Rehoming guide
How to rehome your Dobermann
Checked 6 October 2026
The short answer
Needing a new home for your Dobermann is nothing to be ashamed of. Dobermann Rescue Ltd puts it simply: "We never judge anyone for making the responsible decision to give up their Dobermann." The right adopter is someone ready for a large, high-energy dog, so describe your Dobermann honestly, including their exercise needs and how they are with other dogs.
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Why Dobermanns end up needing a new home
Dobermann rescues describe a steady flow of dogs. Lincs Dobermann Rescue says it supports "a constant stream, and seemingly increasing number of Dobies in need of new homes", and Dobermann Rescue Ltd says "sometimes people's circumstances change and they can no longer look after their dog". Neither puts a number on it or gives one main reason.
The breed asks a lot of a household. The Royal Kennel Club lists the Dobermann as large, needing more than two hours of exercise a day and suiting a large house with a large garden. Dogs Trust describes Dobermanns as typically high-energy dogs that need daily walks, time to explore and play, training and daily enrichment. When work, health or family life changes, that can be hard to keep up.
None of this makes your dog a problem, or you a bad owner. It usually means the match didn’t fit, and a careful rehoming fixes exactly that.
What to tell adopters about your Dobermann
Exercise and space. Say how much exercise your Dobermann gets now and what home they are used to. The Royal Kennel Club lists more than two hours a day, and Dogs Trust says training and daily enrichment matter as much as the walks.
Other dogs and new situations. Dogs Trust says Dobermann temperaments vary: some enjoy new experiences such as meeting other dogs, and others need to take things slower. Tell adopters which your dog is, and how they behave with visitors and on busy walks.
Cropped ears or a docked tail. If your Dobermann came to you cropped or docked, say so and explain how. Dogs Trust calls ear cropping and tail docking painful, unnecessary procedures, and the Pet Advertising Advisory Group says pet advert websites should ban adverts for ear-cropped dogs, so a breed rescue may be the better route for a cropped dog.
Health and vet records. The Royal Kennel Club asks breeders to DNA test for von Willebrand disease (vWD1) and, as best practice, for DINGS2, and to hip score. Pass on any test results, your dog's vet records and anything you know about their health.
Dobermann rescues that take owners’ dogs
Both rescues below assess dogs before accepting them and say they can't take every one. Dobermann Rescue Ltd also asks owners to contact their dog's breeder first if they can.
Dobermann Rescue Ltd (UK)dogs · Most of the UK, divided into areas
Contact your dog's breeder first if you can, then fill in its online surrender form; it will then make an appointment for you to bring your dog to its kennels. It asks for a non-returnable donation, and may not accept a dog that is "very aggressive to people or other dogs".
Lincs Dobermann Rescue (UK)dogs · UK mainland; kennels in Lincolnshire and the North West
Start with its rehoming request form, which asks for photo ID. Every dog is assessed in its current home, and it says that "While we can't always accept every dog, we assess each case individually".
National charities that take any breed
Dogs Trustdogs
Two routes: Homestay, where your dog stays with you while Dogs Trust finds a new home (it says Homestay dogs "generally find a new home within two weeks"), or a kennel or foster place, which "could take a few weeks". Giving up a dog to Dogs Trust is free, and it aims to reply within 72 hours. Start with a call on 0300 303 2188 or its online form.
Blue Crossdogs, cats, rabbits
Home Direct keeps your pet with you while Blue Cross finds a new owner. That is "the quickest way", it says, because space in its own kennels, cattery and small pet units "is very limited". It takes dogs, cats, rabbits and small pets. Call pet admissions on 0300 777 1960 or use its online form.
Should you charge a rehoming fee?
You can ask for a rehoming fee, paid at the handover after the adopter has met your pet, and never as a deposit beforehand. PAAG's worry with "free to good home" adverts is that people may take an animal on impulse and that a free advert "may devalue an animal" (PAAG). A fee does make the handover a sale, though, so animals can't go to anyone under 16 and you should be honest about your pet's health.
How listing your Dobermann on LocalPetFinder works
- Fill in the free listing form. Photos, age, health, how your dog is with children and other animals, and an honest description. It takes about ten minutes, and your dog stays at home with you.
- A person checks it, usually within a day, before it goes live.
- Your Dobermann appears next to rescue dogs on the Dobermanns pages for your city (Ashford, Barnsley, Barrow-in-Furness, Bath and North East Somerset, Belfast, Birmingham, Blackpool, Bolton, Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole, Bradford, Brighton and Hove, Bristol, Bury St Edmunds, Canterbury, Cardiff, Carlisle, Chelmsford, Cheltenham, Chester, Chesterfield, Chippenham, Colchester, Coventry, Crawley, Darlington, Derby, Doncaster, Dover, Dumfries and Galloway, Durham, Eastbourne, Edinburgh, Exeter, Falmouth, Folkestone, Glasgow, Gloucester, Grantham, Great Yarmouth, Guildford, Hartlepool, Hayle, Huddersfield, Ipswich, Kendal, Kidderminster, Kingston upon Hull, Lancaster, Leeds, Leicester, Lincoln, Liverpool, Llanelli, London, Lowestoft, Luton, Maidstone, Manchester, Mansfield, Margate, Middlesbrough, Milton Keynes, Newcastle upon Tyne, Newport, Newquay, North East Lincolnshire, Northampton, Norwich, Nottingham, Oxford, Penrith, Peterborough, Plymouth, Portsmouth, Preston, Reading, Rotherham, Scunthorpe, Sheffield, Sleaford, Solihull, Southampton, Southport, Spalding, St. Helens, Stockport, Stoke-on-Trent, Sunderland, Swansea, Torbay, Truro, Wakefield, Walsall, Warrington, Watford, Wellingborough, Wigan, Wirral, Wolverhampton, Worcester, Worthing, Wrexham, York), marked as listed by the owner.
- You choose. Adopters message you through LocalPetFinder, so your email and phone number stay private. You decide who to meet and who takes your dog, and you hand over in person.
We take listings from owners anywhere in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. In Northern Ireland the new owner needs a dog licence before they take a dog, so ask to see it before the handover.
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Start your free listing →Before the handover: the must-dos
The microchip has to be transferred
In England, Scotland and Wales a dog can't be passed to a new keeper until it's microchipped, and the new keeper must update the database (England, Scotland, Wales); in Scotland the keeper's own details must also be correct before the handover. In England the same applies to cats, while in Scotland and Wales chipping a cat is optional. Check the chip is on a government-approved database and do the transfer at the handover.
No deposits, no couriers
Never ask for, or accept, money before an adopter has met your pet in person, and hand over face to face. A request for a deposit is the classic sign of a pet scam, and on LocalPetFinder it gets a listing taken down.
Banned dog types can’t be rehomed at all
It's against the law in England, Scotland and Wales to give away a banned dog. In England and Wales it's illegal to "rehome, sell, buy, or transfer ownership of an XL Bully" (gov.uk: England and Wales). In Scotland, since 23 February 2024 it has been illegal to sell, advertise, gift or exchange an XL Bully, Scottish guidance says it is unlawful to "sell, give away or rehome an XL Bully" (gov.scot), and since 1 August 2024 it has been an offence to own one without an exemption certificate. If you think your dog could be an XL Bully, don't list it.
Adopters must be adults, and you must be honest
Adopters must be 18 or over, and the listing must be accurate about health, behaviour, and whether your pet is good with children, dogs and cats. A good match is the one that lasts.
Rehoming your Dobermann: your questions
Tap a question to expand
Will a Dobermann rescue take my dog?
They will consider it, but neither rescue we found can promise a place. Lincs Dobermann Rescue assesses every dog at home and says it can't always accept every dog, and Dobermann Rescue Ltd may turn down a dog that is very aggressive to people or other dogs. Contact both, and be honest about your dog's behaviour.
My Dobermann has cropped ears. Can I still rehome them?
Yes. A cropped dog still deserves a good home, and it isn't the dog's fault. Dogs Trust says Dobermanns naturally have floppy ears and a long tail. The Pet Advertising Advisory Group says pet advert websites should ban adverts for ear-cropped dogs, so a breed rescue may be the better route, and adopters should be told how the cropping came about.
What health information should I give a new owner?
Everything you have. The Royal Kennel Club asks Dobermann breeders to test for von Willebrand disease and DINGS2 and to hip score, so pass on any results along with your dog's vet records. If you don't know whether your dog was tested, say that too.
Related guides
Rehoming where you live
Rehoming guides for other dog breeds
Sources: The Royal Kennel Club: Dobermann · Dogs Trust: Doberman · Pet Advertising Advisory Group: advertising standards · Dobermann Rescue: Giving up your dog · Lincs Dobermann Rescue: How rehoming works · Lincs Dobermann Rescue