Doberman & Pitbull

by Amanda
(Juneau, AK)

Doberman and Pit Bull: I have been around many types of dogs (growing up in a family that bred Great Perenese, Rottweilers, Pit bulls, Labradors, Dachshunds and Chihuahuas.

I have a Pit Bull and an American Doberman in my home and love both of them. The Pit Bull is lazy, and hates to do any high activity other than chase after dogs. He is playful with other dogs, but if a dog shows any sign of aggression or is frightened, he will attack it. He just wasn't socialized enough as a pup with other dogs as I got him when he was 1 year old.

He is wonderful with ALL children and people no matter what age. He is fine with strangers if I invite them into the home, but remains watchful of them. He enjoys doing tricks to make people happy, and he loves his "job" of finding the cat (when it's time for bed). He also enjoys a short game of fetch and will swim. He just does not make a good running or biking partner because as I had mentioned before, he's lazy. He prefers to lay at someones feet and snore :-) Pit bulls make great guard dogs because they do not bark excessively and only when someone is actually on the property or lingering out front of it for too long.

I adore Dobermans after having one of my own because not only are they extremely intelligent and eager to learn new things to include both work and tricks, they are extremely loyal to their family. Far from lazy this dog is great for hiking, biking, jogging or play. My Dobie is great with my children and good with strangers as long as they are not acting "off". He is not dog aggressive but does play too rough with smaller dogs.

The problem with the Doberman is it requires a lot of exercise to keep it from barking excessively. So, if you get sick or something and can't take him/her out for an hour long romp, he/she will begin disturbing you and the entire block!

An American Doberman is my favorite out of all the breeds I am familiar with. The pit bull is great but I would like to be able to take my dogs to the dog park and let them play. Impossible with a pit bull because a dog will make him mad at some point and then it's a disaster!

The nice thing about both of these breeds are that neither require grooming. I give them baths in the warmer months (live in Alaska) and that's it! Winter they "wash" themselves by rolling crazily in the snow!

They eat a lot and the Doberman MUST have food constantly otherwise he gets "skinny" really quickly. The PB eats twice a day while the Dobie eats 4-5 times a day!

My perfect dog though would be one that loves activities, but equally loves lounging so it would match my personality better. If there was a breed out there that was a combo of the two dogs I have now while eliminating the dog aggression and the excessive barking from both breeds, it would be my favorite breed. Unfortunately, I know nothing of a breed like that.