Your Sunnybrook Doberman

In your Sunnybrook Doberman, you have purchased one of the finest dogs available.

Not all people should own dogs and even fewer should have a Doberman; but for those who will take the extra effort to properly raise their puppy, the rewards are more than compensating. With the proper care, feeding and training, your Sunnybrook Doberman puppy can grow up to be the beautiful, loyal and intelligent watchdog and companion for which his breed is so well known and prized.

The breeding of this litter is such that with the proper care, feeding, Show / Schutzhund training, several individuals in this litter are capable of being taken to their championship titles in multiple disciplines!

Your Sunnybrook Doberman puppy has had the advantage of excellent European breeding consisting of World Champion conformation titled sires and dams along with working ability proved by their IPO and Schutzhund titles, this superior genetic heritage combined with good care from you will now determine what it amounts to when it's full grown, and now the way he develops and grows is largely up to you.

Your Sunnybrook Doberman puppies Temperament:

Sunnybrook Dobermans have been bred to provide an excellent temperament! Without excessive sharpness which would endanger neighbors and friends, they will be an alert, protective dog. For the good of both you and the Doberman breed, we recommend they be raised to be a gentle family companion and loyal protector.

Your Sunnybrook Doberman can easily be trained to be an effective or even vicious dog; however, if so trained he may well cause you a greatly disproportionate share of grief and inconvenience for each possible time his over-protectiveness will or could be of value. Your puppy must be socialized to be of any protective value! He must allow welcome guests into your home, the meter reader, UPS, FED-X, the mailman on your property etc. Your family Doberman will always sense your feelings and respond accordingly!

Your handling of your family Doberman will direct his future temperament. A dog not used to people will be unsure and sharp so let your dog know early that visitors will neither harm him nor require his protection of you. Chaining a dog or confining it to a small place away from people is very harmful to his temperament and cruel to a family Doberman, he is not able to protect you if he is kept away from you!

Give your new puppy all the love and companionship you can, especially the first week or two because he is still lonely and homesick and has just left his large family.

Here are some of our suggestions for Feeding:

Since weaning, your Sunnybrook: Doberman puppy has been fed the very best food and vitamins available. We feed our puppies at least 4 times per day; this can soon be reduced to 3 times at 8 weeks and at full growth nears to two times per day. Ultimately a once a day feeding can occur however it is best if they are continued to be fed twice a day.
Try to keep your puppy plump but not overly FAT.

A wide variety of good quality food will aid your pups health and growth. A carrot or other vegetable will be a good treat for him from time to time and is better than allot of the treats offered at the pet store. Avoid feeding raw eggs. An adequate fat content of his diet will provide a smooth, healthy coat. Most of all remember your puppy will only develop as well as you feed him!

Here are some of our suggestions for Exercise:

Exercise makes the dog.... Free running in a fenced yard improves the gait and hardens the muscles of dogs of any age. We do not recommend road work for younger Dobermans.

Your Sunnybrook Doberman was raised on 10 acres and from weaning he has been exposed to many different things outside, this develops his idea of his world, Boldness, Courage, Curiosity and Intelligence.

We take great care to introduce him slowly to new situations and experiences to develop his full potential, nothing is allowed to frighten or harm him.

Here are some of our suggestions for Handling:

Your Sunnybrook Doberman puppy has been handled since birth. We begin stacking him up for evaluations as soon as they are standing. He is accustomed to being stacked for the show ring since he can remember!

While you are handling or exercising your puppy, be particularly careful of his feet, a crushed foot can end a potential Show / Schutzhund career. Do not lift your puppy up by the shoulders or front legs! The proper way to pick up your puppy is by gently placing your hands or arms under and in front of his front legs and behind the rear legs.

Keep any practicing for the show ring fun and rewarding and you will retain his winning willingness to please attitude!

Here are some of our suggestions for Housebreaking:

There are as many different theories as people on this topic. Housebreaking really can be quite easy and quick. Your Sunnybrook Doberman puppy has now reached or will soon reach the age that permits effective training. Nearly all dogs are intrinsically "Clean" and will avoid soiling their own premises if at all possible - their mother has already taught them this. In fact, they are essentially already housebroken and the major problem is to avoid untraining them!

To continue their housebreaking, merely take your puppy outside where you wish him relieve himself EVERYTIME he wakes up no matter how briefly he slept and EVERYTIME he finishes eating or gets up and stirs around looking around for a spot to relieve himself. When he's still small PICK HIM UP because of his young age and inability to control his bladder he might not be able to hold it that long!

Work hard on housebreaking for the time necessary is short and it if you are not paying attention to your young puppy you will pay for every accident you let happen as it is a huge step backwards and causes confusion for your pup.

Prevention is worth a pound of cure. If you will create him or confine him to a very small area at night, when you are gone or too busy to watch him constantly it will certainly speed housebreaking. No puppy wants to sleep right beside the mess he has made and so he will make a huge effort to wait until he is PICKED UP AND CARRIED OUTSIDE each morning.

We recommend keeping your puppy crated at night until he's approximately 9 months old and are very dependable. This way they make excellent house dogs for the rest of their lives.

Here are some of our suggestions for Chewing:

Your puppy will chew to help bring in his adult teeth, this is a natural process. He will chew regardless of scolding, etc. The proper solution is to keep him away from valuable chairs, shoes, electric cords and similar items until this stage in his life passes. Keep him closed up and away from the run of the house at night and when you are not home to supervise him. Provide him appropriate toys for his necessary tooth development. A crate is a great help when you are not there to watch him.

Here are some of our suggestions for Puppy Training:

We recommend you teach your Sunnybrook Doberman puppy to walk on a flexi-lead while he's still a baby along with riding in the car, basic obedience i.e. sit, stay and down, and preliminary show training which includes daily stacking.

Conformation classes are recommended at 4-5 months of age if you think you may want to show your Sunnybrook Doberman for his championship title.

We also highly recommend obedience classes while your puppy is young (5-6 months of age) regardless of whether you plan to show him or not. Sunnybrook Dobermans recommends Leerburg Kennels DVD's on raising your family companion or beginning Schutzhund training.