The Doberman Pinscher (alternatively spelled Dobermann in many countries) or simply Doberman, is a breed of domestic dog originally developed around 1890 by Karl Friedrich Louis Dobermann. Doberman 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 or police dogs, this is less common today.
In many countries, Doberman Pinschers are one of the most recognizable breeds, in part because of their actual roles in society, and in part because of media attention (see temperament). Careful breeding has improved the disposition of this breed, and the modern Doberman Pinscher is an energetic and lively breed suitable for companionship and family life.
Appearance
Kennel club standards describe Doberman
Pinschers as dogs of medium-large size with a square build and short coat. They
are compactly built and athletic with endurance and speed. The Doberman
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.
Size and proportions
The Doberman is a dog of medium size.
Although the breed
standards vary among kennel and breed clubs, the dog typically
stands between 26 to 28 inches 27.5 being ideal (66 to 72 cm), the
female is typically somewhere between 24 to 26 inches, 25.5 being ideal
(61 to 68 cm). The Doberman has 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.
There are no standards for the weight of the
Doberman Pinscher. The ideal dog must have sufficient size for an optimal
combination of strength, endurance and agility. The male generally weighs
between 75 and 100 pounds (34 and 45 kg) and the female between 60 and 90
pounds (27 and 41 kg).
Color
Traditional "Black and
Tan / Rust" Doberman
An example of one black and
one blue Doberman Pinscher
Two different color genes exist in the
Doberman, one for black (B) and one for color dilution (D). There
are nine possible combinations of these allelles (BBDD, BBDd BbDD BbDd, BBdd,
Bbdd, bbDD, bbDd, bbdd), which result in four different color phenotypes: black, red,
blue, and fawn (Isabella). The traditional and most common color occurs when
both the color and dilution genes have at least one dominant allele (i.e., BBDD, BBDd, BbDD or BbDd),
and is commonly referred to as black or black and rust (also
called black and tan). The red, red rust or brown
coloration occurs when the black gene has two recessive alleles but the dilution
gene has at least one dominant allele (i.e., bbDD, bbDd). "Blue" and
"fawn" are controlled by the color dilution gene. The blue Doberman
has the color gene with at least one dominant allele and the dilution gene with
both recessive alleles (i.e., BBdd or Bbdd). The fawn (Isabella) coloration is
the least common, occurring only when both the color and dilution genes have
two recessive alleles (i.e., bbdd). Thus, the blue color is a diluted black,
and the fawn color is a diluted red.
Expression of the color dilution gene is a
disorder called Color Dilution Alopecia. Although not life threatening, these
dogs can develop skin problems.
In 1976, a "white" Doberman
Pinscher was whelped,] and was
subsequently bred to her son, who was also bred to his litter sisters. This
tight inbreeding continued for some time to allow the breeders to
"fix" the mutation. White dobermans are a cream color with pure white
markings and icy blue eyes. Although this is consistent with albinism, the proper
characterization of the mutation is currently unknown. The animals are commonly
known as tyrosinase-positive albinoids, lacking melanin in oculocutaneous
structures, but no known mutation has been identified.
Tails
Doberman with undocked tail
The Doberman Pinscher's natural tail is
fairly long, but individual dogs often have a short tail as a result of docking, a procedure in
which the majority of the tail is surgically removed shortly after birth.
The practice of docking has been around for
centuries, and is older than the Doberman as a breed. The putative reason for
docking is to ensure that the tail does not get in the way of the dog's work.
Docking has always been controversial. The American
Kennel Club standard for Doberman Pinschers includes a tail docked
near the 2nd vertebra. Docking is a
common practice in North America, Russia and Japan (as well as a number of
other countries with Doberman populations), where it is legal. In many European
countries, docking has been made illegal, and in others it is limited.
Ears
Doberman with natural ears.
Posted doberman ears with
backer rod and tape.
Doberman Pinschers often have their ears
cropped, as do many other breeds, a procedure that is functionally related to
breed type for both the traditional guard duty and effective sound
localization. Like tail docking, ear cropping is illegal in some countries, and
in these pictures Doberman Pinschers have natural ears. Doberman Pinscher ear cropping is usually
done between 7 and 9 weeks of age. Cropping done after 12 weeks has a low rate
of success in getting the ears to stand. Some Doberman Pinscher owners prefer
not to have their pet's ears cropped because they are concerned the procedure
is painful for the animal.
In some countries' conformation shows,
Doberman Pinschers are allowed to compete with either cropped or natural ears.
In Germany a cropped or docked dog cannot be shown regardless of country of
origin. Special written exception to this policy does occur when Germany is the
location for international events.
Temperament
Although they are considered to be working
dogs, Doberman Pinschers are often stereotyped as being ferocious and
aggressive. As a personal protection dog, the Doberman was originally bred for
these traits: it had to be large and intimidating, fearless, and willing to
defend its owner, but sufficiently obedient and restrained to only do so on
command. These traits served the dog well in its role as a personal defense
dog, police dog, or war dog, but were not ideally adapted to a companionship
role. In recent decades, the Doberman Pinscher's size, short coat, and
intelligence made it a desirable house dog. Their aggression has been toned
down by modern breeders over the years, and today's Dobermans are known for a
much more even and good natured temperament, extreme loyalty, high
intelligence, and great trainability.
They can easily learn to 'Respect and
Protect' their owners, and are therefore considered to be excellent guard dogs
that protect their loved ones. They are generally sociable toward humans and
can be with other dogs. However, Dobermans rank among the more-likely breeds to
show aggressive behaviour toward strangers and other dogs, but not among the
most likely to do so. They are very unlikely to show aggressive behaviour
toward their owners.
There is evidence that Doberman Pinschers in
North America have a calmer and more even temperament than their European
counterparts because of the breeding strategies employed by American breeders.
Because of these differences in breeding strategies, different lines of
Doberman Pinschers have developed different traits. Although many contemporary
Doberman Pinschers in North America are gentle and friendly to strangers, some
lines are bred more true to the original personality standard.
Although
the aggressiveness stereotype is less true today, the personality of the
Doberman Pinscher is unique. There is a great deal of scientific evidence that
Doberman Pinschers have a number of stable psychological traits, such as
certain personality factors and intelligence. As early as 1965, studies have
shown that there are several broad behavioral traits that significantly predict
behavior and are genetically determined. Subsequently, there have been numerous
scientific attempts to quantify canine personality
or temperament by using statistical
techniques for assessing personality traits in humans. These studies often vary
in terms of the personality factors they focus on, and in terms of ranking
breeds differently along these dimensions. One such study found that Doberman
Pinschers, compared to other breeds, rank high in playfulness, average in
curiosity/fearlessness, low on aggressiveness, and low on sociability, Another
such study ranked Doberman Pinschers low on reactivity/surgence, and high on
aggression/disagreeableness and openness/trainability.
Intelligence
Two Dobermans
Canine intelligence is an
umbrella term that encompasses the faculties involved in a wide range of mental
tasks, such as learning, problem-solving, and communication. The Doberman
Pinscher has ranked amongst the most intelligent of dog breeds in experimental
studies and expert evaluations. For instance, Psychologist Stanley Coren ranks the
Doberman as the 5th most intelligent dog in the category of obedience
command training, based on the selective surveys he performed of some
trainers (as documented in his book The
Intelligence of Dogs). Additionally, in two studies, Hart and Hart
(1985) ranked the Doberman Pinscher first in this category. and Tortora (1980)
gave the Doberman the highest rank in trainability,[ Although the methods of evaluation differ,
these studies consistently show that the Doberman Pinscher, along with the Border Collie, German Shepherd and
Standard Poodle, is one of the most
trainable breeds of dog.
Aggression
In addition to the studies of canine
personality, there has been some research to determine whether there are breed
differences in aggression. In a recent study, aggression was divided into four
categories: aggression directed at strangers, owner, other strange dogs and
rivalry with other household dogs. This study found that the Doberman Pinscher
ranked relatively high on stranger-directed aggression, but extremely low on
owner-directed aggression. The Doberman Pinscher ranked as average on
dog-directed aggression and dog rivalry. Looking only at bites and attempted
bites, Doberman Pinschers rank as far less aggressive towards humans, and show
less aggression than many breeds without a reputation (e.g., Cocker Spaniel, Border Collie and Great Dane). This study
concluded that aggression has a genetic basis, that the Doberman shows a
distinctive pattern of aggression depending on the situation, and that
contemporary Doberman Pinschers are not an aggressive breed overall.
Although recent studies do not rank Doberman
Pinschers as the most aggressive breed, their size, strength and aggression
towards strangers makes them potentially dangerous.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, between
1979 and 1998, the Doberman Pinscher was involved in attacks on humans
resulting in fatalities less frequently than several other dog breeds such as pit bull-type dogs, German
Shepherd Dogs, Rottweilers,
Husky-type, Wolf-dog hybrids and Alaskan Malamutes.
According to
this Center for Disease Control and Prevention
study, one of the most important factors contributing to dog bites are related
to the level of responsibility exercised by dog owners.
Health
The Dobermans lifespan is about 10-11 years,
on average. but they may suffer from a
number of health concerns. Common serious health problems include dilated
cardiomyopathy, cervical vertebral instability (CVI),
von
Willebrand's disease (a bleeding disorder for which genetic testing
has been available since 2000; the test enables both parents of a prospective
litter to be tested for the carrier gene, thus preventing inheritance of the
disease ). and prostatic disease. Less
serious common health concerns include hypothyroidism and hip
dysplasia. Studies have shown that the Doberman Pinscher suffers
from prostatic diseases, (such as bacterial prostatiti, prostatic cysts,
prostatic adenocarcinoma, and benign hyperplasia) more than any other breed.
Neutering can significantly reduce these risks (see Dog for information).
Dilated cardiomyopathy is a major cause of
death in Doberman Pinschers. This disease affects Dobermans more than any other
breed. Nearly 40% of DCM diagnoses are for Doberman Pinschers, followed by
German Shepherds at 13%. Research has shown that the breed is affected by an attenuated
wavy fiber type of DCM that affects many other breeds, as well as an
additional, fatty infiltration-degenerative type that appears to be
specific to Doberman Pinscher and Boxer breeds. This serious disease is likely
to be fatal in most Doberman Pinschers affected.
Across multiple studies, more than half of
the Doberman Pinschers studied develop the condition. Roughly a quarter of
Doberman Pinschers who developed cardiomyopathy died suddenly from unknown
causes, and an additional fifty percent died of congestive
heart failureIn addition to being more prevalent, this disease is
also more serious in Doberman Pinschers. Following diagnosis, the average
non-Doberman has an expected survival time of 8 months; for Doberman Pinschers,
the expected survival time is less than 2 months. Although the causes for the
disease are largely unknown, there is evidence that it is a familial disease
inherited as an autosomal
dominant trait. Investigation into the genetic causes of canine DCM
may lead to therapeutic and breeding practices to limit its impact
History
Dobermann Pinscher, 1909
Doberman Pinschers were first bred in the
town of Apolda, in the German state of Thuringia around 1890,
following the Franco-Prussian
War 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, which took him through many
bandit-infested areas. He set out to breed a new type of dog that, in his
opinion, would be the perfect combination of strength, speed, endurance,
loyalty, intelligence, and ferocity. Later, Otto Goeller and Philip Gruening
continued to develop the breed to become the dog that is seen today.
Dobermann Pinscher, 1915
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 German Pinscher, the Beauceron, the Rottweiler, the Thuringian
Sylvan Dog, the 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, remain uncertain to this day, although many experts
believe that the Doberman Pinscher is a combination of at least four of these
breeds. The single exception is the documented crossing with the Greyhound and
Manchester Terrier. It is also widely believed that the old German Shepherd gene
pool was the single largest contributor to the Doberman breed. Philip Greunig'sThe
Dobermann Pinscher (1939), is considered the foremost study of the
development of the breed by one of its most ardent students. Greunig's study
describes the breed's early development by Otto Goeller, whose hand allowed the
Doberman to become the dog we recognize today.
After Dobermann's death in 1894, the Germans
named the breed Dobermann-pinscher in his honor, but a half century later
dropped the pinscher on the grounds that this German word for terrier was no
longer appropriate. The British did the same a few years later.
During World War II, the United States Marine Corps adopted the Doberman Pinscher as
its official War Dog, although the Corps
did not exclusively use this breed in the role.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doberman_Pinscher
