Dalla Grazia Doberman

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Dalla Grazia Doberman Breeding with a purpose. Showcasing longevity and workability in Dobermans. Located in Greenville, SC.

my poor ugly puppy, what ever will I do, I guess I should just throw her in the nearest trash can.. 👋🏼 🗑️
10/27/2026

my poor ugly puppy, what ever will I do, I guess I should just throw her in the nearest trash can.. 👋🏼 🗑️

Let’s talk about my goals as a small hobby breeder of Dobermans, because apparently some people have confused my comment...
10/26/2026

Let’s talk about my goals as a small hobby breeder of Dobermans, because apparently some people have confused my comment section with an invitation to be an as***le.

After roughly 40 comments about how “ugly” my puppy is, including suggestions that I should get a new dog, I have a few things to say.

First, someone should probably tell my 12-month-old imported puppy, who is already working in the blind, that the internet has decided she’s built too badly to walk, let alone work. Apparently, she missed the memo. 😉

“You should get a new dog. She has this, that, and the other wrong with her.”

Respectfully, kick rocks.

I am not getting rid of a dog because strangers don’t like how she looks. My dogs are my companions first, my sport and working partners second, and somewhere waaayyyyy down the list are their potential accomplishments in a conformation ring. Their place in my home is not dependent on a judge’s opinion—or yours.

My goals include health, longevity, stable temperament, working ability, and functional structure. I want dogs who can live full lives and do the work I’m asking of them. I want to train and title beyond a BH/VT. That takes time, commitment, and a hell of a lot of work.

Yes, structure matters. I can acknowledge faults and evaluate a dog honestly without deciding she is worthless. A puppy working today doesn’t answer every question about her future, either. That’s why I intend to keep evaluating my dogs as they mature.

But calling a puppy ugly and telling her owner to replace her is not an educational discussion about structure.

My dogs were imported from Italy with specific pedigree and working goals in mind. I’m interested in what those individual dogs and their families can contribute to my program, including genetic diversity and longevity. An import alone doesn’t guarantee either, just as a championship alone doesn’t answer every question I care about.

I care about cardiac health, hips, appropriate health testing, and the lifespan of the dogs behind a pedigree. I also care about preserving the working qualities that made me fall in love with Dobermans in the first place. Those priorities deserve serious attention.

As for AKC conformation, I will not be pursuing it. I’ve shown three breeds across roughly a dozen AKC shows, and my experiences have repeatedly left me feeling unwelcome. Between the behavior I’ve encountered, the expense, and the time involved, I have no desire to keep investing in that environment.

I would love to see more conversations celebrating Dobermans with accomplishments in both conformation and working sports. I would love a community where people can discuss strengths, faults, health, and breeding goals with some basic respect.

Instead, I keep finding myself deeply conflicted: I love this breed, but interacting with parts of its community makes me want to walk away entirely. I have two Doberman breeder friends I truly value, and I wish that circle felt bigger.

You can have a different breeding goal. You can dislike my dog. You can offer thoughtful criticism respectfully. None of that requires you to be cruel, and none of it gives you authority over whether my dog belongs in my home.

Some of these keyboard warriors could stand to remember there is an actual person, and a very loved dog, on the other side of the screen.

My puppy has training to do. I have goals to work toward. And anyone whose contribution is “your dog is ugly, get another one” can kick rocks straight into the blocked list.

Unless I’m feeling extra spicy that day. 😉

10/23/2026

Showing my working-line dobes against the show-line dobes until the judges see the vision. Health, Working Ability, and Structure.

10/16/2026

Words cannot express how upset I am about Mena’s pregnancy not taking.

We went over to Milan, Italy and picked her and Berlino up at 16 weeks old, they were the cutest little things. Neither of them had an accident the entire 14 hour flight back, they were so good. Mena has always been my crazy girl, crazy drivey and crazy smart! She got her BH/VT at 15 months old, the minimum age for a dog to complete their BH/VT, and she nailed it. She is crazy intense in protection, she loves to heel, we never did a forced retrieve or forced hold, she just picked it up on her own, she is crazy protective of the house, but immediately licks and says hello to anyone that we let in.
She’s never started a fight with any of our other dogs, she knows her place in the pack, she doesn’t bother Magnolia(the queen), and she has been so surprisingly tolerant of Maeve since we brought her home at six months.
She lies next to me when I cook, when I read, when we watch TV, and when we eat dinner despite the lack of exercise or training she has gotten for the day. She isn’t conformationally perfect, she was bred to be a functional working dog, and she is. She could easily get her GPr3 if I wasn’t trying to get her bred, because that takes a lot of time off training when I breed her.

I’ve tried breeding her four times now, every time with progesterone timing. The first time was to an older male(9) via AI, the second was to my male Kronk via AI, the third was to a nice working male that I had semen shipped to us via AI, and the fourth time we did a side by side and a surgical. The next time she comes into heat will be the last time we breed her. We will be attempting a natural breeding and hoping for the best.

Just attempting to breed her alone I have spent over $7,000. That doesn’t include the initial $10,000 of importing her, her weekly training since she was 4 months old, her health testing, or her daily care. I’d estimate I’ve spent close to $30,000 on my sweet girl. And I don’t regret it, but I wanted to show people the bigger picture of breeding. You raise these dogs, learn them, put in thousands of hours of training, put in your heart and soul into them, and at the end of the day they don’t owe you a thing. I would love a puppy from Mena, but at least she is healthy and she is an amazing dog that we have had the pleasure to own.

Magnolia gave me two beautiful litters, but not without the work. Hand raising 8 Doberman puppies every 3 hours from one day old to three weeks old is hard, and I’m not saying physically hard, it is mentally hard as well. No sleep, no rest, just a timer on my phone every 3 hours. I had to sit up and keep the TV on during feedings or I would fall asleep sitting up. I finished the whole 9 seasons of “How I Met your Mother” in three weeks.

I’m not sure I will be continuing breeding Dobermans with the problems I’ve experienced, not because I don’t want to breed Dobermans, but because my heart can’t take any more heartbreak. I had two boys returned from our first litter and that broke my heart. I did my absolute best to put these puppies into appropriate homes. I have Maeve who we may breed once she passes her health testing and BH/VT, but we will see. Right now, I am just happy to have happy, healthy dogs. I added a little video compilation of baby Mena. ❤️

10/15/2026

✂️🥜🐶 WHAT IF WHEN YOU SPAY OR NEUTER YOUR DOG MATTERS JUST AS MUCH AS WHETHER YOU DO IT?

Preventing unwanted litters matters. But is it time to rethink HOW we sterilize dogs? Hormone-sparing procedures, including hysterectomy and vasectomy, can prevent reproduction while preserving natural s*x hormones.

🔬 NEW 2026 PEER-REVIEWED RESEARCH

Over 10 years, researchers reviewed records from 56,254 veterinary patients, including 313 dogs with mast cell tumors and 638 tumor-free comparison dogs. The study was accepted for publication in The Veterinary Journal.

🤯 1. TIMING MATTERS!

Dogs spayed or neutered before age 2 had 343% higher odds of a mast cell tumor diagnosis compared with intact dogs. Dogs sterilized after age 2 showed no statistically significant increase.

🐕 2. SIZE MATTERS!

Compared with small dogs, medium dogs had 2.6 times the odds and large dogs 5.2 times the odds.

⚖️ 3. WEIGHT MATTERS!

Overweight dogs had 80% higher odds than dogs at an ideal weight.

🧬 4. BREED MATTERS!

Compared with mixed-breed dogs, American Pit Bull Terriers had 7.5 times the odds and Boxers 3.9 times. Some breed groups were small.

❤️ 5. WHAT ABOUT SURVIVAL?

Neutering status wasn’t significantly associated with survival after surgery. Tumor grade and size were more important predictors.

🔬 WHY MIGHT HORMONES MATTER?

S*x hormones influence immune function and development. Researchers propose that early hormone removal and changes in luteinizing hormone (LH) may play a role, but this remains unproven.

🐾 THE BIG TAKEAWAY

Preventing unwanted litters doesn’t always mean removing hormone-producing organs. It’s time for individualized conversations with veterinarians about WHEN and HOW we sterilize dogs.

📄 Download the FREE PDF with the latest research surrounding Spay & Neuter Syndrome. Link in comments!

Maeve 12mo ❤️
10/14/2026

Maeve 12mo ❤️

Got teef? Maeve at 12mo.
10/04/2026

Got teef? Maeve at 12mo.

The girls got a SPA DAY 💅🏼🫧 & y’all my PUPPY is in the middle, she’s already bigger than both my other girls! 🫢
10/01/2026

The girls got a SPA DAY 💅🏼🫧 & y’all my PUPPY is in the middle, she’s already bigger than both my other girls! 🫢

09/29/2026

We were all in sync today 👏🏼 Baby’s first time in the blind at 12 months! 🥹

You know what I hate about breeding Doberman? The first question people ask is “Are they European or American?” Nothing ...
09/26/2026

You know what I hate about breeding Doberman? The first question people ask is “Are they European or American?” Nothing about health testing, the parents temperament, or my program. And all of the answers to these questions are very obviously shown on my website. In addition to the #1 question that I get, I also hate that the Doberman breed attract people who just want a dog that “looks cool” or “looks tough”. I’ll admit, I got my first Doberman, Magnolia, for personal protection, but I also put in the time and effort to make sure she was fulfilled and trained correctly.

When I first looked for a breeder I learned how to read pedigrees, read titles, health testing, and reached out to several breeders. I sent out a “dog resume” to multiple breeders and only got a serious response back from Mag’s breeder because I was in college and the breeders immediately thought I couldn’t handle school and a working breed. Spoiler, I could, and did better than 99% of other college dog owners.

I get a lot of puppy applications and the amount that are just straight up terrible is concerning. If you want one of my dogs, you’re going to have to put in the work. If you’re looking for a “calm one” don’t get a Doberman. Doberman are not known for being a “calm” dog breed. If you don’t like barking, don’t get a Doberman. If you have a calm house and hate chaos, don’t get a Doberman puppy.

If you get a puppy from me you *must* be okay with me choosing your puppy, you *must* plan on using a trainer, you *must* plan on staying in contact with me, and you *must* always return the dog rather than rehome it!

That being said, I have gotten some great applications, and I am very thankful for the few I have approved. I am praying Mena’s pregnancy takes and I will be heartbroken if it doesn’t, but I am trying to stay optimistic!

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Greenville, SC

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+13093738204

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