Other names/Nicknames:
- Dobermann
Country/Date of origin:
- Germany
- 1800′s
Height:
- Females: 24 to 26 inches
- Males: 26 to 28 inches
Weight:
- 68 to 88 pounds
Personality:
- This dog looks and acts like an aristocrat.
- Loving and loyal to its master, but offers a challenge to strangers on its territory.
- An alert watchdog with natural guarding qualities.
- Quick in mind and body.
- Can become hyperactive if deprived of vigorous exercise every day.
- Males can be aggressive with other dogs.
- If you are not a dominant person, obedience training can be a struggle with this large, dominant dog.
History:
In the 1870′s, a German tax collector named Louis Dobermann wanted a dog to accompany him on his rounds. He needed a dog as alert, protective, and intelligent as the German Shepherd Dog but with the grace and agility of a terrier. The breed he created twenty years later was named after him. He had achieved his goal. By blending dogs such as the Rottweiler, German Pinscher, and Black and Tan Terrier he got a smart guard dog with a fearless nature. The Doberman Pinscher made its debut in American show circles in 1921. Today, it is among the top twenty most popular breeds in the United States.
Body Type:
- Sleek, well-muscled, and elegant in appearance.
- Hanging ears are cropped to an erect point in the United States.
- Tail is docked short.
Coat:
- Short, fine, close lying coat.
- Permissible colors are black, deep red, blue, or fawn.
- All colors with sharply defined rust markings above each eye, on muzzle, throat, forechest, legs, feet, and below tail.
- Requires minimal grooming.
Health and Wellness:
- Hip dysplasia.
- Autoimmune thyroid disease.
- Gastric dilatation and volvulus syndrome (GDV, also commonly called Bloat).
- Color dilution alopecia.
- von Willebrand’s disease.
- Juvenile glomerulonephropathy.
- Dominance aggression.
- Immunodeficiency (neutrophil function defect).
- Congenital deafness.
- Metabolic bone disease.
- Follicular dysplasia.
- Cervical vertebral instability (Wobbler’s syndrome).
- Chronic hepatitis.
- Cardiomyopathy.
- Demodicosis.
- Pemphigus foliaceus.
- Acral lick dermatitis.
- Melanoma.
- Osteosarcoma (appendicular).
What you should know:
- In the United States, the breed name is spelled with one “n” at the end. Elsewhere, it has a double “n” as in the name of Louis Dobermann (the breed’s creator).
- Dobermans have had bad press, not entirely undeserved. Overbreeding, which is usually synonymous with poor breeding, left a superb working dog with a multitude of physical and temperament problems. These have been significantly improved in the past few decades.
- Not suggested for families with limited space.
