Well it loaded for me. I will assume it was a demo trial as the first video showed a Sch3 rountine but all I saw was a 2 blind search. Dog had good prey drive but was all over the place obedience wise. There was never any real pressure put on the dog during the drives or what was supposed to pass as a drive.

Second video was a long bite only. Still trying to figure out exactly what happened to the helper that he hit the ground after trying to lock the dog up and ended up getting spun and knocked on his butt. Another helper took over and the dog was sent again. Again this dog showed good prey but was never tested in a drive. What's up with the spin, spin two step drive over?

I just read this whole thread, only cuz I had a shep/dobe once upon a time, many years ago...still miss that dog.

He could be obstinate, I always assumed it was the dobe half.

<img src="http://www.leerburg.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smirk.gif" alt="" />

Whew, this is interesting!

I even got Ed's opinion. I've seen that guy on TV! <img src="http://www.leerburg.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> So I think I got the right answer after all of this, however, not the one that I wanted. I really wanted someone to say there are excellent Dobe Lines somewhere in a little country in eastern Europe with great hips and elbows and 3-level titles out the wazzuu. The Dobie I have now might just be the best *pet* type dog I'll ever own, so the though of not having the black and rust and wiggle butt stub tail around forever is making me sad already and He's only 3. I want two dogs but the military career I have makes it so hard to move so often with one dog let alone more, especially to a place where I'll have to rent, considering appartments and landlords in general hate working breeds and Dobies especially. Putting them in with Pits as an aggressive is enough to make me spit nails in their eyes. Anyone have any luck getting thier dogs certified to do therapy work or something similar so that landlords will accept them regardless of their breed? I am eventually going to have to move to England where it is difficult to own for most military.

I fully understand your bias. I have a bias myself against any dog with jowls. I just don't care for them, EXCEPT, to contradict myself, Boston Terriers, French Bulldogs, and Pugs. Big, drooly dogs are just not my favorite "type" dog. I prefer my dogs with snouts and without jowls. That said, I like Dobies and I LOVE GSD's. I don't own either one,due to lack of time to really work with them and a retired hubby who had a tendency to completely spoil any dog that's at home when he is and I'm not. Thus, we have two miniature pinschers. No point in getting a working dog when I don't plan to divorce my hubby (love him) when he does not go along with my dog plans. *sigh* He's the reason we have one overweight 'pin. (If I had the little guy all to myself for 1 month,he'd no longer be overweight.)
Anyhow, I'm going on here, what I was trying to say is I don't like bully breeds, but not because of their reputation or whatever, I just don't like the way they look. And I do NOT like brindle coats,I think they are the most hideous, ugly type coloring ever.
OK, that's me and my bias .

It was a long discussion between my husband and myself when our Dobes were getting old, whether to spend the $$$$ and import a Dobe (because the posters bemoaning the lack of American working Dobes are correct) or go with the more available (and affordable) GSD. We ended up going with Shepherds, but there will always be a place in my heart for Dobes and I am sure that eventually I'll start that bank account and import myself a good working-line Dobe. I love the breed too much to do without forever. The last Dobe I lost (Cato) at 13, was one of the gamest dogs you will ever see. He would stand up to a charging lion and say, "Bring it on, kitty-cat"!

There are a number of working-line Dobe breeders in America...has anyone ever had a good experience with the dogs they offer? I know it's no use expecting a *show* line to work...how about those of European working stock?

and wouldn't life be BORING if everyone was the same??

i like nearly ANY german-bred dog; i love the brindle color whether it's on a dog, a horse, a cow; i love my Dobe as a pet--he really IS very defensive and sharp, to boot; i love my labX bitch, she's HIGH PREY + defensive; i love my GSD.

i'd hate to meet a GS or Bouvier in a dark alley at night--i think they're cool dogs, too. in another life, i might own one (just don't have enough time here....).

i really love 'em all, EXCEPT: little yappy spoiled dogs (that want to bite me for being), dogs whose owners haven't a clue about too many things to go into here, and dogs that have to have a groomer to keep them looking neat (only because i'd have to learn something new <img src="http://www.leerburg.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif" alt="" />.

heck--i think standard poodles (giants??) are really cool dogs--smart, not yappy, but the GROOMOMG... <img src="http://www.leerburg.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/crazy.gif" alt="" /> i love a hound--they're SO SWEET, but noisy, and absolutely nose-candy-crazy.

it's a good thing i'm not rich.... <img src="http://www.leerburg.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> <img src="http://www.leerburg.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> <img src="http://www.leerburg.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> <img src="http://www.leerburg.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

Tom,

Since you're in North Carolina, if you can make it up to Schutzhund Village in Palmyra, VA (near Charlottesville) sometime, you'd have a fair chance of seeing any or all of the breeds that people have been talking about in this thread. Additionally, Armin Winkler has worked probably hundreds of Dobermann in his career, including many of the well-known and well-bred dogs in recent Dobermann history. If you want to know about the working Dobe from people who actually work the dogs in SchH & Ringsport, Armin is a good place to start.

I personally know very little about the breeds traits, but most of the Dobes that I've seen that are good have been from Kennel v Ruben Hof (USA) and Kennel Ascomannis (Denmark). I know there are other breeders out there producing decent Dobes, but this is from my limited experience with Dobes.

One reason you don´t find many workingdobes is the small number breeding for it, the demand isn´t great either because most intressted in workingdogs choose GSDs and malinois.

But with the right handler the dobermann could do very well in SCH. THe riesenschnauzer is another rare breed in workingcircles, but this year a RS scored 97 in the protectionphase of the world championship in IPO for all breeds. So that these rare breeds are dead as workingdoigs I don´t believe.