Question regarding Dobermans

Please bear with me, as our beloved Peach, who was a Dobie/Shep mix, was the first dog that I have ever been Mom to......we have three cats. My husband is bound and determined that the ONLY breed dog that he will ever get, should we get another dog, is a Doberman. Peach was very docile towards our cats........we never had to fear leaving her alone with them, and keep in mind that Peach, as with our three cats, came to us as "strays" and since they were not raised together (Peach was probably about two when she found us), she was an exceptional dog to be able to be trusted with three cats that she did not "grow up" with.
My question is this. How dangerous would it be to introduce a Doberman to the mix, and would it be better to get a puppy? I am very afraid for the cats, because I know people whose Dobermans have chased and killed cats. Peach would chase cats if they were outdoors, but since she was on a leash, never had the opportunity to catch one, and had she...i don't know what she would have done. She knew that our three cats (who never go outdoors) were her "sisters", and even though one of the cats was VERY mean to Peach, she never responded in kind. Always turned the other cheek.
So, bottom line......would it be safe, in your opinion, to get a Doberman with three cats already in the family, or would that be endangering the lives of the cats?
Thanks. CM

I would choose a puppy so you can teach him/her how to behave with them. If your puppy grows up with cats there shouldn't be any problem. You may even be able to find an adult that has grown up and is used to cats.

I would choose a puppy so you can teach him/her how to behave with them. If your puppy grows up with cats there shouldn't be any problem. You may even be able to find an adult that has grown up and is used to cats.

Thanks, Stacey, I'll pass this information along to my husband. He misses Peach so very much, too. But I don't think either of us is quite ready yet........
Also, is there anyone on this site who has both a Doberman and cats? Is it safe to leave them alone in the house if they have grown up together? Please forgive my ignorant questions, but our girl was such a perfect dog, and she was the only dog that we've ever had, so I don't know how Dobies would react (even if raised with the cats) so would like to get as much information as I can from those who have that breed in addition to having cats. Thanks.

Doberman or not, any dog can be predatory towards cats, or aggressive to them, and any dog can be good with them. I have a pit bull, a breed known for high prey drive, yet my dog loves ALL cats, not just her own and in fact is gentle with all small animals. A lot depends on the individual dog and not just breed.

What I did was to get a rescue dog who was in a foster home with cats, so I could see for myself that she was wonderful with them. You might want to do that!

Puppies and adult cats are a poor combination, and you'll have many months of training and restraint ahead of you.

I'd check out Petfinder (petfinder.org). They have a place for rescues to mark whether or not a dog is good with other dogs or other cats. :) That would be a good starting block. ^_^

Thank you Luckyrescue and Mockingcat for your good suggestions. Actually being able to SEE the dog interact in a fosterhome with cats would be a big plus. I know we're nowhere near ready to get another dog yet, but when we are, we'll keep all of these suggestions in mind.
I still miss Peach so much and she was so gentle and perfect that right now, I am content to just be with our cats. One of them, Cookie, is really mourning Peach.....she and Peach were buddies and I know that she truly misses her. Goes and sits and looks out the window where she can see the sidelawn where Peach used to walk with her Dad. Walks from room to room looking for her, too.
Thanks for all of the kindness and suggestions that you have show me. CM

In my experience with Dobies, once they hit 4 years, they tend to calm way down. I think other breeds would be far worse in a home full of kitties than a dobie. :)

I agree Lucky,a pup would not be a good idea,an adult proven in foster to be good with cats is the safest choice.
Doberman or not, any dog can be predatory towards cats, or aggressive to them, and any dog can be good with them. I have a pit bull, a breed known for high prey drive, yet my dog loves ALL cats, not just her own and in fact is gentle with all small animals. A lot depends on the individual dog and not just breed.

What I did was to get a rescue dog who was in a foster home with cats, so I could see for myself that she was wonderful with them. You might want to do that!

Puppies and adult cats are a poor combination, and you'll have many months of training and restraint ahead of you.

I would choose a puppy so you can teach him/her how to behave with them. If your puppy grows up with cats there shouldn't be any problem. You may even be able to find an adult that has grown up and is used to cats.

We don't have a dobe, we have a beagle but we got him as a puppy and he and the cats don't get along. He wants to play and thinks that pulling tails is fun but the cats don't seem t olike it too much. :)

Good luck whenever you do decide to get a new pup.

I think other breeds would be far worse in a home full of kitties than a dobie.

Definitely. Terriers, greyhounds and other high-drive hunting breeds come to mind right away.

Dobies are not even hunting dogs, so I would be more willing to trust one with my cats!:)

I"m sorry you lost your sweet Peach.:(

I grew up with Dobies. at one point we had a cat and a dobie. our cat doesn't like dogs so she would stay as far away from him as possible, but he didn't seem to have any interest in her either. What we do is block a room off with a baby gate so that the cat can get in but not the dog (have the baby gate high enough off the floor the dog can't jump and can't get under it but the cat can run under), this way if for some odd reason the dog would chase her she had somewhere to go and hide. But we never had a problem with our dobies chasing her. We had the cat while we had two different dobies, neither ever bothered her once they had one encounter with her claws.

Doberman pinchers are a wonderful breed. My mother insisted she would never own any other breed, but when she moved into an apartment (at this point she didn't have a dog) they didn't allow such large dogs so she got a whippet. then she insisted that she wouldn't have anything else but whippets :rolleyes: , then once I got an IG she now says that she will only have IGs, whippets, and greyhounds :rolleyes: so who knows what she'll have next lol.

Jackie-- Love the one you're with, eh? :D

How dangerous would it be to introduce a Doberman to the mix, and would it be better to get a puppy? ...
So, bottom line......would it be safe, in your opinion, to get a Doberman with three cats already in the family, or would that be endangering the lives of the cats?


Some lines of Dobermans are much more prey driven than others, so it is important to talk to breeders you are considering about the amount of prey drive their dogs usually have.

That said, I have never had a problem with one of my puppies going to live in a home with a cat despite the fact that I don't have a cat and they have no experience with cats. Sure, there is interest in the cat. But if the cat is already used to dogs, that's a big help right there. When asked how my dogs do with cats I often ask right back "How is your cat with dogs?" If the cat(s) is unafraid of dogs and doesn't run off all the time triggering prey drive, that is very helpful. A cat that is used to dogs will often put a puppy in its place in no time.

I've had adult dogs go off to live in homes with cats as well. The one did exceedingly well and just immediately hit it off with the cat more so than with their other dog. The other took a bit more work but eventually was fine.

I am active with rescue in this province and sometimes the dogs given up to rescue are just fine with cats, have lived with them all their lives. So don't rule out an adult rescue dog either.

Anyway, there are bigger fish to fry when looking for a Doberman than cat issues so I'm here to offer this site as a resource. Please spend some time here before looking for a Doberman
http://members.execulink.com/~korevaar/buyingguide.htm

Maryanddobes,
Thanks for the wealth of info as well as for the site. I will bookmark it. Right now, neither one of us is ready to get another dog. It's only been four months since Peach died and we still miss her terribly. We do have the three cats, so that helps. But, having always been a "cat" person, and now having had a dog, and a perfect one at that, I can honestly say that the relationship, although no less loving, is COMPLETELY different. Most cats are much more independent and they come to you on their terms, not yours. A dog, especially one as loving as Peach, is such good company because they always want to be near you, if you sit down, they are right there beside you. I hope no one takes this the wrong way, as I love my cats with all my heart, too. I just felt such a bond with Peach because she was so demonstartive in her love and was always there, just content to "be" with us. She was so gentle and loving and I will never let go of her, memory, but I am slowly letting go of the pain of missing her physical presence.
Thanks again, Mary and everyone else who responded to my questions. CM

My adopted Doberman is FINE with cats in the house but outside it's fair game, I think that's with most dogs. I like the suggestion of finding one who's being fostered with cats, but then again rescue is always my first choice.

I will say that I wasn't totally prepared when we adopted Mocha, I wasn't ready for the amount of energy and velco this dog has, she always has to be with us and LOVES to run and even swim! I am thankful I have her but man was she a lot of work!!!!