Thursday, May 2, 2013

I might as well share it too: Doberman Playing with Baby

Obviously, I feel the Doberman needs all the good press it can get. Well, within reason. I don't want a breed popularity explosion like the Dalmatian or the Chihuahua did after certain movies came out.

But, this has (or is perhaps in the process of?) gone viral and it's worth discussing.



First, the baby and Doberman are being supervised. From behind a camera, yes, but clearly this is a game they've played before, and the Doberman is a trusted family member.

Body language wise: The ears are up and forward, and Lily is doing the jump and jive playbow that I've seen Elka do so many times. She also appear to perhaps be sneaking some lick kisses in there (they're hard to catch!), and gets a good long diaper sniff when the giggling baby falls over in her hilarity. Lily is barking, frequently, but this also seems to be excited play barking. Lily also has a toy or something else she's interested in behind the little train thing by the fireplace (the sniffing, staring, and pawing are all things I recognize!), and at 2:18 or so, you can watch her go to investigate that, and very adroitly move her back end so that she neither steps on nor hip checks the baby, Addison.

I noticed the second collar right off, of course, but in the comments on the video, the owner said that it's a tone collar for training, they don't shock her. They do have an invisible fence which will shock when necessary, though, as those things do. Lily seems to check in frequently with the adults behind the camera, and I don't know if that is status quo, or if they're using the collar at the time.

And do I need to mention the baby's body language? Addison obviously adores Lily. It's both in her delighted giggles, and also at the look on her face, the clapping, the rocking on her knees. When she tips over on her back, Lily's sniffing actually seems to guide her into rolling over onto her belly. A coordinated pair! 

I can see Elka playing with a baby like this, given her love of them. She's also shown herself to have fabulous self control and be much more gentle with children than she ever is with adults.





16 comments:

  1. So cute. My Lily supervises kids and is so so submissive with babies
    Benny & Lily

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    1. It's great when dogs are gentle with kids! I know Elka loves babies, and really holds herself back when playing with children.

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  2. Just happen to be at a computer without sound at the moment so I get to focus on the body language. Obviously these two adore each other and are having fun playing. And both get a little distracted :-)
    I can imagine some people will not like a family letting their big DOBERMAN bark at a baby - but lots of people don't understand dog body language or what is safe/unsafe. Obviously the two are being well supervised.

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    1. I frequently will watch dog videos without sound, for that exact reason! (that, and I then need to convince Elka that no, there isn't a dog in my computer)

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  3. One of the saddest things for me is when people take their big dogs to the shelter when the baby is expected. The whole family misses so many incredibly happy times like this.

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    1. Yes, me too! That's one of the main reasons people give for giving up dogs, isn't it? (Behavior, Moving, having a baby.....) It's so very sad.

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  4. I hadn't seen this before - it's absolutely adorable! I'm not sure which I love more - the playful antics of the dog or the baby being playful right back!

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    1. They're both just so adorable! That kid is going to grow up happy and doggie!

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  5. That's cute, and I don't even really get babies.

    I have a barker, sigh, and that is very, very far from an unhappy bark. That isn't even as loud or sharp as Silas's *play* bark.

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    1. Hah, I get babies sometimes better than others. That's kind of a "conversational" bark, i'd say for the most part!

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  6. Although I think it is clear the dog loves the baby and is having fun, I don't think she should be encouraged to play that way with an infant at all. Personally, I think it's asking for trouble. Many dogs play can escalate in an instant(no matter the breed) and the barking and rushing forward signifies "over excitement" to me. My gut tells me no matter how well supervised, it only takes a second for an accident to happen and this is a very, very bad idea....

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    1. I can see that, definitely. This should definitely not be "everyday play" for sure. This is the manner in which Elka plays in general (though we don't have daily access to 1 year olds) and while I can get her very amped, I can also pull the plug quickly; I assume this is the case with Lilly as well.

      Even not meaning to, though, accidents can happen. Elka stomps us pretty regularly. If and when baby time happens, there will be a lot of preparation with cues that for stopping action immediately and going to a neutral location.

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  7. I think the Dobie is a wonderful, playful dog. But not knowing the people and the dog involved, I felt a little nervous because the mom was behind the camera instead of involved in the interactions.

    Honey loves children and is very gentle. But I can't imagine not supervising her even more closely with a baby. Maybe I'm just a nervous Nellie. And maybe that's why it's a good thing I'm not a mom. :)

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    1. My assumption is that they've played like this before, with much closer supervision. Plus, the mom seems to be encouraging the interaction every time the Doberman stops, which is interesting.

      Being careful with babies isn't bad, certainly!

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  8. Our female Dobie weighs ~56 pounds and our female German Shepherd weighs ~104 pounds. They can hurt us just by knocking into us. I would be afraid to let my baby play around such a large animal no matter what temperament the dog has. That's just me.

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    1. That definitely makes sense, and Elka has definitely stomped on us more than once. I guess it's just a choice each person makes, to the best of their ability.

      Now, if I had two dogs and they were playing together around the baby, I would think that was too much.

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