Hi,
A family member has a beautiful 6 month dobie bitch who she has no control over and who is dominating both the home and on walks. She has bitten her twice and pulled her over in the road. The dog is timid I believe and spends it's days in turmoil as there are 3 small children running and screaming around the place, there are several older family members constantly in and out and friends in and out also. This would be a wonderful social house, but not for this Dobie who is at her wits end trying to protect the family. They asked me to take the dog, as I have a large house and garden, 2 grown up and dog smart children at home and time to train on. i have owned Greyhounds and Jack Russells and we have never had a nasty or unhappy dog, so I am quite confident, which my non-owning before relative is not. We eventally agreed and now because Dobie rescue in their area asked them to continue with the training and I guess because my relative lives in the country in an old and rambling cottage, they have changed their minds and I'm made to feel like some horrible, law laying, know it all, dog snatcher. Because of the circumstances now, it would be the best time for us to take the pup, but It looks like we'll be to late. What I need to know is, are we to late in say 7 or 8 month old. Are Dobies to loyal ever to bond with another family, to be trained and trusted and I mean not mussled and wearing 3 lots of restraints when walking, then?
Thanks

Dobermanns are never too old to "save".  If you took her and were confident, consistent and firm and trained in short periods four or five times a day with her you would probably get a well behaved dog very quickly.  Many Dobermanns will take over at the first sign of weakness from their owners but they will bond with new owners although it make take a few weeks.  The first couple of weeks will possibly seem easy and once she has "worked you out" she will then start trying to see how far she can push the boundaries

So would you advise the sit, wait and see and if my relative comes back in a month or so, we should still take her?  The annoying thing is, if you can believe it, they have been pestering for us for weeks to take her and we had to be sure that they had tried everything first before we could offer the dog a permenant home for the next 10 years. It just seems so unfair on the dog that something nasty may happen in the meanwhile, or do you think I am being to dramatic?

I don't think you are being too dramatic at all - dobermanns are sensitive dogs, and this girl is clearly unhappy in her present situation.    Your home sounds perfect for her.  She would settle in well, I think - they bond well to new people given the time they need to get used to them.
Keep an eye on her and see how it goes - I'm guessing you're going to have to give them a little more time as it is from the sound of things.
Good luck, hopefully things will turn out for the best for the dobergirl.

thanks for that. no phone call today from them so they are soldiering by the looks of it, I just hope it all goes better than it has and they take things a lot more seriously for the girls sake. Tomorrow we will start looking at some litters ourselves, Im checking out the breeding and perhaps we'll bring home a tiny baby of our own.  I'm well researched and jenned up on Dobe law now to say the least and we could make very good parents. we will also have the advantage of seeing first hand what can go wrong and how badly, so we'll work, work and work. All the family are home now for the next 8 weeks or so, and there will be lots of opportunity for the essential socialisation that a pup will need and we'll also be that clever, we might even teach the highway code and reading? Anyway, I'm definatly teaching that trick of closeing doors to whoever we bring home.

I just taught that to my boy, it is a very good trick!  Impresses people no end :D Well done for reading up on dobes, they can be quite the challenge but very, very rewarding if you put the necessary work in.  I don't buy into the whole dominance theory thing taht everyone mentions all the time with dobes myself though, i must say - my philosophy is entirely reward-based training, calm, steady voice and endless patience - it's served me well, with both my dogs (the other isn't a dobe).  Different methods work for different people though, of course!

Good luck whatever path you take, I'm sure you'll end up with a wonderful doberkid to be proud of, he or she will be lucky to have you :)

We are picking her up tomorrow. I had resigned myself to not having her and had already looked at some pups, but couldn't decide. I knew I wanted a brown bitch and they are not so easy to find as they seem to be the first to go. Then out of the blue last night there was a phone call. Yes the pup is doing well and really improving, but they can't keep her as they will never feel comfortable enough or trust her. Well OK, we'll take her. All is prepared and I have cooked off some liver, fingers crossed we'll all be OK?

Thanks all for the advice and support, no doubt I shall be a regular to this site, so watch this space.

Wonderful :) I can see where they are coming from - once a dog has bit, you don't trust them again.  I've been bitten twice when I worked in kennels - a JRT X and a lab - and I never trusted them again.  Shame really.

But it is good she's going to a place she'll be looked after well, and I hope you have many happy years with her.  The browns do go fast, definitely - I'm hoping to get one one day, I have a fawn at the mo.

One thing - be careful with the liver, unless you know she's had it before - you may have to get her used to it slowly, it can give some dogs the runs, my boy is no exception!  It is worth the effort though - he will do absolutely anything for a little bit of liver :)

Good luck with her!