Dogger, who was born in Amsterdam, was a highly ranked junior, the national champion in multiple age levels growing up.

[3] At the age of 16 he played in an exhibition tournament in Ede which included a match against Ivan Lendl where he was competitive in a 4–6, 4–6 loss.

[4] Only days after turning 17 in 1988, he became one of the youngest players to win a Challenger tournament when he claimed the title at Oporto.

[1] In the same month he represented the Netherlands in a 1988 Davis Cup tie against the USSR in the Latvian resort town of Jūrmala.

[1][4] His father Fred, a former top three player in the Netherlands, suffered from multiple sclerosis and in 1996 chose euthanasia to end his life.