This was shared in some doberman groups and I thought it was an excellent read. I'm not sure who the author is.
Story of a puppy. When this puppy was with his dog mom, his mom would do anything to protect him. His mom was assertive, firm, and fair. She ran a tight ship and provided very clear structure to the puppies. The mom would not allow other people or dogs to come bother her puppies when they were not ready. She made the puppies feel very safe knowing that they would be fully advocated for at all time. She would monitor the interaction and correct inappropriate behaviour between the puppies during play. There was a clear structure in place so no one was confused. Then the puppy left the mom and went home with a human. The human family was so excited because this puppy was so cute. They spent all their time hugging and coddling this puppy. They could not leave the puppy alone. They invited all their friends and family members over to see the "new puppy". They would allow many strangers and dogs to "say hi" to the puppy constantly. All the sudden, the puppy's dog mom was no longer there to advocate for this puppy yet her role was not replaced by anyone. Not only that, the puppy is now surrounded by people and animals who would not leave him alone to give him the space he desperately needed so he could feel secure in a new environment. The puppy was in shock and was confused. He had no one to lean on, no structure to go by. He had no idea how to cope with the stress and there was no guidance. Instead of taking up the position of being the pup's advocate and filling the void left by his dog mom by offering this puppy much needed guidance, the human chose to act even softer and more unstable by trying to "comfort" this puppy with lots of affection, treats, and soft voices. They hugged him, baby talked to him, bought him lots of cloths, brushed him 290 times a day, and they kept allowing strangers and dogs to approach and greet this puppy because they were told this was "socialization" and would help the puppy to become more confident. They took the puppy to pet shops to further the "socialization" where the puppy was overwhelmed with lots of people exhibiting very unstable energy with their high pitch voice who could not get their hands off this puppy despite his constant body language pleading to just be left alone. Again, the human did not stop anyone from getting too close too soon as the puppy's dog mom would certainly have. The puppy was very shocked by how clueless and insensitive his owners were. He was used to having his dog mom keeping everything under control but his humans were not doing that at all! Where is mom? Who is here to advocate for me? Then the puppy was taken to dog parks and he was bullied. The human did not seem to notice. Everyone and their dogs were really aroused and excited. It was very overwhelming and no one was there to advocate for this puppy. The puppy finally had enough so one day when he was on leash, he growled and lunged at these "rude" dogs. His human freaked out over his growling. They yelled at him and then they hugged him and coddled him. This made the puppy more confused and insecure. He expected his human to understand why he growled and step up to protect him assertively--as he was sure his mom would; instead, he was punished for asking his leader for help. Not only that, his human was not confident nor calm at all; they looked scared and stressed. How could he trust someone with such unstable and weak energy? The human was heartbroken. They said, "we love him so much, why isn't he friendly?" "We have taken so much time to socialize him, we have done all the right things, why is he aggressive?" "We have been so nice to him, it makes no sense." They felt guilty, and sorry, and frustrated, and betrayed. The whole household was filled with what was interpreted by the puppy as, once again, a very soft, unstable, and weak energy. That did nothing to fill the void left by the puppy' mom. The puppy's craving for direction and protection was never even acknowledged. Now the human stayed away from the puppy because they were scared of his “unpredictable aggression”. The puppy was not taken out so he was even more scared of anything outside of his immediate familiar surrounding. How can this puppy trust someone so unstable, weak, and insensitive? How could he have confidence when he had no one to trust and count on? How could he be balanced and stable if he was living under constant anxiety and insecurity? The family felt guilty about locking up the puppy so they decided to take him for a walk. Once outside, the puppy growled, lunged, and tried to charge at a human walking toward him. The puppy felt that he had no other option. He had to take up the role of his mom and protect himself. He had to get the person away before he came too close into his space like others had done hundreds of times in the past. The human was petrified. They could not believe it! What happened to our cute little puppy? We loved him so much, why? He was locked up in his yard for a few months and when he became too big and destructive he was given up to the shelter. Everyone cried. They tried to be honest so they told the shelter the dog was “dog and human aggressive”. He was very stressed and anxious in the shelter. He just wanted to have his space but he was surrounded by barking unstable dogs and lots of humans coming and going all day long all displaying unstable, chaotic, and emotional energy. He kept barking and charging at the fence to tell them to back off. All he ever wanted was just to have someone acting like his mom, someone who would offer him proper guidance and advocacy so he could simply follow and finally relax. He did not care for all the nice scarves, all the cute leashes and colorful harnesses, all the home cooked treats, all the squeaky toys, all the expensive beds. He just wanted someone he could trust, like his dog mom. He had no idea why such a simple need was never met. He was very frustrated, lost, confused, and stressed. But it was too late... He was not a cute puppy anymore. No one wanted an aggressive dog. After a few weeks in the shelter, he was put down. The end.
0 Comments
Well, this year is not going how we planned at all. We were planning to have Bronx finished by now, but shows have been shut down most of the year due to the coronavirus pandemic. Two shows he was entered in were shut down after closing, so at this point, we will remain out until we see a few shows actually happen. The only things going on right now are canine good citizen testing and virtual rally, so we are going to focus on some obedience training right now.
In the next few weeks, we will also be doing a pairing. It will be a combination of American/Argentina lines. We are expecting blacks and reds in the litter. Sire and dam are having their health testing done right now. Check back for updates. The new year is definitely not going how we all thought it was going to go. We are currently in the beginnings of the corona virus outbreak here in Louisiana. The governor issued a stay at home order and anyone traveling from Louisiana to either Texas or Florida is now under a 14 day quarantine in those states. Luckily, we were able to get the ears cropped on our litter right before the quarantine was declared in Texas. Everyone went into their new homes just in time.
Bronx was on the road, showing with Dylan Kipp-Keith when the shows started shutting down. Currently all AKC shows are cancelled until May, pending better news on the corona virus outbreak. Realistically, we are expecting shows to be shut down until Fall. We intended to finish titles on a few of our dogs this summer, but plans are being pushed back. I am a frontline healthcare worker so future plans are dependent on my health. Our pick of litter female, Nikita, just went off to IGP/IPO training this past week. Nikita will be training at Nobleshoff this year for her IGP titles. Dogs have to be a minimum of 15 months old in order to obtain their BH, which is required prior to IGP trials. The minimum age for IGP 1 is 18 months. We will be posting updates as Nikita advances in her training. Huge thanks to Milan for getting Niki to training safely. We haven't had much show news lately with Bronx, everything slowed down for the holidays. Shows will start picking back up in January and will be in full force around here this summer. Bronx is halfway to his AKC championship, he needs one more major and a few singles to finish. I am hoping he can pick up that last major in the next few months.
Karera goes for her ultrasound on Monday. I am hoping we will confirm the litter and I will have some good news to post. We are hoping for a nice show/working prospect female from that litter. I hope everyone had a great Christmas and be safe this New Year. We are looking forward to 2020 and will have some exciting updates for everyone! Bronx keeps rocking it in the show ring. Tina Starr was out with a litter of her own so Jennifer Bell stepped in and they picked up reserve winners dog to a 5 point major in Montgomery, Alabama under judge Harry Schulman this past weekend. Jennifer said Bronx showed like a rockstar. He definitely loves the ring and has that look at me personality, we are very proud of our pup.
In litter news, Karera had her surgical insemination done this morning. The sire of the litter is Blackjack Bluffer V Jahrestal, who was born in Europe, achieved his Luxembourg championship there and spent time here in the U.S. where he was shown by Carissa Shimpeno and completed his AKC Championship. Blackjack, call name Sirius, is now 10 years old and living in France. The vet said the semen quality was fantastic and everything looked great with Karera. She is out of anesthesia and will be home, getting crate rest the next few days while we pray she took. In about a month, we will try an ultrasound to hopefully confirm the litter. The show news keeps rolling in for Bronx. He picked up his first major in his first time out with handler Tina Starr and he quickly picked up points in Texas this past month by going Best of Winners in Austin, Texas under judge Hal Beirmann for 2 points. Bronx also showed in Belleville, Tx this past weekend and on 11/9/19, he picked up another 2 points by going Best of Opposite Sex under judge Bridgett Brown.
Bronx has a few more shows before it dies down here for the holidays and we will start rolling again in January when the shows pick back up. Bronx is halfway to his championship, I'm sure our boy will finish in the next few months and then we may work towards his grand. Nikita has been growing and is starting to look less like a puppy. She is doing well in her training, and showing nice working drive. Nikita will be going off to training next month and when she is old enough, will be trialing in IGP. Watch for updates on her next summer. Karera is due to come into heat at any time. If she is perfectly on time, sometime in early December, we will be doing the artificial insemination. We have had a good amount of interest in the litter, with a handful of people ready to put down deposits so if you are interested, make sure you keep checking back for updates in February and place a deposit quickly when deposits open up.
Bronx is home from Florida after spending time with Mr. Jeffrey Brucker. Since Bronx is only 8 months old, we decided to skip nationals this year and bring him home to grow. This weekend he attended the Hot Springs, Arkansas show where he picked up a 3 point major under judge Lee Whittier. Huge thanks to handler Tina Starr for doing a great job showing our boy to his first major! We are so proud of our little boy, he showed great and looked like a little pro in the ring. I have video posted on his personal page, and will have win photos posted when I get them. Good boy Bronx!!
This may seem like a silly question to ponder, but breeders put a lot of thought into this question. Who are we? When trying to improve a breed, it is important to reflect on this question and it is often answered by establishing goals. That might seem simple enough right? I wish! Think about your ideal doberman. What draws you to a doberman? A nice chest? Square? A nice head? Angulation? Temperament? The list goes on. Take a look at the popular doberman magazines and the big winning dogs. Some of these dogs are simply flashy and win against more structurally correct dogs.
So where do we get guidance from in breeding for the "correct" doberman? This is where the breed standard comes in to play. The standard is generally set by the parent club and may vary from country to country. The standard in the United States is different from the European standard. Since we are located in the U.S. and wish to compete in the AKC ring, we strive for the standard set by the DPCA. While it is easy to get off course and begin to breed for what is popular in the ring, the standard is the guide and reminder for what the doberman breed is supposed to embrace. You may ask, but you have European lines? Yes, we do and our focus with our Euro litter was a working drive focus for IGP/IPO. All of our litters have a goal in mind. While we don't always achieve the goal, the litters produced are always produced for a reason. When we breed, it is with years of research behind the pairing. We may not achieve a certain goal in one or even 2 generations but there is a definite goal in mind. I generally make plans with several generations in mind. While I am not old enough to have been in dobermans since the 70's, I have been studying and admiring the breed since the 90's. I dedicate numerous hours a day to researching pedigrees, talking to other breeders and when we are able to, going to shows to see the top dobermans in person. My interest and admiration for the breed has not waned for over 20 years, I will always be owned by the breed. I am a student of the breed, always wanting to learn and improve on each generation we produce. Our breeding program evolves, as we evolve and as I constantly ponder the question - Who are we? Diesel Goes BIS puppy x 2 in Panama City, Panama The shows are really rolling this summer, we just got news that Diesel (Indah Lux Firestorm) from our Arxangel Von Schwarze Kraft x Karera of Look at Me Baby litter won Best in show puppy x 2 in his first 2 shows. Huge congratulations to his owner, Alberto Paredes! What a great start for Diesel in a promising show career. We couldn't be prouder.
Next up in show news comes from West Palm Beach, Fl where our 6 month old import from Kristine Berg of Bravo Dobermans is showing with his handler, Jeffrey Brucker. Bronx went Reserve WD x 2 (to a major on Saturday) this weekend in West Palm Beach during his first ever weekend of showing. Bronx was the youngest puppy showing this weekend. Huge thanks to judges Beverly Capstick and Eric Ringle. Black collar male, now named Diesel has made it to his family in Panama City, Panama. Diesel will be shown this summer there, we will post updates and pictures as we get them. Huge thanks to his owner, Alberto, for trusting us enough to go through the importing process. If anyone is thinking of importing/exporting to Panama, you definitely need to get in touch with Alberto- he can definitely move mountains! If you need help on the U.S. side, we can always answer questions.
When importing a puppy, you have to trust the breeder and do your homework prior to placing a deposit. I have helped many people find European puppies and go through the process of importing and the most important thing you can do is check out the breeder prior to placing a deposit. Ask for references, talk to your breeder and develop a relationship prior to even purchasing a puppy. You really need to feel confident that, first of all, you aren't getting scammed. You will have to send money overseas, most likely through Western Union or bank transfer and once you send it, you cannot be refunded. I read horror stories about people getting scammed, receiving a puppy with fake papers, receiving sick puppies and a lot of this can be avoided by talking to breeders in Europe and learning about the reputation of the breeder you are looking to do business with. There are several big kennels that are known for shady things and in the doberman community, this is almost common knowledge. Ask around before buying a puppy. I speak to a lot of people that contact me after they have had a very bad experience and in a lot of cases, I could have given them insight into the pairing or warned them of the breeder. For all the bad you hear about importing puppies, there is also a ton of good. I have a large list of breeders I would trust and have recommended to people in the past. Sometimes people ask me, why import a puppy? I generally import dogs whose lines I cannot find available in my area. Usually when I import, the puppy has something that I cannot readily find available in the United States or there are no litters available or planned in the near future from lines that I would like to work with. I also have breeders in other countries that I have developed relationships with and feel comfortable trusting their judgement on puppies from their lines. I like to work with these breeders, get their opinions and if they think they have an extra special puppy for me, I consider importing him/her. Importing isn't for everyone but for some people, it provides a chance at having a high quality puppy that normally would not be available here in the United States. |
AuthorWe are a doberman preservation breeder, breeding for conformation and working temperament. We participate in AKC and working events and do health testing on all of our adults prior to breeding. We do not mass produce and generally do have a wait list for all of our litters. We do work with new breeders who are interested in improving the breed. Archives
August 2021
Categories |