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Doberman Pinscher breed Standard

Doberman Pinscher Club of America

Of all pure breeds, Doberman Pinschers probably could most benefit from a good PR campaign. Typically profiled as vicious, growling creatures with studded collars that guard dark, dangerous places, these dogs are in surprisingly quite affectionate, gentle, and people-oriented animals.

Short History of the Breed

Doberman Pinschers were originally bred over a hundred years ago in Germany as guard dogs. Dobermans evolved from many breeds including Rottweilers, German Pinschers, and Black and Tan Terriers. They were officially recognized as a breed by the in AKC 1908.


Over the years, Dobermans have been used by police and the military as protectors and guard dogs. In recent years, they have also been used as companion animals and as service dogs in hospitals and nursing homes.

Physical Description & Size

Dobermans are elegant, strong, lean, and powerful dogs. The female doberman stands 24-26 inches at the shoulder, idealy 25 1/2. The male stands 26-28 inches at the shoulder, idealy 27 1/2. Bigger is not Better!! A doberman is a medium sized working Dog, not a Giant! Dobermans that are 29+ inches are too big. Be cautious about getting a doberman from a breeder that claims to breed King, Giant, Oversized, Warlocks, Gladiators, Gentle-Giants, Superior or Excelsior Dobermans. Many overly large Dobermans are tagged with one of these phrases. Most important look at the parents! If the Sire and the Dam are too big then your pup will be too. Yes they all need a home, but if you choose to get a puppy that turns into a very large adult, DON"T BREED THEM! This will help curb the prblem on Dobermans that are too large.



These dogs are typified by a muscular build and tall, pointed ears. Doberman puppy ears are cropped in some countries, which creates the distinctive pointed look. If left natural and uncropped, Doberman ears remain flat and resemble hound ears. Some breeders will also dock tails for cosmetic reasons, but this is not necessary. Cropping is illegal in the UK and some other countries. Docking is also illegal in some countries and there are varying opinions on both cropping and docking but done by a licensed veterinarian, it is plastic surgery with all the normal medical supports that any plastic surgery would have.

Coat

The Doberman coat is describe as "Smooth-haired, short, hard, thick and close lying". Invisible gray undercoat on neck permissible, but not on the rest of the body.

Dobermans come in four color combinations, Black & Rust, Red & Rust, Blue & Rust, Fawn (Isabella) & Rust. No Doberman should be a solid color! The blue Doberman is created by a recessive dilution gene in the black Doberman. And the fawn is a recessive gene in the red Doberman. In Germany the Fawns and Blue are not acceptable colors. The Rust markings every doberman should have are triangles on the front of the chest, these should not run together. The muzzle should be rust, but the top (when looking down at it) must still be Black/Red/Fawn/Blue. Thier is also one spot on each cheek that wil be rust this is typicaly a little closer to the ear than the eye is. There should be whiskers growing out of this patch of rust (If they arent clipped for show porposes). The doberman should have small circles of rust above each eye and there is typicaly rust colored hair on the inside of the ears. The underside of the tail and a portion of the butt should be rust colored. The Rust should also be on the front legs and on the rear legs, when looked at the Rust should never reach so high that it is on the body of the dog. On the rear legs the rust may cover the majority of the leg on the inside but not much is visible on the outside.


Aside from a gene that masks natural coloring, Albino Doberman Pinschers are structurally the same as other Dobermans, but sensitive to light and often, almost always have issues with coat problems so are not good "working dogs" and are not recognized by the Doberman Pinscher Club of America for competititve activities. Not only are they not good working dogs they are not sound around other children and dogs, a few are but they are rariteies. It is not just a mutation in coat and skin color it also affects other things too. No member of the DPCA would breed or own a white doberman. The DPCA does rescue them. Often they are marketed as rare or exotic; They are not rare it is a very seriuos mutation that popped up 30-40 years ago. The DPCA has created alist of all Dobermans that carry the White gene THIS DOES NOT MEAN THEY ARE WHITE, only that they are carriers and SHOULD NOT BE BRED. This list is called the Z-List becuase all of the dogs that are carriers or are white have had their registration number marked with a Z.


To view the DPCA Z-List click here

Temperament

Dobermans are fearless, determined, very intelligent, and extremely easy to train. They are intense, energetic, obedient, loyal, and alert. They are also devoted animals that can show tremendous sweetness and touchingly gentle affection for people, including children and the elderly.


The doberman is by heritage a guard dog and will guard those they love naturally. It is actually their physical prowess, fearlessness, protective loyalty, above average alertness, and intelligence that make them naturally good guard dogs.

With proper training and socialization, Dobermans make great pets for families with children and will get along (or at least tolerate) other animals in the household.

Dog Care (exercise, grooming, diet)

Dobermans are sensitive to cold and are best suited as indoor dogs. They do require a fair amount of exercise, however, and do well in homes with large yards for running around. Because of their sensitivity to cold, Dobermans should not be used as outdoor guard dogs in colder climates.


Dobermans are average shedders that require minimal grooming and infrequent baths.

Health Issues, Life Expectancy

Relative to other pure bred dogs, doberman Pinschers are generally healthy dogs. Some health issues common to the breed are hip dysplasia and congenital heart defects. Dobermans can live for more than 13 years with proper care. The larger the dog the shorter the life span and the normally accepted lifespan for a doberman is ten years.

Dobermans in Action

Dobermans can participate in a wide variety of sports including Agilty, Obedience, Rally, Conformation and the new Workind Dog Sport. Agility is a great way to work with your dog, Dobermans are wonderful at it.becuase of Thier athletic Build Dobermans are wonderful Jumpers, and do well in agility and flyball. In both pictures the jump height is 24". The typical height a doberman would jump in AKC agility.

AKC Working Group

Doberman Pinschers are one of several breeds beloning to the Working Group, the Working Group is a group of dogs that had a wide variety of jobs such as guard dog, sled dog, rescue, and other jobs.




All of the following breeds belong to the AKC working Group, they are all linked to their page on the AKC website.

Akita	German Pinscher	Neapolitan Mastiff
Alaskan Malamute	Giant Schnauzer	Newfoundland
Anatolian Shepherd Dog	Great Dane	Portuguese Water Dog
Bernese Mountain Dog	Great Pyrenees	Rottweiler
Black Russian Terrier	Greater Swiss Mountain Dog	Saint Bernard
Boxer	Komondor	Samoyed
Bullmastiff	Kuvasz	Siberian Husky
doberman Pinscher	Mastiff	Standard Schnauzer

Additional Information

• Doberman Pinscher - Online Community & Breed Information
• Doberman Pinscher Online Community - DogBreed.org

See also:

Miniature Pinscher
The Miniature Pinscher is in no way related to a doberman, they do not have the same personality or needs, only the same looks.
Manchester Terrier
The Manchester Terrier also looks similar to the doberman, but is much smaller, comes in two sizes and has a very different temperament.
German Pinscher
The German Pinscher is about 17 inches at the shoulder. This a medium sized dog, but is very rare, only just brought back from the brink of extinction.