Characteristics of the Doberman Pinscher and whether it is suitable for keeping in the house

Aristocratic, strong, loyal … Usually, this is how a beloved man is described, but, oddly enough, our smaller brothers can also evoke similar associations. We are talking about a dog, namely a Doberman. The nature of this dog has been of great interest to many since its introduction.

She even has a rather dubious nickname – “devil’s dog”. So, what are the reasons for such a nickname? Firstly, it is connected with innate dexterity and strength. Secondly, the color speaks of mortal danger. Thirdly, the dog, which helps the police in the search for criminals, cannot be “kind and fluffy”.

It is important that in the USA this dog is used in security services much more often than German Shepherds, Pit Bulls, Rottweilers. Another historical fact is the use of Dobermans by the US Navy during the hostilities of 1939-1945. During the Vietnam War, representatives of this particular breed were used for military purposes. This is due to the fact that they behaved as carefully as possible in the jungle.

As you can see, the main goal of the selection of this breed was to create a universal service dog, which should not only be vicious, but also extremely wary and infinitely devoted to the owner.

History of the origin of the breed

The birthplace of this breed is Germany, namely the small town of Apold (Thuringia). The Doberman is a young breed of dog that was bred by a local policeman and tax collector, Friedrich Louis Dobermann. He needed a dog to perform his official duties, but all existing breeds disappointed him. In his understanding, the ideal dog should be smart, fast, smooth coat, requiring a minimum of care, medium height and fairly aggressive.

Fairs were often held in Thuringia where you could buy an animal. Since 1860, Dobermann has never missed a single fair or animal show. Together with other police officers and acquaintances, Dobermann decided to take on the breeding of the ideal breed of dog. To breed the ideal breed, he took dogs that were strong, fast, athletic, aggressive. The dogs that took part in the breeding process were not always purebred. The main thing was their qualities as an ideal guard.

It is still unknown what specific breeds were used to breed a new breed. It is assumed that Doberman’s ancestors are the following dog breeds:

• rottweilers;
• cops;
• boserone;
• pincher.

In addition, there is evidence that the blood of the Doberman is also mixed with the blood of a Great Dane, Pointer, Greyhound and Gordon Setter. Dobermann believed that it was these breeds that would bring out a universal dog. Years later, a completely new breed of dog was bred, which was called the Thuringian Pinscher. Pinscher enjoyed quite a lot of popularity among people who wanted to acquire a reliable, strong and fearless guard.

Friedrich Louis Dobermann died in 1894 and the breed has been renamed in his honor – “Doberman Pinscher”. After his death, his student, Otto Geller, took up the breeding of the breed. He believed that the Pinscher should be not only an angry dog, but also sociable. It was Otto Geller who softened her difficult character and turned her into a breed that was increasingly in demand among married couples.

In 1897, the first Doberman Pinscher dog show was held in Erfurt, and in 1899 the first Doberman Pinscher club was established in Apolda. A year later, the club changed its name to the “National Doberman Pinscher Club of Germany”. The purpose of this club was to breed, popularize and further develop this breed of dog. Since the creation of this club, the number of this breed has already amounted to more than 1000 representatives.

In 1949, the pinscher prefix was removed. This was due to numerous disputes regarding the country of origin of this breed. In order to stop any encroachments and disputes, they decided to leave only the name “Doberman”, which indicated the famous German who bred this breed.

Famous Dobermans

Like any other species, this dog breed has its famous representatives. The whole world is known tracker dog, who solved more than 1,5 thousand crimes – the eminent Club. This purebred Doberman was bred in Germany in “von Thuringian” (a kennel owned by Otto Geller) and proved to be simply brilliant.

Tref worked as a bloodhound in Russia, where at the beginning of the 1908th century the “Russian Society for the Encouragement of Dogs to the Police and Guard Service” was created. This society was founded by the famous Russian cynologist V.I. Lebedev, who was very fond of Dobermans and believed in their further progressive development. All his assumptions and hopes were justified back in October XNUMX, when Club began to work.

October Revolution of 1917 and all subsequent events negatively affected the development of the breed – almost all representatives of this breed were exterminated. Only in 1922 did they begin to systematically revive the Doberman Pinscher. For breeding, a nursery was created in Leningrad. The following year, the “Central Nursery School” was created, where dogs were bred for the criminal investigation department of the NKVD. In the future, the popularity of this breed only gained momentum, not yielding even to the German Shepherd.

Also, the “Central Section of Service Dog Breeding” was created, which contributed to numerous exhibitions, holding international competitions, where various breeds of dogs, including Dobermans, were presented.

Despite the rapid development, many problems have arisen related to the breeding and official use this breed in the future. So, the formation of the USSR negatively affected the breeding of this breed. This is due to the fact that quality representatives were no longer imported into the Union, so the remaining individuals in the nurseries contributed to the emergence of new representatives with an aggressive and cowardly character. In addition, the Dobermans became vicious and had a short and smooth coat. Therefore, amateurs quickly became disillusioned with the breed.

A dog with a short coat was not suitable for service in the army, police or border guards. Doberman is a dog with a complex character, so the training process takes a lot of time and patience of the cynologist. If the cynologist was ready to spend a lot of time, then the Doberman demonstrates his best qualities, if not, then he may even refuse to serve and become apathetic. In addition, this breed does not tolerate a change of owner.

In 1971, the Doberman officially became an ordinary dog, her kicked out of the service dog club. Oddly enough, but this was a positive turn in the development and further selection of the breed. Doberman lovers began to take a creative approach to breeding, raising and caring for them. This contributed to the positive development of the breed.

After the collapse of the USSR, breed lovers were able to “renew” it, as dogs from Europe began to be imported to the CIS countries. This greatly improved the quality of the bred dog breed. Unfortunately, at the moment the breed remains in the shadow of other well-known, purebred representatives. Few people want to keep such a large dog in the house, and stereotypes and prejudices regarding their reputation affect. In addition, this breed does not have an undercoat and therefore it cannot be kept in the cold. But, those who took a chance and got a Doberman remain happy and satisfied with their choice.

Doberman character

Dobermans are by nature very energetic, cautious and fearless dogs. Therefore, they are ideal for protecting various objects. But this does not mean that this breed is not suitable for keeping in a house with its owners.

This breed has a certain reputation. Many people think that the Doberman is too dangerous to keep as a pet. This reputation arose from their strength, agility, and the fact that they are often used as guards. Few people know that this breed “stands up” for its household members and attacks only in case of a direct threat to it or its owner. So, statistics show that breeds such as rottweilers, pit bulls, shepherd dogs and malamutes attacked a person more often than dobermans.

If the doberman passed cynologist special training, then such a dog, by virtue of its devotion, will become an ideal pet and guardian of the family. This breed finds a common language not only with adults, small children, but also with other pets. They are smart, learn quickly, athletic, sociable.

Characterizing this breed, it is necessary to remember its strong temperament. They become attached to their own family much more than other breeds, so they can be very aggressive towards other dogs, protecting their owner. It is also important that they do not tolerate a change of owner.

Features of the education of Dobermans

Any living creature requires affection and care. You can’t have a pet mindlessly! This is especially true for dogs that considered the most devoted creatures in the world.

Before you start a Doberman, you need to weigh everything very carefully. First you need to evaluate your own strengths and capabilities. This breed loves long walks and runs with the owner. It is not enough just to go for a walk in the Doberman, representatives of this breed love it when the owner runs with them. The ideal owner of a Doberman should be active, love long runs, and breathe fresh air. It is better for lazy people not to even think about such a pet.

Dobermans are smart dogs and love constant exercise and training. They watch their own master, so fear or weakness should never be shown in front of them. The owner of the Doberman should be strong, smart and athletic and not give up.

A person who wants to have a simple dog may not even think about a Doberman. This dog does not like phlegmatic, homebodies, melancholic people. In the absence of the owner or other family members, the Doberman can turn the home space into pristine chaos. In order to avoid this, it must be remembered that such a dog obeys only the leader or leader by nature. Therefore, it will still be necessary to prove your strength of will and character to such a pet. Dobermans feel authority and power in a person, but do not tolerate violence and any use of physical force. It is important to remember the developed muscles, quick reaction, strength and agility of the Doberman, which makes him an extremely dangerous opponent.

If the future owner is not going to take special care of such a dog as a Doberman, then it is better not to leave him with the children. Since due to the lack of physical activity and energy consumption, they can become aggressive or vicious.

Also this dog not suitable for protection of the territory in winter or in the cold season due to the lack of undercoat. This does not mean that the Doberman cannot act as a guard, it simply cannot be kept on the street or in an aviary.

Doberman should be taken only as a puppy, so his training should be done from a young age. This is due to the fact that little puppies are not only frisky and active, but also very smart and catch everything on the fly. The favorite activities of this pet are training and service. As for the peculiarities of training puppies, it is important to remember that they get tired very quickly. Therefore, you need to carefully monitor the pet and, in case of fatigue, stop training. If you do not pay attention to the fatigue of the puppies and continue to force him to fulfill his commands, then at the next training session he may simply start acting up and refuse to do anything.

Doberman Care

Dobermans are ideal for people who do not like to devote a lot of time to caring for animals. They are practically do not shed, comb and wipe with a wet towel they need only once a week. Nails need to be trimmed as they grow (quite often). As for water procedures, it entirely depends on the desire of the pet owner. Before bathing, the Doberman should be combed in order to avoid hair loss.

It must be remembered that Dobermans are athletic and fast animals, so they are not afraid of great physical exertion. They love to run with their owner. In addition, this breed of dogs loves mental stress and is happy to take part in competitions and exhibitions of various kinds.

Doberman Diseases

Dobermans are strong and often healthy dogs. But nothing is perfect in nature, so this The breed is prone to the following diseases:

• twisting of the intestines;
• wobbler syndrome;
• skin cancer;
• cataract;
• lipoma;
• von Willebrand’s disease;
• cardiomyopathy;
• hypothyroidism;
• hip and elbow dysplasia;
• diabetes;
• hepatitis;
• entropy.

In addition to these diseases, Dobermans are enough rarely suffer from dermatological diseases:

• vitiligo;
• hair loss;
• seborrhea;
• depigmentation of the nose.

This is not the whole list of diseases to which Dobermans are prone. Therefore, it is very important to follow all the rules for caring for animals. Also important are planned trips to the veterinarian, taking vitamin and mineral supplements, administering vaccinations, proper nutrition and the distribution of physical and mental stress.

Doberman – a dog with a rather negative reputation. Therefore, such a dog does not need to be angry or provoked once again, but proper training can neutralize the negative character traits of a representative of this breed. In addition, a well-formed character can create an ideal family protector.

And finally, each animal is an individual, so not always common features and recommendations are suitable for one or another representative of a species or breed. However, the Doberman is a smart, strong, energetic, hardy dog ​​that can become an integral part of any family.