Doberman Puppies Blog

I would say yes, if you would like to have a very devoted companion by your side that can even protect you in danger. Dobermans can be excellent guard dogs as well as they are fearless and suspicious with all strangers who may harm their beloved family. Early socialization is required for them; otherwise they may not get on well with other dogs. Only older children are advised around this breed.

The coat of the Doberman is short, coarse and thick; they are average shedders, so at least weekly brushing is advised. Dental hygiene is very important for the breed, as they tend to lose teeth in case of improper care. Dobermans are slightly prone to health issues like hip dysplasia, heart disorders or bloat.

Training of this breed is easy, but they can be dominant, so a heavy-handed, yet consistent, calm and rewarding trainer is the best for them. Obedience training is a must to prevent the dog from being aggressive later. They can be also very good in tracking, police work or therapy dogs.

All in all I would advise this breed to people who will have enough time to care for this intelligent dog and will be able to provide them daily exercise – like walking and playing – as well as a small yard for activities.

I hope that this short introduction about the Doberman will be helpful for you to decide whether this is the right breed for you.

Most people consider it obvious that a Doberman’s tail should be docked… but why? What is this tradition? Is it really useful or only a useless pain for the puppy?

Originally, their tails were docked to prevent injuries of this working dog. Tails can get easily broken or hurt – either by chance or by people on purpose… so the purpose to have it docked was to ‘protect’ the dog from injuries. As the docking itself happen within 48 hours after birth, the pups normally don’t suffer pain or shock.

On the other hand, there are some people who think it is totally useless to dock the tail and that it is not biologically acceptable to “take a part of the dog’s body away”, practically for fashion and tradition. Some people also believe that the tail does have its functions, helping the balance, for example.

All in all, if you wish to have a long-tailed Doberman pup, you should talk with the breeder in advance, before the pups are born. If you have doubts how a Doberman looks like without having the tail docked and ears cropped, here is an example.

What does Pinscher mean, anyway?
A Pinscher is a group of dogs that were originally bred to be ratters on farms, guard or fighting dogs.
The are different theories to explain the origins of this word: some experts say that it is coming from a German word, some others say that it comes from the English word “pinch” which means to crop (and the cropped ear is quite common among the dogs of this type.)
Pinscher dogs are the Doberman, German Pinscher, Miniature Pinscher, Affenpinscher, and the Austrian Pinscher.

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

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.

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.