dobermann Pinscher

History, origin & features

Originating in Germany, the breed owes its name to its first breeder: Frédéric Louis Dobermann (1834 - 1894). As a tax collector in charge of a rendering plant and municipally-appointed dog catcher, he was looking for a protection dog with courage and bite. The Dobermann thus benefited from the contributions of various breeds of “butcher's dogs”, as well as shepherd dogs such as the Thuringian. It shares common ancestors with the Rottweiler.

The Dobermann has been a great success with people and institutions looking for a protective, deterrent dog. It has established itself as a guard, defense, herding and police dog. They are also excellent companion dogs. The Dobermann is a German dog known as the “gendarme dog”. It is a guard dog par excellence, but also an excellent companion. He'll keep a watchful eye on his master and his whole family, being gentle, tactful and attentive. They require no special maintenance and are easy to feed and train, despite their sometimes difficult temperament. Coat: short, close, harsh texture, close lying, no undercoat.
Color: black or brown, with perfectly defined tan markings. These are above the eyes, on the cheeks, muzzle, throat, chest, feet, inner thighs and around the anus.
Head: elongated. Strong skull, proportionate to the body, with well-developed muscles and superciliary arches. Ears: set high. Well erect if cropped, drooping if uncropped. Ear cropping is prohibited in France, except for curative purposes (Decree n°2009-1768 of December 30, 2009, Art. R. 214-21).
Eyes: oval, medium-sized, dark color (possibly lighter in brown dogs).
Body: clearly defined withers, short, muscular back, long, muscular loins, well developed chest and clearly tucked-up belly.
Tail: set high, short, kept as it is in countries where tail docking is prohibited. If docked, 2 vertebrae are left.