So
you want to own a Dobermann Pinscher?
 Far
too many people purchase a Doberman without sufficient appreciation
either of the breed or of what the dog's needs are. This has
led to many Dobe’s ending up in rescue shelters usually
mislabelled as being "aggressive".
Popularity for the breed as guard dogs has led to an exploitation
of the breed for financial gain. Backyard breeding by people
whose only interest is the money Doberman pups can bring and
who have no knowledge of the breed has led to dogs with severe
health problems and unstable characters. Potential Doberman owners
must realise that they are entering into a nine to twelve year
contract making them responsible for the dog's health, training
and well being for that entire period.
It is no good to just "try" one of these dogs, comfortable
in the security of the many rescue shelters to take care of the
dog if you should fail in your duty to provide a suitable home
later on. You must find out everything you can about them BEFORE
getting a Doberman puppy or adult Dobe.
The Doberman's character and
appearance
Dobermans are loyal, graceful, athletic,
intelligent, loving and protective. This dog has all the qualities
of other guarding breeds but also possesses a number of unique
features that sets him apart from them.
One thing is for sure, this dog demands attention, kindness,
precise and consistent training and masses of love. Do not enter
into this partnership thinking that the dog will fit in with
your life when the opposite is true.
It is said that you never "own" a Doberman, rather
the Doberman owns you! Whilst we at K9 Obedience disagree with
this idea on principal, we must admit having owned several Dobes
that there is much truth in the phrase.
This is a dog that will demand to be at the centre of family
life. They form strong bonds with their owners and cannot be
shut away in a kennel or denied access to family relationships.
Once this magnificent dog has bonded with you he remains glued
to you for life. They are aptly nicknamed "the Velcro Dog" due
to this instinctive need to be alongside their human master.
How this dog responds to his owner is fuelled by what the Doberman
receives back. Nothing escapes this dog's attention. They can
walk into a room and notice instantly if an object has been moved.
Try hiding from the Dobe when out walking and he will be at your
side before you have moved. They seem to sense what you are thinking
and act accordingly.
Also called "the dog with the human mind" the Dobe
is sensitive to your feelings. If you dislike someone then your
Dobe will too! Doberman can be very vocal dogs as anyone that
has owned one will know. They make a series of sounds that alternates
between a high pitched whine (usually when trying to get their
own way) to deep groans of contentment. Dobermans are said to
be able to hold long "conversations" with their owners.
However not everyone appreciates the dog's whining and whistling
which can aggravate even the most tolerable of souls!
There are not enough words to describe this dog's appearance.
He is the picture of power, grace, elegance and intelligence.
A healthy Doberman's coat is short and shines in ripples across
its muscular body. His elegant body outline and his proud and
noble wedge shaped head merges into a power packed body with
long athletic limbs.
The Doberman has good bones, balance
and structural beauty and soundness. One of the most thrilling
aspects of this dog is its beauty in movement. This dog moves
so effortlessly with great speed yet can change direction with
ease. In some countries the Doberman's ears are cropped and his
tail docked though the UK has joined many other countries in
banning this needless mutilation for cosmetic and fashion-related
purposes.
Left as nature intended the dog has a hound-like tail and ears
that fold neatly forward, protecting the ear canal and inner
ear from the damp, grime and bugs which are such a major cause
of nuisance and pain to docked dogs which are not constantly
being injected with ear mite drops and the like.
When in Germany recently, I visited the home of a Dobe owner.
The Dobe was docked to the hilt, ears and tail. I noted a total
of FIVE bottles of Canaural (ear drops) in the kitchen alone!
Not to mention the inter-dog communication importance of the
tail, and the agility and balancing benefits (having owned BOTH
docked and undocked Dobes), suffice to say we are avidly against
docking in any form, other than for a specific medical reason.
The benefits of the tail are clearly demonstrated as its use
comes to the fore when the dog is jumping or turning at speed.
When the Dobe breaks into a full-flowing gallop there cannot
be a more beautiful sight.
Their eyes can be cold and hard if they sense danger or soft
pools of moist affection as they gaze up at their master. Their
eyes are forever watchful. They watch your every move and take
direction from your emotions and body language. Should you tense
or become startled, the eyes change from watchful to alert as
the Dobe readies itself to protect its master at all costs.
Despite this dog being highly trainable they do have a particular
exasperating trait of suddenly deciding that today is the day
that they will do their own thing! This can happen at any time
or in any situation as seen in an obedience show ring. One of
the top class Dobes, a male dog that held numerous titles, was
being asked to retrieve a certain object. The dog calmly looked
at its handler, sauntered across to the "objects",
chose one at random then raced across to drop it in a litter
bin! The spectators roared with laughter which encouraged the
Dobe to roll around acting the fool. For sure, a Doberman at
times can be the most adorable of clowns, but this does add an
extra dimension to achieving top standards of working dog obedience
and general dog training with them. Advanced training is a must
to achieve complete reliable obedience.
The working dog
The Doberman is a working dog that
has retained all its ancestors guarding and protection traits.
The father of all Dobermans, Herr Karl Friedrich Louis Doberman,
bred his dog to be the ultimate guard and companion. Starting
with the large "butchers" dog he introduced different
breeds that matched his vision of the ultimate working dog.
Breeds which went into this formidable mix were:
- German Pinscher - alertness and
quick reactions.
- Rottweiler - strength and stamina.
- Black and tan Old German Sheepdog
- protective and herding instincts.
- The Beauceron - fighting ability.
Doberman's dogs were feared by the local community and were
known as "Thuringia Pinschers" One chronicler of
the time stated that the dogs were:
| "Robust, had no trace
of fear - not of the devil himself and it required a great
deal of courage to own one of them". |
When Louis Doberman died he left his
dogs to his good friend Otto Goller. This is the man credited
for turning his friends "raw material" into the dog
we know today. Goller and his friends wanted a dog that was geometrically
and aesthetically perfect. Goller introduced further breeds such
as:
- Weimaraner - tracking ability.
- The Great Dane - physical strength
and a steady temperament.
- The Manchester Terrier - Improved
the coat, head shape, colour and the rust markings.
- The Black Greyhound - gave the
intense black colouring, height and of course, speed which
is evident as the Doberman breaks effortlessly into a burst
of movement.
Later down the lines the Manchester
Terrier was bred into the Doberman again. This eliminated the
long woolly hair and replaced it with the short shiny coat of
today's dog. The head shape changed and became more elongated
and the body was more compact. The feet changed to being more
cat like. This all improved the appearance of the breed but some
people felt that the dog lost it's "hardness" but had
gained speed, power and agility. This became a dog truly worthy
of the highest regard.
The Doberman is mentally superior to most breeds, with high drives,
high energy and excellent working ability. The Doberman's greatest
desire is to please and work for humans. First and foremost the
Doberman's use is as a guard dog protecting the family home or
workplace. No intruder will attempt to enter a Dobe's backyard!
The mere presence of the dog is warning enough.
However the Dobe does have a more
gentle side and this has been proved on many occasions as a guide
dog for the blind, therapy dog or a hearing dog. As a guide dog
for the blind, the Dobe has a good record of being highly trainable,
devoted and loyal. The dog senses when a human is in pain or
distress and are often used as therapy dogs to comfort the sick
and dying. They will remain still for hours letting their human
friends stroke and fuss them and seem to bring great comfort
to people in need.
Often overlooked is the Doberman as a "field" dog.
The Dobe can naturally "point" and can follow a scent
as good as most trials dogs. They can be trained to be excellent
retrievers. In some countries such as Africa they have been trained
to hunt big game. Their speed and stamina enable the Dobe to
hunt lion, deer, and antelope to "hold" them until
the hunter arrives.
The early Doberman was used first by the Germans then by other
armies as a "war dog". The Germans had, by WW1, enlisted
the help of thousands of Doberman to act as guards, messengers,
pulling carts, pulling the wounded from battlefields and in many
other ways to the benefit of their troops.
So successful were these dogs that a training school was set
up with the sole purpose of training Doberman to be used in the
armed forces and as Police dogs. Other countries realised the
benefits of this awesome dog and by WW11 the Doberman was being
bred by the hundreds of thousands to meet demands. In later years
the dog was replaced by the more adaptable German Shepherd. The
Doberman did not do well in severe weather conditions and disliked
the hot and humid temperatures of the Middle East.
The Doberman excels at canine sports such as Agility, Flyball,
Obedience trials and Working trials. One usually associates the
Border Collie as reigning supreme in Agility competitions but
the Doberman is also an incredible agility athlete. The argument
against tail docking is supported as the Dobe races around the
agility ring. Flying over jumps one can clearly see that the
tail is used to aid balance and direction. A female Dobe called
Cala won the 2005 National Purina Incredible Dog Challenge by
coming first in a 60 weave pole race! Cala went on to successfully
win a tracking title in 2006. The Doberman loves to work and
they are willing to try anything that is asked of them.
The Doberman is an excellent search and rescue (SAR) dog. SAR
dogs are trained to locate people that are lost in the wilderness,
trapped under avalanches or disaster areas and many other situations.
A Doberman does not have to be trained to use his nose, it only
needs to be motivated into using it correctly and follow the
air scent to a victim. Because the Doberman has extremely well
developed drives as a puppy they are perfect candidates for SAR
training. The breed is renowned for their ability to learn and
retain experiences needed for handler and dog to work as a team.
The Doberman covers ground quickly and effectively. They have
a short coat which can be a benefit when searching disaster sites.
A long time Doberman SAR dog handler called Shirley Hammond has
observed that the Doberman retain learning and past experiences
and can then apply that knowledge in later situations. She says
that Doberman have the capacity to focus their attention to the
job in hand and are not easily distracted. Shirley has witnessed
her SAR Doberman deliberately seek height in situations to get
a different scent stream! One of her Dobermans located the exact
burial site of a murder victim that had been buried eight feet
under the earth! Not only that, the dog had ignored a bag of
meat that was buried very near the victim, so focused was he
on finding the human.
One cannot discuss the merits of the working Doberman without
concentrating on the sport of Schutzhund. Schutzhund is a sport
that developed in the early 1900's to test whether German Shepherd
dogs could perform in the manner that the breed was bred for.
Schutzhund translated means "protection dog".
Dogs that are required to work with
the police, SAR, and other services are tested for their desire
to work, courage, intelligence, perseverance and protective instincts.
Schutzhund also tests the dog's trainability and the bond between
dog and handler. Other traits such as strength, endurance, agility
and scenting ability are necessary for the dog to pass a Schutzhund
test. People often misinterpret this sport as being one that
trains a dog to be aggressive and attack people.
This could not be further from the truth as a Schutzhund dog
is at all times 100% under the control of its handler and seen
through the dog's eyes this is just another form of "working".
The dog must first have completed advanced obedience before learning
the three basic areas of Schutzhund which are tracking, obedience
and protection. The Doberman has all the criteria needed to master
this sport that challenges the dog's character and physical abilities.
This elegant, muscular, powerful, lively dog has an extremely
complex character. The Doberman is a body guard capable of handling
any situation and works instinctively and independently. For
a well adjusted and confident dog, mental stimulation is important.
These dogs have been bred to work for man and although the Doberman
of today is far less aggressive than their ancestors they have
retained strong working instincts. Their intense character often
borders on stubbornness. They have a very strong will which is
why they need an owner whose character matches their own, as
even with the best of trainers the Dobe will sometimes adopt
a certain look which clearly says, "Oh yeah?...Make me!"
Owning
A Doberman continued ->
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