I had the same thoughts as Sheila. Very good advice,I think.

A couple of other ideas come to mind: when I wasn't able to adopt a dog because of life circumstances, I got training and volunteered at our local shelter. It is a no kill shelter and the better exercised the dogs are, the better chance they have of being adopted. It was a learning experience for me, being around those different dogs.

Also, I heard of two families who both wanted a dog but neither had the time to devote to raising dogs separately, so they decided to share. The dog stayed at one home for part of the week, and the other home the rest of the week. When one family wanted to take a vacation, the other family kept the dog for the duration. It sounded like it had worked really well until one of the families had kids and that kind of threw off the routine. When I spoke to one of the owners, she was saying the dog was showing signs of distress because the family situation had changed and the dog had not been properly integrated into the new family structure. The owner I was speaking to was thinking of taking the dog full time, and felt confident she could do this because in the process of being a part time dog owner she had adapted her lifestyle to becoming a full time dog owner.

I know what it is like to really, really, really want a dog, and not have circumstances that are conducive to the lifestyle a dog entails. That said, different breeds, different temperaments and different ages make it possible to lead different dog lifestyles. As someone mentioned earlier, it is about finding the right fit.

 Quote: Sheila Buckley

...Your daughter will be able to take direction and be an asset to your training; believe me the wait will be worth it. I had 3 kids and wanted a dog from the get go but waited until my youngest was in 1st grade...

This is SUCH a cool thing to see. Today, I saw a kid that was apx 7-8 handling a 'real' PPD dog.

Watching Logan (my 7yr old son) interact with my dog (2 yrs old) and hearing him use 'YES!' with the same inflection I use while training is absolutely priceless. I've also had dogs with younger children. I can't imagine a working line puppy and young kids, but that's just me, and my schedule/family.

Hi Daniel,
First of all, relax! If a Doberman is what you want, you can make him or her work as much as any other large breed, except maybe a werewolf. Mind you these are only my suggestions. First of all, do research for temperment. I was fortunate enough to have a breeder who had five adult Dobe females on premise when I went to pick out Texas. I was there for over 3 hours, and what sealed my decision is when the breeder let out his five females.

All the dogs greeted us like they knew us forever, 2 litters on the ground that I was looking at, all calm, no chaos, just harmony.

I am disabled, and have my 4 year old grandson that lives with us.I don't find Texas to be too high drive, more the couch potato. With the correct approach, I feel, any dog should be able to transition into their family's routine.

I would think about orher options with a young puppy, other than being outside all day. If your wife is unable to participate in care, Is there someone that could come to your house during the day to let out, feed, water, play?

I wish you luck with your decision, don't get too discouraged.

Ellen

Ellen, you know that it's WL Dobes under discussion?

The O.P. has said "I am not interested in a non working breed."

Yes.

Daniel,
Update us on how the new puppy is working out.