Doberman Puppies Blog

A little history of the Doberman through the ages as seen through the eyes of the artist: Douglas Rickard.

I find that many people are not clued up about the actual size availability of a Doberman.

Some people look for “King? Dobermans…

There is no such thing as a ?King? Doberman. Or a ?Superior? or ?Excelsior? Doberman either. These terms refer to nothing more than an oversized Doberman. Dobermans are medium-sized, agile dogs and they must be able to perform the job they were bred to do. Perhaps if one is looking for a 32-inch tall (or larger dog), than one should choose a larger breed.

Some people on the other hand look for Miniature Doberman Pinchers…

Again, there is no such thing as a miniature Doberman. Most people think (and hope?) that the miniature pinscher (Min Pin) - also a native German breed that has been known in that country for over 300 years- is actually a smaller, miniaturized version of the Doberman. Sorry, it really is another breed altogether! . The miniature pinscher is 10-12?” at the shoulder and was originally used as a barnyard ratter. They are in no way similar to a Doberman.

The best canine tracker ever, was recorded in 1925, and the record is still held today. The record-holder was a Doberman called “Sauer”. He was trained by Detective-Sergeant Herbert Kruger from South Africa. Sauer tracked a stock thief 100 miles (161 km) across the vast Great Karroo, in South Africa by scent alone. Awesome!

“White” or “albino” Dobermans are not actually white animals. They are a pale tan or cream colored, and only the areas which would normally be rust-colored are actually white. These Dobermans have blue eyes, not pink or red eyes. Because these dogs are not white and because they have blue eyes, some people claim that they are not actually albino. Hairs from several albino Dobermans were compared by a veterinary expert to hairs from normal black, red, and blue Dobermans. The melanin pigment granules (melanosomes) are severely reduced in both number and in pigment content in an albino Doberman, as compared to normal Dobermans.That is why they are so light in color.The first ever albino Doberman was born in 1976.The mother of all Albino Dobies was registered by the AKC as White, since they believed that Albino is not a color. There have been tests done on these dogs, when two albinos were bred. Their offspring were found to have faults such as poor conformation, poor temperaments (aggression and fear problems, problems with trainability), multiple missing teeth, photosensitivity and sensitivity to sunburn. Although they are not the “best” representatives of their breed, they require and deserve just as much love…and even more care than the “normal” Dobies out there.

( Info: courtesy of: Ione L. Smith, DVM)

The acceptable colors of a Doberman are as follows:
Black (with rust-colored markings)
Blue (actually gray, with rust markings. A dilute black is actually a blue.)
Red (various shades of red-brown with rust markings)
Fawn (called “Isabella;” about the color range of ‘camel’s hair’ with rust markings. A dilute red is actually a fawn.)

Occasionally one can see white colored Dobermans. They are albinos. This is rare and not acceptable according to the breed standard.

It is believed the German Pinscher, the Rottweiler, the Manchester Terrier and the Greyhound went into the makeup of the Doberman. Who would have thought….

This has to be shared!!

Although we usually see Dobermans with a short tail, they are actually born with a tail that is longer than that of many breeds. The short tail is a result of a procedure called: ” Docking”. In this proceedure, the majority of the tail is surgically removed within days of the dog’s birth. These days, docking is illegal in a number of countries. Exceptions are: North America, France, Russia, Japan and some other countries where there is a large population of Dobermans. Docking is normally done soon after the dog’s birth. This means that the breeder nearly always makes the decision before the dogs are even put on the market. Some believe that docking a Doberman’s tail creates a sleek look that the dog is supposed to have. By “supposed to have”, I mean how Louis Dobermann originally envisioned the dog to look. Nature had other ideas it seems, but that does not stop people from docking a Dobie’s tail.

A Dobie with a long tail…as nature intended…

A Dobie with a docked tail….as humans intended…

Is it Doberman, Dobermann, Doberman Pinscher or Dobermann Pinscher? Well all four are acceptable and used. Doberman is used more often by the general public. As for nicknames..well, Dobe and Dobie seem to be the most common ones. The original name is Dobermann, due to the name of the original breeder: Louis Dobermann.

The Doberman breed has gotten a lot of negative publicity, much like the Rottweiler. Movies like ?Trapped? (1973), (also known as the ?Doberman Patrol? for its theatrical title) and the ?Doberman Gang? (1972) are all movies which aimed to portray the Doberman as a vicious dog. But like the Rottweiler, the 1970?s was the time when Dobermans were percieved to be the most notorious. ?The Doberman Gang? is about a bank robbery, which is devised by an ex-con, an ex-waitress and a few of their friends. They train a pack of Doberman dogs to rob a bank for them. ?Trapped? is about a man, who is accidentally locked in a department store overnight and finds himself held at bay by six vicious Doberman guard dogs. Although Dobermans can become agressive and domineering, a lot depends on their training, early socialization and care. They are just as devoted, loyal and loving dogs. With 30 years of bad media-converage to get over, the Doberman is slowly but surely getting its devoted admirers back.