The Doberman Pinscher

A few words that would describe the dog breed would be: alert, agile, watchful, sensitive, hard-working, fearless, loyal and obediant.  Doberman is a domestic dog breed in the United States. Among the top smartest canine breeds in the world, the Doberman Pinscher is breathtakingly perceptive, intuitive, and sensitive. Properly trained and socialized, your Doberman won’t just place itself between you and a visible threat. As owner after owner can attest, your Doberman will anticipate that threat to you and your child, sometimes in uncanny ways (https://www.dpca.org/)

History:

The Doberman Pinscher is a medium-large domestic dog breed.  The Doberman is known as a man-made dog (http://www.tegratadobermanns.com/the-doberman/the-history-of-the-doberman)  The Doberman breed originated in the state of Thuringia, Germany by Karl Friedrich Louis Dobermann.  Mr. Dobermann was a tax collegcot in area and also in charge of keeping stray dogs in the pound.  Due to carrying around money, Mr. Dobermann wanted a dog that was intelligent, intimidating and average built.  The dog would have stamina, be alert, and show aggression.  Mr. Dobermann used a couple of different dog breeds to achieve this goal. The Rottweiler and Beauceron were two breeds that were in the area and said to be used by Mr. Doberman.  The new breed was known was the Doberman Pinscher.

The breed took a hit during both world wars but did survive.  In the beginning, the breed was valued for its aggressive and was used primarily used for guard work, military policing, and with the police.   

The Doberman Pinscher entered the United States around the early 1900’s.  The Doberman Pinscher Club of America was formed in the 1920’s.  The Doberman Pinscher Club of America (DPCA) is a national nonprofit organization.  IT has 2,000 members and is a member of the American Kennel Club (AKC).  The main objective of the DPCA is to encourage and promote purebred Dobermans (https://www.dpca.org/).

The American Kennel Club was founded in 1884, the AKC is the recognized and trusted expert in breed, health, and training information for the dogs. AKC actively advocates for responsible dog ownership and is dedicated to advancing dog sports (https://www.akc.org/).  The Doberman Pinscher is ranked 17 out of 195 for  being popular breed.  Doberman’s are classified in the working class.

Looks:

Dobermans are compact medium-large dogs.  The dogs are muscular, fast, and powerful.  They stand between 24 to 28 inches and weigh between 65-90 pounds.  Dobermans lifespan is 10 to 12 years.  The coat of a Doberman is short and smooth and only require a bath at least once a month and nail trimmings should be done frequently. A Doberman’s coloring are black, dark red, blue or fawn with rust-colored marking on the face, body and tail.  Doberman’s has typically a long head and a sleek, muscular body.  The ears are often cropped to stand erect, and the tail is usually docked short.

Temperament:

A Doberman is an intelligent guardian.  They are always alert and ready to protect.  Doberman pinschers are considered people-oriented dogs that are affectionate and sweet with people, if socialized and trained properly. They are loyal to their owners and are good with children if raised with them; however, some Dobermans bond only to one person (https://www.hillspet.com/dog-care/dog-breeds/doberman).  Dobermans require exercise, otherwise they can become irritable.  Dobermans are recommended to go through obedience training as a puppy.  Dobermans respond well to positive reinforcement and are known for wanting to please his or her owners.

Health Concerns:

Dobermans are generally healthy but there could be some health concerns.  A few major health concerns are von Willebrand's Disease, Dilated Cardiomyopathy, and Wobbler Syndrome.  Von Willebrand’s Disease is a bleeding disease that could occur in Dobermans.  von Willebrand's affects the ability of the dog's blood platelets to function normally. Dilated Cardiomyopathy is a heart disease that causes a Doberman’s heart to become enlarged.  Most Dobermans are not diagnosed with Dilated Cardiomyopathy until it is too late.  A few symptoms of Dilated Cardiomyopathy are irregular heartbeat, racing heartbeat, coughing, wheezing, shortness of breath, fatigue, weight loss, and fluid buildup in the lungs and abdomen.  Wobbler syndrome is a neurologic disease of dogs that affects their spine in the neck region.  Wobbler Syndrome is characterized by a dog with a “wobbly” gait mostly in the back end (thus the name “wobblers”). This wobbly gait may only be visible in slippery floors and when the dog walks slowly. They may walk with their head down, which is usually a sign of pain. In the more advanced stages of the disease the problems become obvious in all four legs, and they may have trouble getting up, appear very weak, and even “buckle over” with the front legs. Approximately 5% of dogs with wobblers may become acutely paralyzed in all four legs (https://vet.osu.edu/wobbler-syndrome).

American Doberman vs European Doberman

What is the difference between an European Dobermann verse a Doberman Pinscher? Dobermans originally came from Europe so all Dobermans should be the same. That is where learning about the two different breeds comes handy. There is a main difference between the two. The main difference is the name itself. The American version is known as the Doberman Pinscher. In Europe, it is just Dobermann. They have dropped Pinscher from the name and have added an extra letter to the end of Dobermann as a reference to the person who created the breed.

In America, the Doberman Pinscher is known to be gentle, loving and sensitive. The Doberman is considered a family dog. In Europe, the Dobermann is primarily used for protection, working sport, and law enforcement. The European Dobermann is less prone to genetic defects. The other difference is how the breed looks. The Doberman Pinscher is slimmer, more sleek looking; whereas, the Dobermann has a thicker neck and is more stockier. The Dobermann is more muscular. The temperaments between the two are opposite. They are both easy to train but the Dobermann is considered a working dog that is easy to train with a high drive. The Doberman Pinscher responds well to positive training with a medium drive and is increasingly more confident when faced with situations.