I had a post all written up, but it was disjointed and kind of random.... so I'll try again.
To answer your specific questions:
What can you tell me about their overall personality?
They're not velcro... they're
tumors... they want to be touching their owners at all times. They will follow you from room to room, constantly pay attention to see where you're going to go next. When you sit down, you've got every Doberman you own instantly in your lap. (Mine even pile up on top of each other so they can all be as close to me as possible.)
They're intuitive and empathetic, sometimes to a fault. Dobermans were created for personal protection, so their connection to their owner is quite strong. They are highly devoted to their owners, so if you sully that relationship by treating them too harshly.... you create a rift in that relationship that takes a lot of work to fix.
The girls are more serious, whereas the boys seem to be more sensitive and sweet... but not in a gentle way! The Doberman has been said to possess "the heart and soul of a gentleman" - even as puppies. Doberman puppies are crazy and fun, but they are also wise and respectful beyond measure. I've never seen such innate respect and understanding from any other dog I've encountered.
What can you tell me about their overall trainability?
They're very smart and learn quickly if you train them right, but they are not a breed that is very forgiving of training error. If they feel as if they're being treated unfairly, they will not work for you.... I've seen several breeds that cannot seem be overcorrected... Dobermans are not one of them.
If you train too harshly, a Doberman won't be afraid of your or get mad at you - the Doberman will simply say, "well F**k you then" and won't work with you. On the flip side, if you're too soft with a Doberman they'll realize they can outsmart you... and then you have a problem. They read emotions well, so you have to be confident and kind... faking it won't fool a Doberman.
Dobes are versatile dogs - they'll try their best at everything you throw at them... except maybe swimming!
If we go to a breeder, what specifically should I look out for?
HEALTH TESTING! Health testing health testing health testing. With a scant few exceptions, you want to be seeing fully health tested parents - hips, elbows, thyroid, vwd and a recent holter are
my personal bare minimum. Throw in CERF, bile acid and the WSU cardio gene test and I'm a happy camper.
In my opinion, the #1 thing you need to worry about is health testing. Everything else comes second.
As for titles... it depends on what you want to do with your dog. Contrary to popular belief, Dobermans from "show" breeders can and do train/title successfully in protection sports. Your standard North American show-bred Doberman is where you'd probably want to go if you want an extremely versatile companion.... especially if you want to do Agility. Most Agility dobermans you see are bitches, and most are from show breeders.
Do not confuse "European" with "working", and always remember that a Doberman is supposed to be a medium-sized and moderate breed - they're not supposed to look like mastiff crosses - that's all I'll say on
that.
should i be worried about smaller pets?
You should be vigilant and train the dog to leave small pets alone, but I won't say that having Dobermans and cats is impossible.
Dobes do have a healthy dose of prey drive, some more than others, so if you get a puppy you need to keep on them about leaving smaller pets alone. Adults, it's best to get one that has been tested on small animals.
will i become addicted and if so is there help for that? anything else?
If they're the type of breed that meshes with your personality,
yes - you'll become hopelessly addicted and there is
no cure. Nor should there be.
A few parting thoughts...
1. If you get a dog in North America from a responsible breeder, it'll be cropped and docked unless there's a one-in-a-milion fluke. Get used to the idea. (1:1,000,000 Fluke = my breeder has a puppy right now that can't be cropped due to an ear injury - so he'll stay natural.)
2. If you want to excel in Agility, get a bitch. Not saying the boys don't do well, but to be truly competitive IMO you need a bitch. There's a reason why most of the top Agility dobes (and every T20 Agility winner in the past decade) are girls.
3. Dog aggression. Expect it in males, no matter how much you try to train it out. If you have multiple males (irregardless of age, neuter status and breed) expect to crate 'n' rotate. Same sex DA is less common in bitches, but when it does happen it's 100x worse than the boys.
4. Dobermans are expensive.... breeders charge $2000-$3000.
5. I'm sure someone will mention the longevity program. Keep in mind that just because a breeder's dogs aren't on the list, that doesn't mean their dogs aren't long-lived. There's politics in everything.... hint hint.
Oh, and because this thread is useless without a photo or two....