Proper Interactions

Living with Children : A good rule of thumb is to never leave children alone with the dog until the dog is five.
If you have to leave the room either bring the dog with or crate it.Even the dog with the best temperament can be startled, accidentally (or intentionally) hurt or scared. Little kid’s faces are very close to a dog’s mouth, so a snap can result in a serious injury. I highly highly recommend this book for every home that includeds children.

Some other good rules of thumb are;

• Children sit on the floor when holding the puppy.

• No poking eyes, no pulling ears or tails, no squeezing paws.

• The dog only eats in crate alone.

• Kids are not allowed in the dog crate.

• When kids can walk, kids can feed the dog. This does not mean messing with the kibble or taking it out of the bowl.

• Absolutely no wrestling with the dog.

Meeting New Dogs : Never go to dog parks(or only go when they are empty). As I previously spoke about in my “Aloofness with Strangers” post, Dobermans may or may not be friendly with new dogs once they hit 12-18 months and may develop Same Sex Aggression(SSA) with other un-altered dogs. I recommend SniffSpots if you need somewhere to exercise your dog. Use this link to get a $5 credit. I also do not recommend meeting new dogs on leash, especially not face-to-face interactions. I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again, Dobermans are a protection breed and do not want or need to meet “new friends”. It is best if they stay neutral with other dogs, meaning, no interacting, only existing together. You also need to make sure the other human is on the same page with their dog when planning doggie outings.