My male Doberman is super attached to me & very protective.. He can be out playing in the yard, running around.. If I’m on the other side of the yard and put my head down like I’m sad, he immediately comes running over to check on me and raps his front leg/paw around my leg like a hug.. It’s the sweetest thing I’ve ever seen. He’s my best friend ❤🐾 I feel so blessed to have him in my life!
With you there. My late Euro boy, Jasper, was only 20 months when we had to say goodbye. My American-Euro female, Lila, is every bit as defensive a dog as he was, but is definitely more in tune with our feelings, worries and - where relevant - stress moments. But she focuses and switches off just as easily when given a job to do. In a show ring, she blocks out distractions beautifully, not that this was the point of John’s video.
I used to have one of each, (at the same time, Rip to them both). The male was easier to train, and appeared to be more intimidating, didn’t particularly like other dogs, loved people. However, the female was less sociable with people, and was definitely more protective of family and property.
Thanks so much for another great, informative video! My blue female Doberman convinced me at a young age that she is the perfect companion for me. I often travel solo (camping) across country and there have been a couple of times that she has stood in front of me, growling at a guy in the campground who was acting a bit erratic. Another time she jumped in front of myself and my other, smaller, dog as an off leash German shepherd was running at us in full on attack mode. Luckily for us, as soon as Bella jumped in front, lunging, barking, snarling at the shepherd, the shepherd stopped immediately and returned to his owner. Add to that the incredibly loving nature she has with me and my family, and I know everyone here understands what absolutely amazing companions Dobermans are. ❤❤❤
I am a 66 woman who lives alone in the country. I have four dobies, a black male, a blue male, a black female and a red female. Yes, the females are more energetic, quicker to run to the gate and bark if a vehicle drives up. The females are completely fearless but they are also way more difficult to deal with because they are so headstrong and hyper. The females could spend all day sparing and playing war, but they are more apt to chase my horses and attack the chickens. My males are way more laid back (like male lions) but when they get fed up with the harassment from the females they put them in their place in two seconds. The males are significantly more bonded with me and treat me gently and respectfully.The boys calmly walk right next me as we go about our outside daily chores. They even adjust their walking speed to match my slow and unsteady gait. The boys are my heart and soul and the bond we have is like nothing else in the world. I love this breed; they are so smart and graceful and physically amazing with regards to their stamina and ability to jump, climb, spin in mid air and run like the wind. There are differences between the males and females but one is not necessarily better than the other. I enjoy the differences in my dogs and I feel so safe having them live with me because no one will dare come onto my property unless I lock up the dogs. I know if I were in danger every single one of them would give their lives protecting me. 💙🩷💙🩷
Thank you very much. I trust what you wrote even more than this video. It feels real and unbiased. I might imagine the females more solipsistic (great for raising puppies and better maybe in a smaller space /house hood). I could see the males roaming too much on the other hand, and this could be a harder challenge. I’ve only had one Red, he made 15 years. Hanna Somatic K-9 Touch gave me 3 more years of mobility which healed his wobbling problem. I don’t read response comments, just letting you know. Best wishes with your happy and caring Fur Family. Please Take Care ❤
Female , all the way ! I got my ruby red when she was 6 weeks old , shes 2 now , and let me tell ya , shes all about the protection ! But requires 100% attention ! Woof !!!❤Edit : Shes almost glued to me at the hip .....
@@DobermanPlanet thanks for the reply . You think you can do a segment on spay / neuter ? Because I'm nervous about getting that done for her , Yours truly, JD.......
I just got a ruby mini doberman pincher....or mini pin as they call them.She is big dog girl in a small body. Shes 6 months and right beside me on guard.your right she needs lots of love and shes getting it❤
Great and very informative video! Our experience of almost 40 years with both male and female Dobermans concurs with the conclusions of your study. IMO, the key difference is what I call presumption of threat for lack of a better term. Our males (excluding our rescue who may have been physically abused) have primarily been happy go lucky guys who approached everything (from people to lawn ornaments to paper cups in the street) with a we're fine as long as you don't threaten or hurt me or any of my people (which included other animals in the household) and then you are toast. The females approached everything as you are considered a threat until I decide or am told you are safe, and one wrong move from you or word from my person and you are toast. That is not to say that both are not excellent dogs, but females require a bit more skill on the part of the owner.
@@DobermanPlanetyou guys have this nice theory bias in common… I’m sure the lighter, thinner, shorter female makes a more powerful lifesaving guard dog if under extreme threat 👌. Just like female fire fighters and police, military special forces for humans. When ever I’m in trouble I find a smaller woman and put in front of me for threat deterrences and I say “she is woman hear her roar “… I run away and drown my self in a Gloria Steinem book and hope my female protector makes a full recovery (if she survived) from the weaker bad guy determined attacker. I’ll be sure to hit subscribe to gain more cutting edge videos like this one. I’m hooked on the feel kool aid 😂
Agree. The males is larger and visually intimidating to people that don’t know my two dobies but the female is naturally more protective. On alert more, focused on me, and very slow to accept anyone that isn’t me. Both are super sensitive and loving with me. The only one who gets more of their loyalty is the cat 😂
Great vlog, I was excited to watch this one…. I had a female, she was always on high alert in the yard and never laid down ever, just always watching, looking and listening…. when we would walk a trail together, I let her off leash and she would only go ahead maybe ten to fifteen feet then turn around come back and circle around me then do it again the whole walk, I miss her so much.
My 3 year old girl ticks all those boxes as well. We have a family of 5 and she is most certainly MY dog in her view. Checks in constantly. Barks at everybody new... Etc.
You went all Steve Kornackie with that video!! 😁 Thank you for all the research, very interesting! I've had a total of 4 dobies, all female. I was always told as a kid that you can train a male to be protective, but if for some reason you can't give the command, he may or may not know what to do. Whereas a female has the natural mother instinct to protect and will be more likely to assess the situation and take action to protect you if needed, without being given a command.
Our boy was a dream. Learned all his tricks in two weeks. Walked on a leash like a dream. We knew he needed a lot of exercise and we took him to the park twice a day. We had a little trouble with chewing but called an animal behaviorist and solved that on the phone call. We never trained him to “protect” us. One night when he was about 1 year old he saved our lives! We never would have guessed because he was such a lover and huge Velcro dog. He was the best!
We have both...female 8 and male 5. For us...agree overall with your study and conclusion. Our female is the "lead" alert/investigator and our big boy is the follow-up brawn. If I had to take only one down an alley in a rough part of town...I'd take her even at her smaller size. She just has a sense about her.
Dobes were the dog of my childhood (then, they lived to about 12 years old, unlike today). My parents were breeders for a few years so I got to experience both sexes and three colors. My parents always kept females for our family so this really doesn't surprise me. I have been thinking of getting another dog after being without one for a decade, possibly a Dobe puppy. They are the best protection dogs, not only because of their personality, but because people are very intimidated by them on sight. Great test, not at all surprised by the results! ~Cynthia, N. GA mountains
Another great video John It made me wonder about the differences between intact males and altered males. I'm also wondering about how having a litter affects a female.
I have a 4 year old female Doberman who I've had since she was 2 years old & while she's sweet to the whole family (she considers them her pack) I'm the one she's bonded to. She follows me everywhere & sleeps in my room (she's the big Dobbie in my icon)
I’m getting one soon and initially want a huge European Male but the more and more I keep watching and looking at them in videos I kinda am starting to lean towards a female. Their more compact size and look is growing on me. They honestly look perfect size for a personal protection dog just to roll around with me every where without being overly huge.
Yes get a smaller dog and find a woman to train her. Did you ever google: Single fathers vs single mothers statistics of child rearing?? 80% higher rates of jail for kids from single mother house hold:-) Females don’t like to be ugly in behavior so the let the kids rot with spoiled lives over all, not specificity. Dads have more hard core idgaf don’t mess with me vibes… and kids do better in almost all categories and are competitive with mom/dad together households. I’m wonder how this affects dog training?? I’ve seen many well trained dog by by women. My mother was very good at doing g training. She trained her big dogs and her sons well. She spoiled her small dogs and her daughters. The small dogs bit and barked and her daughters full time drug addicts and fair amount of jail. Sons no jail. Big dogs well trained. I’ve also met a man whose giant red dob acted like a child. His dad was too strict with him so he let his own dog be “free”… And it was a big problem. Kinda like this girls good video. A problem. I’ve met many a wife with a husband like this… Wives need real love too some times, so I help out. Beta bucks doesn’t scratch all the itches-
I had both,my male was full European and female she was half European and half American. Both great dogs and temperaments but hands down from 4 months old my male clearly was protective he new how to use his body language to speak volumes. I always felt safe,we were intuned with each other,my female is more of a social butterfly.
Darn I should get on the website more often! I do have both but my female is 13 months and male is 8, so he's still a puppy. I can attest to that survey though. Those are bang on results even with younger pups. As for size...yeah lol Maze (female) is 70 lbs and Hans is 88 lbs lol. She wins every wrestling match though...😂
My brother has owned two females and one male. Currently has his male. His first female cruiser, was a beast she was on constant patrol. Second female, nener, was a love bug couch potato. His male, Dexter is a playful crazy goofy loving maniac, but guards my niece with his life.
I’ve had 7 Dobermans over 44 years. 3 males 4 females. In my experience the females were more protective and easier to train in protection work. The males were bigger and scary, but the females were more nimble and had that “mama bear” mentality innately.
Same observation here- and those females tend to be far sneakier! They often will freeze and then stalk like cats as they are watching to see what is about to unfold. Beautiful to watch though... provided it's not you they are stalking! Ha!
I have a male and female siblings. I would say that she is the most protective. When he runs barking at something, she stays back and frequently monitors the kitchen window because that's where I watch them, when I hear them barking, and they know it. When I'm outside with them, they both are against me like velcro. After a little bit, they will start playing.
This was very interesting! There is a significant difference though between males and females that comes to mind. A female bark at something or someone they determine may be a threat vs the deep and ferocious sound of a male Doberman is something altogether different. It's like the lioness that can hold her own until the pack attacks her, but when the lion roars and jumps into the fight, he takes out the whole pack. Maybe a male is more confident in his strength and knows he can sit back and relax a little, but when it's time for action, it's on! Either way, they are both amazing in their own right.
I personally want to thank you for making these videos. I got my first Doberman 4 years ago after seeing your videos. My male is 4 years old. My 2 females are 2 years old. One female is very assertive. I agree that the females definitely win. 🏆
Thanks again for confirmation. Dobermans are sure something. Still now sure what after a year and a half with Lucinda a 3yr old covid rescue. I've had dogs before, but now realize she ain't no dog. Any one with a gem like this knows. 4 year old kids require the same control and supervision. As a red dobie, the slang red headed step child comes to mind daily. And I'm a ginger too. Keep up the great work.
I’ve only had my female. Man, she is like no other dog I’ve ever owned. I had a creep (that actually works at a store by my house) that is definitely a pr€dit0r. So, I take her to the store all the time now. She is always in protection mode. She’ll sit either her back to me to watch.
I'm sorry for going off-topic, but is there a channel that's as deeply dedicated to a boxer breed as this channel is to Dobermans? I'm trying to decide between the two. I am new to this channel and I love it! So far I've learned that, if I go for a Doberman, a black and rust, American, showline/pet female would be the best fit for me and my family :D
The 5 qualities I'd pick from the list for my American female: -Loving -Good with kids -Alert -Accepting of others -Trustworthy off leash While she is generally relaxed with strangers and enjoys attention, she will absolutely get protective if there's an obvious threat or if she perceives someone to be "sneaking up" on me. But she's typically not immediately suspicious.
I'm interested in getting a Doberman when I get ready for another dog in my life. I'm more into having a family pet/companion than having one for protection, but their protection instincts and intelligence are the main reasons I want one. Never had or raised a female dog, but I might be leaning towards a female
I don’t know how old my boy dobie is because I adopted him at about 4-5 yrs old. He’s probably about 9. He’s so calm and smart. So far haven’t had to test his protection ability. But he does lean on me when strangers are near and never leaves my side.
My 20-21month old euro doberman is very very active. She's extremely toy and prey driven. She would make a great k9 I would say. She's freaking tough as nails and it's hard to "mentally" bother her if that makes sense. I've had 2 other labs and right now I've not noticed a difference between the doberman and them as far as in touch with emotions, but I think that's due to her age. She's excited by the world and everything out there interests her. Might try to do some agility or dock diving with her. She's fun.
Ive only had male dobermans. One European and one half n half American/European. Current half n half dobie is not playing around when it comes to protecting me. Growing up we had white GSD and the female was the most incrediblly balanced, intuitive and perfect protection dog. She was so spot on with her intuition about people and that is what made her a great protection dog. She just knew who was to be on guard around. Great mama dog quality. Maybe someday Ill have a female dobie.
Having had (between me, son, and in-laws) 20 dobes….you forgot a distinction between males and females. Males: what can I do for you today Females: what can you do for me today Mix of Ambred, Euro, and Ambred/Euro
Does anyone know if spaying and neutering makes a difference for protection? Do trained guard dogs usually remain intact? I would like to know if there's a difference. My female is 1 years old and she's not spayed but I plan on spaying her, but not if it's going to make her less protective.
My European male weighs 120lbs. He is a brute. When I walk him, if he identifies a threat he will give a warning bark. Nobody, ever approaches him. Other dogs would occasionally rush him, but would stop when they realized what they were up against. He also only uses deliberate and necessary force. My American female 90lbs. is a different story. She never waits for trouble to come to her, but, is always looking for trouble. She is also an ambush dog. She will bird-dog a threat, but never bark. She just waits for a chance to make a run at the threat. She always acts in a desperate way, and has had me on the ground several times trying to keep her controlled. My female is definitely the one I would want watching my back.
I believe the females are better simply because they have a drive to have a job and have something to do. And since most of them do not have puppies they use that energy elsewhere. Male or female they are the best dogs in the world.
I have the same question. My girl is 1 year old and I'm debating on whether I should spay her or not. I liked your comment to hopefully bring this some attention.
I disagree with this. I had both males and females. All of my Dobies followed me everywhere. But my males were better at protectiveness. My females would back down a little at a stranger, my males would stand in front of me. My one male that I got at 2 years old was growling at strangers within 12 hours of being at my home. He backed down a man on drugs that was yelling and cussing at me, and when a man tried to break into my yard one night he ran from the gate to stand in front of me when I came outside, the female stayed at the gate. One night my 2 females allowed someone to come into my yard and steal items. All my Dobies have been loving but my males have always watched over me the best.
I found this video to be very interesting, however, I would have liked to know more about the potential confounding variables that could have impacted the results. The world is full of different biases that we might not ever consider, so if you wish for this information to truly impact the world of Dobermans it could beneficial to note any potential faults of the study. Either way this video was super cool and has changed the way I perceive my female doberman who is so very sweet and silly. I love her very much!
females are better protection of the pack but males territorial instinct make them better property protectors..i look at it this way...if the bad guy makes it to the door past my male they got a problem with my female that will be hard to overcome...and my male is down for joining in
Hello John I've had eight Dobermans in my life I'm 80 years old my doberman is 13 getting ready for Doberman heaven I live in Naples Florida can you recommend a breeder in Florida does all the health tests
I’ve had several of both. I’d say overall, although my females were more sociable, they would be the first to confront someone - even if that someone is a person they’ve known their entire lives and and are used to seeing pop in and out several times daily. However, should that person try to enter without one of us present, they’d be met with growling from the stairs. One of my males (big guy 113 in his prime and not fat), was sneaky and would stay out of sight til he could come from behind people. Not a dog to be messed with which is why I have concerns about a bit of a mysterious event. Where I live, dogs go missing frequently - some lost, some stolen. Dobermanns are my preferred breed because I’ve never had one, nor have several friends ever had one, that wondered out of sight. They are always watching for us. Call one name and you get ‘em all. Not interested in any hunting breeds as they get focused on a scent. I don’t want to be in the woods searching for my family member and maybe never recover him/her.
Great video! I totally agree with your points . In my experience, I've also found that your tips can be really helpful. For more details on that, I made a video about it on my channel The Pet Perspective.
Im in SW Florida. I love doberman's. But, inbreeding is a massive concern. Can you recommend point me to a good breeder? I know nothing about industry of breeders. But after watching you it ain't good. Suggest 3 breeders. Show dogs as you have suggested. Thank you.
This is awesome ! But was there any distinguishing the Doberman type - American vs European? There’s definitely differences between those and what if people answering had an American one gender but a euro other gender? Do you think that matters in this study or no?
It seems to me that girls in general are more suspicious and cautious. My lapdog is also careful with people. But she is very playful with her relatives. If a stranger on the street wants to pet her or reach out to sniff her, she will start barking, showing her boundaries
I'm considering a Doberman and I'm reading that guarding instincts are being bred out if the breed in the last 30 years or so. Indeed, such dogs bred for guard work are heavily regulated in my country (France), but Dobermans are NOT in this category. They are considered a working dog, not a guard dog. If I wanted a Malinois, for example, that would require enormous paperwork, restriction and proof of training (me, not the dog!).
I have 2 neutered male Dobies. They are very protective, and have killed a couple of coyotes that jumped the fence onto my property. Coyotes never come around any more. They won't bother cats or birds. When I do have people over, I do have to confine them---they are not socialized. They are guard dogs. They know their job and do it well. People walking past my house on the street will be followed by the dogs as they walk past. My dogs will bark and snarl at them. I've had a couple of females in the past, and they were just as protective. (Jan Griffiths).
my female was very alert, but my big male was instantly there to throw himself on a bear, to save me from the fight of my life, he flew through the air over a fallen tree and hit the bear full speed, followed up with my German Shephard, mix rotty, she fought just as hard to drive off the bear, but Sam he came back with blood on his face and mouth, not his after chasing the bear thru the woods for 45 min. I say all are brave if they are treated with love, only problem with a big male, is they think the bed was made for them and want to take it all up, to be close. if your gonna have a male, expect to sleep on the edge of the bed. 🐕🐕🐾🐾🐶🐶❤❤🫶 thanks for the great vids
Good afternoon. I'm 75 ACTIVE senior, wanting to get another FEMALE red Doberman. Was a partner in a kennel. back in the mid 70's. Times and methods have changed in obedience and guard training. Amazingly, without all your research I agree with your conclusion. Will you recommend a good reliable breeder, or pass my Name and# to them where I can purchase a Doberman that has has all the Genetics and everything else tested. I know there is NO guarantees. I do want AMERICAN doberman. After 20 years,, It's time for me too have a companion.. Thanks Glenn
Haven't had a doberman since the early 80's ! Best dog ever female * Amy Lynn ! Im retired now and getting the itch ! But skeptical on where to get 1 * Im in pa < I will travel < Hope god can put 1 in my life ??😊
I've had 2 males and 2 females. I would say none of them would have been great guard dogs. My girls, in particular, were scaredy cats and would hide behind me if they felt threatened 😂
My brother in laws sister has a Doberman idk if she had a male or female I didn’t really know him much his name was Rex he had cropped ears and he was hella big
Whisch gender would be best suited as a service dog for mental health taking into consideration that you have to bring this dog everywhere in many different situations surrounded by many strangers?
What if we forget about protection fact (and looking for a family, obedience, show and that kind of dog) - who would you recomend for the first dobie - male or female? I think i would prefer male, but there is things that i'm unsure with...🙈 I've had/take care of different breeds so it wouldn't be first dog at all but i'm still kind of 50/50🙈
Get an American linage doberman (American ancestors) they are not as protective as Euro ancestors, but the doberman was created for protection, so perhaps consider a lab.
The data that surprised me was devotion to a single person. I figured the doughboys had a lock on that. If there's a child present she keeps tabs on me but sticks to the youngster. Might be keying off me but she doesn't make eye contact ck and a fient n before she goes. Excellent video.
There two elements that I'd like to know if they were considered. Was it the same for American / European dobermans and which was the sex of the handler of the doberman in those competitions and in the answers. From my observations, dobermans seems to bond easily with the opposite sex of human. As for the rest, thanks for the data! I have a male and female here and I can tell you the male would die for me and the female would probably run away as soon as she gets hurt.
