The Rare White Doberman: Health, Price, and Controversy

As an owner of 4 doberman's (black and tan), I have to give you props on your presentation of this video. Great job reporting the facts, right down the middle with no biased opinion.

Something interesting to me with any pale eyes dog is you can buy goggles for them if they're light sensitive which most blue eye animals including humans are. I do think it's possible to have white dobes without inbreeding but also understand why it's such an issue because they're rarer and many people want them as a statement than a dog. Though I think anyone who thinks that way shouldn't have an animal period 😂! I think if one wants a white dobe or happens to come across one that needs good love and care, to just be smart, ask for proof of things like liniage to help stop inbreeding and maybe do like you and raise awareness to keep the breed healthy. And really this can be applied to any breed 🤔! For instance I love English Cream dachshunds, but there are very few breeders in the States BUT the few that exist that are legitimate and not backyard breeders charge a VERY pretty penny but a large chunk of that is because of the rarity and ensuring their litters are healthy lines. Genetic testing and line proving can be costly! While I'm usually an adopt don't shop, I'm not against could legitimate breeders who care about health, and sometimes you need specific lines etc to have a better idea of what you'll get for working dogs, such as service dogs.

Way to break that down 👍

Well done on this presentation! We just rescued a 6 month old white Doberman last week and he is just awesome! His name is Ghost, (not our choice). He is the third Doberman that we have owned. As you have pointed out, there are several things that we have noticed already.

It is late May, and the sun is not yet at its strongest in the Northeast. We limit his sun exposure each day, and we apply Banana Boat k-9 sunscreen to his nose and inner ears, (they are not cropped and flop back to lay on his head when playing and running). We also have to give a spray on his testicles, as we noticed a bit of redness on them as well. Sun exposure and proper caution/prevention is a must with white Dobermans. Sunscreen should be applied several times a day, and I might add that cleaning off sunscreen residue is also a pertinent consideration, as it can add to collecting dust/dirt, etc. on those sprayed areas. We tried to purchase Warren London's K-9 sunscreen, but most pet centers that advertise it on their websites don't carry it in the store. That will be our next purchase to try it, as the coconut scent is strong and Ghost is not a fan.

We have already noticed that he squints in daylight, where as another mixed breed dog we rescued does not in the same conditions. We also noticed that Ghost doesn't seem to see thrown airborne toys outside until they are near him, even when its later in the day. I'm still trying to figure out if its light sensitivity or poor vision.

Fear biting was mentioned to us as a potential concern when we rescued him, though this has not happened at all. He was a bit skittish, but he had a really crappy life until he was rescued. He was the smallest of many other older dogs and he has the scabs and scratches to prove how aggressive they were. His living conditions and lack of security were horrible. After one week with us he has settled in nicely and is a great dog! His skittishness is diminishing and our 1 year old mixed breed rescue is showing him the ropes and ensuring that he has a fun playmate. Fear biting due to a lack of clear vision has not been a problem.

Having owned a black and rust Doberman, and a blue and rust Doberman, we found that both were prone to skin tumors. Our black and rust had surgery to remove several, but they grew back and others emerged. He lasted 12-1/2 years before we had to put him down, as the last tumors he had were cancerous. Our blue and rust had minor tumors that were not cancerous and he lasted 13-1/2 years. Having experienced this issue with both of our past Dobermans, we are prepared for what might happen with Ghost.

Lastly, we have decided to have Ghost neutered , (Don't tell him), and we have no intentions to breed him. We plan on giving him a great life in a warm and loving home, where he can just enjoy being a dog and a member of our pack.

Doberman Planet is a great and informative channel for would-be Doberman owners, and current Doberman owners. Keep up the great work!

They are not real Dobermans, they are unrecognized by akc and almost every single real breeder. So….let’s start where we should. This is a white dog. Not a white Doberman.

We’re looking at a white Doby. Me and my GF have a lot of experience with dogs and bigger dogs. Her with shepherds and me with Wolfdogs….as long as there’s no in breeding the white Doby is just as great as standard Dobys….the ones that are negative to them that we’ve found have been breeders of your standard dobys. And the fact that whites are considered “rare” means they in time will be more sawed after and for a breeder of the standard Dobys they hate that…so to me the haters of them are only driven by money and not the breed it’s self.

My Dad had Dobermans when I was growing up, (they are his fav) he didn't have a white one, but his last one was a blue Doberman. & Best thing to do is to adopt/rescue. Never buy.

I've had a black and a white….these are dogs……my babies…..i don't care what color they are!!!!

Another term for this color of Doberman is leucistic. Leucism is on the spectrum of albinism, but they do not have pink eyes and are not fully white. They will most likely have blue eyes!

I bought a white Doberman through the AKC website I pick up in April. I’ll update if I run into any health issues down the line. She said her 2 current white Dobermans are very healthy that the only issue is that their eyes are blue and sensitive to sun and a bit squinty in the sun.
Her goal as a breeder is to breeder healthiest dogs possible. Her grown dogs are on a raw diet.

I think the breeding situation is hypocritical because there’s dog breeds out there that shouldn’t be bred at all. Like Frenchies and pugs have all kinds of health issues, but they keep breeding those. And what about top of the line show dogs that inner breed to keep the blood line??? Is it ideal absolutely not all I’m saying is there’s a lot of hypocrisy. But if my dog ends up with tons of health issues first place I’ll be reporting is here.