ABOUT US - EUROPEAN DOBERMANS - KENNEL CANIS MAXIMUS
Welcome to the website dedicated to his Majesty, The Doberman!
I was born and raised in Russia. Finished school with honors. Then a BA with honors. Then two Masters, with honors as well. Have always been a great scholar! It took me years to convince my parents to let me buy a doberman. I've always been fond of horses but having one was out of the question for somebody living in a city like Moscow. After years of walking other people's dogs in the neighborhood, my parents finally gave in.
We didn't know much about how to raise a puppy or what to expect, how to puppy proof our apartment or how to train. Nothing. We just really wanted a doberman. My daily routine was to clean, cook and feed the puppy as well as walk him after school. I don't remember ever skipping my duties. At that time, we weren't familiar with dry food, so our first dogs were raised on natural diet, and that meant 4-5 different daily meals for a young puppy... and a lot of cooking! I did everything with that puppy. He wasn't a show dog but I persistently attended shows and we even got some medals. He wasn't a great working dog but he had a lot of natural aggression so we trained him in personal protection and guarding. He loved water and fetching ball. He would go bicycling and hiking with me. Sadly, he passed way too early.
The truth is, dogs don't live as long as humans. So, you WILL go through the loss and heartache. Dogs die of old age. Dogs die of diseases, or in accidents. Dogs get killed and euthanized. All this is a BIG world of heartache. If you want to get a dog, you will have to go through stage 1, which is puppyhood, and to the last stage, which is losing your companion. Sadly, Dobermans have several serious conditions that are widely spread in the breed: vWD, DCM, Wobblers. Those are most common in Dobermans. Since it's a man-made breed, we, the breeders, made our favorite breed prone to so many health problems. Mostly due to lack of knowledge, lack of breeder honesty, and health testing.
vWD is the easiest of them all. It's either no vWD gene (clear), or one gene (carrier), or both genes (affected). And even if the dog is affected, it can still lead a normal life and not display any clinical symptoms. The latter being normally a rule rather than an exception. Keep in mind, that Europeans don't normally test their dogs for vWD (I know only FOUR studs in Russia with this test done).
DCM. If somebody tells you they don't have DCM in their lines, it's either a lie, or ignorance, or great luck (and I'd love to get their contact info so that we can use DCM-free lines to improve overall health in Dobermans).
HD. It's not a highly inheritable condition. And with mandatory HD screening in Europe, I see fewer and fewer dogs with hip problems. It's easy to breed out HD. It's also easy to get it back. It's also a fact that after 20 generations of HD-free dogs, you can still end up with one dysplastic dog.
Wobblers. I know it exists. I never saw it. Such dogs are normally put down.
The rest is up to Mother Nature. There are hundreds of known genetic diseases. Just keep in mind that we are not assembling cars here, we can't take a part out and get it replaced. How genes line up is beyond any breeder's control. But good news is: the better the breeding, the more health screening done, the healthier the ancestors - the better the offsprings!
I am not your typical US breeder. You cannot expect certain things from our kennel that you would expect from an average American breeder. Please read this page so that there are no misunderstandings or false expectations.
I do not understand breeding if you do not show. I just don't. Wouldn't a breeder want to show off his/her results? It's any kennel's pride - a home-bred champion! But breeding just to breed? Breeding companion dogs? What is companion dog breeding if all dogs, champions or not champions, were designed by nature, by evolution to be a man's best friend and companion.
European breeders aim at making progress, achieving better results, breeding better dogs, show or working, etc.That's why there are shows and working trials. It's not just for those crazy owners to go run around the ring with their dog. It's a breeder's assesment, an exam. A breeding that didn't produce worthwhile dogs for future selection and showing is a step back for any breeder, it's lost opportunities. And with a short breeding life of our companion dogs, such mistakes have a huge impact on any breeder's program.
A European breeder normally has a few dogs, many of the pups go to show homes. Not because it's mandatory but because people actually enjoy gathering together. A weekend show is a full day event. Lots of excitement, very eventful. And most important - dogs and people united by the same passion. There are a few major dog shows in Europe. IDC - International Doberman Club. The most prestigious doberman-only show. World Dog Show - that's when dogs can become World Winners. European Show - European Winner. Every country falling under FCI (a big canine organization that has all European and many South American and some other countries as its members) has a breed club that oversees breeding, various requirements and breed regulations. This breed club organizes Nationals every year. That's when breeders show their results. Local only. Also, all member countries have a few CACIB shows every year (the number depends on the size of the country) - these shows usually attract the greatest amount of dogs because of the chance to win an International Champion Candidacy. Your dog will need a few from different judges and countries to become an International Champion. These shows are very competitive. And these shows are the most fun. You do not need to have an expensive handler to win a show. Most often, it's your dog, not the handler, who is judged. And this is what attracts me in European shows. We've tried AKC shows but still prefer showing in Europe. The spirit is different.
Breed clubs also oversee what tests and working trials have to be performed before a dog can be bred. National clubs have a set list of requirements. You can't just breed a dog to a dog and get the litter registered. It's simply unheard.
Normally, you'd be expected to have shown your dog at least one - with an adequate result. Hips will have to be checked. And some training certificates have to be obtained if you have a working or a hunting dog.
All this puts European breeding at a much higher level.
When European buyers start looking for a pup, they normally refer to the Internet and visit dog shows. NOBODY asks for references. You will look like a fool if you did. Why? Because of what was said above about breeding ethics. Also, kennel websites usually have updates about show results of their 'products' which gives the buyer an idea of the quality. Nobody really cares about the numbers as do American breeders. My understanding is that this happens solely due to an outrageous number of poorly bred dogs that end up euthanized in shelters.
It is hard to be a puppy miller in Europe. One reason - tradition and values. Second reason - living conditions. Not many people live in detached homes with acres of land. Third reason - dog food usually costs about 3 times more. Fourth reason - time. People work and have dogs as hobbies. Enjoyable addition. Stress-reliever. Companionship. Reason to jump on a bus and spend 2 days driving all over Europe to get to that magical place - IDC show. Fifth reason - dogs have to be shown, and working dogs have to be trained. Otherwise, no papers for the pups. Which means, no buyers for them either.
Breeders also travel across the European continent for breeding. It is pretty normal to drive or fly from,
let's say, Sweden to Italy, Russia to France. All for that chance to have a better quality litter.
Dobermans! A true perfection! Sleek, elegant, powerful, agile, smart, intelligent, devoted, a true companion!
Canis Maximus is quite a unique kennel. You can't compare us to anyone else involved in raising
Dobermans in the United States. There are hundreds of backyard breeders breeding without even knowing what
they breed. There are dozens of commercial breeders breeding for the sake of money. Then there are hundreds
of show kennels breeding for conformation... quite often overlooking the working abilities of the breed.
Then there are a few dozen kennels breeding working dogs... very often overlooking the conformation of their
breeding dogs. And then there are kennels which don't breed for the sake of money, which do know what and
why they breed and which breed for the sake of both conformation and working skills of the breed. And that
is us.
There are many kennels like us in Europe but they don't operate in the US and don't do as much health testing making us pretty much the only ones who train on both continents, title, health test on both continents, breed and participate in working trials...
Losing a dog to DCM is devastating. That experience turned upside down our views on breeding. We weren't really planning on becoming breeders to begin with. But our first litter turned out to be a big hit. All dogs were stylish, extremely powerful, with gorgeous heads and chests, and with a lot of presence. One male became an International CH. Two more siblings went to compete and get certified in Obedience and Protection.
At this time, when it's extremely hard to find a cardio-safe line, without an established genetic test, it's only up to the breeder's intuition and extensive research to make the right choice. We learned it the hardest way. And that's why our main target is longevity. Longevity in a good-looking doberman. Every breeding takes months of preparation. This is the main reason why our puppies will never go to a breeder or a mass producer or to somebody who doesn't know how to handle a doberman.
Our goal is not as utopic as that of most breeders that try to breed "The Total Dobe". We believe that breeding should be realistic and results achievable. Thus, we put a lot of effort into breeding and importing dogs with excellent temperaments and of sound construction and good health. We love strong bodies with good angulation, short backs and correct heads with very strong jaws. Of great importance are also the width and depth of the chest as well as the bone density. So, basically, it's an intelligent dog with a very strong but harmonious look - that's what we love!
Our breeding Ethics is different from the majority of American breeders because most of our valuable show and training experiences came from Europe. We believe that traveling several thousand miles across the world for training or breeding is worth the result and expense. We also believe that importing a few pups with valuable bloodlines is done for the betterment of the kennel or the breed itself. We also think the breeder has to be honest about the quality of his/her breeding not only with the buyers but with himself/herself as well. There is nothing worse in the dog world than illusions or deceipt.
We think that the Doberman is a working breed and our greatest interest is in maintaining working talents and skills of this breed. We participate in IPO, VPG and ZTP Trials.
We pick breeding combinations based on our lengthy show and training experience. Breeders who never showed or trained a dog will not be able to pick the right partners, nor could/should they make claims regarding show or work potential of the litter. Breeding titles and names are not a guarantee of the pup's quality. But the breeder's intuition, knowledge and experience are what creates a top-quality litter and top-quality dogs. How many breeders can boast that?!
VERY important things that any potential buyer should be aware of while searching for a working breed puppy: breed surveys, temperament tests, Schutzhund/IPO or any similar training AND showing - all this DETERMINES WHAT DOG SHOULD OR SHOULD NOT BE BRED. Without training scores and showing titles, or with poor scores and poor conformation, the dog is NOT SUITABLE for breeding. And if a breeder tells you that trophies don't matter - this is the biggest FLAG you can get, run away. DO NOT buy from a breeder who doesn't do any of the required work with their breeding dogs. Same philosophy is applied to those who buy 'ready-made' dogs from Europe titled by previous owners with the only purpose of breeding and making money.
Many people ask us for a "pet puppy". You have to draw a distinct line between "a pet-quality puppy" and "a puppy as a pet, companion". You can have your dog as a pet, as a police dog as a jogging buddy, this will not change the dog's quality. And it doesn't matter if you want to show it or not. We, as breeders who are involved in showing, evaluate each puppy according to the conformation standard. A pet-quality puppy may not be up to the high conformation level but will still make a great dog. Such dogs will never be priced as those that have show/work potential. The latter will never be priced as pet-quality dogs either.
Canis Maximus" (which means "The Great Dog" in Latin) works only with most valuable European bloodlines..
We train, show and do health tests on all our dogs used in breeding. We carefully select what we breed,
when we breed and where we breed. Every dog has to bring something valuable to the gene pool. Otherwise,
why breed?!
Many people ask us if we have parents on site. We are not a multi-dog kennel, so we are not able to keep dozens of studs for us to make our selection. We'd rather spend our money on flying our best females to Europe, to its best studs and bring something NEW, FRESH, MINDBLOWING to the States. So, no, we hardly ever have both parents on site.
We've got 3 little kids. Pups are raised inside only. Kids are allowed to play with them on a daily basis. We also have visitors every weekend. All of this means that our puppies leave our house with a good set of social skills, the rest will depend on how well you are prepared to be an owner of one of our cuties. We have no cats. We allow puppies to learn and explore. They learn to walk on hardwood floors, linoleum, tile, concrete, asphalt and grass. All of this gives pups a great intellectual boost.
PLEASE-PLEASE-PLEASE!!! Read the links on the For Sale page. The pricing is there. We get dozens and dozens of calls and emails EVERY DAY, so, please, read the information we provided just for you. This will save you time, and this will save us time.
To give you a rough idea how much we spend on raising ONE pup, here are some numbers:
- $3000-6000 on training
- $1000-2000+ on shipping
- $700 on health testing
- $1000+ on showing
- $300+ on docking and dew claw removal
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Multiply this by TWO if we use our own stud. Or add $1000 for the stud fee.
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Divide by the number of pups and you will get the cost of raising ONE puppy.
A LEXUS shouldn't and won't cost the same as a TOYOTA, right? Same applies to every product in our life. Puppies are a product of our hard work, enthusiasm, sleepless nights, high expenses. So, think twice before you skip the information we made available on the site just for you, and call us with the same and only question: "How much do your puppies run for?"
We can justify the prices on our pups - draw conclusions. You get what you pay for. Of course, you can have a great dog for $500 but you can also end up with a long list of genetic conditions or bad temper or a dog that doesn't resemble a good quality doberman. For me, a doberman has to look like a doberman. Think like a doberman, behave like a doberman. Live like a doberman. And smell like a doberman. I do not take less. This is a whole package. And that's why I am forever a doberman fan. If you can overlook any of the components, then good luck. Just keep in mind, that unqualified and not very professional breeding practices will keep existing and growing if there is a demand.
We import.
For the fun of it. For the enriching experience and knowledge. Because we've got great friends breeding awesome dogs in Europe. And we want to have some over here. Because we know what we import. Because it's gratifying. Because people want imports but don't know how to do it themselves or it becomes too expensive. Because it helps us offset the breeding expenses. Because we love working with animals but breeding is stressful, time and money consuming. Because we like to help, buyers and breeders, and know how to do it the best way possible. Because we like diversity. Because it's fun to get to know new breeds and results of new breeding combinations. That's why we import. And this has to be respected because we are driven by far greater motives than money.
Occasionally, we have a litter or two of top quality European-bred boxers. Same principles and rules apply. Check our website: www.euboxer.com
With all this said, enjoy the website and our truly great Dobermans! - CM
CopyRight2008 2007
Design & Support Alexandrova Inna http://laitiona.narod.ru/
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