[CadetKelly]

Hi everyone on "I-L-D.com" My name's Emma, and I connect from England. I found this forum when I was searching for breed specific forums, funnily enough...And figured I'd have a go at it.

I have a 4 month old Dobergirl, under the name of Kayenne Pepper, with a deliberate K. I've always loved Doberman, and when my first passed away at the start of this year, the house felt lonesome. Ergo I have Kay.

I have very big plans for the future...

We're currently 'in training' for our CGC certificate, with a possible show career ahead of us as well (though this is more 'no' than 'yes' at the moment) and maybe (very, very big maybe) a Schutzhund career, but I don't know nearly enough on it to decide. :shock:

Well, that's us.

[cigwyllt]

Hi and welcome to the forum. Great to meet a fellow Brit - I'm from West Wales. I am a terrier lover but when we went to puppy classes my dog's best friend (and the star of the class) was a beautiful dobie boy. He and Manny tolerated the classes and loved the free play afterwards. He was the first dobe that I ever met properly and he was/is a real ambassador for the breed.

Can we see some photos of your girl? I love looking at everyone's dog photos!

[CadetKelly]

Hiya cigwyllt, thanks for the welcome!

Kay's been going to classes for -- I think -- 4 weeks now. She's doing really well, keeping most of her focus on me. She even completed a down-wait last week, in a class full of yippidy dogs of all sizes. I was a very proud dog mama. We atend and obedience class which accepts puppies/dogs/seniors, and will do one-on-one training. I'm pretty happy with it. The socialisation we get from it is brilliant. We're in the South-East England, just off of London.

There are actually only three dog classes in my area. One is Ringcraft, one does agility, conformation, basic training, ralio and all the dancing/trick-training bits in a 'fun packed 2 hours', which is a little long and overwhelming for Kayenne at the moment. And the other is the one I'm going to now.

I'll upload a few pictures later on today. They're still on my camera, atm, because I'm just that organised. We went for a walk yesterday, and have just returned from a walk today. Got some good action shots stored on that camera somewhere. :mrgreen:

[cigwyllt]

A choice of three? You're way ahead of us. We have one very obedience/dominate your dog type place nearby but my friend and I had to travel 20+ miles each way to go to puppy class with a positive trainer.

[CadetKelly]

Woah. Here's me thinking that three is a little amount. Heh.

I'm not really bothered 'how' they train. If they beat the dog, then sure, steer clear. But the dominant trainers I've read about and seen a few times only, really, tell you how to train your dog their way, then they do basic things (Sits, downs, waits, comes). Not sure what it's like up in Wales. I use dog classes/puppy classes as a way to socialise. If you didn't go to dog classes, your dog might see lots of people in a small space once a week. But when you do go to a dog class...You always have the reassurance of the fact you're getting your dog enough socialisation to be moderately well behaved around dogs with just dog classes alone.

I'm guilty of over-socialising. I currently take hay out to dog classes once a week for an hour, as well as into town on Saturdays, walks once a day no matter what the weather and walks twice a day if the weather is nice. I also take her on car rides, to the shops, any odd places we happen to go, just as a way to get her out to see all those different things.

I'm actually planning on getting a reflective jacket and moderating it to have a patch of old clothing with the words "SAY HELLO TO ME - Treat me, Greet me, Pet me" sewn onto it. She'd, obviously, only be wearing it when I'm with her. When I, or a member of the family, isn't with her, I don't want her thinking it's good to have people play around near her collar, offer her treats or just get too close.

Anyway. Back on track...

Here are a couple of pictures...

[cigwyllt]

She's beautiful. That jacket sounds like a great idea. So many people have preconceived ideas about Dobes it will be useful to prove them wrong.

The local trainer is a bit like Barbara Woodhouse in her training methods and opinion is very sharply divided. Those who use the training school swear by her and those that don't would never leave a dog in her care!

[CadetKelly]

I'm grateful for the selection of trainers in the area. I just wish there were a few more training areas...in the area.

I just returned after spending the day in London at a funeral, only to leave straight away for another hour. Kayenne was very confused. 8O We've just been for a quick walk up the lane...

And she's pooped.