Are you looking for Doberman dogs for sale in the UK? Buying any dog isn’t something you can rush into. It takes time to find a trustworthy and reputable breeder, so where do you start?
We’ve done part of your homework for you, and you can find the details of 4 great Doberman breeders in the UK. We’ll also spell out what makes them worth approaching and offer a few tips on how to avoid being caught out by untrustworthy breeders.
Before we set off, let’s take a moment to explain the different names and spellings. First off, a Doberman Pinscher is the same thing as a Doberman! The ‘Pinscher’ part is often dropped in the US. You’ll also see the name Dobermann, with two ‘n’s. This is a variation of spelling only and has no effect on the actual breed. It’s simply that the man responsible for creating the breed was called Louis Dobermann, and many people prefer to keep this spelling.
Doberman Puppies For Sale
Finding your Doberman puppy isn’t as simple as just typing Doberman puppies for sale in Warwickshire (or wherever you happen to be located) into your Google search bar.
Many of the results will be for classified ads, and these are notorious for being scams or puppy farms/mills trying to sell poorly-bred pups. Others will be people selling pups that are the result of accidents or ill-advised attempts at producing pups, well, because they’re cute and they’ll make a bit of money!
These dogs won’t necessarily be in poor health, but you’ll have no guarantees as to whether they are purebred. Also, most good breeders will allow you to visit their premises and meet the pup’s parents. Buying online makes this virtually impossible, so you’ll have no opportunity to judge the dogs’ temperaments or see how they act around the breeder.
Our advice is to avoid the classifieds altogether. The only two places you should ever consider when getting a dog is an established, reputable breeder or an animal rescue center. Very few breeders advertise their puppies, as they have no need to do so.
So, when looking for trustworthy Doberman breeders in the UK, only seek out those who have a website and social media presence and are happy to welcome you to visit them to meet their dogs.
Now we’ve covered this, let’s look at those 4 great Doberman breeders in the UK!
1. Aritaur Dobermanns
Aritaur Dobermanns is an excellent place to begin our search, as they embody everything you would wish to see in a reputable breeder.
To begin with, their website looks very professional and is easy to navigate. It also has all the information you need, including a great FAQs section. You’ll find answers to everything, from what to look for in a pup to why you should avoid puppy mills.
Aritaur is owned and run by Jay Kershaw, who established the kennels in Staffordshire in 1987 with her then-husband, Martin Horgan. Although Jay runs things by herself now, it’s clear that she excels in this role. Aritaur is a Kennel Club assured breeder of excellent standing, producing some of the healthiest dogs you could find.
Jay is proud of the fact that she knows where all her pups have gone, and she keeps in touch with each owner to check their progress.
What you get from Jay’s website is that she doesn’t mess around. She knows the breed better than most* and has little time for people who only want a show dog or guard dog. In her opinion, these are first and foremost family pets that can provide a sense of security as well as enter dog shows.
Jay only plans one or two litters each year, and none of her retired dogs are ever given away. All of them remain in the home to be loved and pampered. All dogs included in the breeding program are extensively health tested. Jay also invites buyers to her home, ideally with all the family. In her words, “I can’t sell to someone I haven’t met.”
All of these are signs of a trustworthy, reputable breeder!
On top of this, Jay’s pups come with the following:
• 5 weeks free pet insurance
• Microchip
• Pedigree and KC registration papers
• A puppy pack
• Inclusion in Jay’s Aritaur Owners WhatsApp and Facebook groups
• Lifetime support
An Aritaur puppy is likely to cost between £2,000 and £2,500.
Website: Aritaur Dobermanns
Phone: 07884 267 688
Email: [email protected]
Email is the best way to contact Jay due to her busy schedule.
*Jay’s book, Dobermanns: A Practical Guide For Owners and Breeders, written under the name Jay Horgan, has achieved 4.8 out of 5 stars on Amazon.
2. Shalissa Dobermanns
As well as running a dog grooming business called Clips and Dips, Lisa Webb is one of the best Dobermann breeders around. Lisa uses the name Shalissa Dobermanns for her breeding business, based in Stroud, Gloucestershire.
Although the Shalissa Dobermanns website isn’t crammed with information, you can see from Lisa’s Facebook page that she is very human. Her love for the Dobermann breed is clear, as is the fact that she has a good heart. Many of the posts are related to fundraising for various charity projects.
Her dogs are obviously treasured family pets, not show-pieces to be kept apart in kennels and paraded around the ring. You can see photos of these pooches enjoying family life, laying in front of the fire, and just doing what dogs like to do.
It’s also clear that Lisa knows her stuff! Her dogs have won multiple awards in the UK and across Europe.
One commendable fact about Lisa is that during the first 2020 lockdowns in the UK due to Covid-19, she appealed to local dog owners for some socially-distanced interaction. Lisa was concerned that her puppies weren’t being socialized enough! This is a sign of a good breeder.
All in all, Lisa’s story shows that a Dobermann kennel doesn’t have to be a big business to be successful. This highlights that many of the best breeders operate on a small scale and value their dogs as pets rather than breeding stock.
For all further details, such as prices and upcoming litters, you will need to contact Lisa directly:
Website: Shalissa Dobermanns
Phone: 07932 586913 or 01453 821084
Facebook: Shalissadobermanns
Email: [email protected]
3. Haaress Dobermanns
Haaress Dobermanns is another small-scale breeder, expertly run by Joanna, whose passion and enthusiasm for Dobes are apparent from her website and Facebook page.
You’ll find plenty of helpful information on the Haaress website, including advice about keeping a Doberman. It’s worth checking out the section called Before you get a Dobie, as it offers excellent practical advice and facts about the breed that are essential to learn before welcoming this dog into your home.
One key piece of information is that this is a very intelligent dog. This makes them easy to train, but it also means that they can easily become bored. Mental stimulation is just as important as physical exercise.
Another important point that Joanna raises is that Dobes are natural guard dogs, and they need no extra training for this. She also notes that aggression isn’t a positive quality in guard dogs. A properly trained and socialized Doberman uses its intelligence to judge whether someone or something is a threat. A dog that reacts to everything aggressively is not a good guard dog and can be a danger to everyone.
Finally, Joanna highlights the Doberman’s wonderful character and temperament. They often assume the role of guardian of the home, but they are emotionally sensitive and very gentle with young children. Above all, Joanna stresses that you must always impress your role as alpha, unless you want your dog to take over!
Haaress Dobermanns aims to produce healthy, even-tempered dogs using the best European bloodlines. From the photos on Facebook, these look like very healthy and robust pups!
You can contact Haaress Dobermanns at their base in Bedford:
Website: Haaress Dobermanns
Email: [email protected]
Facebook: @HaaressDobermanns
4. Supeta Dobermanns
Sue and Peter Mycroft have the honor of having bred the UK’s top-winning Doberman of all time!
The Doberman Pinscher is their absolute passion, and they have devoted their lives to producing and raising perfect Dobe puppies since the 1980s. Each litter is carefully planned, combining the best English, American, and European bloodlines to produce healthy dogs that conform to the breed standards. Their aim is to achieve perfection when it comes to character and temperament, producing pups that will develop into well-rounded adults that can live happily side-by-side with kids and animals alike. They will also be willing and able to protect you when the need arises.
All of Sue and Pete’s dogs are health tested before being included in the breeding program.
The thing that makes Supeta Dobermanns stand out as a good breeder is that they have a section on their website that encourages people to consider all the facts before buying.
It includes issues such as:
• Can you afford to keep a dog?
• Is your home big enough?
• Are you committed enough to give them the care they need every day?
• Will someone be at home with the dog?
If the answer is no, then perhaps you should rethink your decision to get a dog.
For more information, you can use the following contact details:
Website: Supeta Dobermanns
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 01623 636978 or 07966 369479
How Much Do Doberman Puppies Cost In The UK?
Reputable Doberman breeders in the UK will charge between £2,000 and £2,500 (approximately $2,700 and $3,370), depending on the bloodlines.
You can find them for less, but they will probably be in the classified ads we mentioned above. Anyone charging under £1,000 is probably not health testing their dogs, as they would be incurring a big loss on each litter.
One of the good things about being on a relatively small island is that you won’t have to travel far to find your Dobe pup. Aside from the breeders we’ve mentioned here, you can find them all around the country, from Bournemouth to the West Midlands, Derbyshire to the Scottish Highlands.
Your pup should ideally come with a health guarantee, but that’s up to the individual breeder. All pups should have at least 5 weeks of free pet insurance as standard and be dewormed. You should also receive a puppy starter pack that includes a feeding guide. As for vaccinations, this is entirely at the breeder’s discretion. Many do include this as part of the deal, but it will obviously impact the pup’s price.
Doberman Breed Standard UK
Photo from: @aamarieoo
Breed standards are used as a general guide to a particular breed’s appearance, temperament, and characteristics. This includes the coat colors you might expect to see, as well as ensuring that the dog can fulfill its expected role (although most dogs are never anything more than pets and companions these days).
The main body overseeing dog breeding in the UK is the Kennel Club (KC), and their breed standards match the FCI (Fédération Cynologique Internationale) and the IDC (International Dobermann Club).
It’s always best to use a breeder who abides by the standards set by these organizations and has some kind of affiliation with them. Most kennel clubs hold a register of trusted breeders, which is a great place to start your search.
Kennel clubs hold conformation shows, which is a way of making sure that the breed isn’t dramatically altered or at risk of having its soundness compromised.
We won’t list the full breed standard here, as it is easily available on the KC, FCI, and IDC websites, though we’ll go over a few brief points:
Appearance
The Doberman breed should always be agile and capable of speed. They are medium-sized dogs with a proud bearing. They should be tough, compact, muscular, and elegant.
Temperament
A Doberman should never be vicious or timid, as this is regarded as a serious fault. They should always be alert and bold.
Characteristics
These dogs are intelligent, loyal, obedient, and consistent.
Tail
Traditionally, the tail was docked (amputated at the first or second joint), but after many years of debate over the ethics of this practice, it was abandoned in 2016. Tail docking is illegal in the UK.
A natural, undocked tail must appear as a continuation of the spine without any deformities or kinks. It should be carried freely and erect as the dog moves or stands.
Ears
The ears should be small and neat, set high and falling naturally against the cheeks.
The breed standard for European Dobermans differs from the US in some respects, mainly as it allows for dogs to have their tails docked and ears cropped. As with tail docking, ear cropping is banned in the UK as a cruel and unnecessary cosmetic procedure.
Some breed enthusiasts and breeders are attempting to sidestep this legislation by importing Doberman pups from countries where docking and cropping are still allowed, but this is likely to be halted in the near future as several animal welfare organizations are pushing for this loophole to be closed.
There is also a chance that anyone doing so will fall foul of animal importation laws relating to rabies. In May 2021, a Dorset man was sentenced to more than 2 years in prison for illegally importing cropped and docked Dobermann puppies. Although the passports suggested that the pups had been microchipped in Serbia, their passports were Romanian, which raised suspicions. In the end, it was discovered that the pups came from outside the EU, potentially posing a risk of rabies.
The best advice is to avoid any breeder that imports docked/cropped Dobermans into the UK.
In Summary
Photo from: @zephyr_the_dobermann
There are many Doberman breeders in the UK, and we’ve picked out four that appear trustworthy and reputable. Each one has different qualities and adds their own personal touches to what they do.
Of course, there are many other reputable Doberman breeders out there, but some should definitely be avoided. Using our four examples, you can check out others to see if they can be trusted or not.
Ideally, you should visit the breeder at their home. Most will welcome you, although the Covid-19 pandemic disrupted this in some cases. In the UK, it is a legal requirement for a breeder to show you the dam (mother dog) when requested to do so. You can ask to see the sire (father), although many breeders use a stud dog from elsewhere, so this isn’t always possible.
Good breeders will be happy to answer your questions, and they will ask about your home and your lifestyle. If they are concerned about any aspect, they may well refuse to sell you a pup. Rather than being offended by this, you should consider that they care about their pups enough to miss out on a sale rather than send them to the wrong home.
Prices for Doberman pups will vary but should be somewhere between £2,000 and £3,000. If you see them on sale for less than £1,000, you need to take great care! Likewise, if anyone puts a price tag of £3,000 or more and doesn’t include health testing or a health guarantee, then you should run the other way very quickly.
In the end, it comes down to common sense. Check out the breeder in person, and never buy from a puppy mill, puppy broker, pet store, or classified ads. Basically, avoid any online ads as around 80% of them are scams.
The Doberman is a fantastic dog that has, unfairly, earned itself a negative image over the years. This is one of the most loyal, devoted, affectionate dogs you can get. They’ll be your companion for life and your faithful guardian when necessary. It’s your job to give them the very best care and attention, socializing and training them to help them develop into dogs that are an absolute pleasure to be around.
And the best way to start this process is by choosing the right breeder!
Related articles:
• Cane Corso Breeders in UK
• Rottweiler Breeders in the UK
• German Shepherd Breeders in UK
