This month we have two featured Dobermans who share their home and their Instagram feed with foster dogs in need. Not only do you get to learn a little bit about their life, but we've also teamed up with them to offer you a giveaway from our shop. Read all about them, then find out how to enter below.

Names: Blue Deuce (handsome black boy) & Athena (pretty blue girl)

How you might know them? These two are famous from their well known Instagram page, aptly named DobermanDuo.

Birthdays:  Athena just turned three in December. Because of her past circumstances her actual birth date is unknown so she gets to celebrate on December 29th. Blue Deuce will be turning two on his birthday June 22nd, which he shares with his owner Taylor.

Where in the world do they call home?  These two reside in a little old town in eastern South Carolina, not very far from North Myrtle Beach.

Have they grown up together? Blue Deuce has grown up with Athena but Athena was over one and a half when we got Blue Deuce. It's kind of like an older sister and younger brother. She was very confused at first when we got him but now they're inseparable.

What are their favorite treats? Raw steak! Blue is allergic to 90% of treats I've tried so far.

What are their absolute favorite toys? They are more into bones than they are toys but Athena loves anything you can play tug with. Blue loves a good old fashion Kong.
 
How did you go about training them? Athena was sent to a trainer after my father died because she developed some problems with grief and the method they used was an e-collar which worked really well. Blue Deuce has been strenuously trained by me since he was a puppy. When he was 7 months old, he was sent to live with a service dog trainer for 10 days. I am in school to be a trainer so I upkeep his training and he is working his way towards being an Anxiety Alert dog. Blue Deuce was trained with an e-collar but has now moved along to positive reinforcement. 

What trick are you most proud of? I'm a fan of Bang Bang where they both drop dead! Blue has such a dramatic death.
 
What does dinner time look like? The duo are raw fed. They take vitamin supplements and protein as well.

What is most special about each of them? The most special thing about Athena Kiara is probably how far she's come. She came from an abusive backyard breeder or puppy mill and has blossomed into a dog who is social, loving, and very different from when we got her. Her eyes are so gorgeous and unique and I could just stare into them all day. The most special thing about Blue Deuce is that he is so bonded with me, he knows when I'm feeling bad. I haven't had a very good year and he is always there for me. He just knows. His floppy ear makes him so unique. Of course, it's my fault for not posting long enough but I'm glad I didn't because it's become his trademark! 

What is your favorite thing about having two dobermans?  Definitely always feeling loved and safe. Who's going to break into a house if they see Blue Deuce and Athena standing there staring at them? 

Have you always had Dobermans? Athena was my first doberman. My mother and father had owned one named Buckshot. He was a red male. I heard stories about him everyday and they really wanted another. After Athena, I was hooked. 

What is your favorite thing about the Doberman breed? My favorite thing about dobermans is that they are so loyal and never leave my side. Even off leash, my dogs aren't worried about sniffing around or chasing a bird. They just want to be doing whatever I am doing.

And now it's time for a giveaway! It's easy to enter to win any item you want from Doberman Pride.

-Head to our shop and find your favorite thing, then post it your Instagram feed with the hashtag #dobermanduopride. 

-Be sure to follow @dobermanpride and @dobermanduo on Instagram.

-You can repost the flier above on your Instagram for an extra entry too. Winner will be selected at random from all hashtags. Giveaway ends 1/11/15 at 11:59 PST.

How to be featured: We accept nominations for Featured Dobermans. So email us at info@dobermanpride.com with your favorite Dobies and we'll get in contact with their owners. Let us know why you are nominating them, their Instagram or Facebook name, or simply a way to contact their family. Open to all Dobermans, worldwide!

This month is extra special because instead of one, we have TWO amazing Dobermans to feature. When we launched this blog series last month we received an overwhelming response of people nominating awesome Dobermans all over the world. Boss and Kyra were repeatedly nominated by so many emails that they clearly had to be the next Dobermans featured. These two share a deep bond that is evident in every picture their human captures.

Have they grown up together? Yes absolutely; Kyra has been with Boss since she arrived home at the young age of 5 weeks. I think that's part of the reason why she is so dependant on him. 

What is most special about their friendship? The most special thing about their friendship is the way she constantly looks for Boss as her role model. On the other hand, it's amazing how she knows the exact recipe to handle Boss in all situations. If Boss has a toy and is chewing on it, then she knows what approach to make. Despite Boss growling and showing his teeth, she knows how to submit to him and slowly steal the toy with no difficulty at all. 

Perhaps a friendship which i think has something absolutely special is the one between Boss and Contino (my showjumping horse). This relationship does have a special bond and an amazing communication. Boss has been with Contino since he turned 4 months and went to the club. Since then, their way of communicating and understanding of each other has just developed in an outstanding manner. 

What training methods do you use? I've always used a positive reinforcement training method. Boss has been trained by myself with the clicker and with common treat training. Kyra mostly with treats. However, with respect to daily routines and education, i used the Cesar Millan "How to raise the perfect puppy" book and had amazing results. 

What is most special about each of them? Everyone that meets Boss says he has something special in his way of being. If I have to define his "special' attributes then I would say its related to his way of taking on every activity. He is always this confident guy that walks by making sure everyone looks at him. She loves to be the center of attention and will perform mostly every trick when people is around. Then his instincts and confidence around Contino makes it look as if he had some special "thing" that conquers horses. So, in general, Boss is just unique in his character. 

In Kyra's case its special how she shows her lady manners to everybody that meets her. Also, she is special in the high dependance she has on Boss. It's amazing to see how she demands him to lead her way into most activities. So, in general terms, Kyra's uniqueness comes with her lady way of being. 

What is your favorite thing about having two dobermans? Being able to enjoy the majesty of the breed and having the chance to watch their interactions on a daily basis is just amazing! And i secretly enjoy how everybody is impressed by their presence when i walk on the streets. I feel absolutely protected and super safe!

Have you always had Dobermans? Yes! Up till now i've had 3 Dobermans and my mother had 2 more Dobies before those. 

What is your favorite thing about the breed? The amazing bond they form with their owner. I think it's a unique aspect of the breed how they connect with you and are always loyal and ready to stand up for their pack leaders. 

What is your most commonly asked question about them on Instagram? I have been asked various times whether they are going to be bred.The answer is yes, once. Then Kyra will be sterilized. On the other hand, I'm also asked whether Boss has always been good with Contino and if they always got along well. The answer is yes, he's always had this confidence and special feeling around horses and specially with Contino. 

Can't get enough of these two?! You can find follow their adventures over on their Instagram feed.

Today we launch a blog series to showcase YOUR awesome Dobermans. It's no secret that we love Dobies, and if you're here we can pretty firmly guess you do too, which is why we want to feature a Doberman every month and let you in on all the fun facts about that dog.

As an honorary spokes dog for the Doberman Pinscher Club of America we could think of no better dog to kick off our feature series than handsome Buddha. Read on to get the inside scope from his mom on Buddha's training, favorite things, and what makes him so special.

Name: Buddha

How you might know him? Buddha is the furry half of the beloved Cutie and the Beast duo.

Birthday: Feb 25, 2013 

How did you train Buddha?  We used positive clicker training. When he first came to us I had a bag of his daily food ration doled out in my fanny pack and would click and treat for any positive behavior. This included the obvious ones like relieving himself outside or simple ones like eye contact. Even though he is a naturally more mellow Doberman, he still had his puppy friskiness that we toned down by giving him treats (without the excitable click of the clicker) when he was calm and being quiet. Buddha earned his meals throughout the day this way.

Once he got older, we realized that he wasn't very food driven, and we had to look around for something that he could really work for. We discovered the Glow-In-The-Dark large Kong ball. Buddha will do anything for that ball and responds exceptionally fast. Buddha, smart boy that he is, skipped beginner's puppy classes and jumped into the intermediate level where we basically practiced what he already knew in a very distracting environment. We also did some Agility groundwork that he did amazing in, but because of Panosteitis (bone inflammation in fast growing large dogs) we took a break from it. Buddha and I still train every day, even if it's only for a minute or two, and he get's his food for "free" at the end of the day these days. 

Can't get enough of Buddha?! You can find him co-starring alongside his tiny human over at @cutieandthebeast on Instagram, Facebook, and on their website. 

About featured Doberman: Because we love Dobermans so much, each month we feature a rad Doberman and highlight all the awesome things about that dog that make him special to his family. 

How to be featured: We accept nominations for Featured Dobermans. So email us at info@dobermanpride.com with your favorite Dobies and we'll get in contact with their owners. Let us know why you are nominating them, their Instagram or Facebook name, or simply a way to contact their family. Open to all Dobermans, worldwide!