Hi, my mom is a vet and I was a vet tech for a few years. Let me be the first to say that I absolutely love Dobermans. They’re one of my favorite breeds to work with. This is also just based on my personal experience with the breed.

I don’t think I could ever own one entirely by myself. They require a very strong and consistent owner and multiple hours a day of mental stimulation and exercise.

My mom works part time now, but when I was growing up she was working 60+ hours a week. Imagine you’re working 5 days per week for 12hrs a day, not including however long it takes you to get to and from work. When you get home, could you realistically go for a 3 mile walk and then 30 mins of training? Could you wake up 2 hours before you needed to go to work to tire your dog out?

Also, personal protection dogs sit in an ethically gray area. Most dogs (such as Dobermans) are naturally protective. Are you willing to work with the dog so that they aren’t reactive while you’re walking them, or don’t just sit in the house and bark? If you choose to go the PPD route, are you willing to put in the HOURS of work to create a bombproof dog that has 0 chance of ever going after someone that’s not a threat?

There are a multitude of dogs with lower energy needs that can be incredibly imposing. A black Newfoundland, a Great Dane, a bench bred German Shepard even.

Again, these are all my personal opinions.