I certainly understand your concern, Isabella. However, it’s the truth. There is currently no mandated training (in the U.S. anyway). There’s no nation-wide certification they need or specific testing they need to pass to be considered a service dog. Please note however that me saying that is certainly very different than me saying that they shouldn’t be trained at all. There’s a big distinction there. They absolutely should be exceptionally well-trained to work in that capacity in my opinion. I think we can agree there.

Most people without a fenced-in yard will start by building some sort of dog run. But in general, these dogs love being inside with their owners anyway so hopefully, it won’t be too much of an issue. Wireless fences are also an option for an extra layer of protection if keeping them in your yard is a major safety concern. However, those aren’t without their flaws also and many people don’t like the thought of those. Check the tech section of my recommended products page in the menu, they also now have pet GPS trackers which are nice for more peace of mind.

Thank you so much Pam, I can’t tell you how much that means to me. Please keep up the good work your organization is doing for the Doberman breed, it really does make a positive impact on the breed we are all so in love with.

I’d give them a ring and ask what happened. But no, you only need one physical swab per dog and only need to swab one cheek per dog.

I think you might be onto something with the depression and/or anxiety thought. That’s my guess too from your description. It’s hard to tell, but I think I would start with a trip to the vet just to make sure nothing unusual is going on with Je’sus. Then I’d start slowly with some desensitization techniques, slowly getting him warmed up to the idea of interacting with Payne. That’s most likely how I’d start with this issue. Good luck to you Sharon! So sorry for the loss of your other dog in September.

Subtle changes in coat color as the dog ages is normal. If it’s drastic though you may want to play it safe and see a vet. It certainly wouldn’t hurt. But yes, some subtle changes are normal.

If by black and tan you mean the brown spots are lighter colored than the rust color, then yeah that’s pretty normal. There are variations in the shade of their markings. The markings on American Dobermans are usually lighter and Europeans are usually darker, but there are exceptions of course.

I’m sorry to hear the issues Paige but I assure you that you aren’t alone. Honestly, the biggest thing you can do is stay consistent, don’t lose your cool, and hang in there. Maturity will catch up to your training and when those two combine then you’ll be golden! The worse thing you could do is give up before that happens. You could also try doing an alpha roll on the dog very rarely to see how that changes things. You’ll have to google how to do that since I don’t have details on my site of that technique just yet. But don’t overuse the alpha roll. It should be for very rare times.

Congrats on the new pup that’s coming! Your Dobie might pick up on some small behaviors from the other dogs, but lucky for you the Doberman is going to be very human-focused so it’ll matter a lot more what you teach him. Setting boundaries could be tough and might involve some separation from the other dogs while training though. Don’t rush mixing the dogs before everyone is ready.

So sorry to hear that Dorothy, I lost my last Doberman Cooper to liver problems as well. Hang in there, I know the perfect dog for you will show when the timing is right. I’ll keep you in my thoughts!