FAQ  

Yes 100%. I was born into a home that already had two older Dobermans 8yrs (Margie) and 9yrs (Sunshine). Sunshine would sleep under my crib and watch over me. I have many photos of me as a baby with a bowl of dog food between my legs and a Doberman eating out of it. A well bred Doberman will adjust and love all new and current family members.

Yes and No. If you get a puppy and have small animals in the house already then yes. Yes they will do great with them. Cats will put the puppy in its place and set the boundaries for the future. Small dogs will do the same.

If getting an older Doberman it will be best to list everything in your home and a home visit with the older Doberman may be needed before Spumanti Doberman will agree its a good fit.

You’ll get your puppy at about 10-12 weeks old with ears done and healed. Posting is the process of training the ear to stand and the cartilage to harden and stand. Remaining 21-26 weeks you’ll have to post after receiving your puppy or till adult K9's fully come in.

Keeping ears clean, dry and smell free is most important. Keeping that in mind you may have to post once every seven days which is the longest you should ever go even if the ears look and smell good, checking on the ears is also important. Some need to be changed every 3 days. So be ready for changing that often. This is best done with two people one to hold the puppy and the other to wrap. We offer here at Spumanti Doberman many educational videos which are listed here. Please check this page out.

Nails are best to be done once a week when you do the ears and with a Dremel tool. Letting the nails get long and sharp will let the puppy scratch its ears and hurt its self. So nails are very important. Here at Spumanti Doberman we make sure all puppies leave with fresh ear postings or new cup and nails short.

Once your Doberman gets older doing weekly or maximum amount you should go is once a month for nails. 

Nails are important cause its apart of your dogs health. Letting your dogs nails be long can effects how a dogs walks, moves and gets around. It also effects how the bones form and grow. If allowed to be long the nails will put pressure on the bones and joints where the dog isn’t suppose to have pressure.

Nails are important to you as well. No one wants to be scratched and marked up from long nails.

No one wants to see there dog fall cause they can’t get traction on the floor due to long nails.

If you don’t feel capable then finding a local groomer who offers nail grinding and as a walk in service so you don’t have to leave your dog there is the next best thing. See our info page for how to do nails.

Simple way to think of your Doberman is they are wolf, they need animal parts. Bones, Hides, Animal Feet, everything that comes from an animal is good for your Doberman. Warning: We recommend new bones should be done under supervision. Holes or openings need to be smaller or larger then the lower jaw as dogs can get bones onto the lower jaw. Small bones shouldn’t be small enough to swallow, if that small throw away. 

Stuffed Toys we don’t recommend not worth the risk of them eating and you’re encouraging a wolf instinct to rip and open up. Think dead animal!

Toys we recommend Jolly Balls, Chuckit, and Kong. Check these brands out.

Plastic toys that look like bones or encourage chewing is bad for your Doberman. Every chew they do they eat small amounts of plastic which can cause harm to your Doberman.

We only recommend Kuranda Beds in the home or when outside.

We only recommend Primo Pads for the crate.

Anything with stuffing is the same as a stuffed animal, not worth them eating.

We here at Spumanti Dobermans feed FROMM (All Lifestage and with grain) Chicken and BONES & CO (Raw chicken mini patties). Supplements Natures Farmacy Complete and Yeast/Garlic are the two supplements all puppies and adults are fed. All adults and puppies are on the same food amount is the difference.

Puppies are fed three times a day till about 6 months old. Mid day feeding is a small feeding or treat. Am for us is 4:30am and Pm for us is 2:30pm. 

Adults are fed two times a day forever.

All dogs are fed with water in their food every meal. 

Amount of food should always be adjusted by how the Doberman looks. They should not look like a sausage. Same size front and back when looking over the Doberman is a sausage. Ideal is when you look over your Doberman you should see a slight indent when at midsection. How active your dog is will depend on things as well. A more active Doberman will be more lean. Spine  and hip bones should never be seen even in a very active Doberman. More calories should be given and maybe three meals a day.

After first heat cycle. Not before one year of age.

Neutering if done should be around 2.5 to 3.5 years of age or not done at all. 

If you plan to own females then we would recommend to neuter to reduce risk of breeding.

Marking is apart of training and not linked to neutering.

Dog aggression or behavior issues are again apart of training. This is something you should seek a professional trainer for.

Vets will recommend to neuter to control population they are not recommending it for health reasons or knowledge. Vets will not tell you, by neutering you will also increase obesity (weight gain). You can stop mental development. You can damage bone and ligament development. Just to name some of the things known. 

When removing organs that provide hormones there are so many unknowns of the effect they can cause long and short term. I know my doctor would never recommend me removing organs from my body.

We recommend never to send your dog away for training. Any trainer that you work with should do the training with you and your Doberman together. Go to AKC.org website to help find a trainer in your area or look for an Obedience Club near you; as Obedience Club will have better training prices and more people with knowledge that actively do sports with their dogs.

You should use a trainer when your Doberman Puppy is 16 weeks or older to complete a basic puppy course. 

You should seek a trainer whenever you’re having issues when commutating with your Doberman and not getting out of them what you’re wanting. Learning to talk and work correctly with your Doberman is a major key for long term success. 

If your Doberman pants when going to the vet or groomer or new places then not enough training has gone into your Doberman. A well trained Doberman should be comfortable where ever it goes and to place blame on breeding or breeder or vet or place or something else is your denial of doing the correct training and work in your ownership.

Dobermans do well to being what we are in our life style. 

If you have an active life style a Doberman will do well.

If you have a less active life style a Doberman will do well.

If you don’t want to be with your Doberman or do things with them, then they will NOT be happy and can become destructive. 

Dobermans are a smart breed without too much energy. They know when to use that energy and when to settle. They make great city to farm dogs.

They are a complete package or a well rounded easy going dog.

Once a month a bath is just fine, nothing more.

Wipe down and use a curry comb is the best maintenance even better then a bath.

Keep ears clean.

Soap we recommend. CHUBBS BAR SOAP

This is based off Spumanti Dobermans dogs and every breeder will differ.

Male vs Female- Males are more needy and whine more. Girls are more to them selves. Both will still want to be with you a lot. Both will love the whole family. Males are bigger and will need more long term training. Females are smaller and tend not to need long term training like males.

Black vs Reds- Both are great. Reds have a little more personality quirks. It really comes down to what you like.

Short answer NO harnesses are not good.

Long answer: 

(Answer written by http://www.gstevensdogtrainer.com)

Are you tired of your dog pulling on the leash?  Are you sick of being dragged down the sidewalk?  Are you embarrassed by being walked by your dog and being asked, “Who’s walking who?” by the more annoying of your neighbors?  Does your dog lung and bark at passersby?  Has your dog ever nipped or jumped up and snapped at anyone or at any other dogs?

Friends, dog harnesses are NOT the best way forward out of those behaviors!  NOT even close!

Let’s make this perfectly clear.  Most every dog walking tool on the market today in 2024 sucks.  (Not every tool but the majority)  Dog harnesses are a plague on humanity.  Why you ask.  There are several sound reasons but I’ll just give you a couple.

Reasons Why Dog Harnesses Are A Plague On Humanity:

1.  Dogs are way too comfortable pulling on them.  Many dogs will pull even on “no-pull” harnesses!  This causes many caring owners to struggle to maintain a decent walk or any form of leadership while outside.  In fact, many folks are getting injured from being pulled over and smashing onto the ground by their beloved dogs who, incidentally, have a much lower center of gravity, four strong legs, external claws permanently extended for running, and who come equipped with a predatory “eye of the tiger” often directed purposefully at prey animals or even at other dogs or people.  Harnesses were invented for pulling!  No one in their right mind would attempt to lead an ornery or dangerous horse or ox around in a harness, would they?  Then why do we try it with ornery, dangerous, or rude dogs?  (“Because we’re a larger species” is a horrible answer to that question)  Dog harnesses make it almost impossible to train a dog to learn to heel properly due to where the leash connects to the dog’s body (it is too far on the back or too low on the chest — both connections are downright awful) and if/when the handler attempts to work with a dog on a harness in the heel position the handler is at a huge disadvantage.
2. People and dogs frequently get bit by aggressive dogs lunging at them while simultaneously being very comfortably pulling and straining in their harness!  I know several people that assumed that the teenage salesperson making minimum wage at the giant pet conglomerate knew what they were talking about when they told them to, “Get a dog harness.  You won’t hurt your dog’s fragile neck and you’ve got control of their body.”  Friends, why fight the dog body when what you really need is control of the eyes and mouth?  You need the dog’s head.  Its basic physics and basic anatomy.  How ridiculous have we all become when it comes to our dogs and their care and handling?  Someone has a powerful breed dog that is lunging at people and dogs and so they buy a stinking harness in order to fight with the dog’s body???!!!  Give me a break.  Meanwhile, while you’re struggling to control your out  of control dog the dog’s eyes and weapons (teeth) are pointing in whatever the heck direction the dog wants them to point and at whomever they decide to threaten!  Let’s all get beyond this harness foolishness, can we?  When a dog or pup is out of control we need to control the head and eyes  — NOT the body!  THE BODY FOLLOWS THE HEAD.  The eyes are contained in the dog’s head.  If you don’t have control of your dog’s head you don’t have much of anything!
3. Many dogs can slip backwards out of their harness.  This happens all the time.  As if the first two reasons weren’t reason enough, did you want your dog loose on the street too?
4. Harnesses can cause irritation around the pits.  Many dogs get chafed around their armpit areas.  Ain’t nobody got time fo’ that.

In my opinion (and it is professional) the only time a harness on a dog is ever acceptable… is if the dog is involved in the Iditarod, pulling competitions, skijoring, cart pulling, legit service work, or if the pup is under four or five months old!  Now if the dog has a real, true, actual, verifiable neck injury or medical issue (and, believe me, this is rare), or if the dog is already very friendly, social, obedient, and already adept at heeling and loose leash walking (note I said HEELING and loose leash walking, NOT just loose leash walking) then a harness is fine.  Honestly though, every dog I know could improve on their heeling and leash work, including my own dogs, and they’re excellent.

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Because dog harnesses cause so much trouble they are a plague to our dogs too!  They keep the dog mentally and physically locked in a place where they just keep pulling.  They struggle against you and gain an inch of ground and the struggle is rewarded in the mind of the dog through the forward motion!  It can make for a horrible relationship!  A relationship that often amounts to the dog thinking it does whatever the heck it wants as soon as the idiotic harness is in place around its body.  A relationship where the dog totally and unequivocally ignores the owner/handler in order to pull (and pull comfortably) towards whatever person, shrub, fire hydrant, or animal catches its fancy.

Should you use a choke chain then?  NO.  Should you use a prong collar because your dog is so powerful?  NO.  Prong collars (aside from being overkill in many situations) can and do burst apart leaving your dog loose at the most inconvenient of times!  They can also exacerbate an already worked up and aggressive dog.  Also…like with almost every training or walking tool or collar out there…they are too low on the dog’s neck.

Friends, ANY tool that isn’t near the top of your dog’s head or face isn’t that efficient of a tool!  You may say you saw some decent results from a harness, prong, or martingale, or even from your “no pull” harness, to which I would happily respond, “You ain’t seen nothin’ yet!”

Our handmade, custom calming collars will EASILY out perform the mainstream dog training and walking tools on the market!  They sit high up where they should (safeguarding the trachea and maintaining the dog in a confident posture), are lightweight, are crazy strong, are smooth flowing for little directional adjustments or large ones, are unobtrusive, and best of all…dogs take to them quickly!  (Dogs do NOT choke on them.  Dogs only do that choking sound, by the way, when the tool that the owner’s choose is low on their neck!  People remain amazed whenever they try one of our collars they end up invariably purchasing one or more for their household.)  I implore you — Pick the right tool for the job.  With our custom, calming training collar in almost no time at all pulling and lunging is a thing of the past!

Check them out at http://www.gstevensdogtrainer.com search under Custom Products page!  Don’t underestimate the power of a simple and effective approach.  Our handmade, custom calming collars are strong enough for the strongest and largest of dog breeds (200lbs) and everything in between.  We use them daily in our work with incredible results — no harsh handling necessary.

More info from this website click here.

Calming collar http://www.gstevensdogtrainer.com search under Custom Products page!

Keepers collar (Hidden Prong Collar) keepercollars.com/collections/collar-styles-for-custom-collars

Leather Leads ONLY www.jjdog.com/search-results-page? q=leather%20lead

Slip Leads work great with puppies. Leather or Nylon. www.jjdog.com/search-results-page? q=slip%20lead

All Spumanti Puppies have microchips. Buyers must register microchips and keep Spumanti Listed as a secondary contact. We recommend AKC reunite for Microchip registration. CLICK HERE for info