Doberman Pinscher (thinking about getting one)

[meridannight]

i want to post an update on this.

i have been in touch with the lady i talked to who offered to help me find a Doberman puppy from another breeder. the puppy she can get is from outside EU, so i'd have no way to go see the litter in person, and i've been corresponding with her through emails on this subject. there are puppies available from two mothers by the same father (the father comes from a very good bloodline).

i asked questions about the pups and i got some really strange answers. since there are two mothers i asked if there were any significant differences between the mothers health- and pedigree-wise. i am a first-time Doberman buyer and i can't make all the correct deductions from the information available, and i couldn't find the information pertaining to the mothers' health. she reacted by asking why the mothers were not acceptable to me, and proceeded to point out the mothers' parents champion titles (which they do hold). but i was asking about the puppies' mothers' health, not their grandparents championship titles. and i never said mothers were unacceptable.

then she started asking me if i wanted to buy the puppy for a third person. i don't know where she pulled that out of, because in all my conversations with her i've been clear i want to buy a Doberman for myself. i've described my living conditions, the environment the puppy would be living in, that i live in my own house, etc. she had this information.

then i asked her how she would describe the character (meaning temperament) of the father and mothers. she told me she didn't understand the question. that their character was ''a character a good Doberman must have''.

this all sounds very weird to me. i asked a bunch of completely adequate questions. more so because it's my first time buying a Doberman, which she is aware of, by the way. and she practically claimed to either not understand my questions, or diverted the answers to a different subject, and in the end she told me that apparently the puppies are not acceptable to me, so she won't bother getting me a Doberman.

i'm getting the impression that she can't be trusted as a legitimate seller.

i will get in touch with some of the local breeders/kennels here, as well as the official Doberman club, to ask their feedback on her as well. but i also want yours.

especially [MENTION=21084]Virge[/MENTION], and [MENTION=20359]Cuddly[/MENTION].

[Virge]

I'd be getting as far from her as I could. She sounds like she's either trying to sell you something just for the money or doesn't know what she's talking about.

Back up and find am owner breeder with good dogs and get in with them to get a pup.

In south dakota there are many people who breed champion retrievers. In the old days they used to kill the pups that weren't up to the bloodline standards. NOW there are many of us who get the rejects, neuter them and make great dogs out of them for people. That's how I got to 2 girlie labs who are the sweetest loving dogs on earth. Spring I'm sure I'll take in about 6 to train and then go through the animal shelters to get them good homes. The dogs we do that with are a huge source of income for our animal shelter.

You may be able to get a dobie that doesn't meet the bloodline standards if you work with the right breeders

[meridannight]

I'd be getting as far from her as I could. She sounds like she's either trying to sell you something just for the money or doesn't know what she's talking about.

Back up and find am owner breeder with good dogs and get in with them to get a pup.

yeah, all sound and good advice there. i fully agree. i'm not going to buy from someone who makes it feel like something is off about it. i'm not desperate to get a dog now, and i will buy from a breeder who feels right. it's not just the dog/puppy. who you buy from has to feel just as right.

[Cuddly]

You want the dog for nothing more than a pet, correct?
You told her this? Your only concern should be its health. Who gives a damn about grandfather's trophies if you're not competing? You just want a sweet and healthy dog.

I do not like this woman, by your account anyway. She sounds either elitist or like she's trying to scam you.

Going through the official dober club sounds like a good idea. They'll know the right breeders for family dogs.

[meridannight]

You told her this? Your only concern should be its health. Who gives a damn about grandfather's trophies if you're not competing? You just want a sweet and healthy dog.

well that was where she diverted the conversation, completely ignoring my question and starting to talk about grandparents' titles, which, of course, i was aware of simply from checking out the pedigree.

I do not like this woman, by your account anyway. She sounds either elitist or like she's trying to scam you.

it wasn't anything as extreme as a scam. i managed to get in touch with one long-standing Doberman breeder in my area and explained the situation, forwarded my correspondence with the seller, puppy pictures, etc. they knew the woman (in fact they guessed her name before i revealed it to them) and explained to me that she's kind of under the impression that the public is against her, or out to get her, something like that. i don't really know why, but she has some problems with that. thus her responses reflect that mindset. though, i'm really surprised how she can sell any puppies at all if she treats all her potential customers like that. only the ones who don't ask any questions maybe get to the actual puppy part.

she does have the puppies herself (she claims to import them to avoid certain EU regulations on Dobermans, long story, not really relevant. but that's just another lie that doesn't really need to be a lie).

anyway. the puppies are likely the real deal but i was advised to just limit it to the buy if i decided to go through with it, and not get myself into any long-term association with her.

but i won't be buying from her. her personality issues aside, i don't like to deal with people who are not honest with me, and who try to withhold information.

Going through the official dober club sounds like a good idea. They'll know the right breeders for family dogs.

yeah, i'll do it that way.