History & Breed Standard
According to the Doberman Pinscher Club of America (DPCA), the Doberman breed was created in the late 1800’s by Karl Friedrich Louis Dobermann of Germany. Combining desirable traits from the terrier group with the intelligence and power of the herding and guarding breeds, the Doberman was created as a protection dog and tailored for use in police and military work. Today, the Doberman Pinscher (aka “Dobe” or “Dobie”) is a smart and lovable family companion, as well as a formidable competitor in many dog sports.
Both the Canadian Kennel Club (CKC) and the American Kennel Club (AKC) breed standard describe the Doberman as energetic, watchful, determined, alert, fearless, loyal, and obedient. The Doberman should be a medium sized dog that is square in its proportions, with females measuring 24-26″ (at the shoulders) and males measuring 26-28″. The DPCA lists a weight range of 55 lbs. (females) to 90 lbs. (males). The CKC and AKC specify that the tail of a Doberman should be docked at approximately the second joint, whereas only the AKC standard requires ears to be cropped. In all other parts of the world, both the ears and tails of Dobermans are kept natural.
There are four (4) accepted colors of Doberman Pinschers: black, red, blue (the dilute of black), and fawn/Isabella (the dilute of red). All of the four coat colors should also have rust/tan colored markings above each eye, on the cheeks, throat and forechest, on each leg and foot, and under the tail. The FCI Standard (used outside of North America), lists only black and red as acceptable colors. Although there are technically “white” Dobermans, these are all offspring of one dog that had a genetic mutation causing albinism. They can suffer from significant medical and behavioral issues, and are an example of humans exploiting animals solely for monetary gain.
For more information on the Doberman, check out the Doberman Pinscher Club of Canada’s illustrated breed standard, or visit the Doberman Pinscher Club of America’s website.
For information on Doberman health, visit our HEALTH page. Training and behavior resources are available on our TRAINING page.
