How I love my Dobermann (Doberman Pinscher)

Member Name: sweetpea01

Product:	Doberman Pinscher
Date:	18/05/09 (133 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Great, loyal dogs

Disadvantages: Not for people who don't have time

The Dobermann Pinscher or Dobermann is a breed of dog. Dobermann Pinschers are among the most common of pet breeds, and the breed is well known as an intelligent, alert, and loyal companion dog. Although once commonly used as guard dogs, watch dogs, or police dogs, this is less common today. Many people see dobermanns and instantly think of viscious, dangerous dogs whereas in reality they are incredibly different! They are a superb family dog but are very energetic so need a lot of exercise! They do also love companionship so they should not really be left on their own as they can turn their worry into destroying the house.

Dobermanns were first bred in Germany by Karl Friedrich Louis Dobermann. Dobermann served in the dangerous role of local tax collector and ran the Apolda dog pound. With access to dogs of many breeds, he aimed to create a breed that would be ideal for protecting him during his collections. He set out to breed a new type of dog that, in his opinion, would be the perfect combination of strength, loyalty, intelligence, and ferocity. Later, Otto Goeller and Philip Gruening continued to develop the breed to become the dog that is seen today.

It is said that the breed is believed to have been created from several different breeds of dogs that had the characteristics that Dobermann was looking for, including the Pinscher, the Beauceron, the Rottweiler, the Thuringian Sylvan Dog, the black Greyhound, the Great Dane, the Weimaraner, the German Shorthaired Pointer, the Manchester Terrier and the old German Shepherd Dog. The exact ratios of mixing, and even the exact breeds that were used, remains uncertain to this day.

Kennel club standards describe Dobermann Pinschers as dogs of medium size (however with more breeding the breed now takes on a "large" status), square build and short coat. They are compactly built and athletic with endurance and speed. The Dobermann Pinscher should have a proud, watchful, determined, and obedient temperament. The dog was originally intended as a guard dog so males should have a masculine, muscular, noble appearance females are thinner but should not be spindly.

A dog typically stands between 66 to 72 cm and the female is typically somewhere between 61 to 68 cm. The Dobermann has have a square frame; its length should equal its height to the withers, and the length of its head, neck and legs should be in proportion to its body. Unfortunately the size of the dog contributes to peoples opinions, they see a large dog and are instantly worried, it could a dobermann or even a great dane!!

There are two main colours for Dobermanns, you have the standard black and tan and the liver and tan. With the liver and tan dogs, common skin complaints are quite usual because the fur seems alot courser than the black dogs. To have a liver and tan dog, the bitch will have to carry this certain gene to produce liver puppies. A good gene line to show this is the Amazon bloodline. Black and liver are not the only colours, Fawn (Isabella) and Blue also appear, but are quite rare to see, they are caused by certain diluted genes, which I'm really not going to go into as even I find it quite complicated!! Overall the dobermanns coat is incredibly short which make them perfect house dogs (and for me as mine comes to the horse yard with me!)

Since the docking ban dobermanns are no longer docked in certain countries, however in Southern Ireland you can still get docked dobermanns. There is alot of uproar in the Dobe community about this and alot of breeders have actually stopped breeding in protest. I myself have a docked dobermann, he is 3 and was bought well before the April ban. However, the ban will never stop me having a dobermann, as I love the breed not just the tail (or lack of it!). A dobermanns tail is actually quite long and is quite like a dalmatians tail, the same shape and similar length, if not a bit shorter.

A dobermanns temprament I think is one of the best in the dog world but these wonderful dogs are often stereotyped as agressive, that couldn't be further from the truth. They are incredibly loyal to their owner and to the owner's family, but yet gentle and caring. I have a three year old dobermann who has grown up with cats, horses, adults, children and babies and he dotes on them all. He has such a placid nature that I sometimes forget he is an 8 stone dog! He's a loveable gentle giant which really says something about the breed! He has only once shown aggression and that was to another dog which bound over to him to start a fight, which is only natural for any dog to defend themselves. Towards people he is calm and considerate, when walking he doesn't bother other people or dogs. Dobermanns tend to keep themselves to themselves. Of course if you have a dog from a young age and train it to be a certain way, then it's obviously going to be moulded from an early age. Studies have shown that your more likely to be bitten by a collie or a spaniel than a dobermann and considering most people do not consider these breeds as dangerous like a dobermann, maybe they need to re-think this.

I have to say that I adore this breed, I always have. I had my dobermann from North Wales just under three years ago from a breeder. He is out of the very famous Amazon bloodline and really represents the typical standard of a dobermann. He is black and tan with an amazingly shiney coat. Yes not normally a dog you'd put with a young woman (and it does look a bit weird when I'm out walking him!) but to me he is my baby! He will quite happily follow me around the house all day long and dote on me!

I decided when he was six months old to have his manly operation because I didn't want to breed from him and leaving him intact can cause problems later in life. And also the fact that I take him with me to the yard with me to the horses, there is a public footpath, where many walkers come through with dogs and he is less likely to stray and go after another dog! I have also successfully shown him at companion shows up and down the country, winning many rosettes, especially for Best Pedigree Working Dog and Best Pedigree Junior.

I would recommend a Dobermann to anyone who has the capacity to spend time with the dog, exercise it well and care for it properly. This breed makes a wonderful dog for families or even if your on your own. Loyal and obedient which will care for there owners all day long. I would also advise that new owners (and old doberman owners) take there dog to training classes as it's a great way to socialise the dog and train it various commands to ensure an obedient dog. It would certainly be nice to see these dogs get a better reputation in the near future!

Summary: A greatly overlooked dog