Welcome!
I agree that it is hard, and it is also hard waiting to hear back from breeders. Most of the time, you don't hear back from them at all.
The good news is, I've found it way easier to deal with working Dobe breeders than confo. Dobe breeders. Working folks are less pretentious, and more down to earth (generally).
My last two Dobes have been from working breeders. Yes, they all would love for you to title your dogs! I have not run into any contract that states that I must do so, though.
I can say that I got lucky to get "in" with working Dobe breeders. Once you've bought from one, you've got a great "in," as long as you stay on good terms with the breeder.
That first working Dobe breeder did seem to be disillusioned with me, and there was a slight misunderstanding I suppose. I told her that I want a Dobe that can do well at Schutzhund. She seems to (understandably, I guess?) have taken that to mean that I was saying I would compete and try to title the dog. I didn't necessarily mean that. So, for whatever reason, it seemed that breeder was eager enough to sell the pup that she sold to me and the rest is history.
As for price, I can tell you that I paid $1800 (which seemed like a pretty good deal even at the time, especially for a Dobe whose sire was at the time an 11-time Schutzhund III) and my current boy I paid $2500 (also from IPO III parentage). He is a full Euro working line Dobe, and in case you don't know, working Dobes from legitimate performance backgrounds tend to, yes, look skinny and unimpressive. They're built for speed, agility and maximum performance. Looks often run counter to this.
So, it seems to me that one of the foundational breeders for working Dobes in the US (maybe I'm overselling her a bit?) is Tammy Marshall Weldon of Swift Run Dobermans in Kentucky. Masaya Dobermans was started with a dog from her, and my breeder started with a dog from her.
I would be surprised if Tammy is charging upwards of $3k, but I don't know for sure. It seems, lately especially, that everyone is being given the green light to charge more for stuff.
As for contracts: Again, working Dobe breeders are so much easier. I personally do not want to neuter my dogs. Well, it is actually in my contract that I am not allowed to neuter him – at least not without checking with the breeder first and allowing them to collect from him if they need to. Most all confo. breeders want you to alter your dog ASAP, and go on a "limited registration" and all that sort of crapola.
So, I'd say especially if you can honestly tell the working breeder you intend to try to title the dog, they will be happy to sell to you. Good luck!