Due to his breeder being a total moron and my concern that my pup wouldn’t survive his “expert rearing” to the 8 week period, I brought Odin home at 6 weeks.
He is more aggressive than his siblings *but* he also came into a stable, established pack of older dogs, particularly the Portuguese Podengo Medio who immediately “adopted” him as her child.
They all acted as both siblings/parents to him and shoved him back into line when he needed it.
He has the perfect disposition for his job *but* in the hands of somebody who had *not* had Dobes for nearly 40 years, he would have possibly wound up in a shelter or dead.
Others might consider him “too much to handle” but to me, he’s just another Dobe and no big deal.
*If* I were breeding/selling pups, I would definitely -not- let them go until 8 weeks and would probably wait until they were 10-12 weeks old.
[that period is very common amongst Ibizan breeders]
They *do* benefit greatly from pack social interaction, especially in the extremely important area of bite inhibition as taught by their siblings.
Wild canids stay with their parents for *months*, often reaching near-adulthood by the time the next litter is born.
On the flip side, hand rearing pups away from other dogs will make them much more “human oriented” and in the hands of a -great- trainer, they can become excellent dogs but they will always lack the simple joy of knowing how to “be a dog”.
I would want to avoid that, myself.
[and to this day, his 100 pound self obeys the PPM’s little 25 pound self like a good soldier]...:)
Well said. Imho, being experienced with a breed is key.
All dogs can be aggressive if mishandled, but those of us with the larger, more athletic breeds have a particular responsibility. Our youngest, just a year old, weighs 80 to 85 pounds and our largest weighs 120. There is absolutely no way I could control any of my dogs by brute strength alone. That’s where knowledge and experience is essential.
“he also came into a stable, established pack of older dogs”
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I think that and the amount of time and attention paid by the owner makes the most difference.
The best dog I’ve ever had (Boxer mix), my sister found at apx 4 weeks of age— the most in-tune, well behaved, smart dog a person could hope for.
Amazing dog but suffered some separation anxieties other than that— that’s about it.Oh, and she hated vacuums (understandably) and boots for whatever reason.
More recently we bought a Boxer puppy, as my old girl is getting VERY old and she had hooked me on the Boxer breed!
The pup was 6wks and I wouldn’t say the owner/breeder cared for their dogs to my standards but the pups parents were there, VERY friendly and loving but also let the owners know we had arrived and stayed somewhat on guard.
I would say my youngest is prob’ly the sweetest most loving, silly dog you could ever run across. Bright, too (learns commands well and has an uncanny way of knowing words—light for example)
Though, I did tote that puppy around like a baby, I’m 47 and had recently had a miscarriage— so I suspect that was part of it.
I pay attention to every detail of my dogs, cook for them (and it is actually cheaper!) and I am rewarded immensely for it—with stable, bright yet protective companions.
No, they wouldn’t be a guard dog like the GSD and I doubt they would bite *maybe*—but they can be quite frightening if I don’t command them to stop.
I believe it is more the time and attention invested by the owner if one starts with a stable dog. I truly believe with most everything, one gets out of something what they invest.
My 90 lb. male dobe was brought home at around 10 weeks. He came from a small litter and into a loving home. But he comes from Schutzhund lines and as had generations of “drive” bred into him. He’s what they call a “handful”. Not too much for me to handle but I suspect he’d be too much for most. He can be sweet as pie but he can be hell on wheels too. You have to keep him on a short leash and watch him like a hawk.