Hello everyone I just joined and I'm happy to be a part of this great forum and I apologize in advance if this post is too long. I have my heart set on a dobe pup but before I get him I am trying to make sure I have everything worked out. I have to work and I am gone from about 7am to 6pm. I have family at home during the day BUT my wife is not a dog lover, she doesn't hate them she just does not care much for them. She also has her hands full due to an illness that she has that leaves her chronically fatigued so keeping up with our 2.5 yr old daughter is more than she can handle most days! So she is fine with the pup as long as she have to do anything w/ or for it and as long as it doesn't destroy her furniture.

I would like the dog to be an inside/out side dog. I already have a kennel for him and a nice sized fenced in back yard. However I know that pups cannot hold themselves for the whole time I am at work so I was thinking I could keep him in the backyard until about 6 mo old when he can hold himself and then I could move him inside at night and potty and crate train him from there and then during the day he would have the back yard to run around in until I got home in the evening to walk/play/train and then bring him inside and crate him. I forgot to mention I also have anywhere from an hour to 2 hrs to spend with him before leaving for work. I live in LA,CA so the weather should not be a problem at all. Again sorry for the long post. I look forward to your advice Thanks in advance!

Look at Dobe breeders carefully. The bred can have a pot full of health problems. Heart, skin, blood, etc.
responsible breeders will test for these and more.

Couldn't the same be said for many breeds? Are dobes even more susceptible to health problems than the average dog?

IMO, yes!
In rereading your post and all the situations you are faced with you may be better off selecting a more laid back dog.

A German Shepard perhaps? Or a Boxer, those are about the only breeds I like.

Are you set on aquiring a pup for any specific reason? Have you given either a rescue or breeder returned older dog consideration? It may be an easier transition (IMHO)to add an older puppy or young adult into the mix. Esp with the health issues and small child you have going on in your house. Working breed puppies can be insane, adults are still quite energetic, but a little less impulsive if trained well. (Less nipping the child, jumping on the tired wife etc.)

Edited by Amy VandeWeerd (07/15/2011 04:19 PM)
Edit reason: poor grammar

I have 2 dobes. I rescue working like personality and one from a show line. The one from show line was picked as a pet. He can be train but he is on the slow side. He is happy with walks and just a bit of playing.

The other one is a ball of energy. Will bark if there is action in the house and not tired enough. He is a solid 2 hr plus of hard work per day. Walking does not count much to him

Also some dobes can be a bit sharp/nervy.
Make sure of what you realy want is what you have time and energy to deal with.

Yes I am. I have had a number of dogs growing up (maybe I should have said novice instead of newbie) and they were all rescues. Some of them were good pets and others not so much. I would like a purebred puppy b/c I would like to take some of the guess work out of it and know what I'm dealing with and I would like a puppy b/c I would like to start training it before it has had a chance to learn bad behaviors and so that my daughter who loves dogs can see him grow up and be comfortable with him while he is small. As afar as nipping and jumping I believe that to be easier to correct while they are small as opposed to nearly grown. I prefer working dogs for their natural protective instinct.

Perhaps I need to rethink the breed. Thanks for all of your input. However I am not interested in a non working breed. Everyone who has responded is telling me I need to pick another breed but no one has said whether or not my plan would work. Whatever breed I choose I will need to know if that will work. Also can anyone suggest some breeds they think are more appropriate?

 Quote: Daniel Redick

... no one has said whether or not my plan would work.

It won't work