The elegant Doberman Pinscher is primarily known for its excellent guard dog abilities and courageous nature. For this reason, it is by no means a beginner’s dog and should be consistently trained from the beginning. Learn everything about the history, character, care, and maintenance of the Doberman Pinscher in the profile.

History of the Doberman Pinscher

The history of the Doberman Pinscher begins in the small town of Apolda in Thuringia. Friedrich Louis Dobermann needed a dog for his personal protection at work. It is not recorded what profession he pursued, but it was said that he had an unpopular job, such as tax collector or night watchman. It is only certain that he worked as a city dog catcher on the side and kept particularly sharp and vigilant dogs for breeding with his bitch Schnuppe. Direct ancestors of the breed include Rottweilers, German Shepherds, Great Danes, Pinschers, and Greyhounds. After the breeder’s death, a friend took over his dogs and bred the Doberman Pinscher into a working and farm dog.

In 1899, some breeders founded the Doberman Pinscher Club Apolda. Since the beginning of the 20th century, the breed has been recognized as an official police dog and was referred to as a gendarme dog due to its noble appearance. In both world wars, especially the military, used the breed as a messenger, mine detection, and medical dog. In the Second World War, Dobermans were preferred as service dogs in concentration camps. From 1955, the breed was officially recognized by the FCI and classified into FCI Group 2, Section 1.1, the Pinschers.

To this day, some breeders abroad still frequently dock the ears and tail of the Doberman Pinscher to make it appear more dangerous. To stop this practice, the FCI changed the official breed standard accordingly in 2015. Docking dogs will now be punished with exclusion from breeding. In addition to its duties as a service dog, the Dobi is increasingly used as a family dog today.

Nature and Character

Doberman Pinschers are among the most intelligent dog breeds in the world and have a great eagerness to learn and good understanding. Even though the Dobi is no longer bred as aggressively and sharply today, it is always ready to courageously defend its family. It has a low to medium stimulus threshold and is always suspicious of strangers. For this reason, it sometimes struggles with a bad reputation.

Within its human pack, the Doberman Pinscher is a peaceful cuddly animal and, with the appropriate training, gets along well with children. The faithful and affectionate dog wants to be everywhere and does not like to be alone. It needs a caregiver who takes care of it from the beginning and shows it the way, then it can become a great lifelong partner.

Affection Level	High
Friendliness	Medium
Kid-Friendly	Medium
Pet-Friendly	Low
Exercise Needs	Medium
Playfulness	Medium
Energy Level	High
Trainability	High
Intelligence	Medium
Tendency to Bark	Low
Amount of Shedding	Medium

How to Care for a Doberman Pinscher?

Considerations Before Acquisition:

If you’re considering getting a Doberman Pinscher puppy, you should not underestimate the effort required for raising and training. This intelligent breed is only suitable for individuals with strong personalities and plenty of experience with dogs. It’s a wonderful experience to watch the little rascal grow up and develop a deep bond with him. However, you should be aware that the dog will be part of your life for 10 to 13 years. During this time, you should be able to spend time with the dog every day and be outdoors a lot. You should be able to take him with you as often as possible when you leave the house.

If you’re sure that a Doberman Pinscher is the right dog for you, you’ll need to find a reputable breeder. The best option is a breeder who is a member of a registered association and has a lot of experience in breeding Dobermans. For a purebred and healthy puppy, you should budget up to $1250. There are also Doberman Pinschers in need of a new loving home in animal shelters from time to time. Puppies with docked tails and cropped ears are prohibited in the United States for animal welfare reasons. Here you will only find dogs with long tails and cute floppy ears. So if you find docked puppies from a private breeder, you should report this to the animal welfare authority immediately.

Development and Training of the Puppy

A Doberman Pinscher is very eager to learn from a young age and wants to be challenged by its owner. He quickly learns new commands and enjoys training together. With consistent yet loving training from an early age, your Doberman Pinscher will quickly become a valuable family member. Especially during puberty between 7 and 8 months, Doberman Pinscher puppies like to test their limits and need strong leadership. The pronounced protective instinct also kicks in at this time and can be somewhat restrained and adapted with regular practice and lots of patience.

To achieve good socialization, your puppy should have plenty of contact with other dogs and ideally attend a dog training school with you. When walking in the forest, you should start early to get the natural hunting instinct under control. Many Doberman Pinschers are passionate sight hunters, some of whom even go hunting with the intention of killing wild animals. By one year old, the Doberman Pinscher is largely fully grown and should have already received good training. Correcting mistakes from puppyhood can be difficult. Additionally, anyone who wants to keep this breed in almost all federal states must take out liability insurance for their four-legged friend.

Activities with the Doberman Pinscher

As the Dobe is one of the most intelligent dogs in the world, he needs meaningful activities. With his agility and strength, he is particularly suitable for service with the police or military. Additionally, he joyfully serves as a therapy, rescue, and guide dog. If you want to get a Doberman Pinscher privately, he should be just as stimulated as a working dog. A bored Dobe will find his own entertainment, often not in line with the owner’s wishes. Nonetheless, you should find a good balance between activity and rest so that your dog is perfectly stimulated.

The basis of activity consists of daily extensive walks or biking together. To mentally stimulate him, you can engage in almost any dog sport from agility to obedience to tracking. In a house with a large garden that he can protect around the clock, the passionate guard dog feels most comfortable. Overall, the athletic and active dog is enthusiastic about almost any physical activity and also enjoys intelligence games.

Health and Grooming

In general, the Doberman Pinscher is an easy-to-care-for dog who doesn’t need special coat care thanks to his short fur. However, due to the lack of undercoat, he is very sensitive to cold and should wear a coat in winter. In snowy or rainy weather, the chilly dog prefers to stay by the warm fireplace. Within the Doberman Pinscher breeding community, there are some hereditary diseases that can occur in some representatives of the breed. The most well-known disease is the so-called “Wobbler Syndrome” – a pathological change in the cervical spine. The disease primarily occurs at 6 – 7 years old and can manifest in various ways. The animal’s movement becomes unsteady, the dog begins to sway, and the back becomes immobile. Generally, males are about twice as likely to be affected as females.

Interesting and Worth Knowing

Did you know?

Doberman Pinscher in Film and Television:

The Doberman Pinscher is often portrayed as dangerous and aggressive in the film industry. In the 1972 film “The Doberman Gang,” the whole theme is approached in a somewhat humorous way. The film is about a talented dog trainer who has trained his six Dobermans so well that they assist him in his bank robberies. In the 2002 film “Garfield,” the Doberman Luca plays the antagonist to the overweight red cat. Also, in the US series “Road Rovers,” one of the heroes is a German Doberman named Blitz. Together with the dogs of other heads of state, he takes on humanoid form and fights crime.

Do you have a Doberman Pinscher or plan to get one soon? Tell me more in the comments!