Would like to buy a Dobeman Puppy

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dave112
Posts: 34
Joined: Fri Apr 04, 2008 7:08 am

Would like to buy a Dobeman Puppy

Post by dave112 »

Hi everyone,
I am new to this site but have always been a fan of Victoria.

Ever since I was a young lad I have dreamed of having my own dog. I am now nearly 28 and soon I would like to buy my first puppy!
I studied animal care and worked with dogs at the NCDL so I do have some experience with them.

It is a Doberman I would like and I have done a lot of research into the breed.
The problem I have is that I do not have a garden!!! I know this is far from ideal... I have a 3 bedroom house 'fairly good size' that I share with my brother. We have a communial small courtyard but that is only where we park etc.

Would I have problems getting a reputable breeder to sell me a puppy? Exercise WOULD NOT be a problem!!! I also am a Window Cleaner so I could take him out with me in the car a lot.
Am I being naive. Is it not better for a dog to receive lots of love and exercise but not have a garden. Or someone have a huge garden but not offer the dog much love.

I just really really would love to get a puppy in the near future but I am worried a breeder would not touch me with a barge pole.

One other thing and I apolgize if its a stupid question. Can you usually buy Doberman puppies most of the year? Or is it sort of seasonal... Probably a stupid question but been a while since I have worked with anaimls.


Thanks for any help..


Dave
Ocelot0411
Posts: 593
Joined: Thu May 24, 2007 7:30 am

Post by Ocelot0411 »

Hi Dave!

Welcome to the forum. Great choice of dog, but I am biased as I have a one year old Doberman :lol: .

Re the garden thing, I timed getting my pup with a house move from a flat in the city to a three bed semi in a more rural area. One of my 'must haves' was the biggest garden I could find, all enclosed so that my pup would be able to run and play entertain herself and so I could leave her outside in the summer on the days I had to work in the office in the city.

Suffice it to say I know a heck of a lot more about dogs now than I did then :oops: Firstly, there is no way my pup would run around the garden and entertain herself. The only time she will play out there or do any exercise at all in there is if I am playing with her. Most of the time we end up playing whilst we are on walks anyway. Also as for leaving her outside when I am in the office :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: I think NOT. My neighbours ears would bleed with her non stop barking and she would probably have dug her way to Australia by the time I got home.

So all in all the garden was not the be all and end all I thought it would be, in fact its hardly used. I probably will use it more now that the summer is coming for doing training and playing etc, but again I don't think there is anything you can do in a garden that you can't do when you are out on walks anyway. So in my opinion as long as your dog gets plenty of exercise (which you have already stated it will) and you have enough enclosed outside space for toileting purposes, I don't think that lack of garden will be a problem. In my experience breeders are also more generally concerned with how long the dog will be left alone for and with your working arrangements you shouldn't have an issue.

Re breeding, you will be able to find a pup any time of year, but I would strongly advise you find the breeder you want your pup from first and then wait until they have a litter with a pup available. Also you may find you need to go on a waiting list up to a year in advance depending on where you are in the country.

Finally, just a personal view but I think that things like understanding a dogs needs, having the time to put in to them and researching the breed are far more important than things like having a big garden. So you are already streets ahead of many in my opinion. Good luck with your search. :D
dave112
Posts: 34
Joined: Fri Apr 04, 2008 7:08 am

Post by dave112 »

Hi.
Thanks for your reply!
I have just realised i spelt Doberman wrong!!!! good start lol.
Your reply was helpful thank you.
I am not ready just yet to get a puppy but glad u said about poss waiting list.
I live near bristol and not sure of breeders around. is there any sites that reutable breeders list. I read not to trust kennel club site! Also is about 600 an average price have seen 750.
One other question do breeders take deposits etc for future puppies ?

Thanks for any help.
danabanana
Posts: 203
Joined: Wed Nov 28, 2007 9:21 am
Location: NE England

Post by danabanana »

I got in touch with a breeder on

www.epupz.com

We spoke to a few over the phone before even visiting and so glad we chose them they did a great job with my pup (not a dobe)
Bilclarie
Posts: 66
Joined: Fri Aug 10, 2007 4:25 am
Location: France
Contact:

Post by Bilclarie »

dave112 wrote:Hi.
Thanks for your reply!
I have just realised i spelt Doberman wrong!!!! good start lol.
Your reply was helpful thank you.
I am not ready just yet to get a puppy but glad u said about poss waiting list.
I live near bristol and not sure of breeders around. is there any sites that reutable breeders list. I read not to trust kennel club site! Also is about 600 an average price have seen 750.
One other question do breeders take deposits etc for future puppies ?

Thanks for any help.
And you have done it again it's Dobermann 2xn's :wink:

Bilclarie
Bilclarie Dobermann's
If it's not a Dobermann it's just a dog
www.bilclarie.com
[img]http://i130.photobucket.com/albums/p244/bilclarie/untitled.jpg[/img]
dave112
Posts: 34
Joined: Fri Apr 04, 2008 7:08 am

Post by dave112 »

:D LOL my spelling has never been my strong point!
thanks for the link
dave112
Posts: 34
Joined: Fri Apr 04, 2008 7:08 am

Post by dave112 »

Out of interest has anyone seen a dobermann undocked? Only ever seen pictures. do they still look like dobermanns? LOL
Its the breed i like so will still get but wondered if u get used to it.
There are odd breeder i saw online who has it done legally in ireland then brings pups over. would it be a mistake to buy off them??? not sure it mother would be present....
Any thoughts anyone ?
thanks
danabanana
Posts: 203
Joined: Wed Nov 28, 2007 9:21 am
Location: NE England

Post by danabanana »

I've seen a Dobie undocked... looks like a Dobe with a tail!

I wouldn't want to buy a pup without seeing mum, preferably dad too...
Ocelot0411
Posts: 593
Joined: Thu May 24, 2007 7:30 am

Post by Ocelot0411 »

Dave

If I were looking for a breeder the first place I would go is a breed club as must of the reputable breeders in that area should be members. The link for the SW of England club is here.

http://www.southwestdobermannclub.co.uk/

If you get in touch with the secretary or any one involved with the running of the club they will be happy to give you a list of reputable breeders in the area and then you can take it from there.

Re the Kennel club, I have read things about their Accredited Breeder Scheme lately which would certainly put doubt into my mind about whether or not this necessarily meant you were dealing with a good breeder. I think the issue of health testing has been at the forefront of discussions lately. So yes unfortunately I would agree that KC accredation doesn't seem to mean what I certainly thought it did.

Price wise 600-750 is about average as far as I am aware and I would certainly be suspicious of anyone wanted something substantially different to this. And yes deposits do seem to be the norm, but should only be for a small amount say £50. It just a way for the breeder to know that you are serious about having a pup so that they don't turn down other people who may have given good homes to one.

Another person who may be able to point you in the right direction is Bilclaire who has posted above. I know she is in touch with a lot of breeders in the UK and certainly knows her stuff on the breed. She has five of them (all stunning) and has bred herself. She's a good person to know if you ever want to know anything about the breed.

Hope that helps! :D
dave112
Posts: 34
Joined: Fri Apr 04, 2008 7:08 am

Post by dave112 »

Hi.
Thank you for your message it was very helpful.
I want to do all i can to make sure that buying my first puppy is done right!
I will find out what i can about some breeders and as suggested maybe reserve one for future. If breeders like me etc can i say i would like to reserve a male pup? obviously they wont know in advance how many of each sex they will have. not sure how it would work.
Thanks for the help again it is appreciated!
emmabeth
Posts: 8894
Joined: Tue Oct 17, 2006 9:24 pm
Location: West Midlands
Contact:

Post by emmabeth »

Generally speaking, the breeder decides if they like you, through meeting you in person and talking on the phone (and i would be wary of a breeder who will sell you a pup JUST on the strength of one phone call)...

Then they will take into account your gender preference, and put you on a waiting list.

Most breeders dont reserve a pup for someone until they are all borna nd they have met all the potential puppy buyers.

That might be because there are only 8 pups and 12 poeple on the list... it might be because not all 12 people have suitable characters/temperaments that match up with those of the pups that have been born..

So, dont ask to reserve a pup, but do ask to be put on the waiting list for the next litter. If you are talking to several breeders, it is polite to let them all know if you are on several waiting lists.

I wouldnt find a breeder through epupz, although there ARE good breeders using epupz (and the more that do, the easier people will have it finding a decent breeder rather than a rubbish one)... sadly at the moment there are a lot of bad breeders on there.

Have a look at champdogs.co.uk, google for the breed club's info - the breed clubs secretary should have a list of who is having a litter and their members ought to stick to the breed clubs criteria for breeding (usually FAR stricter than the KC's rules)..

Then talk to some breeders, visit them, be prepared to travel! Be prepared for them to quiz you about your lifestyle and how you will bring up the puppy, and quiz them about how they raise pups, about what health tests are done on the parents/pups (as relevant) etc.

If they dont quiz you, or if they are unhappy about you quizzing htem.. walk away.

If money is the first thing that is mentioned (it ought be the LAST), also, walk away!
dave112
Posts: 34
Joined: Fri Apr 04, 2008 7:08 am

Post by dave112 »

Thank u for that information it has been informative. its important for me to find a very goodbreeder. bit concerned they will be put off due to no garden and the fact that it will be my first pup!
I will find more breeders further afield. Will it bother them if u have to drive home 100-200 miles with a puppy? would it really distress the puppy?
Thank u
Bilclarie
Posts: 66
Joined: Fri Aug 10, 2007 4:25 am
Location: France
Contact:

Post by Bilclarie »

dave112 wrote:Thank u for that information it has been informative. its important for me to find a very goodbreeder. bit concerned they will be put off due to no garden and the fact that it will be my first pup!
I will find more breeders further afield. Will it bother them if u have to drive home 100-200 miles with a puppy? would it really distress the puppy?
Thank u
In an ideal world it would be nice to have a 10 minute trip to collect a puppy, but it never happens that way, I collect 2 puppys 4 yrs ago and they had a 5 hour trip we had water on board and a nice comfy place for them to sleep and that's just what they did all the way home, no acidents no sickness just sleep, out of interest what breeders are you looking at for a puppy?


Bilclarie
Bilclarie Dobermann's
If it's not a Dobermann it's just a dog
www.bilclarie.com
[img]http://i130.photobucket.com/albums/p244/bilclarie/untitled.jpg[/img]
dave112
Posts: 34
Joined: Fri Apr 04, 2008 7:08 am

Post by dave112 »

Its still early days into my breeder research. So far i like the look of a breeder in nottingham area with kennel name NEARTIC. Also a breeder in bristol Viemar. his pups go for 750. bit higher than some but looks good. As someone said its bout breeder liking you tho. Do u think it might go against me that not had a dog b4 let alone a dobe? I dont mind travelling to get a good breeder... It will be a bit later in the year as sorting out finances.
dave112
Posts: 34
Joined: Fri Apr 04, 2008 7:08 am

Post by dave112 »

I do like the champ dogs website. I think i will email some breedes 2morr.
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