The Dobermann is a lean, powerful German guard dog created in the 1880s, known in North America as the Doberman Pinscher. It is loyal, sensitive and quick to learn.
It needs experienced handling and a great deal of exercise, and heart disease is widespread in the breed.
The Dobermann is a large, lean, short-coated guard dog from Germany, fast, intelligent and closely bonded to its owner. In North America it is called the Doberman Pinscher.
The breed is named after Louis Dobermann, a tax collector and dog-pound keeper in the town of Apolda in Thuringia, who in the 1880s set out to breed a dog to protect him on his rounds. He left no records, but the German Pinscher, the Rottweiler and other breeds are thought to have contributed. After his death other breeders refined the type, and it was soon taken up by police and armed forces.
Dogs stand about 69 cm at the shoulder and bitches about 65 cm. The build is square, muscular and elegant, with a long wedge-shaped head and a short, hard, glossy coat. The colours are black, brown, blue or fawn, each with sharply defined rust-red markings.
Ear cropping is illegal in the United Kingdom, and tail docking is banned except for certain working dogs, so British Dobermanns have drop ears and long tails.
Dobermanns are alert, loyal and sensitive, and want to be with their people constantly. They are naturally protective. They learn quickly and need early socialising, consistent reward-based training and at least two hours of exercise a day with work for the mind. They are not suited to being left alone for long or to an inexperienced owner.
The coat needs little grooming, and the breed feels the cold.
The typical lifespan is about ten years.
The Dobermann is in the Kennel Club's Working group. It is not a restricted breed in the United Kingdom.