I usually caution people about adopting an adult Doberman when they have young children in the house. But a one-year-old is still pretty young. I would say it’s definitely doable for a young family but seeing how you don’t know the dog’s history, I’d make sure the interactions with the children were supervised for a much longer time than normal until you fully trust that the dog doesn’t have any deep down behaviors you aren’t expecting. Good luck to your family! I hope you end up with the perfect pup!

Personally, I am a major fan of doing what you describe. Getting a Doberman before you have kids, focusing in on training and heavily socialization, and then when you start your family your dog should be squared away. Just make sure to focus the socialization of your dog on lots of interactions with children from a young age and you should do great. In my opinion, it’s a much better option then trying to handle training and socialization when you are also juggling an infant or toddler in the house. I think you’re on the right track, Emmanuel!

Absolutely! In fact, that’ll only help the Doberman become more socialized and well rounded. Exposure to many different people, kids, and other animals is the best thing you could do for these dogs. It’ll ensure they’re gentle adults with predictable behavior in the future.