Identifying a doberman

[Carlos The Doberman]

Hey guys,

A couple of years ago my Doberman of roughly 12 months went missing. Now 2 years down the track we have noticed a neighbour all of a sudden has a grown Doberman which looks identical to ours. I know all doberman's have very similar colouring etc but I feel like these are almost identical. It makes sense as well as he sometimes would get out and wonder around our neighbours place. I have old photos of just before he went missing and current photos and was wondering if there is any way to identify the dog through marks etc or if the only way is through scanning the dogs chip?

I have put together some old images against the 2 current ones I have. Old is marked 'OLD' and new ones 'CURRENT'

Would love to hear your thoughts.

Cheers,

Alain

 

[Ddski5]

Wow.

Unless you have some pretty distinguishable markings like a white patch on belly. Then I think you are going to have a hard time.

Any distinguishable markings or a bent ear maybe?

@jazzies mum Doberman has a white speck on her chest. (Always loved this pict).

Good luck.

 

[Gelcoater]

No images are showing for me?

 

[Gelcoater]

Hey guys,

A couple of years ago my Doberman of roughly 12 months went missing. Now 2 years down the track we have noticed a neighbour all of a sudden has a grown Doberman which looks identical to ours. I know all doberman's have very similar colouring etc but I feel like these are almost identical. It makes sense as well as he sometimes would get out and wonder around our neighbours place. I have old photos of just before he went missing and current photos and was wondering if there is any way to identify the dog through marks etc or if the only way is through scanning the dogs chip?

I have put together some old images against the 2 current ones I have. Old is marked 'OLD' and new ones 'CURRENT'

Would love to hear your thoughts.

Cheers,

Alain

Did you speak with them?
If you had the dog almost a year it’s quite possible (probable actually) your dog will remember you or your voice.
@JanS boy I’m told will stop and pay attention if video is played with Freds (his breeder) voice.
There are other members here I can’t recall now with similar stories. Their dogs recognize! Even years later.

 

[Kaiser2016]

Is there a fence around the yard? I would try walking along the fence to see how the dog reacts and then saying the dogs name and see if it reacts by making eye contact. I often see other Dobermans and yes they do look so much alike, but each one is still unique looking. I think you would recognize your own dog.

On one hand I'm excited that you might get your dog back, I can't imagine losing a Doberman and then finding it had been in the neighborhood the whole time. On the other hand if it is your dog, how do you get him back from people who might have knowingly stolen him?

 

[My2Girls]

Is there a fence around the yard? I would try walking along the fence to see how the dog reacts and then saying the dogs name and see if it reacts by making eye contact. I often see other Dobermans and yes they do look so much alike, but each one is still unique looking. I think you would recognize your own dog.

On one hand I'm excited that you might get your dog back, I can't imagine losing a Doberman and then finding it had been in the neighborhood the whole time. On the other hand if it is your dog, how do you get him back from people who might have knowingly stolen him?

We had a really frustrating situation with a neighbor’s dog in TX. It’s a German Short Hair Pointer who had a bad habit of escaping its back yard. Well, it went missing and the person who found him brought him to the dog pound next to ours (the two towns boarder each other) anyway, TX has a pound law that if you don’t claim your dog within 3 days it goes up for adoption. So this dog gets adopted on the 4th day. The owner finds out it was brought to the wrong pound. The pound would not tell him who adopted his dog. Then he finds out through other sources and the new family wouldn’t give him up!!! Can you imagine??! Anyway the major had to get involved and because the dog was brought to the wrong pounds jurisdiction they had to return the dog. It was crazy. Of course the owner ran out and got the dog chipped and since that all went down the dog has escaped at least 3 more times that I’m aware of.

 

[Gelcoater]

Is there a fence around the yard? I would try walking along the fence to see how the dog reacts and then saying the dogs name and see if it reacts by making eye contact. I often see other Dobermans and yes they do look so much alike, but each one is still unique looking. I think you would recognize your own dog.

On one hand I'm excited that you might get your dog back, I can't imagine losing a Doberman and then finding it had been in the neighborhood the whole time. On the other hand if it is your dog, how do you get him back from people who might have knowingly stolen him?

And if they didn’t outright steal him and just gave the seemingly homeless dog a home, and the dog lives a good life, what then?

 

[JanS]

What a predicament and I don't see the photos either. If he is chipped and you know the neighbors name, you could check with the vet about scanning the chip to see what it says.

If you had the dog almost a year it’s quite possible (probable actually) your dog will remember you or your voice.
@JanS boy I’m told will stop and pay attention if video is played with Freds (his breeder) voice.
There are other members here I can’t recall now with similar stories. Their dogs recognize! Even years later.

Both of our dogs recognize their breeders voice to this day and they're 8 & 10 years old, so they don't forget.

 

[Kaiser2016]

And if they didn’t outright steal him and just gave the seemingly homeless dog a home, and the dog lives a good life, what then?

Unless there is a population of stray dogs around, I would never assume a dog was just homeless. Also a kept dog just has a look about them. They're usually clean and look well fed. To me, a homeless purebred dog just sounds strange. For sure, Kaiser could never be mistaken for anything but a pampered bitch

 

[Dogs4Life]

I'd say they look very similar. However, hard to tell from pictures if it's the same pup. Wish you the best of luck!!!

 

[Doberman Gang]

They don’t look the same to me. Have you gone and asked about the dog? The dog would recognize you if it was your dog. I would know if it was one of mine. Tail length ear shape Avery scar and line of my dogs are imbedded into my brain. So if you are not sure, probably not your dog.

 

[Kaiser2016]

Most notably the markings are different. I'm looking at the shoulders and front paws. That said, how much do paw markings change on a dog after age 1? I know puppy Kaiser had way more black marks on his front paws and those are largely gone, but those seemed to be done changing by age 1.

Seems the length of the muzzle is different too.

 

[Rits]

We had a really frustrating situation with a neighbor’s dog in TX. It’s a German Short Hair Pointer who had a bad habit of escaping its back yard. Well, it went missing and the person who found him brought him to the dog pound next to ours (the two towns boarder each other) anyway, TX has a pound law that if you don’t claim your dog within 3 days it goes up for adoption. So this dog gets adopted on the 4th day. The owner finds out it was brought to the wrong pound. The pound would not tell him who adopted his dog. Then he finds out through other sources and the new family wouldn’t give him up!!! Can you imagine??! Anyway the major had to get involved and because the dog was brought to the wrong pounds jurisdiction they had to return the dog. It was crazy. Of course the owner ran out and got the dog chipped and since that all went down the dog has escaped at least 3 more times that I’m aware of.

Jeeze. You would think they would fix that fence or secure their dog better... I understand accidents happen but it makes you sorta wish after so many escapes that maybe the dog would be better suited in another home. They are lucky he hasnt been hit. We see this all the time on our local lost and found fb group. The admins are really good about following the laws of holding a lost dog, reporting it to the shelter and/or having the finder take the dog to the shelter if its a repeat found dog. Have to hold the owners accountable.

 

[My2Girls]

Jeeze. You would think they would fix that fence or secure their dog better... I understand accidents happen but it makes you sorta wish after so many escapes that maybe the dog would be better suited in another home. They are lucky he hasnt been hit. We see this all the time on our local lost and found fb group. The admins are really good about following the laws of holding a lost dog, reporting it to the shelter and/or having the finder take the dog to the shelter if its a repeat found dog. Have to hold the owners accountable.

Yes it got ridiculous. I would see the “is this your dog” FB post and just tag the owners. Never met the owners just knew the dog and who he belonged to.

 

[Dogs4Life]

Ahh well, I guess after further examination the markings are different. That's what I get for owning a red boy.

At least I helped with finding the picture lol

 

[Oh Little Oji]

Here is my biggest question, and I'd like to get feedback from experienced folks here: Do chest markings change significantly with age? The chest markings of the neighbor's dog are smaller, and more what I associate with a Euro influence. At the same time, the pic at the bottom – the "old" of the Dobe laying down – has them looking smaller – like the neighbor's Dobe.

Now, the head size: The head size of the neighbor dog seems smaller relative to the body. Again, feedback requested on how this does or does not change with age.

The ear-set looks, well, I was going to say different; but the more I look at it, it may be the same. Look at where they are set-on on the head. A reference point is the ear insertion on the head relative to the eyes. Similar.

The expression in the eyes, and the basic countenance look the same.

The tail set-on seems similar.

I have, if I recall, known that the black markings on the paws can decrease some with age.

The tan markings on the hind legs look similar.

Sorry to cause any stress, but my best assessment currently is that it may be the same Dobe.

 

[Rits]

The thumb prints on the cheeks and mask look very different to me. The thumbprints are clearly connected to the mask on the muzzle in your pics but not in the neighbor dog. I dont think there is much you can do sadly if he isnt microchipped. You could try to get the police involved with some more pictures. Some side shots would help.

 

[LifeofRubie]

No microchip, by chance, I guess?

Rubie got a small cut even before we picked her up from the breeder that had become almost a callous on the back of her leg. I actually put that in her description when I registered the microchip and that stupid callous is still there to this day.

It's very difficult to tell... He looks kinda chubby in the current pictures which is throwing me. I would go near when he's out and call the name you gave him. See what happens. I'm invested, now!

Here is my biggest question, and I'd like to get feedback from experienced folks here: Do chest markings change significantly with age?

I'm going to have to go through 3 years of Rubie pictures to see for myself, now!

 

[Oh Little Oji]

This makes me think that it was smart that my previous Dobe had a tattoo and a chip. The tattoo was in the ear, but it's more secure to have it somewhere like on the belly.

If I suspected Oji was in someone else's possession, I would see if I could give him a command. If he slowly and grudgingly obeyed I'd have my proof.

Actually, this is another reason to make up your own training commands, or train in another language (besides German).

Anyway, this theorizing doesn't help your current situation. I hope some progress can be made.

Hmm. Did you have any specific or special commands that he knew while you had him? Can you go near him and give those commands? It may not work as he may be on guard, but worth a try if you can.

 

[Lizbeli]

Looks like two different dogs to me. But I suppose it would be difficult to know. Id like to believe that someone would get a real gut feeling if they saw their lost dog. However, it's the real world. Gut feelings aren't always right anyways. I am also curious if he is chipped. Not sure that you can legally force someone to get there dog checked though. Does your municipality have a local Animal Control Officer who you can speak to for advice? It is possible that they can follow up with the neighbor. But I doubt that they would file a report.