"Dogs feel very strongly that they should always go with you in the car, in case the need should arise for them to bark violently at nothing right in your ear." Dave Berry "No animal should ever jump up on the dining room furniture unless absolutely certain that he can hold his own in the conversation." Fran Lebowitz "Of all the things I miss from veterinary practice, puppy breath is one of the most fond memories!" Dr. Tom Cat "He is your friend, your partner, your defender, your dog. You are his life ,his love, his leader. He will be yours, faithful and true, to the last beat of his heart. You owe it to him to be worthy of such devotion." unknown The reason a dog has so many friends is that he wags his tail instead of his tongue. Anonymous Don't accept your dog's admiration as conclusive evidence that you are wonderful. Ann Landers If there are no dogs in Heaven, then when I die I want to go where they went. Will Rogers There is no psychiatrist in the world like a puppy licking your face. Ben Williams A dog is the only thing on earth that loves you more than he loves himself. Josh Billings The average dog is a nicer person than the average person. Andy Rooney We give dogs time we can spare, space we can spare and love we can spare. And in return, dogs give us their all. It's the best deal man has ever made. M. Acklam Dogs love their friends and bite their enemies, quite unlike people, who are incapable of pure love and always have to mix love and hate. Sigmund Freud I wonder if other dogs think poodles are members of a weird religious cult. Rita Rudner A dog teaches a boy fidelity, perseverance, and to turn around three times before lying down. Robert Benchley Anybody who doesn't know what soap tastes like never washed a dog. Franklin P. Jones If I have any beliefs about immortality, it is that certain dogs I have known will go to heaven, and very, very few persons. James Thurber If your dog is fat, you aren't getting enough exercise. Unknown My dog is worried about the economy because Alpo is up to $3.00 a can. That's almost $21.00 in dog money. Joe Weinstein Ever consider what our dogs must think of us? I mean, here we come back from a grocery store with the most amazing haul -- chicken, pork, half a cow. They must think we're the greatest hunters on earth! Anne Tyler Women and cats will do as they please, and men and dogs should relax and get used to the idea. Robert A. Heinlein If you pick up a starving dog and make him prosperous, he will not bite you; that is the principal difference between a dog and a man. Mark Twain You can say any foolish thing to a dog, and the dog will give you a look that says, 'Wow, you're right! I never would've thought of that!' Dave Barry If you think dogs can't count, try putting three dog biscuits in your pocket and then give him only two of them. Phil Pastoret   more »

The Live Puppy Cam

Have you heard about the New Internet sensation? People all over the world, 4 million users logged on last summer to watch a litter of puppies live on a video stream. Articles on MSNBC and Today told the world about the sensation. People were taking a quick break from work to watch and get a lift for the day, as Ben Williams once said, "There is no psychiatrist in the world like a puppy licking your face."  I couldn't agree more. There is something magical about puppies, and there has been for thousands of years. The bond that was formed between man and dog has outlived most relationships, and I suspect always will.  The Puppy Cam is one way people can feel like they are part of the growth and development of a litter of puppies without the accountability and responsibility that comes with raising puppies and finding them qualified forever homes. No one is allergic to enjoying the puppies on the puppy cam either. There just are not many things in the world as cute as puppies, through all their stages. The helpless sightless and deaf newborns cuddled and nursed by their mothers to the older puppies who roughhouse with reckless abandon until they collapse in a dog pile for a nap. The moment they wake the games are on again. It is fun to watch the puppies grow live on camera with real time streaming video. It is a good way to escape whatever is going on in the world at the moment and join a different world with unconditional love, quick forgiveness, wild play, and peaceful rest. The thrill of the sneak attack, determination, and the value of companions for everything from sparring partners to pillows :) Watching young puppies live on the Puppy Cam reminds me of all the essential elements in a life of joy and happiness. Watching puppies live on the puppy Cam gives me an injection of goodness. It is almost as if you are there, and you can even communicate with those caring for the pups via Email or phone if there are concerns. We hope bringing the puppy Cam to you brings a piece of our joy into your life. Feel free to share it with family and friends, and feel free to share your feelings with us!

Our live puppy Cams are specifically broadcasting live streaming video of our Champion European bred Doberman puppies for sale. We feel we raise some of the finest European Doberman Pinschers around, and we are proud to both show them off and share them with you. Sometimes some of the puppies you are watching will be available to new forever homes. If you are ever interested, the first step is to fill out the puppy application and email it back to us.  If you are an approved home, we will talk about the type of Doberman puppy that will fit your lifestyle, and tuning in to the Live puppy Cam will let you follow your Doberman puppies progress as it grows and learns. You will get to see the Doberman puppies interact 24/7 which gives a clear sense of what the puppy is overall, much more so than a short one time visit to your breeder. You get to see them when they are tired, and when they are playful, and how they interact with other dogs, as well as the people that interact with them daily.

 

Just a few weeks ago we were lucky enough to welcome a new four legged member into our family, a Red Doberman.  At a little more than a year and a half old, she is a beautiful red female Doberman.  However, her looks are only one of the things that make her special.  She is one of the most affectionate, mellow, sweet natured Dobies that you’ll ever meet.  Everyone that gets to know her is immediately jealous that we share our home with such a great girl. 

Because of her gentle nature, she has gotten along famously with our other 3 dogs.  She and our Madde are especially fond of each other.  What they say about opposites attracting evidently carries over to dog as well.  Don’t get me wrong, Madde is our princess and we couldn’t love her more.  On the other hand, she is definitely the boss and what she says, goes.  She’s not always polite about it either.  Despite this, the new Red girl and Madde play together like they were raised together.  Their favorite toy is a terribly beat up old 4 legged squeaky toy who has lost 2 of its legs with the other two not far behind.  They tug to a chorus of vicious sounding growls but it’s all just a game.  If one happens to let go, the other is right there shoving the toy in their face like “C’mon we were just getting started!”

We noticed right away that she seemed to prefer soft, cuddly toys.  This is something we no longer have many of at our house because of the other two Dobies.  They think the reason we give them stuffed toys is to make stuffy murder scenes all over the house and back yard.  In contrast, she is not a shredder at all.  She would much rather take a soft floppy toy and bounce around like a bucking bronco, shaking the toy up as she goes.  Then we noticed that’s not the only reason she likes soft, cuddly things.  The first time I saw her do this I laughed so hard I nearly cried.  It was bedtime and our 3 Dobes were settling into the king size mattress that they graciously let my husband and I share with them.  We were trying to get comfortable but the bed kept giggling in one spot.  Looking over, we see her with the corner of our comforter fluffed into a little mound in between her two front paws.  At first I thought she was trying to shred the blanket just as the other two dogs would have been doing in the same situation.  But no, there she was with the mound of comforter in her mouth sucking away on it while she kneaded the outside portion with her front paws!  This went on almost every night as her way to fall asleep.

 It didn’t stop there though.  One evening I was relaxing on our Lazyboy with a light fleece blanket over my legs.   Oftentimes one of the girls will climb onto the recliner to cuddle and she was acting like this was what she wanted to do.  She got her front half on my lap but instead of hopping up the rest of the way she started pawing at my legs.  I tried to coax her up to get comfortable with no luck.  She just kept pawing at my legs like she wanted me to move so I started to scoot over.  When I did this she leaned over, grabbed my blanket in her mouth and started dragging it off of me.  Once she had gotten it down she gave me a look like, “Thanks! That’s all I wanted” and went on to do her bucking bronco routine shaking the blanket all over as she went.  After it was sufficiently shook up to her liking, she plopped down in the middle of the living room and pulled a tuft up in the middle with her mouth.  Sure enough she went to town, sucking away and kneading like a nursing puppy.  We have now gifted this blanket to our Red girl and named it her "Binky”.  Some people have children who carry a blanket and suck their thumbs.  Evidently we’ve got the canine equivalent living at our house!

Todays guest post is from a good friend of mine, who has one of the finest looking Dobes I have ever seen

 

The Underwear Wonder Dog

People tried to warn us, "Doberman's love things that smell like their owners".  Of course they do.  All dogs like things that smell like like their owners, don't they?  Little did we know when sweet, tiny Madde came home with us that our laundry would never be safe again...

First off, I acknowledge that I'm not the worlds most fantastic housekeeper.   This doesn't mean that we're terribly messy.  Like most people we occasionally have clothes that don't find their way straight to the hamper. Not a big deal right?  That's what we thought too.  As is turns out, Madde's favorite thing in the whole world is socks.  The dirtier and smellier they are, the more she loves them.  It started when she was small.  She would get ahold of one and, after a victory lap or two, start trying to see how many holes she could put in it.  Annoying for sure but not dangerous.  At least we live in Arizona and wear a lot of flip flops.  As she got older, her habit switched from chewing to swallowing.  The first time this happened it nearly scared me to death. I can't begin to tell you how frightening it is to wake up at 3am with your 4 month old puppy shaking uncontrolably and giving you a look that says "Somethings wrong, please make my belly stop hurting!".  My thought was automatically, "Oh no, she ate a sock and it's stuck".    I panicked of course and called her breeder and another friend who manages a veternary office.  She was still drinking water and keeping it down so they advised me to give her some time to see if it passes. 

Lucky for both of us after 5 hours of sitting and waiting, the whole time imagining the emergency surgery I was sure she was going to need, out came the sock!  I have never been so happy to see a dog go to the bathroom.  It was amazing that after it passed she was completely back to normal.  I had no idea at the time that this was going to become a regular occurrence in our life with Madde.

 After this first scare we started to be more cautious.  Clothes didn't get left on the floor.  If they didn't make it to the basket they were set up on a counter or a dresser.  For any other dog this probably would have been fine.  With Madde, not so much.  The next scare came on Halloween night after attending a friends party.  I had dressed up as a witch, complete with red fishnet stockings.  Tired from a late evening, I undressed and set the costume up on our dresser.  We finished locking up the house and returned to find Madde in the bedroom looking at us innocently with an odd little puff of red between her lips.  My husband gasped as we both realized what we were witnessing.  She had gotten a hold of my stockings and proceeded to gobble them up just like the famous spaghetti noodle scene out of Lady and the Tramp.  He ran at her and before she could slurp down that last little bit of stocking he grabbed it and started pulling.  It was like watching a clown show at the circus.  He pulled and pulled and pulled until finally the end of the fishnet came out with a hack.  As funny of a sight as it was to see, we both knew how lucky we were to have caught her in the act. There was no way she would have been able to pass something that size.  We were so grateful for our good timing that evening.

As she's grown, Madde's tastes have expanded to anything underwear related.  Now a days we have switched to a covered hamper which stays behind a closed closet door. 
She has stolen from every imaginable place, laundry baskets, counters, sinks, closets, bags, backpacks.  She has even stolen from the covered clothes hamper.  Not by flipping open the lid like you might think, but by sniffing out the desired item then nibbling and pulling it out through the holes.  I think she's singlehandedly keeping Hanes in business at this point.  We do our best to keep things out of reach but when you have a Dobie you come to the conclusion that most of the time they can outsmart you... Especially if it's something they want badly enough!

Denise and Madde

You know I have given a lot of thought the last few years about how dogs along the way have shaped me into what I am. I have realized that no matter what, boys just can’t grow up into men without good dogs to point them along the way. Naturally I believe Doberman Pinschers are those good dogs  They love us unconditionally, and every boy exploits that, asking dogs to do things they probably shouldn’t, to go places they shouldn’t go and even to take the blame and wrath of mom and dad when we have done something wrong. That unconditional love I think teaches us about forgiveness. Not one of my dogs ever held a grudge for something stupid I asked them to do, and most of the time they would love me enough to do the stupid thing and let me learn a tough lesson. I remember “Teddy” a purebred “Heinz 57” (I was sure that was a breed until much later in life, my parents had convinced me so!) Teddy was my first exposure to protection dogs. I was only 8 at the time and mom had just given me a brand new winter coat, we lived in Midvale Utah at the time, and I was going to need that coat to get through the winter. We didn’t have much growing up, but I had Teddy. I can’t tell you what movie it was or tv show that inspired me to teach a dog to bite my arm, or why I thought that coat would do me any good, but Teddy and I worked on it all day one cold Saturday. Thanks to the terrier genes he had in his family tree, he was happy to play the game once we got started. He shredded that new coat, and with it my arm to some degree  But he would quit when I asked him to, and I think it was that moment that changed the rest of my life. I had no idea how to train a dog, I just knew I loved him, and we did everything together. His training paid off one day as we were coming home and some neighborhood dog made a beeline for me while Teddy was pulling me down the street on my roller skates. Before that dog got close enough Teddy took care of it. I don’t know how he didn’t get hurt or killed, but we had love and loyalty between us. He learned to pull me on skates or sleds and stop when I asked him to, he would sit and shake, and sometimes he would stay until I turned my back  We just worked things out, it is a magic that happens between a boy and his dog. Teddy went through two broken legs and surgeries to boot, he survived a patio roof collapse in a storm, he lived on love heaven knows as I wasn’t the best at feeding and cleaning. He taught me to swim and chase sticks and run through fields. There were many good dogs in my life like Teddy, and the most influential was of course Gretta a Doberman. Those stories will have to wait for another time though… The point is I am what I am for good or bad in large because of the dogs along the way. A boy just isn’t a boy without a dog. I had a sad call today from someone whose boy had just lost his red female dobe yesterday and his parents knew what it meant to that little boy. I reflected with sadness on those times I felt the same pains. I came in from that call back to the family room to see this:

Naturally I started crying and remembering naps just like that one. You can see Coco is wide awake but doesn’t dare disturb her little boy. Ethan has always been like that, when he threw tantrums as a one year old, it was always on Zenny’s bed under his watchful and concerned eye:

 
And with Texa’s new puppies, you guessed it, the dog that won’t even let my wife in the puppy room:
 
 
I sat and thought a long time about all of this today and I was so filled with gratitude that we get to share our lives with such special dogs. I am so grateful my three year old son has found what I found, a true friend. So here is a tribute to all those dogs along the way that shaped us into what we are, it must be similar for girls, as Grace loves the dogs every bit as much as Ty and Ethan, but where the red fern grows helps us to cement it into our boyhood minds. I hope this sentimental moment finds all of you well and enjoying your lives with these special friends, I hope you too are learning from them and slowly learning to love and forgive like them. I hope you shamelessly ask for what you want and need instead of beating around the bush with hidden agendas and I hope you enjoy a nap in the soft grass under the warm sun. Chase things in life you want with enthusiasm, and hang on to what you catch with all your might until it is time to let go. Smile for no reason, and wake up knowing each day is just your favorite thing. Try new things and be loyal to your friends, and fiercely defend your loved ones. Enjoy mud and swimming, and chewing on your favorite treat. Finally although Cliché, may we be the people our dogs think we are. Life is too short not to share it with a friend.  thank all of you for sharing yours with us.

Well Cora is here from Europe where she has had a very successful show career and is beginning her work career. Everyone who sees her is amazed at her beauty and way of movement. My kids are blown away with her temperament and how she is willing to walk calmly on a leash for even my smallest children. She is exceptionally sweet and still has a ton of drive for the Tug, a ball and good old fashioned play. WE are excited to have her as part of our program.

We also have our P litter on the ground that was much awaited, and as the pups grow we are convinced more and more everyday that we picked the right pairing. The pups already at a very young age are showing great independence, drive and confidence. These pups are sure to be well known in the Doberman community.

Upcoming litters include a Half Red Half Black litter from Athena who like Uragan (the sire she is bred to) has earned her ZTP (Breeding evaluation) In Europe with the highest scores. These pups are sure to be great sport prospects and protective family companions. Both Uragan Best of Island and Athena Raiden Sky are great house dogs with my family, get along well with the pack, and love to work.

Next is a litter from Casa di Oro Donna Delana "Ruby" also bred to Uragan, and those who met her pups from last year can understand why some people were on a waiting list ever since her last litter. These will be some of the highest quality Doberman Puppies available anywhere. Ruby also earned her ZTP in Europe and is both an impressive working dog as well as a beloved family companion. She is my wifes favorite dog moving ahead of Coco since Ruby does not give kisses ;-)

Temperatures are hot here at the kennel and it is often time to remind folks how to care for their Dobes in the heat. Heat exhaustion can really take a toll on Dobermans, their short coats don't offer them much protection from the sun and they heat up very quickly. Wiping them down with wet towels while outside as well as other neat cooling products make for better summer recreation. Be sure to keep them drinking plenty of water so their bodies have the ability to cool down. Everywhere you go be sure to take water and dishes for your dog as you can never be sure of what you can find at your destination. I don't like to recommend other peoples products very often but here is a good choice:

http://www.vkrpets.com/K9%20Cooler.html?gclid=CNjezeWXt5oCFSQeDQod4xexdQ

Also here in Phoenix you have to be careful of the temperature of pavement, use alternatives when you can, or go early morning or late evening for your walks. If you have to walk at the hottest parts of the day consider boots to protect your dogs tender pads.