At the suggestion from @Cferg I'm starting this topic about changes in Doberman traits that didn't use to be common,
I'd like others input too. Especially if you've had Dobermans in your life 20, 30, or 40 years ago. What are we seeing now that didn't use to be?
Very briefly, my first Doberman I got in the 1980's, adapted as a young adult, she came into my house with cats and was just a perfect dog. No barking, no aggression, she didn't tear anything up, she was quiet, she was active, she wasn't afraid at the vet, she rode in the truck or car and slept on the floor next to my bed, didn't ever want on the furniture - just a perfect model of a dog. My next dog I got as a puppy in 1992, her sire worked IGP, dam was pet bred. She had spark and drive, but totally social, didn't bark at strangers, but she was raised in an extremely social environment with 2 - 20 people coming and going daily, zero isolation and exposed to the public daily. Crated until house broken, then left alone in the house with two cats with no problems by the time she was 6 or 7 months old. Never chewed up anything. No dog aggression whatsoever, including living with another female. Neither dog ever whined, not once. neither dog was anxious when I was gone, both were totally social to everyone they met without being overly friendly. They played actively but not rough, they were athletic - my 2nd one went with me when I'd ride horseback in the mountains, one day doing a 20 mile ride. She stayed completely sound and lived to be 11. Reading this forum and others like it we see over and over the complaints of whining and vocalizing, of destruction of furniture and crate beds. I didn't own a dog between Dietrich and Asha - almost 20 years. I wanted a working line dog, I assumed it would be like Dietrich with just a little more fire and less trust of strangers. LOL. Nope. I will agree, the working lines are a lot more to handle than show & pet lines, but still some these traits seem to be across the board for our breed: Whining. Vocalizing. Separation anxiety. Explosive barking.
But my own dogs aside: The war dogs of the 40's? The did not do explosive barking at noises or strangers or a squirrel, they didn't have anxiety whining, they didn't have toys or blankies to suckle, they weren't put in crates they were in the trenches and had to be perfectly silent. They were mostly messenger dogs, alert dogs, not so much attack dogs in WW2. So what changed?
In the '80's there was a great trainer where I lived - trained junk yard dogs that he would drop off at businesses in the evening and pick them up in the morning. Those dogs never barked, they'd wait in silence until someone came over a fence then it was game time. If the thief laid still the dog would guard, if he moved the dog would bite. No one there to tell them anything. I don't think he was ethical or cared much, but he could train a dog. His personal dogs were Dobermans, most of the junk yard dogs were GSD or mixed breeds. He could train anything. The Dobermans were fierce, but totally social. He's the one that I first found out about Schutzhund and Dobermans. Something about todays Dobes, working or not, is that they are way too reactive for no good reason. His dogs were quiet and steady.
Asha can stay in the house for several hours alone with zero disturbance. She doesn't bother anything or even eat the cat food. She stole shoes or gloves as a puppy but never destroyed them. I collect bones & skulls & antlers of wildlife she doesn't bother them and there are probably a hundred scattered around. I don't know how I got so lucky. She does get anxious, she does scream-whine when I do finally show up if I've been gone a while. She might scream/whine/howl when I'm gone, but I don't have any way of knowing. She's the most vocal dog I've ever known, like those Huskies you see funny videos making talking noises. But explosive barking at normal people? I'm sure I'll never be free of managing it. The only way I can think to describe it is "too much". I don't think any of these traits happened overnight, but here we are.
I'd love to hear from more of you guys who remember Dobermans from 25+ years ago.
I'd like others input too. Especially if you've had Dobermans in your life 20, 30, or 40 years ago. What are we seeing now that didn't use to be?
Very briefly, my first Doberman I got in the 1980's, adapted as a young adult, she came into my house with cats and was just a perfect dog. No barking, no aggression, she didn't tear anything up, she was quiet, she was active, she wasn't afraid at the vet, she rode in the truck or car and slept on the floor next to my bed, didn't ever want on the furniture - just a perfect model of a dog. My next dog I got as a puppy in 1992, her sire worked IGP, dam was pet bred. She had spark and drive, but totally social, didn't bark at strangers, but she was raised in an extremely social environment with 2 - 20 people coming and going daily, zero isolation and exposed to the public daily. Crated until house broken, then left alone in the house with two cats with no problems by the time she was 6 or 7 months old. Never chewed up anything. No dog aggression whatsoever, including living with another female. Neither dog ever whined, not once. neither dog was anxious when I was gone, both were totally social to everyone they met without being overly friendly. They played actively but not rough, they were athletic - my 2nd one went with me when I'd ride horseback in the mountains, one day doing a 20 mile ride. She stayed completely sound and lived to be 11. Reading this forum and others like it we see over and over the complaints of whining and vocalizing, of destruction of furniture and crate beds. I didn't own a dog between Dietrich and Asha - almost 20 years. I wanted a working line dog, I assumed it would be like Dietrich with just a little more fire and less trust of strangers. LOL. Nope. I will agree, the working lines are a lot more to handle than show & pet lines, but still some these traits seem to be across the board for our breed: Whining. Vocalizing. Separation anxiety. Explosive barking.
But my own dogs aside: The war dogs of the 40's? The did not do explosive barking at noises or strangers or a squirrel, they didn't have anxiety whining, they didn't have toys or blankies to suckle, they weren't put in crates they were in the trenches and had to be perfectly silent. They were mostly messenger dogs, alert dogs, not so much attack dogs in WW2. So what changed?
In the '80's there was a great trainer where I lived - trained junk yard dogs that he would drop off at businesses in the evening and pick them up in the morning. Those dogs never barked, they'd wait in silence until someone came over a fence then it was game time. If the thief laid still the dog would guard, if he moved the dog would bite. No one there to tell them anything. I don't think he was ethical or cared much, but he could train a dog. His personal dogs were Dobermans, most of the junk yard dogs were GSD or mixed breeds. He could train anything. The Dobermans were fierce, but totally social. He's the one that I first found out about Schutzhund and Dobermans. Something about todays Dobes, working or not, is that they are way too reactive for no good reason. His dogs were quiet and steady.
Asha can stay in the house for several hours alone with zero disturbance. She doesn't bother anything or even eat the cat food. She stole shoes or gloves as a puppy but never destroyed them. I collect bones & skulls & antlers of wildlife she doesn't bother them and there are probably a hundred scattered around. I don't know how I got so lucky. She does get anxious, she does scream-whine when I do finally show up if I've been gone a while. She might scream/whine/howl when I'm gone, but I don't have any way of knowing. She's the most vocal dog I've ever known, like those Huskies you see funny videos making talking noises. But explosive barking at normal people? I'm sure I'll never be free of managing it. The only way I can think to describe it is "too much". I don't think any of these traits happened overnight, but here we are.
I'd love to hear from more of you guys who remember Dobermans from 25+ years ago.
. After that owned American dobes that were pretty steady. Interesting points you have made!
emoji! It still makes me laugh to this day. But she did finally come to the conclusion that cactus fights were a losing battle.
. #2 
He was only 5 weeks old...and from the time they brought him to us; he had an attitude. Resource guarding, at 6 weeks old
. Took him to training classes, he would grab the leash out of my hand and bite me.....can't tell you how many times that dog bit me that I did NOT tell my husband about....it was my very first dog ever in my life; and I was not going to give him up. My husband continued to tell me that this was NOT how dobermans were supposed to act, and that we needed to get rid of him. Not a chance. We took him to a behaviorist who told us the dog would bite us eventually, he felt he was not a stable dog....since we didn't have children, I wanted to work on it. (Yes my husband is a saint) When the dog was 2 years old, my husband was on the phone, and "Dante" (Love the name, will never use again) started licking the couch, so my husband put his hand over the spot he was licking, and WHAM! That dog bit him hard....did not break the skin, but my husband casually hung up the phone, and then told me we are getting rid of this dog. Nope....I was not doing that. It was a tough week of me sticking up for the dog; hiding him at a friends until my husband cooled down. My husbands concern was this: " If the dog bites me, who he knows is the Alpha, he will tear you apart." I didn't care. So one cold morning, Dante & I were in the yard working on exercises the behaviorist had given me, and I threw a ball, and he would not give it back....he stood in front of me; squared off with me as I looked right at him and said DROP IT. He dropped it alright, and flew up right at me. I had long underwhere shirt on, with a flannel shirt and a leather bomber jacket on.....I had swung my arm in front of my face when he lunged, and then put my arm down, and noticed all the stuffing from the jacket was hanging off.....I looked at the dog and said "If my arm is bleeding, you are a dead dog". Proceeded to take the jacket off, and my sleeve was soaked with my own blood. THAT is when I started to shake, and realize (DUH!) that this dog was going to kill me. I calmly walked into the house, and left him outside. I was shaking so badly, and saw he had punctured my arm, but by some miracle, had not torn any of the flesh. Thank God for that jacket that took the brunt of it.
and have had Dobermans ever since....Signed, the crazy Doberman Lady!
It is interesting. Currently Sadha is crying with her head on my husband’s knee. 2 rainy days has her going stir crazy for frisbee!
Only issue she has is when I go to bed late but even then it's not always. She must trust that I'm ok and can't be bothered to get up from her comfy spot in the house 
