The Doberman Pinscher is a breed that needs little introduction. This is one of the most recognized dog breeds in the world; known for it's high level of intelligence and sleek appearance.
Breed Brief -
History - Appearance -
Temperament - Exercise -
Grooming
Training - Health
- Is Breed Right For Me? -
Breeders/Puppies For Sale
Dog Names -
Pictures - Further Info -
Clubs/Rescues
Doberman Pinscher Size
Variations: The Doberman presents in just one size - big!
The Miniature Pinscher is not a Miniature Doberman - it is a distinct breed that somewhat resembles the Doberman Pin
Doberman Pinscher
Colors:
Fawn Doberman
Red Doberman
Black Doberman
Isabella Doberman
Blue Doberman
Fawn Doberman
Doberman Pinschers can possess a range of colors including red, black, blue and fawn (also called Isabella). All colors have rust colored markin
Doberman Pinscher Height: Males - 27.5 inches at the withers (70 cm)
Females - 25.5 inches at the withers (65 cm)
Doberman Pinscher Weight:
60-115 pounds
Doberman Pinscher
Exercise Needs: Demanding
Doberman Pinscher
Grooming Needs: Minimal
Doberman Pinscher Life Expectancy (Lifespan):
10 to 12 years
Are Doberman Pinschers Child-Friendly? Yes, with supervision.
Doberman Pinscher Training:
Easy
Breed Group:
Working
Breed Brief -
History - Appearance -
Temperament - Exercise -
Grooming
Training - Health
- Is Breed Right For Me? -
Breeders/Puppies For Sale
Dog Names -
Pictures - Further Info -
Clubs/Rescues
The Doberman Pinscher dog breed originated in United States of
America. Apparently, tax collecting in 19th century Germany was thankless task. Louis Dobermann, whose job as tax solicitor found it not only thankless, but downright dangerous. So, Herr Dobermann went about creating a dog that could accompany him on his rounds. Ideally, Dobermann wanted a sleek and muscular dog that was highly trainable and alert. He chose as progenitors, a German Shepherd and a German Pinscher and later added the Black and Tan Manchester Terrier, the Greyhound and the Weimaraner. The result of these efforts is the widely recognizable Doberman Pinscher. By 1899, the Doberman Pincher was well established and the first breed club was formed.
The first Dobermans to arrive in America attracted many fanciers. Soon, the elegant Doberman Pinscher was finding use as guard dogs throughout America and the world. With his protection ability eclipsing his other attributes, the Doberman soon had a reputation as fearless family protector. With his soaring popularity, came the Doberman’s first foray in the show ring. There, the Doberman Pinscher's chiseled good looks and confident demeanour vaulted his profile as a show dog. The Doberman's popularity continued to grow and at its peak in 1977, the Doberman Pincher was the second most popular breed in America.
The Doberman Pinscher is muscular, powerful and sleek. Most commonly, the Doberman Pinscher is back with tan markings, but red, blue and fawn are also acceptable colourations. Some years ago an albinistic white Doberman Pincher emerged but was quickly disallowed. Still, the genetic marker for albino Dobermans remains, so the American Kennel Club tags the registration on any specimens carrying the gene. The letter Z notates this gene in the Doberman's registration.
The Doberman Pinscher's head is long and wedge shaped. His eyes are almond shaped and his ears are either cropped or uncropped. The Doberman's tail is customarily docked near the second joint and is carried just above horizontal. Show dogs especially have well tucked stomachs and have pronounced underangulated hind legs.
The Doberman Pinscher's guarding and protection ability has caused his reputation to take a bit of a beating. People unfamiliar with the breed may think that the Doberman is an aggressive and hostile dog. This characterization is more urban legend than it is reality. In fact, the Doberman Pinscher is intelligent and obedient. The Doberman is sensitive and keen to please his owner and anyone in his family pack.
The Doberman can show aggression towards other dogs, but often has a surprising gentleness with felines. Strangers will be greeted with suspicion, but careful training can moderate the Doberman Pincher's response.
For a lithe and muscular dog, the Doberman Pinscher takes a very sensible position of exercise. He will certainly need a daily walk of 5-8 kilometers, but he shouldn't run you ragged. The Doberman will also enjoy off leash runs in areas that are suitable, but for the sake of others, don't allow your Doberman to run freely in a park. Even when your are confident about your Doberman Pinscher's docile temperament, passers-by may be terrified of your freely roaming dog.
At home, your Doberman Pinscher will enjoy romps in the yard punctuated with games of fetch. Be sure to engage your Doberman Pinscher daily as bored Dobermans can be destructive and landscaping is a favourite pastime.
Breed Brief -
History - Appearance -
Temperament - Exercise -
Grooming
Training - Health
- Is Breed Right For Me? -
Breeders/Puppies For Sale
Dog Names -
Pictures - Further Info -
Clubs/Rescues
The coat care for your Doberman Pinscher is minimal. Just give him a gentle weekly brushing to let his natural oils work their magic. The Doberman's coat should be gleaming and lustrous. Some Doberman Pinscher's protest to having their feet, ears and muzzle groomed. If this is the case for your Doberman, try desensitizing him with one second touches followed by a treat, then two second touches followed by a treat and so on. With luck, your Doberman and your remaining fingers will soon enjoy grooming these areas too.
Properly training the Doberman pinscher requires time and patience. Highly intelligent and receptive to positive reinforcement, the Doberman is a willing companion who is eager to learn. However, because they are large breed of dog and due to the fact that they do have a lot of energy, it's highly recommended that you enroll your Doberman pinscher puppy into early obedience courses. As a puppy gets bigger, you'll find adult obedience courses much easier and you may discover that your athletic Doberman pinscher enjoys doggie sports, such as Frisbee catching agility training.
If you do choose to train your Doberman at home, there are a few guidelines to follow. First, don’t try to train your Doberman in your living room. The Doberman is an extremely active breed that needs lots of space to run. Similarly, the Doberman Pinscher’s intelligence dictates that he will not be responsive to boring training; he needs space and excitement. So, begin your Doberman training in a spacious area and be well-armed with plenty of fetching-for-reward type tricks.
Finally, the temperament of your Doberman depends in part on your treatment of him during training. As his trainer, you should be firm yet kind with some measure of authority. For a sweet tempered dog, avoid yanking on his lease, using an overly harsh tone and never punish your Doberman by hitting him.
Breed Brief -
History - Appearance -
Temperament - Exercise -
Grooming
Training - Health
- Is Breed Right For Me? -
Breeders/Puppies For Sale
Dog Names -
Pictures - Further Info -
Clubs/Rescues
Some common health concerns for your Doberman Pinscher include; CVI, cardiomyopathy, vWD, demodicosis, osteoscarcoma, gastric torsion, CHD, albinism, hypothyroidism, PRA and narcolepsy.
While the Doberman pinscher can be a wonderful family dog, careful consideration should first be given, prior to bringing one into your home. For starters, the Doberman pinscher is a high maintenance dog because it tends to be a highly intelligent and very athletic, two aspects they can make for a very destructive dog, should he become bored or develop other behavioral problems. The Doberman pinscher enjoys interacting with his human family, and is not the type of dog that's easily forgotten. If you have plenty of time to devote to your canine companion, lots of love and lots of patience, the Doberman pinscher may very well be the right breed for you!
Now that you have decided that the Doberman Pinscher is the right breed
for you, it's time to start the process of finding a responsible
Doberman Pinscher breeder from which to buy a healthy, well-socialized
puppy. Not all breeders are alike; there are good breeders - and bad
breeders. Don't be in a hurry to buy the first Doberman Pinscher puppy
you find at the cheapest price available! To buy a puppy from a
responsible Doberman Pinscher breeder, you may need to pay more and wait
longer. The additional money and waiting time will be well worth it.
Buy a puppy in haste from a newspaper ad, pet store or "backyard
breeder", and you'll likely also purchase a great deal of additional
expense and heartache, since you will likely end up falling in love
with a puppy with health and behavioral problems that will likely
need special care, plenty of veterinary visits, regular medication -
or even euthanasia. But do your homework and find a responsible,
caring Doberman Pinscher breeder who home-raises their puppies with
love, screens their breeding dogs for health problems, offers a
health guarantee and post sale support, and who genuinely loves the
Doberman Pinscher breed and is in it for the love of the breed, rather
than profit, and you can be fairly well assured of getting a
healthy, happy, long lived and affectionate family companion that
will provide you and your family with many years of joy, laughter
and companionship.
Further information about choosing a responsible breeder...
Here are a few breeder directory sites that we recommend. These
sites attempt to screen advertisers to ensure that the breeders
listed are responsible and sell healthy, home-raised Doberman Pinscher puppies to carefully screened buyers. There are many, many
sites now online that advertise dog breeders - many are a Mecca for
puppy mills and backyard breeders. We recommend that you steer clear
of these resources in favor of sites that are more selective in the
breeders whom they allow to advertise.
We Highly Recommend:
Breed Brief -
History - Appearance -
Temperament - Exercise -
Grooming
Training - Health
- Is Breed Right For Me? -
Breeders/Puppies For Sale
Dog Names -
Pictures - Further Info -
Clubs/Rescues
Choosing a name for your Doberman Pinscher puppy can be a daunting
task! There are so many names to choose from that it can take a lot
of thought and research to find just the right name for your
Doberman Pinscher. Usually, it's best to get to know your puppy for a
few days or weeks. Often your puppy's personality will help you
decide on just the right name to choose. Does he have a sense of
humor? A serious side? A goofy way of cocking his head to one side?
A strange love of cantaloupe? By observing your new Doberman Pinscher
puppy over the first days or weeks, you should at least have a clue
about what type of name you want to give. There are a ton of dog
names and pet names web sites on the internet. Some are wonderful
information resources, while others, unfortunately, are just
"garbage" sites set up with the sole purpose of cashing in on
visitor hits for this popular subject.
We recommend the following sites to assist you in choosing a name
for your new Doberman Pinscher puppy. These sites offer inventive,
unique, original and creative pet names suggestions that have helped
thousands of new puppy owners in selecting just the right name for
their new baby!
Doberman Pinscher Dog Names
Breed Brief -
History - Appearance -
Temperament - Exercise -
Grooming
Training - Health
- Is Breed Right For Me? -
Breeders/Puppies For Sale
Dog Names -
Pictures - Further Info -
Clubs/Rescues
Doberman Pinschers are a very photogenic dog breed. By looking at
Doberman Pinscher pictures, you can usually gain more insight into
what these dogs and puppies are like as a breed, and this can help
you decide if you really want to become an Doberman Pinscher owner.
The following sites below offer pictures of Doberman Pinscher dogs,
Doberman Pinscher puppy photos, funny Doberman Pinscher photos and
more. Enjoy!
Breed Brief -
History - Appearance -
Temperament - Exercise -
Grooming
Training - Health
- Is Breed Right For Me? -
Breeders/Puppies For Sale
Dog Names -
Pictures - Further Info -
Clubs/Rescues
There are a wealth of resources online that can help you learn
more about the Doberman Pinscher dog breed. We've compiled a list of
Doberman Pinscher information sites to assist you in quickly locating
quality information about the Doberman Pinscher dog breed, while
avoiding the "garbage" sites that are nothing more than poor
attempts to capitalize on the popularity of dog breeds in general.
If you know of an Doberman Pinscher information site that offers
unique, quality information and photos of the Doberman Pinscher
breed, please contact us with the URL and a brief description so
that our editors can consider it for inclusion in our list below.
Breed Brief -
History - Appearance -
Temperament - Exercise -
Grooming
Training - Health
- Is Breed Right For Me? -
Breeders/Puppies For Sale
Dog Names -
Pictures - Further Info -
Clubs/Rescues
Doberman Pinscher clubs and rescues web sites can help you learn
even more about the Doberman Pinscher dog breed, help you locate a
responsible Doberman Pinscher breeder, or help you find an Doberman Pinscher dog or puppy in need of a second chance for a loving,
forever home. We've compiled the following list of Doberman Pinscher
clubs and Doberman Pinscher rescues web sites for your convenience:
Doberman Pinscher Clubs -
Doberman Pinscher Rescues
