Wind Ridge Ranch
Aussie HomeDoberman Pinscher HomeAbout UsFrequently Asked QuestionsContact Us
Barb Wire ImageBarb Wire ImageBarb Wire ImageBarb Wire ImageBarb Wire Image
What's the deal with these Doberman Pinschers??

Welcome to our Doberman Pinscher info page. On this page, we give you general information about Doberman Pinschers, and maybe answer some questions you may have about the dogs. The information we give on this page is from our experience, and therefore may or may not be typical of other dobermans. Wind Ridge Ranch will be referred to as WRR in these questions for ease of description.  If you have questions that aren't answered on this page, please Contact Us for other questions you may have.

1. Where does the Doberman breed come from?

 2. What are some of the traits WRR has seen in dobermans?

3. What is WRR's opinion on crate training for dogs?

4. What should I do if my puppy has diarrhea?

5. If I am switching my dog to a different dog food, what should I do to make the transition as free from problems as I can?

6. What should I do to potty train my puppy?

7. What is WRR’s opinion on dog beds?

8. What does WRR recommend for proper feeding practices?

9. Why does WRR require new owners to take the puppy through obedience training?

1. Where does the Doberman breed come from? Top
The Doberman breed was created by a German tax collector by the name of Doberman, who was looking for a strong, agile, fast, loyal companion to protect him while doing his job. The breed has grown over the years since the 1880's when he first started creating the breed. We suggest wikipedia or the Doberman Pinscher Club of America if you want more information on the breed, such as typical characteristics, colors, and personalities.


2. What are some of the traits WRR has seen in dobermans? Top
Well, the doberman is definately a great dog, but not necessarily the best dog for everyone. They are a very loving and loyal dog, but they are also an independent spirit that requires an owner willing to put effort into owning the doberman. Wind Ridge Ranch requires new owners to take the dog through at least a beginner obedience class. There is a saying that I wrote down a few years ago, "Dobermans don't have owners, they have staff." Dobermans do have a few traits that they typically display: the doberman ball: the doberman curled up into as small a ball as they can to sleep. The doberman lean: where the doberman leans up against your leg waiting for you to scratch them, and then leaning more as you scratch them. The doberman sit: usually on your foot, many times as part of the doberman lean. The doberman nudge: a nudge of your hand to tell you to scratch me. The doberman love look: I love you more than you can imagine. Dobermans are also very expressive with their ears. You can many times tell their attitude by the way their ears are. We tell all prospective owners that they need to decide before they get home if they are going to let the dog up on the furniture. If you let a doberman up on the couch or bed once, you will never get them down again. Dobermans are active dogs when they are awake, however their favorite activity is being a couch potato.

3. What is WRR's opinion on crate training for dogs? Top
We strongly suggest crate training for dogs. First off, it is a helpful tool to potty train a puppy. Dogs typically don't like sitting/laying in their accidents, so a crate is very helpful to prevent that from happening. Many of the wire crates available today come with a removable barrier that the position can be changed as the puppy grows bigger. This also makes it so you can get a crate for the adult size of the puppy without buying numerous crates. We feed our dogs in their crates, which prevents fighting over food or dogs getting more or less of the food you give them. Dogs also see their crate as a den that they feel safe in if the crate is used properly. Crates also prevent the dog from getting into trouble, such as tearing up you favorite shoes. It is important that the dog sees the crate as a safe place rather than as a punishment. If they are only put in when they have been bad, they will associate it with being bad. It also is a lot easier to clean up a crate if the dog has an accident.

4. What should I do if my puppy has diarrhea? Top
It is common for a puppy to get diarrhea. Most often, it is from something they ate, or from needing to be wormed. We suggest giving the puppy yogurt first or pumpkin. Yogurt has probiotics in it that can settle the stomach and get them back to regularity. We suggest Stoneyfield yogurt. It is organic and has high levels of probiotics, but you can give any yogurt as long as it has lots of probiotics. We suggest a low fat or non-fat yogurt in plain or vanilla. Flavored yogurt may not sit well with the puppy. Pumpkin is excellent at drying out the puppy and getting them regular again. Puppies are very good at getting into things they shouldn't, and sometimes they get worms. We suggest using Safeguard dog wormer. Most dog wormers only take care of a couple types of worms. Safeguard takes care of four types of worms and is very easy to give. It is a top dress wormer that you sprinkle over the dog's food for three days and is designed to be easy to give the right amount. It comes in one, two, or four gram packages. For every ten pounds of weight, give the dog a gram of Safeguard. For example, if your dog weighs fifty pounds, give a four gram package and a one gram package. Safeguard is available at many pet stores. We feed a very high quality dog food by the name  of Orijen Puppy Large  that is a high protein dog food. Sometimes, if a dog gets too much of a high protein dog food, they can get diarrhea. If this is the case, taking food away from them for 24 hours can dry them up.

5. If I am switching my dog to a different dog food, what should I do to make the transition as free from problems as I can? Top
When  you want to switch your dog over to another dog food, we suggest that you have four and a half days of the old dog food ready for the transition. The process will take nine days. We suggest feeding 75% old dog food and 25% new dog food for three days, then feeding 50% old dog food and 50% new dog food for three days, and then 25% old dog food and 75% new dog food for three days. After that, you can feed the new dog food going forward. This process will make the transition less stressful on your dogs digestive system.

6. What should I do to potty train my puppy? Top
The simple answer is to take the puppy out. Whenever the puppy wakes up, take them out. Whenever they eat or drink, take them out. If they are sitting by the door and whining, take them out. If they look like they are running around looking for something, take them out because they probably are looking for someplace to go. A general rule of thumb for potty training is a puppy can typically hold their potty for a hour for however months old they are. For example, a four month old puppy can hold it’s potty for about four hours. As we stated in an earlier question, WRR strongly suggests using a crate to train your puppy when you aren’t at home. Many of the wire crates available today come with a removable barrier that the position can be changed as the puppy grows bigger. The puppy’s living space should be about the same size as the puppy. Dogs typically don’t want to sit/lay in their own mess, so if they don’t have too big of a space when potty training, they will learn that they can’t get away from it and learn to hold it.

7. What is WRR’s opinion on dog beds? Top
Many people ask us what we think about dog beds for their puppy. We say that a dog bed is good for a puppy, however, it may not be the best thing to have in the puppy’s crate until they are at least over a year old. After that point, it isn’t a bad idea, as long as they don’t tear it up. When they are young, it is common for a puppy to have the occasional accident and a bed in the crate will get messed up. Also, during the time when they are still young, puppies can get bored and tear things up in their crate.

8. What does WRR recommend for proper feeding practices? Top
Many people like to feed their dogs “free range”, where they fill the bowl in the morning and leave the food out full time. We don’t suggest feeding that way. The best way to feed a dog is to give them their allotted amount of food for the feeding and pick it up after 15 minutes. Puppies do well being fed three times a day until they start getting older when you can move them to being fed two times a day.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      

9. Why does WRR require new owners to take the puppy through obedience training? Top
An obedience class should be taken with any dog. It helps form the bond between the pet and the owner. It also establishes the owner and pet roles for both parties. A dog should be a dog and the owner should be the Alpha in the relationship. The Doberman is a strong-willed breed. That’s not a bad thing, it is one of the traits that makes the Doberman a great, loyal dog, however, we feel the Doberman needs that role established early on. Actually, any dog benefits from that role definition. We have put a lot of care and handling into our puppies. They are very friendly and well socialized, and we encourage continuation of those practices. Our puppies tend to excel at obedience training.

This page is still under construction. Please stop back later to see updates.