Puppies

Show Breeders: This breeder is primarily interested in the betterment of the breed. They are almost always actively involved in showing in conformation, and often participate in obedience, and/or agility. Most of them are actively involved in dog clubs. Most serious New Zealand breeders are members of the either the South Island Dobermann Club, Dominion Dobermann Club, or Central Districts Dobermann Club. They fully understand the health issues within the breed and test (when available) both sire and dam for the important ones. These breeders select dogs/bitches based on correct dobermann temperaments. They spend a great deal of effort researching pedigrees and stud dogs to select the breeding most likely to yield the best possible puppies. The puppies are usually whelped and raised in their homes and are socialized beginning at a very early age to optimize their temperaments for life in the real world. Their goal is to breed the best dobermann, because they plan to keep one of the puppies for themselves as a show competitor. The facts of life, however, is that not all of the litter will be show quality. In fact, seldom is even half of a litter show quality. Many breeders consider a litter with one or two potential champions as a successful breeding. The remainder of the litter are placed in pet or performance homes (obedience and agility usually). If you are fortunate, you may get one of these puppies.

Back Yard Breeders: This breeder falls into two separate categories. One is a family that typically has a one bitch that they would like to breed "so the kids can learn about birth" or "because the dam is such a great pet and they want another" or because they see an opportunity "to make a few dollars" with little effort. These breeders know little about the breed. They spend no time seriously searching for the right stud dog. They usually select the sire based on knowing someone in town who owns a male. They do not understand the genetic health issues or the need to health test the sire and dam before breeding. No consideration is given to the quality of the breeding partners, because they simply don't know what constitutes a good dobermann.

The second category of Back Yard Breeder has a male and one or two females. They breed solely to make money, and are not motivated by any other factor. The knowledge of these breeders is typically as lacking as that of the first category of Back Yard Breeder.

Commercial Breeders: This breeder houses many males and females of several breeds. The bitches are usually bred every time they are in season, until they can produce no more. The animals are all in kennels ... some of which are sanitary, and many others are not. There is no attempt to breed for anything but volume and dollars.

The puppies are usually sold to brokers at 5 to 6 weeks old. The brokers then resell them to pet shops and other retail outlets. Many of the Commercial Breeders do not provide registration papers. Many of these breeders can't and/or won't meet New Zealand Kennel Club requirements.

In America, many of the dog-buying public are not really knowledgeable of registrations, so commercial breeders opened up their own registries that allow any dog to be registered. The unsuspecting public assumes that it is a legitiment pedigree registration. Many of these registration organisations require no proof of parentage and have no inspections for health conditions. Some of the commercial breeders specialise in only one or two breeds including dobermanns and Rottweilers.

Many of these breeders produce a lot of puppies and peddle a good deal of misinformation.

Commercial Breeders continued ... The puppies are ALWAYS whelped and raised in a kennel with no exposure to a home environment. They would have you believe that their dogs are better by calling them "Super Dobes" and by grading them as "superior" or some other classification that infer that they are of high quality. In fact there are almost never any champions within the past five generations of the puppy you will buy.

Some of these breeders pride themselves on "super sized" dobermanns. Big dobermanns are not correct. The standard calls for a male to be a maximum of 28" at the shoulders and a bitch to be a maximum of 26". A correct male will weigh in the mid-eighty pound range and a correct bitch will weigh in the upper fifty to lower sixty pound range. Bigger is NOT better. Some of the commercial breeders promise dogs that are "to your specifications" on temperament, when in fact, you will be sold just any puppy out of their many litters.

Importantly, some of these breeders charge outrageous prices for the quality level they sell. They typically sell puppies for MORE than a good show breeder asks for a really top quality pet that was raised in the home and properly socialized.

Which Breeder Should You Use? It's clear where you want to buy your puppy. The problem is that there are not enough Show Breeders to supply the market with good puppies. Most of these breeders are very concerned where their puppies go, and how they will be taken care of. They will ask a lot of questions before letting you have one of their puppies. However, we believe that it is well worth your effort to search out a good breeder. Your puppy will be with you for many years. Take your time !! It is important to have a healthy dobermann with a good temperament and a sound body.

Whether we like it or not, many people are afraid of dobermanns, and jump to the incorrect conclusion that they are all aggressive. You must be reasonably assured that your dobermann has been bred with correct temperament in mind, and that it has been socialized early, so that it can live well in our society.

Health Issues in Dobermanns: All purebred dogs have known health issues. Dogs that are not purebred have health issues too. You just don't know which ones they will have. There are a few health issues that you should be aware of when looking for your Dobermann puppy.

The most prevalent health problems in Dobermanns are Hip Displasia, Cardiomyopathy (Heart Diseas), hypothyroidism, CVI (wobbler's syndrome), and von Willebrand's disease.

Hip Displasia is a genetic disease that results in a hip joint that is too shallow for the "ball" to fit correctly. This can be a debilitating disease, depending on the severity. It is rare in dobermanns, from show lines, but it does occur more commonly in the general dobermann population.

Hypothyroidism is found in dobermanns, but it is not a common problem among well-bred dogs.

CVI (wobbler's syndrome) an inherited disease of the spinal column. It usually occurs as an adult (3 + years old). There is no test for this disease, but knowledgeable breeders know which dogs have been affected by this disease, and they do not use them in their breeding program. This is another reason to know your breeder, their knowledge of health issues, and their commitment to improving. von Willebrand's Disease (vWD) is a blood disease that is inherited. It is one of the least destructive diseases in dobermanns, but it should not be ignored.

Now that you are terrified that the dobermann is a lost cause health wise, let me assure you that there are many that live long and full lives with no health problems.