Hi.
I really want to buy a doberman puppy but i live in a house with no garden.
Has anyone else had same problem yet found a good breeder that was ok with it! exercise wouldnt be a prob at all....
Don't want to be put off because of this. Any dog i have would have a wonderful home. thanks

I think it would be an absolute nightmare to house train a puppy without a garden - I struggle enough with my three dogs when I go to my caravan and cant let them out into the garden first thing in the morning!  Come rain, shine, icy weather or gale force winds - be it at 5am I have to get up put them on their leads and take them up the field for a wee - I do it obviously but sometimes I wish I didnt have to  - and that isnt my main residence!

I dont know anybody that breeds dobermans but admire your resolve in coping with a puppy and no garden  :)

It will be much harder work if you have no garden. You need to consider house training. If your pup needs to go in the night, you are going to have to get dressed and take it out in the street. During the day a pup needs to go out virtually hourly, so ensure that you would be prepared to do this.  If you take your pup before it is fully vaccinated you cannot take it out on a public street, so where will your pup go to relieve itself? I would recommend taking the pup home only after it is fully vacced, or it will be confined to the inside of the house, which is unfair. I have to be honest, although it can probably be done, I cant imagine how I would cope without a garden. If one of mine has a funny tum, I can be opening the door pretty frequently...I wouldnt fancy having to get coated up every time.

I let a young couple who lived in a flat have a puppy from me. They do have access to a communal garden the puppy could use, but it wasn't directly outside the door. I did explaint ot hem that it would be extra hard work, but was reassurred as the girls Mum had two dogs, one of my breed and another breed from the same group. Aso, the couple had wanted a dog for two years, but had waited untilt hey had finished work on their flat. They had had a name for ages, and been buying puppy things for the whole two years. They also went on my waiting list well before my pups were born, and visitied regularly once pups were born, so I got to know them well. The pup is now 6 months old and things are going briliantly for them.

I guess what I am saying it, it certainly isn't impossible to successfully rear a puppy in a flat, and provded you can convince a breeder you have seriously thought it through and know what you are letting yourself in for, are a committed owner and all other criteria are right, then it shouldn't present too much fo a problem.

I have a GSD and we live in an apartment.  We picked him up at 12 weeks and toilet training was absolutely no problem.  If anything, it actually socialised him more because we were always popping outside to the grassy areas for him to go to the toilet and meeting people.  If you are committed to going outside every hour or two you will be totally fine.

Aside from the initial difficulties re the practicalities of early house training, dogs living in homes without gardens are often better exercised than those with them :)

If you are fully committed to the ownership, exercise and training requirements of a large breed dog for the next 10-15 years then do lots of research on the breed, contact the breed club nearest you, speak to as many owners and breeders as you can so that when deciding which line best suits you for type, health and all important temperament you will be in a stronger position to make yourself more appealing to a caring breeder :)

HTH, Teri

Teri is correct. :) When I had my first two dogs I lived in a flat in Sweden, as most people there do. The majority of your average dog owners live in flats. It means a lot more work (I remember having a pup that needed to go out ten times a day, and we had 6 flights of stairs to get down first) but it also means you have no choice but to take the dog out several times a day, so they get really well socialised and well exercised. The worst problem is if you live on your own and get ill, no matter how unwell you are you still have to get up and get dressed and go out as there is no way of just opening the door to let the dog out for a wee. :)

So true Teri, there is no chance of putting the dog in the garden when you have a hangover, its raining or you are unwell when you live in a flat.  My pooch had her legs walked off before I had a house with a garden and a car.

i have three dobes and due to unforseen circumstances i had to move into a first floor flat with no garden just a shared open ended back lane but plenty of parks within a few mins walking distance. this was fine until i snapped my ankle!! my partner walked them before and after work but if they needed out during the day (both girls were in season) i had to tie the leads round my waist and shuffle down a steep flight of steps on my bum!!! but it had to be done. So anything is possible! i even took my girl to a champ show  and open show with a rather large pink plaster on my leg, others could have showen her for me but being bloody minded i wanted to! Have you ever seen a dobe covering it eyes with shame!)))

Thank u all for your posts i appreciate it.
I live with my brother so if i was ill he could take over. I appreciate that it will be extra work without a garden... My house door opens onto a gravel courtyard area where me and my neighbours park. There is very small grass area there that i could use if i had too... not ideal but good occassionally.
I do worry that breeders would penalise me. a naff one out the paper prob wouldnt, but i really want a doberman from a good line and breeder.

I think if you are upfront immediately about the fact you don't have a garden but explain to them about how you will work it and your exercise plans for the dog and also toilet training I don't believe a good breeder would turn you down.

The best thing you can do is show the breeder how committed you are and also that you want a well bred puppy they will probably be more abliged to help you.

Wish you all the best in the search for your perfect pup

Anna

thank u. I hope that my honesty would count for something!
I will do more research.

I have a big garden but when it's really cold and I don't want to leave the door open for the dogs , I place Wee Wee pads by the door and my 5 month old puppy pees on them....perfect!

does anyone know of an actual doberman forum? I appreciate all of your replies but have a few questions about owning a doberman which a doberman forum might hep.
thank u

There are a few of us with Dobes on this forum, so fire away!

Just something else to add,  if you are looking for a well bred Dobe I'd personally go for a British line rather than European bloodlines, as the British lines tend to be a bit calmer and easygoing.

Hi,
Thank you everyone again for your replies!!!!
I emailed a few breeders a few days ago to explain my situation and to see if they would be willing to put me on a waiting list.
One replied a good breeder in Bristol called Viamar.
They were polite and everything but said they would not be willing to sell me a dog if I had no garden. At the end of the email they said this.
Unless you have a graden please do not get a doberman.....

This upset me a little bit. this was a reputable breeders opinion.  I do respect that they know the breed and that they have EVERY right as to who they home too....  I

However I have also received a really nice email from Fitzkin listed on Champs also...
they thanked me for being so upfront about my garden situation. they are not sure if they will be having a litter later this year but said they could put me on the waiting list if I was willing to wait!!! they could tell I had given the situation a lot of thought and it would mean extra walks ets with no garden.  which I understand....

That perked me up!!!! How could I get 2 so very different responses though??
I am new to this lol...

It is a good sign isn't it that this breeder was willing to put me on a waiting list?

I got to dash now but will post a couple of Dobe questions later.

Thanks

As some of you know, I live in Central London, 2 floors above a pub and do not have a garden.  Now in the past I have asked some questions and asked for advice due to my inexperience with dogs.  However, I did housetrain 2 dogs (not both together) and it was very hard work with the first, a cocker spaniel, fortunately I was able to spend most of my time with her and when I saw her sniffing or simply just a little bit after her dinner I would pick her up (I had about 40 steps to go up and down and she was only 8 weeks old of course) and we would go out.  This was a lot of work and she was not fully house trained until about 8 - 9 weeks. 

My second dog Lily took about 2 weeks to house train under exactly the same circumstances!  And she was a rescue with a horrendous past and who was as nervous a dog you could get who had been removed from her mother far too early.

They will now tell me when they want to go out, the cocker spaniel will jump up at me (only time she does) and Lily will walk right up to you, look you in the eye and bark!

I have to say, I would be reluctant to go through this again - it was to say the least exhausting.  Even now, if one of them has an upset tummy you can find yourself at 4am getting up, getting dressed and going for walkies in the snow, rain, thunderstorms, you name it!!!!

lol I know it will be a lot extra work for me.
Not sure if I said in my posts before, its actually a house I live in and front door opens onto a gravel courtyard where we park our cars etc.
there is a small section of grass where I could toilet a puppy if need be. Still not ideal I know..
If I lived in an upper floor flat I would have to re think it lol...

That's not too bad then!  I am lucky that we have a road right outside our back door that is rarely used but all those stairs certainly got me fit...

Something else you have to consider is the other users of the comunal areas/courtyard.  Will they be happy for you to use this as a dog toilet.  What are the terms of the lease (or coveneants if freehold) in this regard and to keeping dogs?

In practise most pups are nothing like really house trained until they are 6 months old, not to the extent of being able to wait to be walked to somewhere to toilet.

Factor in time to get dressed, put lead on and get out you are going to have a lot of accidents.

I have myself sold two pups (not at same time obviously) to a couple who were very committed to making it work, and cope with the longer time and inconvenience.

For a breeder it is a big risk in the home not working out, and then having to take back an older pup or dog for re-homing, so I can understand why some breeders will not chance it.  It is the same as with any other aspect of a potential home, like work, children etc.  All these factors can contribute to homes not working out for the puppy, and reputable breeders then have to pick up the pieces, the other kind forget you and the pup the moment you walk out the door.

Accidents do indeed happen from time to time.  I have been known to wander down the road at 3am in just my bathrobe and slippers (weather permitting) in the quest of avoiding accidents but when the odd accident does happen they do not get reprimanded, it's normally because of an upset tummy.  However, we both ensure that during the day they go out every 2 to 3 hours (my husband works at home during the day) and I do evenings as they get quite distressed if they have messed in the house and I can always tell when something is up because they don't greet me at the top of the stairs and I hate them feeling they have done something wrong intentially because I know they haven't.  Thankfully (for me anyway) I don't have children and nor do I wish for them, so I can invest extra time in them.  But it can still get tiring....

Yea it would be ok to toilet it by that small patch of grass its near MY washing line.  neighbours would be fine as both sets like dogs and one owned one till recently.

sounds ok to me then. we're about to move my boy into a 3rd floor flat (arrgh) not ideal but circs dictate it... it does have a garden though. as long as you are willing to put in the effort i'm sure you'll manage fine. also gravels good for paws :)

You do need to check the legal situation though as neighbours can change, and if you had one that hated or feared dogs, some people would be OK with a small breed but biased against your choice, I know how differently people react to my, dogs compared to my friends dobes who are equally friendly.

Thanks I will.
when i get doberman pup it will be living with me and my brother. Might sound strange but is there anything i do that tells him im his dad or owner/alpha? Or will he view me and my brother the same? Obviously we r part of his pack. might be times tho when he might spend more time with my brother. Dont want him to only obey him etc. This happened with someone i know who owned a dobie.
Also if someone broke in would a doberman just attack or would they give an intruder a chance to retreat? ???
My friends or family that the dog would know would they be able to enter the house if i wasnt there?
Might silly question but good to know in advance. I understand every dobe is different so just asking generally.
thanks

Some dogs, regardless of breed, favour a particular gender however IME dogs usually favour the person which most often best "provides" for their basic needs so the person which feeds, exercises and grooms them most is usually but not exclusively their "favourite" :)

With any breed of dog but more importantly with a large guarding breed it is essential to totally discourage any obvious signs of guarding and/or defensive behaviour.  Even the mildest mannered cross or mongrel can and will go to its master's defence should the need genuainely arise but in todays ever growing litigious society and anti-dog feeling it is VERY important to ensure that our four legged friends "take a back seat" from their protective instincts :)

Many dogs will become territorial if allowed to do so - its instinctive - but can be prevented or if already established then controlled.

I think you may need to seriously look at your choice of breed and honestly determine what you want from your dog - many responsible breeders would not want anyone getting their pup who was hoping for obvious signs of guarding behaviour.

Teri

even though i would like my dobe to b a protector that isnt my reason for choosing the breed. Thats why i asked if dobes give possible intruders warning. last thing i want is anyone to be bitten if i can help it.....

Don't be put off with having no garden it can be done.
I got my first dog a rescued 2 year old terveren bitch i lived in a second story flat obviously you have to be prepared to slip those shoes on and take them out alot, but i think you make up for not having a garden and take them out more often a pup would soon learn so long as you have black bags and newapaper right by the front door and just keep watching them. A doberman being such an intelligent breed will learn super quick . only problem i had was with my landlord as he told me to get rid of her once he came around one day when i was at work !! I got a new place a cottage again with no garden and that was great too.

Thanks for your input. Glad you managed to find another prperty to mo to...
Has anyone ever travelled to ireland to buy a puppy??? Never would i think that is practical. Just seen people post to irish breeders can't wait for your next litter etc. They live in england. Surely it wouldnt possible to do this. Its just it was an irish breeder who offered to put me on waiting list. her dogs look stunning... Would it be too much stress for a puppy all that travelling? Just asking guys please dont shout at me! LOL

Hi Dave

I bought my Ridgeback male from friends in Ireland and I live in Devon.  I wanted those particular bloodlines so I decided to go down this route, otherwise I wouldn't have done it.  I flew my pup when he was just over 8 weeks, from Dublin to Bristol with Ryan Air for the huge sum of £15.  Unfortunately they don't do this any more :( 

I felt terrible putting him in the crate and sending him off with the handlers at the airport and worried about him all through the flight.  I was in a right state when I collected him but within a minute of taking him out of the crate he was wagging his tail and licking me. 

HTH
Carina

People import pups from other countries, if the breeder you find is a long way, then it is worth the distance.

But don't stick with this breeder just because they are the first ones to say you can have a pup without a garden, check out thier lines.. It's very important to find a good breeder for health and temperment reasons. You really don't want to be getting the first pup you can without knowing it comes from good lines, temperment is especially important in large dogs. (I'm not saying the breeder you've found is bad - just check them out).

Also you can still look for more breeders, you generally find though that the breeders with the best reputations don't advertise thier pups as such, but may have litters/contact details listed with breed clubs.

Good luck in your search :)

>seen people post to irish breeders can't wait for your next litter etc. They live in england.

You will find that Irish breeders will now be having much more demand for their puppies than previously as the breed can still be docked over there, so be careful as that demand obviously doesn't necessarily reflect the quality of the pups.

Another thing I remembered is in 1999 after being talked into my then boyfriend to buy a puppy which we went to Birmingham for from North Devon to collect. A couple of weeks later a friend asked me to accompany her to our local Dogs Trust and in there i found an 18 month old Blue Doberman [as we had a Dode x in the family i have a true love of this breed] he was a sweetheart and I know I would of made inquiries into bringing him home only drawback would of been my 5 year old son more than likely ? as i had a puppy I didn't ask but certainly worth a try for yourself ??A rescued dog makes such a loyal pet. 

I thought about suggesting a rescue Dobe, but as far as I'm aware there is no way a rescue would agree to the no garden situation.

Thats what I thought I was very surprised to find a Blue Doberman in the Dogs Trust center to begin with, aren't they quite rare? saying that  this was 9 years ago ?? su

You mentioning about the docked issue I saw a lovely 12 week old white boxer with no tail two days ago and asked the owner about this they brought him from the Isle of White ? Can they get away from this law? it is there for a reason of cruelty to begin with ??

Blue Dobes are rare only in the sense that most responsible breeders will try to avoid breeding them, NOT in the sense that they are difficult to breed or "special" in some way (although people will and do believe this and pay the hiked up prices that go with it). The blue colour is a dilution of the black, and this lack of pigment means that they tend to suffer greatly from coat and skin problems, and can end up almost bald. Same goes with Fawn Dobermanns, which are a dilution of the brown.

Not sure about the docking laws there - could probably find out with a Google search (gotta dash as got a vets appointment!).

I have had to of my pups go to an exhibitor in Ireland so there is no real problem.

Also in Ireland docking of pups tails is still legal and some people who prefer to have docked pups will be prepared top go there for a puppy rather than have a full tailed one from the UK.

Thanks everyone for your posts.
Yea i dont want to just go with any old breeder. in th event i did get a puppy from ireland would the only way of transporting be via ferry???
Thanks again

> You mentioning about the docked issue I saw a lovely 12 week old white boxer with no tail two days ago and asked the owner about this they brought him from the Isle of White ? Can they get away from this law? it is there for a reason of cruelty to begin with ??

I live on the Isle of Wight and we are covered by the same laws as the rest of the U.K, we aren't seperate. Although you can't get away with much on the Island without everyone knowing about it so I'm sure if the pup was illegally docked here then the jungle drums will soon be beating!!