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DPCA BREEDERS EDUCATION Q & A ARCHIVES - Page 4, 2004 |
ITEM OF PARTICULAR INTEREST :
RESPONSE FROM JOE DUKES,
INSURANCE AGENT FOR FARMERS INSURANCE GROUP
I have recently opened my own agency with Farmers Insurance Group here in Las
Vegas. The other day I read an article about owners of large breed dogs and the
problems that they were facing with regards to insurance. It seems that quite a
few insurance companies are either surcharging the owners or denying them
coverage completely based on inaccurate stereotypes. From personal experience I
can say that my aunt's Yorkie is ten times meaner than any dog twice its size so
I know that a dog's temperament has more to do with the owner and not just the
breed. I want you to know that Farmers Insurance does not refuse to insure or
have a surcharge for any breed of dog regardless of size. In addition to
homeowners insurance I also provide auto, life and commercial insurance as well.
Please don't hesitate to give me a call. I look forward to hearing from you in
the very near future. Thank you for your time.
Sincerely,
Joe Dukes
Farmers Insurance Group
Auto, Home, Life, and Business
1645 Village Center Circle, Suite 251
Las Vegas, NV 89134
Bus: (702)769-9122
Fax: (702)896-1649
jdukes@farmersagent.com
Comments: Breeding the Doberman
I have an Isabella male that I would like to breed but I'm concerned about potential combinations and problems.
After reading the articles on this website about health issues, etc., you need to think real hard about breeding your girl. If she has puppies that end up having problems, you will have to answer to the new owners and be responsible for each of those puppies for their lifetime. Breeding is a very big undertaking. Being a responsible breeder means knowing when NOT to breed.
You will have to learn and then ask yourself a lot of questions about breeding any Doberman let alone the possible color. Your dog must be tested for all of the inherent diseases that plague the Doberman breed before you breed so that you can make the best possible breeding decisions on health. Go here to read about our health problems: http://www.dpca.org/gendisease.html and here too to learn even more http://www.dpfa.org.
Your Doberman should go through a simple temperament test (WAE) that is put on by the DPCA.
In this article you can learn about how to use the test in making a breeding decision. http://www.dpca-breedered.com/breeders_tools.htm You can find out more about this test by going to http://www.dpca.org/wae.html
We do have a lot of articles on the web-site in the articles section about breeding. You should read and study the Doberman Pinscher standard http://www.dpca-breedered.com/DPCABreedStandard.htm. You will need to garner as much knowledge about the Doberman as you can before you make the decision to breed and bring a litter of puppies into the world. This endeavor is a huge responsibility to say the least. Here is a good article about making the decision to breed or not: http://www.dpca-breedered.com/useorneuter.htm
I have found some of these articles for you. Please go to our pages at www.dpca-breedered.com and find even more articles and read them. If you go back into a few of the questions in the Q & A Archives you can find some answers to similar questions to yours about whether or not to breed your Doberman.
Breeding the fawn (and the blue) Doberman does have it's own downside too. Does your fawn Doberman have a normal coat or does he have the alopecia skin problem that often comes with the dilution factor. You can read about this too in an article that is on our articles page http://www.seattle-attorney.com/storm/sup.html. If your fawn Doberman does not have a normal coat it is recommended that he not be bred. He will sire this problem in his puppies.
Here is the color inheritance chart: http://www.dpca-breedered.com/colorinheritance.htm
You can also go here and find a mentor maybe in your area to help you evaluate your dog for breeding. http://www.dpca-breedered.com/DPCA_mentors.htm
This is just a start for you. These articles should help you answer some of your questions. If you should have a specific question feel free to ask us again.
I hope that this helps you.
I am in search of the best food/diet for a Doberman. As well as supplements. Any and all suggestions would be greatly appreciated!
A: from Susanne Smith, Alpha Dobermans, USA
There
are some very good quality dog foods on the market
today. If you are looking for a good quality kibble,
be sure to read the labels and try to stay away from
foods that have artificial preservatives or
coloring. Dobermans can be sensitive and even
allergic to these ingredients. I don't recommend
canned food as it causes tartar build up. Some
people feed a raw diet, but this takes some work and
research on your part. he The recipes must be
followed explicitly to ensure the correct nutrients
are given. There are many books on the subject.
Whatever you decide to feed, be sure it is a high
quality food, (not bought from a grocery store).
Though they are more expensive, it's worth it to
have a healthy happy Doberman.
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A: from Marj Brooks, Manorie Dobermans, USA
Hello Nickie,
Oh boy, you are going to get an different opinion from everybody that you ask this question to. I feed raw and pretty much make up my own balanced diet.
If you are going to feed a kibble, I would pick a high end natural kibble. I am trying to think. I take a publication called The Whole Dog Journal. In one of the 2004 issues they had an article rating all of the kibbles. You can find them on line and find that issue and I believe that you may be able to read it on line or you can at least get that issue.
When I did feed kibble, I fed Solid Gold's Hundenfloken. I added fresh raw hamburger to the meal. You can add yogurt too. For additives I fed
400 units of vitamin E 2x a day, 1000 mg of vitamin C or Ester C 2 times a day. I fed a fish oil cap once a day. I fed a tablespoon of Sunflower oil and 1 tablespoon of Udo's Choice oil that contains the omegas 3 and 6. You can feed flaxseed oil rather than the Udo's Choice oil for these important omegas. I fed kelp too although the Hundenfloken has seameal in it.
I have seen dogs that are fed the Flint River Ranch kibble that look good. Some of the kibbles that are fed give a dog a puffy look like it creates a inflammation look to their bodies. This is just my opinion about the kibbles. I hope that I have helped with the additives. I liked the Hundenfloken because it has a lot of the additives in it that I give to my dogs that are eating the raw diet. The additives mentioned above should be fed regardless you are feeding kibble or the raw diet.
If you are interested in the raw diet, you can get the book Natural Nutrition For Dogs and Cats, The Ultimate Diet by Kymythy R. Schultze. You can get this book for under $10.00 from www.bookwise.com or info@4mdogbooks.com. I suggest that you get the book and read it before you start this kind of feeding. There are other books out there about the raw diet, I think this is the easiest one to read for starting.
If you don't have your Doberman yet, normally the reputable breeder will have a diet recommendation for you. Look at the breeders dogs for their condition too. I am assuming that you don't have your Doberman yet. Is that correct?
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A: from Judy Doniere, Toledobes, USA
Hello,
There are hundreds of dog foods out there to choose from. If you ask a hundred people they will swear their's is the best.
Most good brand foods are good for most dogs. Occasionally dogs/puppies develop an allergy to some, get the runs from others or just don't seem to maintain their weight or get too heavy on others. Like people, dogs are individuals and their needs vary.
You should find a good brand you and your dog like. If the dog likes it, his coat stays in good condition, and he is keeping his weight at the normal level for his age, then stick with that.
It should be a food that has all the supplements added in. You shouldn't need to add others if it is a quality food. You might ask your breeder or someone who is a breeder and maybe shows dogs what brand they use. Look at their dogs. If you think they are in excellent shape, you might try that. Keep your dog on the same food over a month or so and you should know if he is doing good on it. Then stick with it.
Q: from Nancy
Date: Monday, December 27, 2004
Time: 6:15 PM
Comments: Pregnant Doberman
My 5 year old Doberman is 50 days pregnant now and light brown discharge is coming from her vulva. Is this normal because I have read it is?
My vet cut one ear shorter than the other...what can I do? This is a show dog.
Hello Bonnie,
Not to worry unless it is a major flaw. You need to make sure that the shorter ear is stretched up well and does not have a pocket. There are most always no two ears exactly alike. Is there a person in your area that shows and breed Dobermans that can help and mentor you? If so, this person have look at you puppy. Take a look at the DPCA referral list that is on this web-site and see who might live near you. I believe that we have a mentors list too, so check that as well. If we don't you can find these lists at www.DPCA.org too.
If you live near me in Northern California, give me a call (717-539-2050). I am on both the mentor and the breeder lists.
Comments: Doberman Temperament
I have a male Dobe, 2 yrs old - who has no confidence around people and new situations - very skittish. Any suggestions. I have a female same age, same environment but very outgoing.
I purchased the male at about 13-14 wks the bitch at 9 weeks.
A: from Marj Brooks, Manorie Dobermans, USA
Hello Orlando,
This is a hard one to explain in writing. You need the help of a trainer or a behaviourist that knows Dobermans. Knowing the breed is the key word.
You can try taking him for outings ( leash walks) without the outgoing girl along so he has to deal with things. He just lets her do the greeting. You will need to encourage him to go up to people when he acts skittish. You can do this by stopping and engaging in a conversation with the person and encourage the dog to come up to him/her and be by you. He should always be on leash of course. Have the person pet him while you are talking, just stroke him on the head. A common thing that we all do when they are younger is that we tend to pull them away from people so they don't bother them. In doing this we are telling them to be afraid. Now you have to reverse this. A good obedience training class is an idea too. Again, the trainer should know Dobermans to help you the best.
Can you talk to the breeders of your dogs for suggestions? Do you live near the breeder. If not can you tell us where you live and/or where you got your Dobermans from and what breeder.
Maybe we can help you with a referral. You can lookup breeders in your area by going here: http://dpca.org/breeder.html
Also, here is an article that you can go to and print if you like for further study about the critical periods in a dogs life. http://www.dpca-breedered.com/superpuppy.htm The article talks about the certain critical periods and tells the breeder what to do and what not to do during periods and why.
Since you got your male at 13-14 weeks the 1st, 2nd, 3rd,4th and the 5th critical periods would interest you. This is the time that the breeder had him. He came to you during the 5th period. By reading this you should get some insight to possible reasons and learn a lot about behaviours. There are other articles on our article pages too.
Let's see what the others suggest too. They may suggest to go here http://www.dpca-breedered.com/page1.htm and find a breeder in your area to help you. Some breeders can help with this sort of thing better than others.
I hope that this has been a little helpful.
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Hi, I am currently looking to buy a puppy but am having problems finding quality breeders. I am very much for the breeders code of ethics especially the part about only breeding to better the breed because there are plenty Dobermans in this world that need homes if you aren't breeding strictly to better the breed don't breed at all .
The problem that I have been running into is INBREEDING you can not have quality anything in mind when you are inbreeding. I was wondering what standards the breeders on the referral page have to meet to get on it because some of the referred breeders have gone so far as to breed ½ brothers and ½ sisters.....I find this disturbing. These are not quality breeders and are not breeding to better the breed. I have seen the result of "line" breeding , some results may be good and you might have brought out the best of that line but a lot of those dogs also have every flaw of that line but instead of it being a slightly noticed flaw it gets worse and worse the more the inbreeding takes place.
I have had at least one Doberman in my life at all times and know what a wonderful breed they are. I hope that the breeding among the members of the DPCA and AKC is strictly monitored for quality and not quantity. We need to protect our breed, it already is grossly misunderstood.
Hello Jessica,
The breeders names that you find in the DPCA breeder referral are supposed to follow the DPCA Code of Ethics. You should be able to find the code of ethics on the www.DPCA.org web-site. Click here for the COE: http://dpca.org/ethics.html
To the question of inbreeding and your opinion. Bear in mind that this is your opinion. I would like to point out that although a 1/2 brother to a 1/2 sister breeding is a close breeding but it not an inbreeding according to the definition of inbreeding. It is considered a line breeding. Inbreeding is pretty much as close as incestuous breeding such as daughter to father , mother to son and brother to a sister. Inbreeding is not done very often, but it is done to obtain improvements and/or 'fix' desirable physical characteristics or mental attributes through the mating of closely related animals. It is the opposite of out crossing, which refers to breeding with totally unrelated animals within a given breed.
Line breeding may be referred to as the happy medium between inbreeding on the one hand and out crossing on the other. By strict definition, it is an acceptable breeding program based upon the mating of somewhat distantly related animals, i.e. cousins, uncles, aunts, nieces and nephews, rather than brothers and sisters.
Breeding a 1/2 brother to a 1/2 sister is a close line breeding by my definition. Any breeding that is made by most DPCA members are normally well thought out. We take a lot into consideration. Health, longevity, temperament and structure are four important considerations that are taken. There are many components to each of these four things to consider also.
You can steer clear of these types of breeding if you so choose. There are litters amongst the DPCA breeders that are not this close of a line breeding.
One of the questions that you can ask the breeder is why they did do this type of a breeding. They should have an explanation and most likely a long explanation. There are articles on our pages that can help you with questions to ask the breeder and how to determine a good breeder. You are right though, we should be breeding quality and not quantity. In my opinion, this sort of a breeding could be for good reasons by the breeder. Just interview the breeder as they should interview you. Be sure to ask about health decisions too. Breeding pairs should be tested for all of the inherent health problems that plague the Doberman Pinscher. DPCA breeders also adhere to the Standard of the breed too. You can read the standard here:
http://www.dpca-breedered.com/DPCABreedStandard.htm
Also there are a lot of articles on our pages that explain and discuss the standard. There are articles about Doberman temperament and also articles about Doberman health. I personally think that it is an advantage to buy from a DPCA breeder because they/we have to learn all of these things to breed quality Doberman Pinschers.
Additionally, it is the purpose of the DPCA to preserve and protect the Doberman Pinscher. Please read the Constitution and Bylaws which tells the purpose of the DPCA:
http://dpca.org/constitution.html
I hope that this helps some.
Are there any "home remedies" for preventing bumps on a dobe's elbows? I have hardwood floors in my house. Is there anything else I can do besides provide soft places to lay (which I already do)?
A: from Susanne Smith, Alpha Dobermans, USA
Preventing the development of these bumps known as bursas is difficult. Keeping the dog from slamming down on hard surfaces can be a practice in futility. However cushions and rugs are the best way that I know of.
Many are quick to have the bursas drained if they are fluid filled. I do not recommend this as it can introduce infection and create scarring causing the bump to harden. Then they are more difficult to get rid of. And surgical removal is a last resort, IMO.
Message the elbows a few times day, while you are sitting with him/her watching TV for instance. I found this to be very successful. If you are diligent and patient and the dog is young, often they will go away on their own with time.
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A: from Marj Brooks, Manorie Dobermans, USA
Hello Tim,
I am assuming that your dog has calluses on the elbows.
You have to soften them up. I have done it by putting bag balm on them. Do that for a few days and then wash the elbows. You will then need to squeeze out the dead hair that you will most likely find when you squeeze them much like squeezing a pimple. You will really have to clean them out. The dead hair that has been pushed into that area and that is what is causing the puffiness and the elephant looking skin. After you get them cleaned out you will have to medicate them with an antibiotic cream (use the cream rather then the ointment). You will need to have patience and diligently keep after these and keep them cleaned out. You may have to do this several times and for many weeks. During this time provide soft places both in the house and out in the yard and encourage him to lay on those areas. You may want to check with a vet with this method. I have been successful years back doing this. It does take a long while, like a few months. You need to ready the area to be able to grow hair once again. Once the hair can grow in again and it starts to grow, it will take at least eight weeks to fill in with hair. You will improve these elbows. Like I said I was successful in doing this many-many years ago and now I do all of the preventatives to keep it from happening again to my dogs.
I hope this better helps you.
Q: from Sarah Clawson
Date: Tuesday, December 21, 2004
Time: 11:05 AM
Comments: Doberman Health
My 2 yr old red Dobie has VERY flaky dry skin and she sheds a lot. What can I do to help?
A: from Marj Brooks, Manorie Dobermans, USA
Hello Sarah,
It is common at this time of the year for this to happen to our Dobermans. The air is dryer now. Anyway, you can give in her food at each feeding a tablespoon of a vegetable oil, such as olive oil, sunflower oil, some people like peanut oil. Better yet, you can add flaxseed oil to the diet too in addition to the oil. She should get the Omegas 3 and 6 in her diet as well. You can give her 400 units of vitamin E twice a day and also fish oil capsules daily. All of this will help from the inside. The fish oil caps and the Flaxseed oil have the omegas 3 and 6.
Topically I make a mix of 1 part of baby oil or Skin So Soft (I like this), a capful of Listerine and put it in a spray bottle and then fill it with water and shake it to mix it well. Spray that on her twice a day and wipe her with the hair with a towel. She should look nice and shiny in no time.
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A: from Susanne Smith, Alpha Dobermans, USA
You might consider changing the food you are giving. Supplementing with flax seed oil or fish oil with a sufficient amount of Omega 3 helps as well. Check with your vet as to the dosage for your dogs weight and age.
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A: from Judy Doniere, Toledobes, USA
Hi Sarah,
In the winter when the heat is on, many dogs will get dry, flakey skin just like humans. You can try some additives such as Vitamin E, Derm Care or Caps, Fish Oil etc. You should try and get Omega 3 and 6 in her diet. Possibly changing foods if the above don't seem to take care of the problem. Keep her away from registers where she might like to lay. If it's just a coat problem and not any underlying medical problem, these should help.
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A: from Darlene Young, Darwin Dobermans, USA
Sarah:
There a lot of different supplements you can add to the food to help the coat but the first and foremost is that you are feeding a good quality pet food. Some people are feeding raw diets with great success. One of the supplements I add to their food is sea kelp, I think it helps with coat and dry skin. Also, if you bath your dog, be sure you do not rub against the coat always rub and dry WITH the coat. Going against the coat can cause dandruff to be stirred up.
I know that blues have problems with their skin but on average how big are they supposed to get we have 4 Dobes and 2 are blue. Our blue female is well over 1 year old and not even close to the size of her mother or father which are average size Dobes. Please help with some info. Also she is having her first heat and is being very aggressive towards all the other dogs and towards us. What should we do to help out with that?
A:
from Susanne Smith, Alpha Dobermans, USADobermans are supposed to be standard size regardless of color. If the breeding was indiscriminate, there's no telling if the pups will resemble to parents in size, phenotype or temperament.
As for the aggression, you will have to monitor that. If she is aggressive toward the other dogs, a fight may ensue and you'll have to keep her separated from the others. Aggression toward you is unacceptable and you need to get professional help from a qualified trainer as soon as you can if you are not sure how to handle her.
Correct the problem while she is young.
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A:
from Marj Brooks, Manorie Dobermans, USAHello Amanda,
Now I understand, I think? Blue Dobermans are the same size as other Dobermans. According to our standard male Dobermans are between 26 and 28 inches tall with 271/2 being the ideal height. With the females it is 24 to 26 with 251/2 being ideal. The height is measured from the highest point of the withers to the ground. Dobermans are considered a medium sized dog. They should have heavy bone and appear bigger than their dimensions. The Doberman Standard is here:http://www.dpca-breedered.com/DPCABreedStandard.htm
Bear in mind that the Doberman usually gets their height by the time that they are approximately 10 months old and they develop their body mass or substance usually by 2 years of age or a little older. The reason that she may be much smaller is probably genetic and if she were a black or a red she could still be small. Maybe there are a couple of small framed Dobermans in both sides of her background. You would have to find the individuals in her pedigree and try to see them or ask questions of the breeders of the background to maybe get a more understanding as to why your girl is so much smaller than her parents.
Since she is having her first heat she is most likely not wanting the other dogs sniffing her and pestering her and her being snippy and not wanting them around her is normal. The heat cycle affects different individuals in different ways. There will come a time in her heat cycle (like soon) where she will take on a totally opposite behavior and want to play and court and so on. I would separate her from any male dogs before she changes into this behavior. In the meantime, she is just telling them "NO!!!!!!!!, leave me alone, I hate this!"
After she is finished with this heat cycle, and if you are thinking of spaying her, try to do it before her next cycle in approximately 6 months.
I hope that this helps.
My Dobe's pads crack and bleed occasionally in the winter months, is this common, as I feed him vitamin E, Flax seed oil, safflower oil, and fish oil. Any suggestions??
A: from Darlene Young, Darwin Dobermans, USA
Melanie:
I don't know if this is common since I live in a very mild winter climate and have never experienced the problem. However, you can treat pads with tea bags. Soaked tea bags help to toughen the pads, perhaps that would help. Also, if the dog is out in the cold for long periods, perhaps that could be creating the problem as well, try limiting exposure.
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A: from Marj Brooks, Manorie Dobermans, USA
Hello Melanie,
I have not had experience with this except for with an injury. It sounds rather unusual. I would talk to my vet about it and see if there is a topical to treat this. When you do get it treated there are products on the market that will help toughen the feet. Anyway, my advice is to see and talk to your vet. I am interested in what the others have to say about this. I would think that you would need something to treat the cuts and to soften the pads too.
Does his skin appear dry too, his nose and his other parts of his body?
Your additives to his diet are good and they are good for him to have always.
Anyone know home remedies for skin problems with blue Dobermans approx 6 months?
A: from Marj Brooks, Manorie Dobermans, USA
I don't know quite what you want to know from us on your question. Can you be more specific? In the meantime I can refer you to a article about blue Dobermans that is on our article pages. http://www.seattle-attorney.com/storm/sup.html
If you have another question after you read this, let us hear it.
I hope that this article helps you.
Q: from Lisa Burnett
Date: Sunday, December 12, 2004
Time: 3:11 AM
Comments: Doberman Health
I have an 8 year old female Doberman who has re-occuring tendonitis which is particularly bad at the moment - what can you recommend for treatment of this condition? She has regular (every 3 months) acupuncture and her current medication is oroxine for a thyroid imbalance. I have been icing the swollen hock area and also rubbing in myoton cream.