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Most Dobes don't smell like much of anything unless they've gotten into something nasty. I bathe my dogs very infrequently--two or three times a year--only when they are being shown in conformation do I bathe them more frequently. While that's going on they get bathed before any show weekend...

It's not unusual. It varies from dog to dog even within lines. AND it is sometimes more pronounced during the winter (I have no idea why).

Go to VetGen's website. It is an entirely uncomplicated test that you can easily do yourself. It involves getting some cells from the mucosal area inside the mouth (at the cheek)--the kit that VetGen provides is two or three swabs to do that with and they give you instructions for doing it...

For the record Ulysses, Dr LaBounty is a very skilled cropper and he probably has done 40,000 crops. He is also one of the vets who is skilled at remedial cropping. Dr Tully was cropping ears a zillion years ago when I first lived in Los Angeles and I'm reasonably sure that Dr La Bounty...

Hi Meadowcat, It's been years since I had a situation where a dog came into my home where there was a cat who had no experience with dogs. But for what it's worth what I've done in the past when this sort of thing happened is pretty much like this. The dog, who was a puppy--12 weeks old...

Hi again, The VetGen test is an actual genetic test for vWD. It will tell you if the dog is affected (two copies of the defective gene) a carrier (one copy of the defective gene), or clear (no copies of the affected gene). An Elisa assay is a blood test which checks for the amount vWD...

Hey MLR, Was the test that said that Hercules was vWD positive the genetic test by VetGen? If it was determined by an Elisa Assay--which is what it sounds like that test is only regarded as accurate at the far ends of the scale--very low amounts of vWD factor (which is what it measures)...

It really shouldn't be an issue with your bitch. If she's the product of a clear to carrier breeding she can only be clear or carrier. If she's having unusual bleeding it from some other cause than vWD. It is the vWD affected dogs that are of concern. But the fact is that there are around 15...

Frankly I think this is an urban legend. The Doberman studbook has been closed practically forever--it was certainly closed by the time Ch Borong The Warlock CD was around. There are always some folk that think adding to a breed with make it better or who want to "start their own breed". The...

If you go to the Doberman Pinscher Club of America's website (DPCA.org I believe) there is a section in Breeder education on posting ears that has at least a dozen types of posting--all of which have worked. Sometimes looking for a breeder in your area is more likely to get you results than...

LOL! The only Dobe I actually choose (sort of) was the first--I wanted a dog to show and at the time had no notion of how you should actually go about getting one. A woman I knew casually from an Obedience club told me that she was getting a show bitch and gave me a phone number so I could...

One of the very few hard and fast rules in my house for the dogs is the "Thou shalt not under any circumstances put your mouth on my person". It's one of those buttons with me--I don't like to be mouthed. I don't really like being licked and I certainly don't ever tolerated being nipped or...

Apollo, For now try cutting out the vitamin C too--that's another one that will cause soft stools and/or diarrhea if there is too much in the diet. Dogs actually don't need to be supplemented for vitamin C--they make their own in quantities greater than you would ever be likely to feed them...

Holy crud MyBuddy...that's like the price of an entire senior blood panel plus Giardia. The VCA clinics are generally among the better of the the chain clinics and unlike some of the others don't seem to spend a lot of time ripping people off but even to do a send out to IDEXX or Antech for a...

Whoops--I just saw this and wasn't quite in time to suggest that you ask her breeder when her bitches (particularly her mother) came in season. The average is 6 months to a year but that's a big variation if you are trying to second guess a young bitch on a first season. However first heats...

Apollo, I hafta' ask...why are you so determined to feed a grain free kibble? All of the grain free kibbles have some sort of carbohydrate--and even if it's not grain it seems that what you are trying to feed him is not agreeing with him. What have you tried that isn't grain free? You may be...

A Giardia snap test shouldn't be that expensive. And most vet clinics have tech's that are experienced enough to spot Giardia in a stool sample--they need to do a direct--not just look for eggs though--you won't find Giardia that way. It's not a worm but more like an amoeba. But the...

MeadowCat, I'm another one who has no love for dog parks. Along with dumb owners there are dog behaviors that are likely to come back to bite you in the butt eventually. A small dog at home in limited area, playing with a big dog is a different situation than a small dog in a big area trying...

dinero, There are many opinions on exactly [I]when[I] to neuter. Lately there has been one spin that recommends not neutering until the dog is entirely mature (see Apolo's post) so that the dog will reach his full body potential. Since I've seen a lot of dogs who were neutered at around 6...

You can give gelatin but I've done it and not done it and didn't see any difference. As burlysoldier said, be careful about picking at those scabs. The best idea is to leave the ear edge alone--don't pick the scabs off--they'll fall off when they are ready. I've seen puppies end up with...