Jump to content

  • Welcome to Celiac.com!

    You have found your celiac tribe! Join us and ask questions in our forum, share your story, and connect with others.



  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A1):

    Celiac.com Sponsor (A1-M):

  • Get Celiac.com Updates:
    Support Our Content
    eNewsletter
    Donate

Any Doberman Owners Out There?

Teacher1958

Recommended Posts

Teacher1958 Apprentice
Teacher1958
Posted

Hi,

In my spare time I am an auxiliary police officer for the city in which I live. The other day I heard about a dog in our shelter and went to see him. He's a Doberman Pinscher mix and is just adorable! He has a really sweet personality and loves everyone he meets. My son is leaving for college in August, and I think a dog would be a nice addition to our family. We do have a rather neurotic cat, so I am kind of worried about how that would affect her, but I am going to talk to the vet. I am wondering if anyone here has a Doberman and what your experience has been.

Thanks for any information.

Brenda

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):


2kids4me Contributor
2kids4me
Posted

I dont have a doberman but do have some advice as I work at a rescue facility and with vets (I'm an Animal Health tech).

It isnt the breed that creates the issues - its temperment and how they have been handled, also dogs may be wonderful with kids and people but aggressive to other pets. certainly breed does play a role - working breeds need exercise and a job, certain breeds require grooming.

I rescued a heeler cross lab - listens to all family members, never been aggressive to a person. BUT she is a dominant female who marks territory and will challenge other females, and she would chase down and kill a cat if she was ever off lead. Yet this same dog just helped me with newborn kittens - cleaning them and lovin them up. Babies it seems, are fine - adult cats are not. She was found with 8 pups so I suppose it is maternal instinct.

The point is that you will have to see how this dog behaves around cats in general. I have seen lots of dobermans live placidly with cats, others would not tolerate a cat. You also have to consider the cat - has the cat ever been exposed to a dog before? If not, the first thing that will happen is behavior change in the cat and/or cat scratch injuries ot the eyes of the dog, bite wounds etc. The first reaction of a dog being bit by a cat is aggression to the cat.

See if you can walk the dog past cats in kennels - watch the reaction, walk him in unfamiliar territory - see how he reacts to noise, traffic etc.

Find out why he was surrendered.

If you do take him, then begin obedience with him, all members of the family work with him.

I am sure it is an adorbale loving dog - but your first responsibility is to the pet you already have. If the cat is "neurotic" (your words), think of his world coming completely apart, a big dog moving in....what can happen (and I have seen it)...is the resident pet (dog or cat) bolts out the door at first opportunity...sometimes gone for hours/days, some never found. This may sound harsh but it is the talk we give potential owners in rescue. They are coming in with the right idea - give a pet a home. But what good does it do if another pet becomes the "victim" of their desire to adopt. Any new pet has to fit into the existing home. We have a 5 day foster period, the adoption is not final til we see it will work.

Just some things to consider.

Sandy

and.... see if they have notice any separation anxiety, destructive chewing or barking - all things to consider as pets with these "issues" are in "high maintenance" pets that require patience and training. Dogs with separation anxiety should not go to a home where they are alone all day. They need a home where they can gradually be worked up to staying alone for short periods alone , then longer and longer...can take months

Teacher1958 Apprentice
Teacher1958
Posted
  • Author

Sandy,

I am so glad that you wrote. You brought up a number of things that I hadn't thought about. I forgot to mention that the dog is a puppy. I'm not good at figuring out the age of a dog, but I am guessing that it is 2-3 months old. Someone dumped it deep in the woods of the metropark in our city. :( He looks very healthy and seems extremely happy.

I really like the idea of letting the dog see some cats. Fortunately, we live in a very populated suburban area, and there is a PetSmart near us where there are always cats up for adoption. I will take the dog there first and let him see the cats. We're lucky that we have three levels in our house. The cat's main litter box is in the basement near the furnace. She also eats in that room away from the litter box. I think I will put up a baby gate so the cat can crawl under it to her own area where the dog will not be permitted to go. We also plan to buy a crate for the dog, one large one for the house and a smaller one for my car.

Thankfully, I am a teacher and just started my summer vacation so I will have a lot of time to spend with the dog. I am also going to sign up the dog for obedience training. I don't know if I will have someone come to the house or if I will take the dog to a class. I checked out one trainer, and it was $500.00 for six home sessions, which seemed outrageous. What is your opinion on this? Would you recommend a class or home training? I want to train the dog using mostly reinforcement rather than punishment. We are thinking of getting an invisible fence, and I also need to know if those are reliable because the closest major street is extremely busy.

Thanks for your help.

Brenda

Guest j_mommy
Guest j_mommy
Posted

We've had dobby's ever since I can remember! They have always been great dogs, but as with any breed it depends on how you handle them.

Get them very used to diffrent people, have people over to your house ect.

They are a great "gentle giant" breed....if I didn't live in an apartment I would have one of my own!

2kids4me Contributor
2kids4me
Posted

I recommend the classes because you are exposing the dog to other dogs, they are social creatures and the more exposure and "playtime" they have with other dogs, the better balanced they are emotionally.

Especially with puppies - positive reinforcement is the way to go. You are the teacher and they are blank slates. Our dog was an adult rescue and freaked when a leash and collar were used, we switched to a gentle leader and after a minor freak out with that...we have a dog who sits, heels, comes, fetches and will drop something if I say 'leave it"....

Also the dogs nature is considered - you need very little correction and more encouragement with a submissive or less dominant dog....but with a dominant dog (like ours) you must establish yourself as a leader right away. This is not done with "pinning" the dog or being aggressive. It is firm leadership and letting the dog know - you choose the route, that when you stop they must stop.

Much like a teacher in a class - you encourage the students who are shy but are firm and clear with expectations with those who are disruptive.

Sandy

2kids4me Contributor
2kids4me
Posted
The cat's main litter box is in the basement near the furnace

umm, just a heads up, we see litter avoidance issues with this scenario - simlpy because - when a cat is using the box and the furnace happens to kick on when they are in there - it frightens most cats...if it happens enough - suddenly you have this cat who is not using the litterbox. The cat associates the noise with using the litter....thus they make a connection and decide that using litterbox = scary noise.

Sandy

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

Go to topic listing
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A19):


  • Member Statistics

    • Total Members
      131,965
    • Most Online (within 30 mins)
      7,748
    Cbear
    Newest Member
    Cbear
    Joined
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A20):

  • Forum Statistics

    • Total Topics
      121.5k
    • Total Posts
      1m
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A22):



  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A21):


  • Upcoming Events

  • Posts

    • trents
      New Celiac Mama in My 30s

      By trents · Posted

      It has been known for some years that celiacs suffer from migraines at a higher rate than the general populatation. It is an established symptom.
    • Ynotaman
      New Celiac Mama in My 30s

      By Ynotaman · Posted

      I suffer so bad with migraines when I eat gluten! Yes diagnosed celiac disease n 2015 and it took me years to discover gluten was behind me having severe migraines.  So yes it happens there has to be others like me!
    • Scott Adams
      Does anyone here also have Afib

      By Scott Adams · Posted

      If black seed oil is working for his Afib, stick to it, but if not, I can say that ablation therapy is no big deal--my mother was out of the procedure in about 1 hour and went home that evening, and had zero negative effects from the treatment. PS - I would recommend that your husband get an Apple watch to monitor his Afib--there is an app and it will take readings 24/7 and give reports on how much of the time he's in it. Actual data like this should be what should guide his treatment.
    • Jacki Espo
      Covid caused reoccurrence of DH without eating gluten

      By Jacki Espo · Posted

      This happened to me as well. What’s weirder is that within a couple hours of taking paxlovid it subsided. I thought maybe I got glutened but after reading your post not so sure. 
    • Mari
      New Celiac Mama in My 30s

      By Mari · Posted

      Hi Tiffany. Thank you for writing your dituation and  circumstancesin such detail and so well writte, too. I particularly noticed what you wrote about brain for and feeling like your brain is swelling and I know from my own experiences that's how it feel and your brain really does swell and you get migraines.    Way back when I was in my 20s I read a book by 2 MD allergist and they described their patient who came in complaining that her brain, inside her cranium, was swelling  and it happened when she smelled a certain chemical she used in her home. She kept coming back and insisting her brain actually swelled in her head. The Drs couldn't explain this problem so they, with her permission, performed an operation where they made a small opening through her cranium, exposed her to the chemical then watched as she brain did swell into the opening. The DRs were amazed but then were able to advise her to avoid chemicals that made her brain swell. I remember that because I occasionally had brain fog then but it was not a serious problem. I also realized that I was becoming more sensitive to chemicals I used in my work in medical laboratories. By my mid forties the brain fog and chemicals forced me to leave my  profession and move to a rural area with little pollution. I did not have migraines. I was told a little later that I had a more porous blood brain barrier than other people. Chemicals in the air would go up into my sinused and leak through the blood brain barrier into my brain. We have 2 arteries  in our neck that carry blood with the nutrients and oxygen into the brain. To remove the fluids and used blood from the brain there are only capillaries and no large veins to carry it away so all those fluids ooze out much more slowly than they came in and since the small capillaries can't take care of extra fluid it results in swelling in the face, especially around the eyes. My blood flow into my brain is different from most other people as I have an arterial ischema, adefectiveartery on one side.   I have to go forward about 20 or more years when I learned that I had glaucoma, an eye problem that causes blindness and more years until I learned I had celiac disease.  The eye Dr described my glaucoma as a very slow loss of vision that I wouldn't  notice until had noticeable loss of sight.  I could have my eye pressure checked regularly or it would be best to have the cataracts removed from both eyes. I kept putting off the surgery then just overnight lost most of the vision in my left eye. I thought at the I had been exposed to some chemical and found out a little later the person who livedbehind me was using some chemicals to build kayaks in a shed behind my house. I did not realize the signifance  of this until I started having appointments with a Dr. in a new building. New buildings give me brain fog, loss of balance and other problems I know about this time I experienced visual disturbances very similar to those experienced by people with migraines. I looked further online and read that people with glaucoma can suffer rapid loss of sight if they have silent migraines (no headache). The remedy for migraines is to identify and avoid the triggers. I already know most of my triggers - aromatic chemicals, some cleaning materials, gasoline and exhaust and mold toxins. I am very careful about using cleaning agents using mostly borax and baking powder. Anything that has any fragrance or smell I avoid. There is one brand of dishwashing detergent that I can use and several brands of  scouring powder. I hope you find some of this helpful and useful. I have not seen any evidence that Celiac Disease is involved with migraines or glaucoma. Please come back if you have questions or if what I wrote doesn't make senseto you. We sometimes haveto learn by experience and finding out why we have some problems. Take care.       The report did not mention migraines. 
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

NOTICE: This site places This site places cookies on your device (Cookie settings). on your device. Continued use is acceptance of our Terms of Use, and Privacy Policy.