have 1.5 acres, and our dogs spend their days lounging inside on dog beds and couches, playing outside in their fenced yard, going for hikes with us, and walks on our country lane, and training with us. We have a few outdoor kennel runs that are used only sporadically; only one of our dogs spends any notable amount of time kenneled, and only because we got him at 2 years old with behavioral baggage that expresses in occasional overstimulation when other dogs or kids are being especially rambunctious. In extreme weather every single one of our dogs is kept indoors. We spend a lot of our time day to day playing with our dogs, training, taking them with us on outings to dog friendly public spaces, and otherwise making sure they are mentally and physically fulfilled. We do not warehouse dogs just for the purposes of breeding here, each dog is special and loved and treated like a family pet.
How does Benchmark Dobermanns determine workability in their breeding program?
We determine working ability of our dogs and plan working breedings based on personal experience, extensive testing, and working titles. We have extensively titled our own dogs for many years. If you take a moment to go through our Males, Females, and memorial pages, you'll see that most of our older dogs are titled, and most of our younger generation are in the process of training toward titles. Each dog's individual page contains their parents names with titles, and a link to that dog's pedigree. Every single one of our dogs come from parents who are titled, with a couple exceptions- we have a couple of dogs from outside breedings where our male was titled and the other breeder's female was not. In most cases our dogs' pedigrees are heavily saturated with working titles, with far more dogs titled than not. While titles don't MAKE a dog, they do PROVE a dog to the general public, and whenever possible we prefer to have our pedigrees reflect the working ability we look for in our dogs. Our dogs and puppies are tested and trained to demonstrate their working ability to our satisfaction before they are trialed, and dogs not demonstrating the qualities we look for in a good working Dobermann are excluded from our breeding program. We do not breed dogs we consider "mediocre" for the purpose of selling puppies to pet homes.
Does Benchmark Dobermanns take dogs back if needed?
We contractually require our dogs to be returned to us if their placements do not work out for any reason. Over the course of our breeding career, we have had a total of 10 dogs returned to us. Some we sought out and bought back. Some we required the owners to return due to shortcomings on the owners part. And some the owners chose to return for various reasons. We never want to see any of our dogs mistreated, bounced around, rehomed to unknown persons, or ending up in shelters or rescues. We chose to bring that dog into the world and we take their safety very seriously.
Are Benchmark Dobermanns overbred?
While a term like "overbred" is largely a matter of opinion, we try to ensure our dogs are never bred to an extent that it becomes detrimental to the dog or the breed. For our females, that means never having more than 3 litters in their lifetime. Our girls were born to be more than just puppy machines. They spend the majority of their lives being cherished, loved family members, active pets, and working dogs. If they are bred, it is only to pair up with a carefully chosen male to create the next generation of super working Dobermanns, and never more than three litters. Even if they are physically healthy enough for a vet to deem them "ok to breed" we still feel its unethical to have them spend their lives in the whelping box. We believe that an ethical number of litters for a female should never exceed four.
For our males, while breeding doesn't take anything from the dog, overbreeding is detrimental to the breed as a whole. Dobermanns are a highly inbred breed, severely bottlenecked, and popular sire syndrome has had a devastating effect on the breed's genetic diversity. We believe in striking a balance between utilizing the exceptional studs we have for ourselves and a limited number of outside females, so that they may contribute great genetics to the breed's gene pool, and not allowing them to be overbred and potentially damage the breed. Our foundation stud Ivan is a truly exemplary example of the breed, a phenomenal worker, steel nerves and an impeccable temperament, a pedigree full of longevity and working ability, and is currently over 11 years old and in great health; and he has sired a total of 11 litters in his lifetime. We are approached often about our studs, and we turn away the vast majority of inquiries for a variety of reasons. We never want to be "that kennel" who will allow anyone to use our male as long as they pay a stud fee. We believe, as most ethical breeders do, that allowing your male to sire hundreds or thousands of puppies, especially in a breed like the Dobermann, is detrimental to the breed and serves no purpose other than lining the owners pockets.
For our males, while breeding doesn't take anything from the dog, overbreeding is detrimental to the breed as a whole. Dobermanns are a highly inbred breed, severely bottlenecked, and popular sire syndrome has had a devastating effect on the breed's genetic diversity. We believe in striking a balance between utilizing the exceptional studs we have for ourselves and a limited number of outside females, so that they may contribute great genetics to the breed's gene pool, and not allowing them to be overbred and potentially damage the breed. Our foundation stud Ivan is a truly exemplary example of the breed, a phenomenal worker, steel nerves and an impeccable temperament, a pedigree full of longevity and working ability, and is currently over 11 years old and in great health; and he has sired a total of 11 litters in his lifetime. We are approached often about our studs, and we turn away the vast majority of inquiries for a variety of reasons. We never want to be "that kennel" who will allow anyone to use our male as long as they pay a stud fee. We believe, as most ethical breeders do, that allowing your male to sire hundreds or thousands of puppies, especially in a breed like the Dobermann, is detrimental to the breed and serves no purpose other than lining the owners pockets.
What does Benchmark look for in an outside stud?
We are always on the lookout for exceptional Dobermans. When we see one who really catches our eye, we look for some very specific things.
1. Pedigree- we research the pedigree for health and longevity, excluding any dog who carries a high rate of DCM in the immediate lineage.
2. Temperament- we look for confident, stable dogs with strong nerves, working ability, and biddability without being soft or overly handler sensitive.
3. Structure- we aren't prioritizing show quality conformation, but functional working structure is vital to the dogs ability to work and be sound into old age. No matter how nice the dog works and how good the pedigree is, we just aren't going to use a structural nightmare.
4. Health testing- before we will use a dog, he must have passing results on his health testing. We have found dogs with no testing, and requested the owners test the dog before we will use him. If the owner won't comply, or the dog fails one or more tests, we move on.
5. Titles- titles dont "make" the dog, but they do prove him to the public. There have been dogs we've come across that have no titles, that we have had the privilege of being able to test ourselves and ensure the dog carries the working ability and temperament traits we're looking for, and we've moved ahead with using that dog. Titles are wonderful, but sometimes you can find a diamond in the rough, who may not be as popular or well known, who brings as much to the table or more than some of the highest titled dogs in the country. You just have to know what you're looking for and how to test for it!
1. Pedigree- we research the pedigree for health and longevity, excluding any dog who carries a high rate of DCM in the immediate lineage.
2. Temperament- we look for confident, stable dogs with strong nerves, working ability, and biddability without being soft or overly handler sensitive.
3. Structure- we aren't prioritizing show quality conformation, but functional working structure is vital to the dogs ability to work and be sound into old age. No matter how nice the dog works and how good the pedigree is, we just aren't going to use a structural nightmare.
4. Health testing- before we will use a dog, he must have passing results on his health testing. We have found dogs with no testing, and requested the owners test the dog before we will use him. If the owner won't comply, or the dog fails one or more tests, we move on.
5. Titles- titles dont "make" the dog, but they do prove him to the public. There have been dogs we've come across that have no titles, that we have had the privilege of being able to test ourselves and ensure the dog carries the working ability and temperament traits we're looking for, and we've moved ahead with using that dog. Titles are wonderful, but sometimes you can find a diamond in the rough, who may not be as popular or well known, who brings as much to the table or more than some of the highest titled dogs in the country. You just have to know what you're looking for and how to test for it!
What does Benchmark Dobermanns require of an outside female to be bred to one of our males?
In order to be considered for one of our males, a female must be fully health tested (echo and holter, hips, thyroid, vwd at minimum, and we will verify passing results). We prefer titles whenever possible. We require the pedigree sent to us, and we will deep dive into it looking for health and longevity, working ability, titles, "usual suspects" for DCM, and dogs/lines that are known in either a good or bad way for health, nerve and working ability. We also heavily take into consideration the experience of the female's owner- if we are going to allow them to use our male, we are entrusting them with our boy's legacy and we take that very seriously. We will consider the owners history, ethics, and try to determine how likely they are to uphold the basics of ethical breeding- will they screen their buyers? Take pups back if the placements don't work? Temperament test and place pups appropriately? Prioritize working and performance homes? If we allow someone to use our male to sire their own litter, we want to do everything we can to stack the deck in those pups favor.
How often does Benchmark Dobermanns have puppies?
There is a fine line between breeding enough to have an impact on the breed, and overbreeding. What constitutes overbreeding is a matter of opinion, and depends on a number of variables.
A breeder who only produces 1 litter every 5-10 years, or only produces a few litters in their entire career, is extremely unlikely to have any kind of impact on the breed, good or bad. We seek to have a positive impact on the breed when we retire from breeding! So we breed only for the purpose of creating the next generation of working dogs, and never to just have a litter, or to fulfill a wait list or create pets. We may have anywhere from 0-3 litters per year, and we make all of those litters publicly known- we never hide our litters to disguise the volume we are producing. For some this number may seem high, for others its very low. All of our previous litters can be found on our Previous Litters page.
2016, we had two litters: our C and D litters.
2017- we had no litters
2018, we had one litter, our E litter
2019, we had three litters, our F litter (only 3 puppies), repeated for our G litter (one puppy), and our H litter
2020, we had three litters, our I, J, and K litters
2021, we had three litters, our L, M, and N (one puppy) litters
2022, we had two litters, our O and P (2 puppies) litters
2023, we had two litters, our Q and R litters
2024, we had one litter, co-bred with another kennel, our S litter
A breeder who only produces 1 litter every 5-10 years, or only produces a few litters in their entire career, is extremely unlikely to have any kind of impact on the breed, good or bad. We seek to have a positive impact on the breed when we retire from breeding! So we breed only for the purpose of creating the next generation of working dogs, and never to just have a litter, or to fulfill a wait list or create pets. We may have anywhere from 0-3 litters per year, and we make all of those litters publicly known- we never hide our litters to disguise the volume we are producing. For some this number may seem high, for others its very low. All of our previous litters can be found on our Previous Litters page.
2016, we had two litters: our C and D litters.
2017- we had no litters
2018, we had one litter, our E litter
2019, we had three litters, our F litter (only 3 puppies), repeated for our G litter (one puppy), and our H litter
2020, we had three litters, our I, J, and K litters
2021, we had three litters, our L, M, and N (one puppy) litters
2022, we had two litters, our O and P (2 puppies) litters
2023, we had two litters, our Q and R litters
2024, we had one litter, co-bred with another kennel, our S litter
Can I select my own puppy from Benchmark?
We have a process for making sure the right puppy gets into the right home. We begin with our questionnaire, to assess the needs and experience of the applicant. We have an interview process, where we talk to the applicant and get a good feel for what they want, and what they can realistically handle. When the puppies become old enough to develop personalities, we start assessing the puppies to get an idea of who would suit the needs of each applicant. Once the puppies have gotten old enough to really start temperament testing and drive testing, we match each puppy to the applicant who would best fit that puppy's drive, energy, personality and other needs.
If the applicant is a professional or experienced trainer, we do allow input in the selection process.
We dont allow applicants to choose their own puppy based off a photo, video clip, or short meeting. Puppies are fickle, change constantly, and can test/behave differently from hour to hour based on their mood, when they last ate, when they last slept, and their age at the time. As the breeder, we do know our puppies best and want to make sure they go to the person best suited for them, not the person who thought they were cutest/fattests/"chose them".
If the applicant is a professional or experienced trainer, we do allow input in the selection process.
We dont allow applicants to choose their own puppy based off a photo, video clip, or short meeting. Puppies are fickle, change constantly, and can test/behave differently from hour to hour based on their mood, when they last ate, when they last slept, and their age at the time. As the breeder, we do know our puppies best and want to make sure they go to the person best suited for them, not the person who thought they were cutest/fattests/"chose them".
*General Doberman FAQ*
What is Health Testing and why is it important?
Health testing goes much further than a standard vet checkup.
All Dobermans should be fully health tested prior to being bred. According to the parent club of the breed, the DPCA, the following tests are required for the Doberman:
Hips- these can be evaluated through OFA or PennHip. Passing scores are "Excellent", "Good", or "Fair".
Elbows- evaluated through OFA. Passing score is "Normal"
Eyes- evaluated by an canine opthamologist and certified by OFA. Passing score is "Normal"
Thyroid- evaluated by an OFA- approved Lab and certified by OFA. Passing score is "Normal"
vWD- tested and certified by select labs such as Embark and VetGen. Scores are either "Clear" (carries no gene for vwd, is extremely unlikely to ever have a bleeding epsiode), "Carrier" (carries one copy of the gene, is extremely unlikely to ever have a bleeding episode), or "Affected" (98% of "affected" dogs are genetically affected, they carry two copies of the vwd gene, but will never have a bleeding episode. 2% of "affected" dogs are clinically affected and may have one or more bleeding episodes in their lifetime, usually associated with major surgeries).
Echocardiogram- performed by a canine cardiologist and can be certified by OFA
Holter- typically performed by the owner, results reported by Alba Medical, can be certified by OFA
A cardiac auscultation is simply a GP veterinarian listening to your dogs heart with a stethoscope. This is used to diagnose things like murmurs and other abnormalities, but is not sufficient for heart testing a Doberman, especially one who may be bred.
All Dobermans should be fully health tested prior to being bred. According to the parent club of the breed, the DPCA, the following tests are required for the Doberman:
Hips- these can be evaluated through OFA or PennHip. Passing scores are "Excellent", "Good", or "Fair".
Elbows- evaluated through OFA. Passing score is "Normal"
Eyes- evaluated by an canine opthamologist and certified by OFA. Passing score is "Normal"
Thyroid- evaluated by an OFA- approved Lab and certified by OFA. Passing score is "Normal"
vWD- tested and certified by select labs such as Embark and VetGen. Scores are either "Clear" (carries no gene for vwd, is extremely unlikely to ever have a bleeding epsiode), "Carrier" (carries one copy of the gene, is extremely unlikely to ever have a bleeding episode), or "Affected" (98% of "affected" dogs are genetically affected, they carry two copies of the vwd gene, but will never have a bleeding episode. 2% of "affected" dogs are clinically affected and may have one or more bleeding episodes in their lifetime, usually associated with major surgeries).
Echocardiogram- performed by a canine cardiologist and can be certified by OFA
Holter- typically performed by the owner, results reported by Alba Medical, can be certified by OFA
A cardiac auscultation is simply a GP veterinarian listening to your dogs heart with a stethoscope. This is used to diagnose things like murmurs and other abnormalities, but is not sufficient for heart testing a Doberman, especially one who may be bred.
What's the scoop on Ear Cropping?
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The ear crop is one of the first things people notice about a Doberman, and a properly shaped and proportioned crop emphasizes the dog's head shape and should flow smoothly with the lines of the head. A reputable breeder will never leave it up to the puppy buyer to find their own crop vet, they either leave their puppies all natural (to remain all natural), leave floppy ears at buyer's request (to remain floppy), or will have the litter cropped before they go home to make sure it is done correctly.
Dobermans traditionally were cropped short, so as not to give an opponent the ability to grab a floppy long ear. Cropping is not cruel, if it is done by a licensed veterinarian under full anesthesia. Puppies typically wake up from surgery ready to eat and play right away, and have no restrictions like you expect after other surgeries. There is minimal discomfort, and they are provided pain management and antibiotics to prevent any possible infections. Ear crops heal quickly and within about 7-10 days the stitches are removed and they are ready to begin posting soon after. Posting is done by using a semi-rigid material such as backer rod foam, or heavy duty zip ties, encasing them in porous medical tape with padding. Posts are kept clean and dry and changed every few days, until the dog is done teething, at minimum. Some dogs may be done then, especially shorter crops, and some may need to be posted until a year old or even older for the long show crops. Cropping is primarily done now for aesthetic purposes, but it does carry some benefit to the dog. Cropping and posting returns the ear to the natural upright position seen in every wild canid species. Erect ears can more precisely pinpoint sounds. Erect ears allow airflow to the canal, reducing buildup of wax and debris and reducing the liklihood of ear infections. Erect ears experience hematomas less often than floppy ears. Crop vets we recommend: Dr Anne Midgarden, OH Dr Kay Backues, OK Dr Brittany Faison, DE Dr Yelena Lapova, TN Dr Laura Fiore, NY We use Dr Anne Midgarden, and we have the medium crop shown in this graphic for all of our puppies. |
DCM: DNA testing vs Echo/Holter
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Proper cardio testing is an echocardiogram and a 24 hour holter monitor. Echos measure size of the heart, thickness of the muscle walls, input and output of the valves, and any structural deformities. Holter monitors test the electric function of the heart, premature ventricular contractions in the left and right ventricle, and overly fast or slow heart rates. Both tests are used to detect and diagnose Dilated Cardiomyopathy.
DCM1 (or PDK4) and DCM2 (TTN) are dna tests developed by Dr Meurs and are widely available, however those tests have been widely proven inaccurate. The research has been unable to be replicated by other scientists, and the DCM1 and 2 genes have been found absent among the European population. Many dobermans carrying 1 or both copies of DCM1 and 2 are living far past 10, in some cases into their teens. And dogs that are clear for both DCM1 and 2 are dropping dead between the age of two and eight. THe obvious conclusion for us, and most reputable, experienced breeders is that we don't take the DNA tests into account when we are making our breeding decisions, we rely on holter and echo and we research our pedigrees extensively to try and utilize dogs with the least known DCM that we can find. |
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Bloat
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American vs Euro
A common misconception is that "Euro" Dobermans are larger, heavier, and with better temperaments than American dobermans. What many don't understand is that the FCI breed standard is nearly identical to the American breed standard.
Dobermans who are larger, heavier, and with blockier heads are not true to any standard but are "hypertypes", overdone and often unhealthy.
Dobermans who are larger, heavier, and with blockier heads are not true to any standard but are "hypertypes", overdone and often unhealthy.
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The Spay/Neuter Debate
For decades it has been the norm to alter puppies- anywhere from 8 weeks to 9 months was a normally recommended age by many veterinarians. The primary thought process being that most people can't control their pets and that early spay/neuter would prevent unwanted litters of puppies, as well as curbing behaviors such as aggression, roaming, humping, resource guarding and others. More recently, studies have been conducted showing that not only does altering your puppy NOT eliminate unwanted behaviors, it can actually cause them! Not only can it lead to unwanted behaviors and temperament issues, it is also detrimental to the physical health of the dog, for example, early spay/neuter has been shown to lead to health issues, such as increasing the risk of some types of cancer and CCL tears.
Studies:
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fvets.2020.00388/full?mibextid=Zxz2cZ&fbclid=IwAR27dbmAM_sJewkD1JTSzUlHi_vvgZGhH3-aQfhBX2K_Pqf_J1w1RqMMCj0
https://www.akcchf.org/news-events/news/health-implications-in-early.html?fbclid=IwAR3DYsT3_75quzdS1XDu8FJxDmwumkDEo1hTU1rLloMtAatl9cmj61_enek
https://www.aaha.org/publications/newstat/articles/2020-08/data-on-the-consequences-of-early-neutering-continues-to-mount/?fbclid=IwAR1c8GUX_FMMTOIJF9mcbLf_WkcojbOJtU695C1WB2wJ18sR059OAW5hmSQ
https://www.vetmed.ucdavis.edu/news/big-dogs-face-more-joint-problems-if-neutered-early?fbclid=IwAR2Z2L588cuK_jfW2FVcVizctj6cQ2yYfzauOh6O71HLNBmtCBpkVgVRYCo
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7359819/?fbclid=IwAR1KCy605z47Mmo8cEqSr-n0mFfgCZ7-GzU0jFbERFoFR9mKnqFHPxkQ_VI
https://www.ucdavis.edu/news/golden-retriever-study-suggests-neutering-affects-dog-health?fbclid=IwAR1fIsW6qHTNyy1I-L80nviMTzHJbB7--02xXWldAQmhKST6kkDJO8o671Y#:~:text=Specifically%2C%20early%20neutering%20was%20associated,tumors%20and%20hemangiosarcoma%20in%20females
Studies:
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fvets.2020.00388/full?mibextid=Zxz2cZ&fbclid=IwAR27dbmAM_sJewkD1JTSzUlHi_vvgZGhH3-aQfhBX2K_Pqf_J1w1RqMMCj0
https://www.akcchf.org/news-events/news/health-implications-in-early.html?fbclid=IwAR3DYsT3_75quzdS1XDu8FJxDmwumkDEo1hTU1rLloMtAatl9cmj61_enek
https://www.aaha.org/publications/newstat/articles/2020-08/data-on-the-consequences-of-early-neutering-continues-to-mount/?fbclid=IwAR1c8GUX_FMMTOIJF9mcbLf_WkcojbOJtU695C1WB2wJ18sR059OAW5hmSQ
https://www.vetmed.ucdavis.edu/news/big-dogs-face-more-joint-problems-if-neutered-early?fbclid=IwAR2Z2L588cuK_jfW2FVcVizctj6cQ2yYfzauOh6O71HLNBmtCBpkVgVRYCo
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7359819/?fbclid=IwAR1KCy605z47Mmo8cEqSr-n0mFfgCZ7-GzU0jFbERFoFR9mKnqFHPxkQ_VI
https://www.ucdavis.edu/news/golden-retriever-study-suggests-neutering-affects-dog-health?fbclid=IwAR1fIsW6qHTNyy1I-L80nviMTzHJbB7--02xXWldAQmhKST6kkDJO8o671Y#:~:text=Specifically%2C%20early%20neutering%20was%20associated,tumors%20and%20hemangiosarcoma%20in%20females
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How to Live with and fulfill your high energy Doberman
A Doberman is a working breed and as such, an inherent amount of energy typically comes with it! With most working line Dobermans, a walk in the neighborhood is not nearly enough to exercise and stimulate your dogs body and mind. Calm exercises like leash walks and dog puzzles are great for some percentage of your dogs needs, but things like hiking, swimming, running, dragging light weights or playing with a springpole and flirt pole are more suited to a high drive, high energy, athletic working dog! Treadmills come in a variety of types- electric treadmills such as the Dogpacer or Jog A Dog are great options for controlling the speed and monitoring distance. Slatmills are dog powered treadmills that the dog controls the speed, the mill doesn't run unless the dog chooses to move on it. Slatmills are great for cardio and endurance. Carpet mills are also dog powered and are great for building muscle! (For the Doberman we do not recommend weighted collars)
Socialization
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Socialization prepares a puppy to properly interact with their environment and the people and animals in it. A properly socialized dog should be comfortable and confident in a variety of situations and around strange people and animals. They should be able to tune out their environment and focus on their handler, and not be overly concerned with any person or animal in their vicinity.
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