How old did your oldest Dobe live?

I am looking to get a dobe as my next dog but I have heard they rarely make it to five. Is this true? How old have all of your dobes lived to be?

I think 10 is about average. My first lived to 15

My first was 9 when he died. I have a boy now almost 9 and a girl almost 8.

"rarely make it to five" is a an exaggeration, I would say. I am no breeder and have basic understanding of the breed ailments but I would say...

DCM is an issue with the breed, unfortunately, so it's recommended to perform holter tests and echocardiograms annually starting at the age of two. If DCM is caught early, there are meds and methods that can prevent if from getting worse, usually, but it cannot be reversed.

Getting a pup from a reputable breeder whos lines show longevity is a good first step but DMC (as I understand it) cannot be bred out (at this time) so a pup from even the most stellar of breeders is not a 100% guarantee. Keeping your dog physically and mentally fit and within a healthy weight range also never hurts any dogs quality and quantity of life. Too often, people think bigger is better and breed/buy Dobes that are too big and keep them at unhealthy weights.

My Dobe will be 7 in December, her sire appears to be alive at 11 years old (his sire also appears to still be alive at almost 14 and his dam passed at 12), her dam is 9 years old (her sire does not have a DOD listed but was born 2007, her dame passed at 13 years old). Again, no guarantee's but some piece of mind.

People with more expertise in the breed will certainly chime in!

I am no expert either, but I will tell you this. Once you love a Doberman, no number of years is long enough for them to live, and even a shortened life with them is better than none at all.

Although I have no concrete references, the DCM deaths occurring under the age of 5 or 6 seem to me to be of Euro show stock breeding. I wish there was an American website with listings of cause of death. DCM is definitely hereditary but the markers for it are not defined, so no way to predictably breed against it except longevity in the pedigree.

I do not believe 10 is average but is the goal. If it were average the DPCA wouldn't have a certificate for nominating longevity in the pedigree from 10 years old on. I think anywhere from 8-10 is likely. Anything over 10 is the dream to be blessed with one for so long. I do feel like we've been seeing more NA dobes making it to 11 sometimes even 14! There is dobequest but there is no requirement to keep the COD up to date. Volunteers try to fill out the info as they get concrete proof but sadly people are hush hush on COD so even that is difficult...

Our first Dobe died at 9yrs old, but I would rather have a short time with a Dobe than a long time with another breed. Dobes are the most amazing dogs in the world!

My boy Zeus liked to 13 1/2 and one of his daughters made it to 13 respectfully.

Our girl was 11 but she had heart issues (not DCM) and she was doing fine as long as we didn't let her over exert herself like the day she did and we lost her.
Our boy was going on 11 but he was diagnosed with DCM in his 10th year and we lost him about 4 months later. He was 100% Euro bred and I do sort of agree that DCM seems to happen more with the Euros but for him to make it to almost 11 was pretty good.

We were uncertain of Mr. Spock's actual age but we believe he lived to be 14. And that's with several maladies. He was a tough ol' bird. Bu once we started seeing blood in his poop, we knew it was time.

Kswoodssue said:

I am no expert either, but I will tell you this. Once you love a Doberman, no number of years is long enough for them to live, and even a shortened life with them is better than none at all.

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^^Amen!
No age is a good age to loose your best friend.

Our second Dobermann Max passed away at 10 years 6 months. My longest living best friend. Sadly I’ve had my share of losses at 10, 8, and 2y 6 months.
My girl Tara will turn 9 years old on 31st October.

Our first lived to just 4 days short of her 14th birthday. She is in the longevity record, as are her sire and dam. All our subsequent Dobes have been rescues so we don't have exact ages, but near as we can figure, they have all made it to at least 12. That said, we have been very lucky, I think.

12 (heart failure - DCM?)
11 (problem with hind legs - pts)
10 (Undiagnosed)
5 (Liver Shunt - pts)
7 (DCM -pts)
4 (still with us)

All apart from the first from reputable breeders.

I've had thus far:

8 1/2

8 1/4

and our Oji is now about 8 1/8. Let me go check on him.

I have also read that female dobes usually last longer than males... is there any truth to this?? I feel like there should be some sort of study for this!! They check all the boxes for me but if I want a good service dog it can not last only five years. Will definitely be getting an American now that I know that they last longer.
And wow!! Amazing to hear about all of your senior babies.. I have never seen a doberman on Instagram live to more than eleven, and recently saw one die at three due to cancer. It shook me up, three is so young!!

Can't speak to females living longer than males but I did want to mention, pet insurance is always a good idea. There are a ton of options out there now for all budget types. With a Doberman (with cancer and DCM risks and an affinity for swallowing socks) and a Lab (a breed known for dysplasia among other things), anytime we've questioned anything, we're off to the vet knowing that no amount is too much to keep them healthy.

Our insurance covers both routine and emergency/illness coverage so we use the heck out of it. I've heard stories of people spending $10k out of pocket for cancer treatment for their pets and we never want to be in a situation where the quality of our dogs lives are at the mercy of our bank accounts.

LifeofRubie said:

Can't speak to females living longer than males but I did want to mention, pet insurance is always a good idea. There are a ton of options out there now for all budget types. With a Doberman (with cancer and DCM risks and an affinity for swallowing socks) and a Lab (a breed known for dysplasia among other things), anytime we've questioned anything, we're off to the vet knowing that no amount is too much to keep them healthy.

Our insurance covers both routine and emergency/illness coverage so we use the heck out of it. I've heard stories of people spending $10k out of pocket for cancer treatment for their pets and we never want to be in a situation where the quality of our dogs lives are at the mercy of our bank accounts.

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My current boy in my profile picture doesn't have pet insurance. I'll definitely have to look into it for my dobe.

FutureDobeOwner said:

I have also read that female dobes usually last longer than males... is there any truth to this??

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There can be since females are quite a bit smaller than males. BUT if they get any ailments they're prone too they can go way sooner than they should.

I know I beat to a different drum but I don't and won't carry pet insurance since the coverage isn't very good with the vets in this area so by the time we would put the money into the premiums we could pay for a lot out of our pocket if the time comes they need it. It was expensive for our dogs heart treatment but I bet in the long run it was less than the insurance premiums we would have paid.

Just shy of 13 yrs.