A “serious” owner, for the lack of a better word.
Lots of breeds are great for casual owners who don’t want to invest time in a lot of training or studying dog body language, stuff like that.
Easy going dogs like Labs or Goldens are good for people who don’t want to “work” to have a dog.
Dobes are ‘work’, if you want them to be at their absolute best, both for themselves and everyone else.
But they’re also individuals.
My first came when I was barely 14 ad he was so mellow and un-Dobe-like, that anyone could have owned him.
I got lucky because I had no idea what I was doing.
About a year later, the Wonder Dobe came into my life and he was a much more intense dog.
I took obedience classes with him because I needed to learn what he *already* knew.
He taught me much about the breed and prepared me for the challenges of my own self-run Dobe Rescue, years later.
*Good* breeders will know their litters and match pups to people, based on the dog *and* the person’s personality.
Ask Momtothree how different each pup can be.
She has my Seven’s half sister and they are night and day.
Seven is a menace to society but her dog is a gentle, funny delight.
:D
Yup... Salamander and I are kin now through our Dobe’s. :) Raven is a half sister to Seven. She does try her big girl bark/growl if someone knocks at the door but she is very sweet. I can’t say she wouldn’t protect if she HAD to.. especially my girls. For whatever reason, she is “their” protector or has deemed it to be her primary role. A few months ago, she was in the back yard and spotted a rabbit. She stared at the rabbit.. who stared at her. (now, I’m thinking the rabbit was a goner). Nope.. finally the rabbit pounced off with Raven pouncing right behind it.. like a game. (Meanwhile, our Cairn was beyond furious that bunny wasn’t for dinner).
Her one “oddity” is the couch and when you are on it. She will lay across you and watch television with YOU. She will also “tease” our Cairn to the point the Cairn will growl at her... and I swear she gets some sort of weird satisfaction to it. He will get all bossy and growl.. Raven will look right at us.. and I swear she is laughing.
“Seven is a menace to society but her dog is a gentle, funny delight.”
I have heard that dogs often end up taking on the personality of their owners....
Oh, wait, is that why Buford is turning into a stubborn A-hole?
Darnit...
;-)