Give a dog a bad name

Dobermans, aren't they vicious? I wish I had a pound for every time I'm asked that question - actually scratch that, I wish I had a Euro for every time I'm asked that question (it would probably be worth more).

Due to their high intelligence and obedience, Dobermans are widely used in film and television, and are often portrayed negatively. Examples - zombie dogs in 'Resident Evil' films, 'Zoltan hound of Dracula', the boys 'Magnum PI', Mr Burns' dogs in 'The Simpsons' ("Smithers - release the hounds!"). Okay the last one is tenuous, but it highlights how stereotyped the image of Dobermans has become. I have learned to smile politely as people tell me what a vicious dog I own; often if I enquire whether the person has had a negative experience with a Doberman, it turns out that Fudge is the first that they have ever met. Dobermans in the UK are not common dogs. It can't be denied that Dobermans are good protection dogs, they are used in both Army and Police forces around the world. But they are good protection dogs because they are brave and intelligent, not because they are vicious - a vicious working dog is a liability. A recent American study showed that based on per capita figures, you are statistically more likely to be bitten by a Golden Retriever or a Cocker Spaniel than a Doberman. I can't comment on the Golden Retriever, but I've had 4 Cockers, and 3 out of those 4 have had little nips at people they didn't like the look of. Fudge has never tried to bite anyone!

The Magic Word

The magic word started with my father, he used to feed our lovely Cocker Spaniel, Honey, on mixer biscuits and 'Butcher's Tripe' dog food. Before dishing up he used to call Honey for her meal by shouting "Butcherooney". Honey learned to associate "Butcherooney" with being fed, and so did Pudding. Now all the dogs in the family respond to "Butcherooney" in the same way, including Fudge and Peach who never knew my Dad. It's a tradition that I like to keep up, partly from habit and partly to remember my Dad and Honey, who sadly are no longer with us.

Doberman + Cocker = True Love

This is Peach, Fudge's best friend, whenever they are together they are inseparable. Cute, but believe me, hard work.

Dobermans are good with other animals, but they need to be socialised and introduced properly. Fudge is brilliant with dogs that she knows, but can be aggressive toward strange dogs. This isn't an unusual trait in Dobermans and if you are planning on getting a Doberman it is worth considering whether this is something you want to deal with in a prospective pet.

If it's not a Doberman then it's just a dog!

"If it's not a Doberman then it's just a dog!" You can buy bumper stickers from America with this printed on them, and I have to say there's an element of truth in what they say. Throughout my life I've had 11 dogs - 1 Labrador, 4 Cocker Spaniels, 2 Jack Russell's, 1 Staffordshire Bull-Terrier, 1 cross breed, 1 Dachshund and 1 Doberman, all of them wonderful creatures. But of all these dogs the most individual of the lot has been the Doberman (closely followed by the cross breed). If you want a dog that can make you laugh even when you feel like wringing its neck, or a dog that wouldn't think twice about putting itself between you and danger, or a dog that will proudly parade around the garden with several pairs of your dirty underwear in its mouth, then the Doberman is the dog for you. And the dog for me.

Le Chat Noir

At last photographic proof of the legendary 'Beast of Shottisham'.

This is Sable the undisputed pound-for-pound champion of the Briggs household. She might be small but she more than holds her own against both Pudding and Fudge. She still looks like a kitten, but believe it or not she is nine years old.

Learning new tricks

Fudge was bought as a companion for our lab-collie cross Pudding. The hope was that Fudge would copy all Pudding's good habits and train herself, however Pudding is the one who has learned a thing or two. At the grand old age of eight she's decided that she's going to become a lap dog, whether we like it or not. She gets this stubborn glint in her eyes and just launches herself onto your knee, then she hangs on for dear life. I'm convinced that she finds sitting on our knees almost as uncomfortable as we find having her there, but she is convinced that because Fudge does it, then it must be rewarding in some kind of way.

We are often asked where the name Pudding comes from, and there are two answers to that. Firstly we saw a Mastiff called Pudding and liked the name, secondly Pudding is black with white patches, a bit like a black-pudding (blood sausage).

There is a beautiful little Jack Russell dog that we know in Ilkley, also called Pudding. However this dog got his unusual name because, and I quote his owner here "He's got a spotted dick" - think about it!

You had me at woof

Fudge came to us via a rather eccentric Russian doctor, whose Doberman had had a litter of 8 pups. It took a while for Fudge to warm to us as her new family, I've spoken to other Doberman owners who have also found that unlike most puppies, Dobermans need a little time to build up a bond with you. I think that Fudge missed her first family for quite a while; she always used to react to a particular television advert when it came on, we assumed that she did this because the voice over was done in a Russian accent. This might seem far fetched, but Fudge did come from a home where everyone spoke Russian. I've always felt that while I was struggling to learn fluent Doberman, Fudge was trying equally hard to learn English. John Steinbeck in his wonderful book 'Travels with Charley', gives a beautiful description of his standard Poodle Charley. The middle-aged Charley had been acquired while Steinbeck was on holiday in France, and although he learned to obey commands in English it always took him a little time to 'translate' what was being asked of him. This resulted in Steinbeck normally speaking to his dog in French, something which caused raised eyebrows as he traveled around his native America.