# My three awesome dogs!



## Z3phyr (Aug 19, 2012)

Just wanted to share.  If you want to C&C, feel free, if not, thanks for looking anyway!






It's so hard to get black dogs just right in BLINDINGLY bright sunlight. :/


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## rexbobcat (Aug 19, 2012)

I love the first two.

In the second he looks so happy.


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## pic_chick (Aug 19, 2012)

I think the 3rd is the best the drool is priceless topped off with the bow tie made me smile


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## Z3phyr (Aug 20, 2012)

Thanks! Thankfully that was just water and not drool. He just finished drinking when I took that.  He's a crazy puppy.


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## yv0nne (Aug 20, 2012)

These dogs are so handsome! I love the second one!


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## Calift (Aug 22, 2012)

I think that first shot really captures the humor and spirit of a Doberman! I love it


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## CowgirlMama (Aug 25, 2012)

I love all three! And your dobies are soooooo pretty! <3


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## jaxx419 (Aug 26, 2012)

Pearly whites! What kind of dental dog care do you use?


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## PhotoWrangler (Aug 26, 2012)

I wub dobies. I miss my Hanna so very much.


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## jake337 (Aug 26, 2012)

Doberman's are one of my favorite breads, as long as they aren't chasing me


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## paigew (Aug 26, 2012)

That first one is awesome. I love the perspective of it.


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## gsgary (Aug 26, 2012)

WTF has happened to its ears


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## PhotoWrangler (Aug 26, 2012)

gsgary said:


> WTF has happened to its ears




They're cropped.


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## gsgary (Aug 26, 2012)

ChristopherCoy said:
			
		

> They're cropped.




They have been cut that is disgusting


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## Mach0 (Aug 26, 2012)

gsgary said:
			
		

> They have been cut that is disgusting



Lol. I've never liked dobies with full ears. Looks like a sick Rottweiler. 


Some people don't like cropped ears. It's a personal preference. 

Side note, many people don't realize that many of the dogs they love have tails docked or ears cropped.  In the older days, it originally was I prevent injury. Nowadays, it's more so cosmetic. Very few people have needs for working dogs anymore...

In any event, pretty dogs.


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## PhotoWrangler (Aug 26, 2012)

gsgary said:


> They have been cut that is disgusting





Ok? And?


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## otherprof (Aug 26, 2012)

In Europe it is considered mutilation, and is not legal.


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## Mach0 (Aug 26, 2012)

otherprof said:
			
		

> In Europe it is considered mutilation, and is not legal.



Welcome to the US. 

I do find it odd that its not legal.::::hmmmmm::::::...considering its the preferred standard for the AKC and the dog originated in Germany. The original crop was much shorter then.  Oh well. I don't live over there lol.  Have they banned circumcision yet ?

Anyone wishing to read up on it...This wasn't a dog designed for fur mommies. 
The best are still in Europe. 

http://www.blitzkrieger.com/breedhistory.html


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## yv0nne (Aug 27, 2012)

It is actually illegal in Nova Scotia as well. We can't dock tails or crop ears.

Why? I have no idea ..I'm pretty sure all it will do is increase shady people trying to do it themselves. Or people will simply drive to New Brunswick or PEI. 
While it is breed standard, in places where docking/ cropping is illegal, they negate that part of the standard!


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## PhotoWrangler (Aug 27, 2012)

Here we go....


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## yerlem (Aug 27, 2012)

Mach0 said:


> It's a personal preference.




Well, I wouldn't call it personal preference as much as I would call it savage unnecessary mutilation of innocent animals : (


On topic: I love the first picture! and the third one with the water dripping is great, too bad lighting is so harsh


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## Sharna (Aug 27, 2012)

I Love Dobies too!!!!!

I think 3 is the best then 1 then 2. The only reason is #2 is cropped just a wee bit tight. 

Beautiful pups and such personalities.


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## Z3phyr (Aug 27, 2012)

Thanks guys. 



jaxx419 said:


> Pearly whites! What kind of dental dog care do you use?


I give them raw beef knuckle bones to gnaw on once a week or so. That usually keeps their teeth in good shape. The oldest is 5 and his teeth are still in great condition.



jake337 said:


> Doberman's are one of my favorite breads, as long as they aren't chasing me



Strangers always think they're terrifying, but anyone who spends five minutes with them at my house changes their minds.  The two adults are certified therapy dogs, one is a registered service dog, and well, the puppy is still a puppy!



gsgary said:


> WTF has happened to its ears



No reputable breeders in the states will send a dog home without having their ears cropped by a vet that knows what they're doing beforehand. I know it's illegal in some parts of Europe, but there are quite a few breeders on that side of the pond that will drive to Hungary and other similar countries where it is still allowed. My puppy looks like he has long donkey ears right now, but he will grow into them as he matures. 



Mach0 said:


> gsgary said:
> 
> 
> 
> ...



A lot of people don't realize how many breeds are cropped or docked. Boxers, Great Danes, Rottweilers, Australian shepherds, Dobes, Boston Terriers, Schnauzers, etc...

As for as conformation events go, it's purely cosmetic these days. Dobermans were originally cropped and docked because they worked as personal protection dogs, and it gave the assailant less to grab and fewer targets that could easily injure the dogs. I'm really active with my pooches, and one of them does schutzhund trials (see below) as well. Erect ears help to pinpoint sounds and can be beneficial (why do you think no wild canine species have floppy ears?). 

(I know this is an awful photo, but it's the best I could get in the rain with a cheapo camera)


I have nothing against natural Dobes, and I would love to have one in the future with full ears and tail. You just can't find them in America unless you go through craigslist or some other terrible venue and find a completely irresponsible, unethical breeder. No way will I ever support them by paying for one of their dogs when thousands of them are up for adoption in shelters across the country. 



yerlem said:


> Mach0 said:
> 
> 
> > It's a personal preference.
> ...



I couldn't agree more about the lighting. I try to only take pictures of the black dogs when it's cloudy because our Texas sun can be pretty harsh. It's so easy to get blown highlights, and it's so easy to underexpose it in an attempt to compensate which just results in a black silhouette. 

I'm not sure how it's savage as long as it's done by a vet that knows what they're doing. I have seen bully breeds that have had their ears chopped off with scissors on their owners kitchen tables--that's savage and criminal. Had any of my three dogs acted like they were in pain at any point, I probably would have gone through the extra hassle of importing a dog from Europe. With that said, not a single one of the three ever displayed that they were in pain or slowed down in the slightest because of the process. A lot of people have a misconstrued idea of what ear cropping entails. I wont stay up on my soapbox and preach about it, but if it's done by one of the 20 or so vets in North America that are worth a damn, the dogs don't suffer in any way. 

Here are a couple more of my pup...

His ears are taped to a piece of foam to teach them to stand. Clearly, it doesn't slow him down in the slightest.




I just re-wrapped his ears, and I'll let you be the judge of how uncomfortable he feels. Part Husky, Part Doberman? - YouTube

Lastly, I'm not posting this for C&C purposes for obvious reasons, but their ears aren't nearly as long and pointy as those first photos may lead you to believe. It just depends on the angle...


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## Mach0 (Aug 27, 2012)

yerlem said:


> Mach0 said:
> 
> 
> > It's a personal preference.
> ...



Circumcision sucks too but people still do it. Lmfao!


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## Mach0 (Aug 27, 2012)

Z3phyr said:


> No reputable breeders in the states will send a dog home without having their ears cropped by a vet that knows what they're doing beforehand. I know it's illegal in some parts of Europe, but there are quite a few breeders on that side of the pond that will drive to Hungary and other similar countries where it is still allowed. My puppy looks like he has long donkey ears right now, but he will grow into them as he matures.
> 
> 
> 
> ...




I wouldn't mind an imported dobe or malinois. Not too much good stock in the US. There's only one near me with mali's and gsd's but theirs are imports. Btw funny pics. I remember when I taped my GSD's ears.


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## Z3phyr (Aug 27, 2012)

It kind of depends on what you're looking for in the US, that's for sure. I know you can't register a litter in most places in Europe without the dogs being ZTP titled first, and I wish the AKC would implement something like that. There are about 5 breeders (maybe 4...) in the entire US that I'd get a Dobe from if I wanted to be competitive in bite sports. That's it. A lot of them have mixed Euro/North American blood and had great results.


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## Mach0 (Aug 27, 2012)

Z3phyr said:
			
		

> It kind of depends on what you're looking for in the US, that's for sure. I know you can't register a litter in most places in Europe without the dogs being ZTP titled first, and I wish the AKC would implement something like that. There are about 5 breeders (maybe 4...) in the entire US that I'd get a Dobe from if I wanted to be competitive in bite sports. That's it. A lot of them have mixed Euro/North American blood and had great results.



The woman up the road from me has a French partner who has won awards for best decoy and numerous French ring awards. I know where my Mali is coming from


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## Z3phyr (Aug 27, 2012)

Maligators are awesome too. I love the ginormous ears as puppies.


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## yerlem (Aug 28, 2012)

Z3phyr said:


> I couldn't agree more about the lighting. I try to only take pictures of the black dogs when it's cloudy because our Texas sun can be pretty harsh. It's so easy to get blown highlights, and it's so easy to underexpose it in an attempt to compensate which just results in a black silhouette.



I hear you, I had a black dog and it was always a pain to photograph him 



Z3phyr said:


> I'm not sure how it's savage as long as it's done by a vet that knows what they're doing. I have seen bully breeds that have had their ears chopped off with scissors on their owners kitchen tables--that's savage and criminal. Had any of my three dogs acted like they were in pain at any point, I probably would have gone through the extra hassle of importing a dog from Europe. With that said, not a single one of the three ever displayed that they were in pain or slowed down in the slightest because of the process. A lot of people have a misconstrued idea of what ear cropping entails. I wont stay up on my soapbox and preach about it, but if it's done by one of the 20 or so vets in North America that are worth a damn, the dogs don't suffer in any way.



I don't care if it's done  by the best vet in the world, I still think it is completely unethical to mutilate an animal for aesthetic reasons. Even if, as you said, the animals suffer no pain. And it's not that I think it's torture for the animal, my sister is a vet, I know hot the procedure goes. 
I understand you can't buy dobermans from reputable breeders without having their ears and tail choped, I wasn't attacking you personally, just the..."fashion". And as far as improving their hearing goes, one could also argue they are more prone to getting ear infections.





> Circumcision sucks too but people still do it. Lmfao!



And I think circumcision is savage as well. Another unnecessary mutilation


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## PhotoWrangler (Aug 28, 2012)

yerlem said:


> And as far as improving their hearing goes, one could also argue they are more prone to getting ear infections.




On the contrary, natural eared dogs, especially those with floppy ears are more prone to ear problems than those with cropped ears. My doberman had cropped ears (because she was rescued and adopted that way) and she never suffered any ear problems. My mixed breed dog has ears that get dirty easily so we have to clean them regularly, and my cocker spaniel - we wont even talk about him. His ears were ALWAYS irritating him even though he was groomed faithfully every other week.

But its neither here nor there because we'll all have opinions as to whether it should or shouldn't be done and the reasons for doing it, or not doing it.


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## laynea24 (Aug 28, 2012)

Okay so, I love your dogs! I know two people with dobermans and they are a great breed! There's one two houses down who weighs over 150 pounds. He's a drug dog for the policeman who owns him. He's sweet as can be until his owner tells him to get someone.


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## laynea24 (Aug 28, 2012)

Oh and black dogs are hard to photograph, but you've done really well here! When we bought our pup a few months ago, we had the choice between yellow and black. My reason for choosing the yellow was because they're easier to photograph!


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## Photographiend (Aug 28, 2012)

Dawwwwww ... I used to have a dog like that growing up. Sweet as could be but when I was the same height as her face she constantly gave me bloody noses.


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## Z3phyr (Aug 29, 2012)

laynea24 said:


> Okay so, I love your dogs! I know two people with dobermans and they are a great breed! There's one two houses down who weighs over 150 pounds. He's a drug dog for the policeman who owns him. He's sweet as can be until his owner tells him to get someone.



Holy crap! I'd think that 150lb dog is a mix or something. They're supposed to be a "medium" breed and males typically don't exceed 95lbs if they're in good shape. They're total mushy dogs unless someone is threatening their family. 



Photographiend said:


> Dawwwwww ... I used to have a dog like that growing up. Sweet as could be but when I was the same height as her face she constantly gave me bloody noses.



I can relate. I had a minor black eye about a month ago because I got bonked on the cheekbone by my rescue dude. The back of his skull is SO pointy and he nailed me with it. What can you do!


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