[murad.kablan]

Hello,
I would like to get a male puppy and I would appreciate any advice about choosing between a rottweiler and doberman (both European bloodlines). I already know about the shedding, drooling, size of each breed. I also know about the socialization importance, selecting a good breeder. I already connected with two breeders of each breed who prioritize health and temperament over "look".

Here is some background about me: I'm a married man and have three kids ages 7,5,3 (they will be 8,6,4 by the time we get the puppy). I consider myself physically strong with an assertive personality. I had several male german shepherds before I got married but never a rottweiler or doberman. My wife never had dogs and this upcoming puppy will be my kids' first dog. We don't have other pets. I will be the main person to take care of the dog. I work from home so I will be around the dog most of the time. I own a house with a big fenced backyard. The dog will be living inside the house. I bond much better with males and I don't want to foster a dog that I don't know its history and how it was raised. I'm not sure if I will be doing sport or protection training with the dog and it is not a high priority for me. I'll be mainly focusing on obedience. This will be a pet/companion dog that I would like to have around family and friend gatherings. And since we have kids, I would love to take the dog to their sport and school activities. So there will be many kids around! Yes, I understand the early and frequent socialization the puppy will need so we will be doing lots of that. For physical activities, I like to take daily walks with some hikes occasionally and throw balls to my kids. I don't like running or biking. I also like to chill some days and not be on and on 24/7. Some of my previous dogs were more on the dominant and aggressive side so I won't have any issue to get a dominant/aggressive/high-drive dog if was living by myself. But given that I have young children, I won't take that risk. I already told the two breeders my lifestyle and both said they can get me the dog I need. Of course, each breeder is telling me their breed is the best but I wanted to get an unbiased opinion here and what you guys think is better for me given my lifestyle and my family's lack of experience with dogs.

So my questions are:
1) Which breed is more suitable for my family's situation and lifestyle.
2) What characteristics I should be looking for in the puppy based on that.

I went to several dogs shows for both breeds and I have read mixed opinions on both breeds around such scenarios so I would highly appreciate your thoughts since this groups seems to have owners experienced with both breeds.

Thank you very much!

 

[Dj86]

Hi there

Although different from shepards i think you will be ok with either. Cant say a great deal on dobermans, as have never owned one. I have been round alot of them though. To me they are smart like rotties, need more physical exercise and are higher drive. Although a well bred rott from working lines will have a high drive too and will need alot of exercise when fully growm and mental stimulation also. Rotts are great if they have the right owners. Strong willed and confident and are normally very pushy and testing. Physical correction is less effective as opposed to being mentally strong and being one step ahead with this breed in my opinion. I know you wont, but hitting this breed also is a no go as with any breed. They are clever enough to know whats fair and whats not and can will loose respect and be aggressive with you if treated so. They are great fun and thrive on training and having a job to do. Mine have been great with family, but have bonded closley with me especially. Probably because i do the majority with my dogs. To the point it gets a bit freaky as the literally would climb inside me if they could lol i cant stress enough how you all beed to be patient and consistant with all training and boundries especially while growing. They are great for a couple of months then seem to get rebellious and very hard work for a couple more months and seem to forget all training. Then all of a sudden go back to behaving again. This flatens out alot more once filly grown (between 2 and 3yrs old)
Good luck with whatever you choose and as long as you put the consistant work in and be firm but fair you should have a great dog. Go for a knowledgable breeder that shows all the good signs and health tests their dogs alongside, titleing their dogs

 

[big black dogs]

I've owned both a Doberman and had many Rottweilers. I have always loved Dobermans...but honestly the health problems that come with the breed make me not ever to own one again. 50% of the breed will develop heart problems DCM ....and that's even in the dogs that breeders have health screened. They also have compulsive behaviors such as flank sucking, as well as pica (eating inedible objects). I know so many Dobermans that have had to had surgery to remove objects that they will eat....and need to wear muzzles to go outside so they don't need surgery again. They are beautiful and smart...but they are much more high strung and active then a Rottweiler. They also have problems with their neck called wobbler syndrome (that's what ours had to be euthanized for at the age of 6 )
Rottweilers also come with their health problems....but they do not seem as common...and many of their problems can be bred out like SAS and HD with breeders screening for them.
With their single coat they do not like cold weather and feel the cold. Ours had to wear a coat and never lasted long in the snow.

Both breeds do well with their children in the family. Rottweilers can get worked up if the kids in their family start roughhousing with their friends. I know we had a few give up to our rescue because the dogs were almost too protective of their kids....and it caused problems. These dogs that were given up were not the best bred, nor always had much training,etc.

You may want to take a look at this forum : dobermantalk.com and do some reading. Lots of good information.

 

[Dj86]

I've owned both a Doberman and had many Rottweilers. I have always loved Dobermans...but honestly the health problems that come with the breed make me not ever to own one again. 50% of the breed will develop heart problems DCM ....and that's even in the dogs that breeders have health screened. They also have compulsive behaviors such as flank sucking, as well as pica (eating inedible objects). I know so many Dobermans that have had to had surgery to remove objects that they will eat....and need to wear muzzles to go outside so they don't need surgery again. They are beautiful and smart...but they are much more high strung and active then a Rottweiler. They also have problems with their neck called wobbler syndrome (that's what ours had to be euthanized for at the age of 6 )
Rottweilers also come with their health problems....but they do not seem as common...and many of their problems can be bred out like SAS and HD with breeders screening for them.
With their single coat they do not like cold weather and feel the cold. Ours had to wear a coat and never lasted long in the snow.

Both breeds do well with their children in the family. Rottweilers can get worked up if the kids in their family start roughhousing with their friends. I know we had a few give up to our rescue because the dogs were almost too protective of their kids....and it caused problems. These dogs that were given up were not the best bred, nor always had much training,etc.

You may want to take a look at this forum : dobermantalk.com and do some reading. Lots of good information.

Good point about the health issues. I knew about these but forgot to mention them. This is the beauty of a good forum, so many dedicated experienced people under one roof to share knowledge

 

[murad.kablan]

Good point about the health issues. I knew about these but forgot to mention them. This is the beauty of a good forum, so many dedicated experienced people under one roof to share knowledge

I've owned both a Doberman and had many Rottweilers. I have always loved Dobermans...but honestly the health problems that come with the breed make me not ever to own one again. 50% of the breed will develop heart problems DCM ....and that's even in the dogs that breeders have health screened. They also have compulsive behaviors such as flank sucking, as well as pica (eating inedible objects). I know so many Dobermans that have had to had surgery to remove objects that they will eat....and need to wear muzzles to go outside so they don't need surgery again. They are beautiful and smart...but they are much more high strung and active then a Rottweiler. They also have problems with their neck called wobbler syndrome (that's what ours had to be euthanized for at the age of 6 )
Rottweilers also come with their health problems....but they do not seem as common...and many of their problems can be bred out like SAS and HD with breeders screening for them.
With their single coat they do not like cold weather and feel the cold. Ours had to wear a coat and never lasted long in the snow.

Both breeds do well with their children in the family. Rottweilers can get worked up if the kids in their family start roughhousing with their friends. I know we had a few give up to our rescue because the dogs were almost too protective of their kids....and it caused problems. These dogs that were given up were not the best bred, nor always had much training,etc.

You may want to take a look at this forum : dobermantalk.com and do some reading. Lots of good information.

Thank you so much. With that being said, what characteristics I should be looking for in the puppy based on that?

 

[big black dogs]

Thank you so much. With that being said, what characteristics I should be looking for in the puppy based on that?

It's more the right breeder that you have to look for. The right breeder will get to know you, and interview you and want to know about your lifestyle and then pick the best puppy from the litter that suits your family. You will not get to pick yourself. They know in each litter which will be the laid back pup, the go getter, the easy going pup,etc.

The trick will be to find the breeder that is code of ethics breeder and doing everything right.

 

[Capp]

You could always get a "rotterman" if you can't decide. An old acquaintance of mine had one and he was an awesome dog. He was mostly like a Rottweiler but with a Doberman coat. He's probably gone to the Bridge by now. I hope he had a good life.

 

[murad.kablan]

You could always get a "rotterman" if you can't decide. An old acquaintance of mine had one and he was an awesome dog. He was mostly like a Rottweiler but with a Doberman coat. He's probably gone to the Bridge by now. I hope he had a good life.

Thanks for your recommendation. Although that might be risky for me. I usually don't like these mixed breeds without proper and long breeding history. The last thing I want is to get a dog that combine the undesirables genetics from each breed. It's hit or miss.

 

[sixteenacrewood]

I'm curious which breed you de ided on.
We had the same problem deciding, Boxer or rottweiler!
We have had both breeds in the past and at 60 years old this may be our last dog.
We spent a few months talking about what traits we wanted and what roll she would fulfill in our family.
We decided on a female rottweiler and looked for a breeder focused on a smaller size and even temperament.
We chose Penny based on lots of eye contact and an instant focus on my wife.
Penny was the runt of the litter and had received lots of extra attention from her human mom.
She is 6 months old today and is turning out quite remarkable.
I'm glad we chose her!

 

[murad.kablan]

I'm curious which breed you de ided on.
We had the same problem deciding, Boxer or rottweiler!
We have had both breeds in the past and at 60 years old this may be our last dog.
We spent a few months talking about what traits we wanted and what roll she would fulfill in our family.
We decided on a female rottweiler and looked for a breeder focused on a smaller size and even temperament.
We chose Penny based on lots of eye contact and an instant focus on my wife.
Penny was the runt of the litter and had received lots of extra attention from her human mom.
She is 6 months old today and is turning out quite remarkable.
I'm glad we chose her!

I'm glad it worked out for you. I decided on a Rottweiler. The consistent feedback I'm getting that, in general, rottweilers are more settle and calmer than dobermans which is something works for me and my lifestyle. I understand that rottweiler are working dogs and need the commitment but it is not as much as doberman, again in general.

Another 2 reasons for choosing a rottweiler were: 1) I don't like to go through the posting process of doberman's ears. It is uncomfortable for the dog and not 100% guaranteed on how it will ended up looking. And quite frankly a doberman without cropped ears is not appealing to me. So I guess what I'm saying that I like the look of the cropped ears but I don't like the work needs to be done to get them erected. 2) I couldn't find a good doberman breeder near where I live. My last doberman was shipped to me from another state and I didn't' get the chance to see any of the parents in person which is something always bothered me. The puppy I ended up with was awesome so I was lucky but I prefer not to repeat this experience. I found a couple of good rottweiler breeders in my area and I met with them in person and even their dogs which gave me a great sense of what they are breeding for. I also met a terrible breeder that might have looked great online but I saw how bad she was engaging with her dogs in person. I filed my application and currently I'm in the waiting list. hopefully sometime next year I will get my rottweiler puppy

 

[Capp]

I'm curious which breed you de ided on.
We had the same problem deciding, Boxer or rottweiler!
We have had both breeds in the past and at 60 years old this may be our last dog.
We spent a few months talking about what traits we wanted and what roll she would fulfill in our family.
We decided on a female rottweiler and looked for a breeder focused on a smaller size and even temperament.
We chose Penny based on lots of eye contact and an instant focus on my wife.
Penny was the runt of the litter and had received lots of extra attention from her human mom.
She is 6 months old today and is turning out quite remarkable.
I'm glad we chose her!

Any pics posted on the site? I'd love to see her. When I went to get my girl, the runt of the litter was very friendly to me. She fell asleep on my feet while I was talking with the breeders. I rejected her because she was the runt. I have changed so much since then and I would never reject a dog for being the runt now. I'm glad of course that I chose the dog I did because she was my world, but I still hope that that other little one found a happy home and had a good life.

 

[sixteenacrewood]

This is Penny at 6 months old

 

[Schreibsjr]

I have a rottie and he is nothing but amazing. Ive had a few Dobermans in the family and they have both had more health issues then my rottie.

 

[Capp]

This is Penny at 6 months old View attachment 19588
View attachment 19587

Awww... she's adorable.

 

[neglelakkerbestingen]

I have a rottie and he is nothing but amazing. Ive had a few Dobermans in the family and they have both had more health issues then my rottie.

Is this dog a rottweiler mix?

 

[big black dogs]

Is this dog a rottweiler mix?

You keep posting the same question...and I have replied to you twice in other threads. Do a google search on "long haired Rottweilers"