Docker

Love her. She is very loyal and loves to play. She doesn’t bark much and is a great pet

These dogs are a joy. They love to play and chase each other. Very, very gentle with people. Two little adorable clowns. Despite their lapdog, apartment sized appearance, I would hesitate to recommend them for apartment dwellers. We adopted these girls through a rescue group from a kill shelter in N.C. Six months later, an identical pair was dropped off there. There is a lot of variation in these first Doxie-Spaniel crosses and this particular cross can obviously be too much of a handful for some owners. Our pair needs a LOT of exercise! They’ve calmed down at two years old, but between six months and a year old we had to walk them 3 miles a day to burn off energy, and they wanted to keep going! They can chase each other around the fenced yard for a half hour straight. Without a lot of exercise they were destructive - shredding toys and chewing huge holes in blankets and clothing. Thankfully, they’ve grown past that stage and are now completely calm... as long as they get their walk (now a mile) and regular romps in the yard. They don’t like to be left alone, so they need to be crated when we’re not home. They also have a very strong prey drive. Being hound mixes they are nose to the ground, tracking scents the whole time they’re on leash - and only a harness leash will do when they catch a trail of deer, skunk, raccoon etc. (We live in the country). In our area we can not let them off leash - too many temptations - and once on a scent they are focused and oblivious to commands. It’s also worth noting that our dogs have the dachshund trait of HATING to get their paws wet when it rains, which meant finding sneaky pee puddles in the house on rainy days. Dachshund owner sites recommended providing them with a covered area outside, so we set up a canopy by the back door. No wet paws = problem fixed. Our previous dog was a stubborn and territorial Jack Russell. And with a lot patience we were able to rehabilitate him, so we were prepared for the challenges of these two, but they were definitely more of a challenge than the online descriptions of the breed suggested. There are so many variables in this first generation cross-breed that it is unfair to generalize, and maybe your Docker won’t share any of these traits. I would recommend that potential owners research both of the parent breeds to see if these traits work for you. After a bumpy first few months our girls have matured into lovely pups. They adore cuddling. They’re friendly with people and other dogs and are ridiculously entertaining. They love having friend’s dogs come to visit and are willing to share their toys with visitors. They are good watch dogs - alerting us to people or animals in the yard - but not yappy. We live near a lake so I was hoping they’d take after the Cocker Spaniel lineage but the Doxie side won again. One will get in as far as her tummy. The other hates water and won’t get near it. Both love snow and winter, their favorite time of year, and get lethargic in the summer heat. Hope this helps others with their choice.

best dog is curious very friendly to other dogs but also is good

Dexter is a rescue and we think he is almost 2 years. Very prone to excitable urination and barks aggressively at door bell ringing or anyone entering the house. We think he was abused when he was younger, so his behavior may be more characteristic of early experiences than purely breed-related. He always has his nose to the ground when walking and is extremely prey-driven. Like to dig holes in the soft dirt in our yard if left to his own devices and has been known to chew through the cover of a golf ball in an hour's time. Very protective and positively HATES the Fed Ex delivery man - will bark and jump up to 4 ft high with utter excitement and growls as he races out the door to chase the delivery man/truck down the street. Returns to attack the package and has even picked up smaller boxes and run with them after the truck. Highly entertaining and athletic and has learned to come on command (treats wok!) and extremely intelligent but also stubborn. A bit fearful, so will piddle when scared, startled or overly excited and definitely needs lots of walk not only to burn of energy and curiosity, but to get him to potty regularly. Unlike our retriever, who knows to stand by the back door when he need to go potty, Dexter is more inconsistent and we think that distraction and his age are playing a big part. We often refer to him as "catdog" - he likes to "pounce" and chase a laser pointer and it is his favorite thing - we just tell him "play" and he will come at a moment's notice and sit expectantly next to my husband's chair, waiting for him to pull out the laser pointer. He is very sociable and loves other dogs, and is actually pretty sweet and loveable and snuggly once he knows someone, but we are really having to work with him on the barking/jumping behavior at the door/when someone walks in. Absolutely the cutest 23 lb ball of growling fur who manages to intimidate grown men with his displays of barking.

I adopted Brunton about a year and a half ago. They said he was a stray for a while and have no clue what his history was like other than living on the streets. He was a bit neurotic and had extreme separation anxiety when I first got him and would bark at literally anything. He's gotten so much better after having him for over a year now and I think introducing another dog into the household helped him with his anxiety. He LOVES to play and he's super dominate. Obsessed with squirrels, skunks, bunnies, you name it. Can't have him off leash because if he catches a scent, he won't listen. Has a mind of his own and is stubborn, hard to train. He is obsessed with me, definitely a one owner type of dog although he does love my boyfriend too, after months of not letting him near me. Snuggle bug but easily jealous. The perfect size to take hiking and really anywhere, but pulls on the leash more than my boxer mastiff mix. He's a sweet and beautiful dog. He does take a while to warm up to people as he is very scared of them (likely a cause of his past). Doesn't like children or puppies.

Molly was the second dog we had in our very large household. She is extremely friendly but can also get quite shy with people or aggressive with other dogs. For the past 2 years, she has been showing down, being more relaxed due to back pain. I'm not sure if this is common of dockers but her head is HUGE and everyone thinks she is a puppy.

Super stubborn, loves to play A LOT, separation anxiety, runs, kisses a lot, jumps, is kinda crazy honestly

Joey is adorable loving and energetic. My only concern is the fact that he is aggressive towards our cat so we cannot let the cat out of our bedroom. Joey gets along with our other dog Roxie but partly because she is so sweet.

The best pet we could ask for! Very playful and energetic. Sometimes won't listen and likes his independence, but loves to be around people and dogs!

Mili is extremely lovable and the best puppy I could ask for. She is the first pet I have ever had and she makes me wonder why I ever waited so long to adopt. She is in training to be a Psychiatric Service Animal and she is doing very well! While she has stranger and separation anxiety, she is very friendly and kind of clingy to be honest. She doesn't ever bark in public and only barks when strangers come home. She is very prone to excitable urination and loves her family. The best puppy I could have ever asked for.

We love our Docker, Benji. He is fun, smart, has tons of energy, and is loving.

Great. Max is so loving. He’s great with the grandkids. He’s good with dogs and cats. I talk to him like a child and his response actions are like a child. He’s sensitive and hates to displease me.

Ball obsession only when outside. Very loud deep bark. Never used to bark at home, turned one and now sounds or if not getting their way will continuously bark. Stubborn but can train. Keep to house train (hated the puppy pads). Loves food, have to be careful when outside. Beyond friendly with other dogs and people.