About Dobermans

The Doberman Pinscher is known best, perhaps, for its guarding qualities. The dog of yesterday’s scary movies has been transformed through years of meticulous breeding into a fun-loving, exceptional athlete and a watchful, protective, and above all, discerning companion who has no trouble accurately distinguishing between friend and foe. The key word is discerning. Here at Jones Dobermans we breed our Oklahoma puppies to be family members and wonderful companions. We do not breed our puppies to be used as guard dogs. While the guarding instinct is strong in a Doberman Pinscher we breed only AKC registered puppies for a gentle temperament, not aggressive qualities. All puppies are socialized with other animals and people from birth.

Dobermans are nick-named “Velcro dogs” because they stick to their people. Heaven for a Doberman is leaning into you for a prolonged head rub. Balancing that well-known guardian instinct is the world’s most loving heart and a sense of humor that will keep you laughing its whole life long.

You do need to understand though that a Doberman Pinscher puppy isn’t for everyone. Dobermans require a calm, stable, firm, and smart pack leader, or they will assume that role for you. They must also have plenty of vigorous exercise every day and stimulating mental challenges. Without these things, they will become destructive of themselves and of your home.

John T. Brueggeman has written an excellent article for the Doberman Pinscher Club of America. We point out this article because it echoes many of our thoughts on the temperament and breeding of mild dispositioned Dobermans. Many breeders do not take into account disposition when breeding a family oriented Doberman, instead, concentrating on superficial aspects like tail set and ear placement, and we believe that’s a huge mistake. Here’s a short excerpt from Mr. Brueggeman’s article:

It must not be assumed that all Dobermans have like temperament and it is wise for all prospective owners of the breed to see and become acquainted with the parents of puppies or grown dogs before any purchase is made. On the whole, present-day breeders are doing a good job of producing sound temperament in their breeding efforts. There still is a small percentage of shy, as well as vicious, Dobermans in existence but fortunately they are diminishing. On this point, you need the help of a reliable breeder or breed authority to help you make the best selection for your own particular situation. Once you have had the pleasure of owning a Doberman Pinscher of correct breed temperament, you can’t help but be spoiled for life.

Dobermans have a regal appearance. Males look decidedly masculine and females decidedly feminine. You can see the difference in our male Ozzy and or female Annie. You can see the massiveness in Ozzy and a more slender build in Annie, even as puppies.

The Doberman has a long head with a bit of a wedge shape. Their eyes are almond shaped, deep set and dark in color. Their ears are carried erect. Ear cropping and tail docking were once considered “must” for these dogs. Today, however, both of these practices are coming into question. In fact, tail docking is illegal in many countries, but not in North America. Cropping of the ears is also illegal in some countries. If the dog’s ears are not cropped, they will resemble the ears of other hounds, and will turn downward. Likewise, if their tails are not docked, they will grow fairly long, like that of a hound or retriever. In some organizations, docked tails and cropped ears are required in order for the dog to compete in shows, but other shows will allow dogs to compete with ears that have not been cropped and tails that have not been docked.

They have a slightly rounded croup and a deep, broad chest. Their tails are carried high and are typically docked to approximately the second joint. Tails are carried slightly above horizontal.

Doberman Pinschers were first bred in the town of Apolda, in the German state of Thuringia around 1890, following the Franco-Prussian War by Karl Friedrich Louis Dobermann. Dobermann served in the dangerous role of local tax collector, and ran the Apolda dog pound. With access to dogs of many breeds, he aimed to create a breed that would be ideal for protecting him during his collections, which took him through many bandit-infested areas. He set out to breed a new type of dog that, in his opinion, would be the perfect combination of strength, speed, endurance, loyalty, intelligence, and ferocity. Later, Otto Goeller and Philip Greunig continued to develop the breed to become the dog that is seen today.

The breed originated in Germany, around 1900, taking its name from Louis Dobermann of Apolda, a tax collector, who desired a medium size dog to perform as a guard dog as well as companion. Breeds utilized to develop the Doberman Pinscher may have included, the old shorthaired shepherd, Rottweiler, Black and Tan Terrier and the German Pinscher.

The properly bred and trained Doberman has proved itself as friend and guardian, As is developed, its qualities of intelligence and ability to absorb and retain training brought it into demand as a police and war dog.

After Dobermann's death in 1894, the Germans named the breed Dobermann-pinscher in his honor, but a half century later dropped the 'pinscher' on the grounds that this German word for terrier was no longer appropriate. The British did the same a few years later

Doberman Pinscher, 1915

The breed is believed to have been created from several different breeds of dogs that had the characteristics that Dobermann was looking for, including the German Pinscher, the Beauceron, the Rottweiler, the Thuringian Sylvan Dog, the Greyhound, the Great Dane, the Weimaraner, the German Shorthaired Pointer, the Manchester Terrier, the Old German Shepherd Dog, the Thuringian Shepherd Dog.

 

The exact ratios of mixing, and even the exact breeds that were used, remain uncertain to this day, although many experts believe that the Doberman Pinscher is a combination of at least four of these breeds. The single exception is the documented crossing with the Greyhound and Manchester Terrier. It is also widely believed that the old German Shepherd gene pool was the single largest contributor to the Doberman breed. Philip Greunig'sThe Dobermann Pinscher (1939), is considered the foremost study of the development of the breed by one of its most ardent students. Greunig's study describes the breed's early development by Otto Goeller, whose hand allowed the Doberman to become the dog we recognize today. The American Kennel Club believes the breeds utilized to develop the Doberman Pinscher may have included the old shorthaired shepherd, Rottweiler, Black and Tan Terrier and the German Pinscher. The Doberman Pinscher Club of America, founded in 1921 has continued to this day to foster the breed.

 

During World War II, the United States Marine Corps adopted the Doberman Pinscher as its official War Dog, although the Corps did not exclusively use this breed in the role.

 

In the post war era the breed was nearly lost. There were no new litters registered in West Germany from 1949 to 1958. Werner Jung is credited with single-handedly saving the breed. He searched the farms in Germany for typical Pinschers and used these along with 4 oversized Miniature Pinschers and a black and red bitch from East Germany. Jung risked his life to smuggle her into West Germany. Most German Pinschers today are descendants of these dogs. Some pedigrees in the 1959 PSK Standardbuch show a number of dogs with unknown parentage.

 

Today's Doberman Pinscher commands a high status in the Show ring, winning 

many Groups and Best In Shows.   We've come a long way baby, in a very 

short time.

 

In the United States, the American Kennel Club ranked the Doberman Pinscher as the 12th most popular pure-breed in 2012 and 2013.