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Living With Dobermans
Contented - You will always have company if you have a doberman. Paris never really lets me out of her sight around the house. She is interested in what i'm doing, even if I'm not paying attention to her. She just likes to be with me, even just to watch T.V.
Warm - I swear, a doberman is better than an electric blanket or heating pad. And Paris gets in bed a few minutes before I do, so no cold sheets for me!
Rewarding -It's pretty much all due to her, but training Paris was so quick and easy, I don't honestly remember telling her things more than 1 or 2 times before she had everything down pat.
Teaching - People, that is. The misconception about many breeds of dogs being aggressive and violent by nature is sad and ill-informed. And so every time I take Paris out, I spend the majority of the time explaining to others that she won't bite them, their kids, or, obviously, eat their dog! Paris has changed the opinion of all the people she has come into contact with, though. Once they see that the look on her face, usually percieved as "I'm gonna bite you if you get within 10 ft of us", is really just "Are you going to come pet me? Pet me! Hurry!". I think that is word for word what she is thinking most of the time. Clean - Paris is so easy to bath and keep well-groomed. Not much shedding, no tangles or snarls in her fur. Just the occassional chunk of tree sap or pitch stuck on her fur!
Proud - She has actually stopped traffic when we are on walks, in fact, it's fairly common. People that stop almost always tell me about a doberman they had, that it was the best dog they had ever owned, etc., but that they haven't seen any around the area for sale, if even seen one at all. Not a common dog in Central Oregon, the majority of ex-owners are from Calif. Not sure why that is.
Slightly annoying - I trip on her quite often, because she is so close underfoot that I don't even see her down there! And I haven't been to the bathroom alone since I got Paris! TOO warm & crowded - Paris has to sleep with her head on my pillow, or on me. She gets annoyed and grumbles and grunts if I pull any of the blankets off of her, or push her over so I can (maybe) roll over and sleep comfortably. Meanwhile, I do get an elbow or hind foot to the stomache or back quite often, and it's still not enough to make me force her to sleep in her bed. Dobermans are made for cuddling. Frustrating - When a dog is smart it is a + and a -, in ways. Paris learned how to make me crazy, make me laugh when she should have been reprimanded for something, make me think it was MY idea to go play outside, give her a treat, or not give her a bath, (I'm on to that now!) She will whine at a pitch just high enough to not be heard by anyone more than 6 inches from us, so I look nuts when I tell her to quit! They say dobermans are ranked 5th smartest breed, but if thats true, I can't imagine owning #'s 1-4.
Possessive - Paris gets annoyed if I am on the phone and she wants attention. A wet nose poking at my ear is her way of saying I should hang up. Girls make her jealous, too. She seems to think she is the only female i need to talk to!
Completely doberman centered - One major issue with these dogs is time. How much of yours can you dedicate solely to your pet? Because if it's anything less than almost all of it, a doberman is probably not a good breed for you. Paris was a commitment I made only after helping to raise my fiancés doberman pup, and after i quit my job. I spend at least 80% of my time with her, and she is fine for hours outside with her buddy, Ruby, a 6 year old boxer, to play with. That, and a heated doghouse that could comfortably fit 4-6 more big dogs, with a skylight, rain gutters(she can't stand water on her head) and carpeting(she also hates the feel of her feet being wet) and she is happy for about 4 hours. Then it's back inside to sit on my lap in the recliner! All in all, it's been a full-time job and then some to raise a doberman, but I can honestly say that I will never own anything other than a doberman. All the stuff she does to bug me is FAR outweighed by everything else about her. I couldn't imagine a better dog, and she does behave well, despite the way it sounds. She knows my limits and will quit playing around or climbing on me if I tell her NO in a serious tone. Which I haven't really felt the need to do much. She is too much fun!
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