Post by charmingnancy on Jan 28, 2009 11:56:04 GMT -5
Doberman Pinscher
Group: 3 - Working Dogs
Origin: Germany
Purpose: Protector and guardian
Description:
Doberman Pinschers are among the most common of pet breeds, and the breed is well known as an intelligent, alert, and loyal companion dog. Although once commonly used as guard dogs, watch dogs, or police dogs, this is less common today. In many countries, Doberman Pinschers are one of the most recognizable breeds, in part because of their actual roles in society, and in part because of media attention.
Appearance- Breed Standards:
Coat and Colour:
Smooth haired, short, hard, thick and close lying. Invisible grey undercoat on neck permissible. Allowed colours: black, red, blue, and fawn. In each colour the more strongly pigmented coat is the more desirable. Markings: rust red, sharply defined, and appearing above each eye, and on muzzle, throat, and forechest, and on all legs and feet, and below tail. White on chest not exceeding one-half square inch permissible.
Head: Long and dry, resembling a blunt wedge, both frontal and profile views. When seen from the front, the head widens gradually towards the base of the ears in a practically unbroken line. Top of skull flat, turning with slight stop to bridge of muzzle, with muzzle line extending parallel to the topline of the skull. Length of muzzle equal to length of skull. Cheeks flat and muscular. Lips lying close to the jaws, and not drooping. Jaws full and powerful, well filled under the eyes. Nose solid black in black dogs, dark brown in reds, dark grey in blues, and dark tan in fawns. Teeth strongly developed. Lower incisors upright and touching inside of upper incisors--a true scissors bite. Forty-two teeth (22 in lower jaw and 20 in upper jaw) correctly placed. Distemper teeth not to be penalized. Eyes almond shaped, not round, moderately deep set, not prominent, with vigorous, energetic expression. Iris of uniform colour, ranging from medium to darkest brown in black dogs, the darker shade being the more desirable. In reds, blues and fawns, the colour of the iris should blend with that of the markings but not be of a lighter hue than that of the markings. Ears either cropped or uncropped. The upper attachment of the ear, when alert, should be on a level with the top of the skull. If cropped, the ears should be well trimmed and carried erect. If uncropped, they should be small and neat, and set high on the head.
Neck: Carried proudly, well muscled and dry. Well arched, and with nape of neck widening gradually toward body. Length of neck proportioned to body and head. Head may be carried slightly lower when moving, for greater reach of the forequarters.
Forequarters: Shoulder blade sloping forward and downward at a 45 degree angle to the ground, and meeting the upper arm at an angle of 90 degrees. Shoulder to be as close to 45 degrees as possible and set well back. Relative length of shoulder and upper arm should be as one to one, excess length of shoulder blade is more a fault than excess length of upper arm. Height from elbow to withers approximately equals height from ground to elbow. Legs seen from the front and side perfectly straight and parallel to each other from elbow to pastern; muscled and sinewy, with round, heavy bone. In a normal position, and when gaiting, the elbow should lie close to the brisket. Pasterns firm, with an almost perpendicular position to the ground. Feet well arched, compact and catlike, turning neither in nor out. Slight toeing out much less undesirable than toeing in. Dewclaws may be removed.
Body: Back short, firm, of sufficient width, and muscular at the loin extending in a straight line from withers to the slightly rounded croup. Withers pronounced and forming the highest point of the body. Brisket full and broad, reaching deep to the elbow. Chest broad, and forechest well defined. Ribs well sprung from the spine, but flattened at lower end to provide elbow clearance. Belly well tucked up, extending in a curved line from chest. Loins well muscled. Hips broad in proportion to body, breadth of hips being approximately equal to breadth of body at rib spring.
Hindquarters: In balance with forequarters. Upper shanks long, wide, and well muscled on both sides of thigh, with clearly defined stifles. Hocks while the dog is at rest: hock to heel should be perpendicular to the ground. Upper shanks, lower shanks and hocks parallel to each other, and wide enough apart to fit in with a properly built body. The hip bone should fall away from the spinal column at an angle of about 30 degrees. Upper shank and lower shank are equal in length. The upper shank should be at right angles to the hip bone. Croup well filled out. Cat feet, as on front legs, turning neither in nor out. Dewclaws, if any, may be removed.
Tail: Tail docked at approximately the second joint, should appear to be the continuation of the spine, without material drop.
Gait The gait should be free, balanced, and effortless with good reach in the forequarters and good driving power in the hindquarters. When trotting there should be a strong rear action drive. Hocks should fully extend. Each rear leg should move in line with the foreleg on the same side. Rear and front legs should be thrown neither in nor out. Back should remain strong, firm and level. When moving at a fast trot the properly built dog will single track.
Faults: Feminine dogs, masculine bitches. Light tan or muddied markings. Overly large markings. Head out of balance in proportion to both Ram’s, dish-faced, cheeky or snipey head. Any deviation from the correct number or placement of teeth to be penalized in direct proportion to the amount of deviation. Slit eyes, glassy eyes, round eyes. Weak or knuckled-over pasterns. Hare feet, splay feet. Overly rounded or flat croup.
Major Faults: Coarseness, fine Greyhound build. Loose shoulder, straight shoulder. Sway or roach back. Straight stifles, cow-hocks, spread hocks and sickle hocks.
Scale of Points-
General Conformation and Appearance:
Proportions- 8
Bone and substance- 8
Temperament and expression- 8
Nobility and condition- 5 = 29
Head:
Shape- 6
Teeth- 5
Eyes- 3
Ears- 1 = 5
Neck- 3
Body:
Backline, withers, loins- 8
Tail placement, chest, brisket, rib spring- 8
Tuck-up, shape, and proportions- 4 = 20
Forequarters:
Shoulders, upper arms, legs- 5
Pasterns, angulation- 4
Paws- 2 = 11
Hindquarters:
Upper thigh, stifle- 5
Hocks, angulation- 4
Paws- 2 = 11
Gait- 6
Coat, Colour and Markings- 5
TOTAL= 100
Disqualifications: Shyness, viciousness. Overshot more than 3/16 inch (.5 cm), undershot more than 1/8 inch (.3 cm). Four or more missing teeth. A dog shall be judged fundamentally shy if, refusing to stand for examination, it shrinks away from the judge; if it fears an approach from the rear; if it shies at sudden and unusual noises to a marked degree. A dog that attacks, or attempts to attack either the judge or its handler, is definitely vicious. An aggressive or belligerent attitude towards other dogs shall not be deemed vicious.
Size:
Height at withers -- males, ideal 27-1/2 inches (70 cm); females, ideal 25-1/2 inches (65 cm). Males, decidedly masculine, without coarseness. Females, decidedly feminine, without over-refinement. Deviation from ideal height to be penalized in proportion to the amount of deviation. The dog generally weighs between 75 and 100 pounds (34 and 45 kg) and the bitch between 60 and 90 pounds (27 and 41 kg).
Temperament:
Doberman Pinschers are, in general, gentle, loyal, loving, and intelligent dogs. Statistical techniques for assessing personality traits in humans have been applied to dogs, and show that Doberman Pinschers rank relatively high in playfulness, average in curiosity/fearlessness, low on aggressiveness and low on sociability. Historically, the Doberman Pinscher has been used as a protection and guard dog, due to its intelligence, loyalty, and ability to physically challenge human aggressors. A related problem is the misunderstanding of their legitimate roles; because guard dogs are trained to neutralize unwelcome intruders, many people mistakenly believe that Doberman Pinschers are vicious. Due to these misconceptions it is not uncommon to see this breed mentioned in forms of breed specific legislation.
Studies of dog bites and dog bite fatalities have shown that the danger of attack by Dobermans is less than that of a number of other breeds which are not commonly named in breed-specific legislation. Although there is variation in temperament, a typical pet Doberman attacks only if it has been mistreated or believes that it or its family are in danger.
Health:
Common health problems are dilated cardiomyopathy, cervical vertebral instability - CVI (Wobbler's disease), and von Winderbrand’s Disease. Other problems that are less severe or seen less frequently include Hypothyroidism, Cancer, Progressive retinal atrophy, Cataracts, Glaucoma, Copper toxicosis, Color dilution alopecia in blues and fawns, hip dysplasia, and Peripheral neuropathy ("Dancing Doberman disease", very rare).
Average Lifespan:
The Doberman lives approximately 9.6 years on average, with the females usually living a bit longer than the males. Unfortunately, a 10 year old Doberman, for the most part, is considered fairly old.
History:
Doberman Pinschers were first bred in the town of Apolda, in the German state of Thueringen 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, loyalty, intelligence, and ferocity. Later, Otto Goeller and Philip Gruening continued to develop the breed to become the dog that is seen today.
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 Pinscher, the Beauceron, the Rottweiler, the Thuringian Shepherd Dog, the black Greyhound, the Great Dane, the Weimaraner, the German Shorthaired Pointer, the Manchester Terrier and the old German Shepherd Dog - now extinct. The exact ratios of mixing, and even the exact breeds that were used, remains 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 cross with the Greyhound. It is also widely believed that the old German Shepherd (now extinct) gene pool, was the single largest contributor to the Doberman breed.
The first Dobermans to enter the U.S. did so around 1908. In 1921, the Dobermann Pinscher Club of America was organized, and one year later, the standard that was written in Germany was adopted as the standard in the U.S. The next 15 years were very important years in the Doberman's history. World War I had severely depleted the number of Dobies, due to the near, and actual, starvation of many of the people of Europe. The luxury of having Dobermans as a family pet was too much for some, many puppies, as well as adults, had to be put to death. The military, the police, certain organizations, and the very wealthy were able to possess these dogs. So there was a need to be filled by the continued breeding of the Doberman. But now the emphasis was on the best bred dog. After 1921, an American market opened up for these German bred dogs.
Sources:
Wikipedia
CKC
Doberman Pinscher Club of Canada Inc.
Bark Bytes
Pictures:
Photobucket
Group: 3 - Working Dogs
Origin: Germany
Purpose: Protector and guardian
Description:
Doberman Pinschers are among the most common of pet breeds, and the breed is well known as an intelligent, alert, and loyal companion dog. Although once commonly used as guard dogs, watch dogs, or police dogs, this is less common today. In many countries, Doberman Pinschers are one of the most recognizable breeds, in part because of their actual roles in society, and in part because of media attention.
Appearance- Breed Standards:
Coat and Colour:
Smooth haired, short, hard, thick and close lying. Invisible grey undercoat on neck permissible. Allowed colours: black, red, blue, and fawn. In each colour the more strongly pigmented coat is the more desirable. Markings: rust red, sharply defined, and appearing above each eye, and on muzzle, throat, and forechest, and on all legs and feet, and below tail. White on chest not exceeding one-half square inch permissible.
Head: Long and dry, resembling a blunt wedge, both frontal and profile views. When seen from the front, the head widens gradually towards the base of the ears in a practically unbroken line. Top of skull flat, turning with slight stop to bridge of muzzle, with muzzle line extending parallel to the topline of the skull. Length of muzzle equal to length of skull. Cheeks flat and muscular. Lips lying close to the jaws, and not drooping. Jaws full and powerful, well filled under the eyes. Nose solid black in black dogs, dark brown in reds, dark grey in blues, and dark tan in fawns. Teeth strongly developed. Lower incisors upright and touching inside of upper incisors--a true scissors bite. Forty-two teeth (22 in lower jaw and 20 in upper jaw) correctly placed. Distemper teeth not to be penalized. Eyes almond shaped, not round, moderately deep set, not prominent, with vigorous, energetic expression. Iris of uniform colour, ranging from medium to darkest brown in black dogs, the darker shade being the more desirable. In reds, blues and fawns, the colour of the iris should blend with that of the markings but not be of a lighter hue than that of the markings. Ears either cropped or uncropped. The upper attachment of the ear, when alert, should be on a level with the top of the skull. If cropped, the ears should be well trimmed and carried erect. If uncropped, they should be small and neat, and set high on the head.
Neck: Carried proudly, well muscled and dry. Well arched, and with nape of neck widening gradually toward body. Length of neck proportioned to body and head. Head may be carried slightly lower when moving, for greater reach of the forequarters.
Forequarters: Shoulder blade sloping forward and downward at a 45 degree angle to the ground, and meeting the upper arm at an angle of 90 degrees. Shoulder to be as close to 45 degrees as possible and set well back. Relative length of shoulder and upper arm should be as one to one, excess length of shoulder blade is more a fault than excess length of upper arm. Height from elbow to withers approximately equals height from ground to elbow. Legs seen from the front and side perfectly straight and parallel to each other from elbow to pastern; muscled and sinewy, with round, heavy bone. In a normal position, and when gaiting, the elbow should lie close to the brisket. Pasterns firm, with an almost perpendicular position to the ground. Feet well arched, compact and catlike, turning neither in nor out. Slight toeing out much less undesirable than toeing in. Dewclaws may be removed.
Body: Back short, firm, of sufficient width, and muscular at the loin extending in a straight line from withers to the slightly rounded croup. Withers pronounced and forming the highest point of the body. Brisket full and broad, reaching deep to the elbow. Chest broad, and forechest well defined. Ribs well sprung from the spine, but flattened at lower end to provide elbow clearance. Belly well tucked up, extending in a curved line from chest. Loins well muscled. Hips broad in proportion to body, breadth of hips being approximately equal to breadth of body at rib spring.
Hindquarters: In balance with forequarters. Upper shanks long, wide, and well muscled on both sides of thigh, with clearly defined stifles. Hocks while the dog is at rest: hock to heel should be perpendicular to the ground. Upper shanks, lower shanks and hocks parallel to each other, and wide enough apart to fit in with a properly built body. The hip bone should fall away from the spinal column at an angle of about 30 degrees. Upper shank and lower shank are equal in length. The upper shank should be at right angles to the hip bone. Croup well filled out. Cat feet, as on front legs, turning neither in nor out. Dewclaws, if any, may be removed.
Tail: Tail docked at approximately the second joint, should appear to be the continuation of the spine, without material drop.
Gait The gait should be free, balanced, and effortless with good reach in the forequarters and good driving power in the hindquarters. When trotting there should be a strong rear action drive. Hocks should fully extend. Each rear leg should move in line with the foreleg on the same side. Rear and front legs should be thrown neither in nor out. Back should remain strong, firm and level. When moving at a fast trot the properly built dog will single track.
Faults: Feminine dogs, masculine bitches. Light tan or muddied markings. Overly large markings. Head out of balance in proportion to both Ram’s, dish-faced, cheeky or snipey head. Any deviation from the correct number or placement of teeth to be penalized in direct proportion to the amount of deviation. Slit eyes, glassy eyes, round eyes. Weak or knuckled-over pasterns. Hare feet, splay feet. Overly rounded or flat croup.
Major Faults: Coarseness, fine Greyhound build. Loose shoulder, straight shoulder. Sway or roach back. Straight stifles, cow-hocks, spread hocks and sickle hocks.
Scale of Points-
General Conformation and Appearance:
Proportions- 8
Bone and substance- 8
Temperament and expression- 8
Nobility and condition- 5 = 29
Head:
Shape- 6
Teeth- 5
Eyes- 3
Ears- 1 = 5
Neck- 3
Body:
Backline, withers, loins- 8
Tail placement, chest, brisket, rib spring- 8
Tuck-up, shape, and proportions- 4 = 20
Forequarters:
Shoulders, upper arms, legs- 5
Pasterns, angulation- 4
Paws- 2 = 11
Hindquarters:
Upper thigh, stifle- 5
Hocks, angulation- 4
Paws- 2 = 11
Gait- 6
Coat, Colour and Markings- 5
TOTAL= 100
Disqualifications: Shyness, viciousness. Overshot more than 3/16 inch (.5 cm), undershot more than 1/8 inch (.3 cm). Four or more missing teeth. A dog shall be judged fundamentally shy if, refusing to stand for examination, it shrinks away from the judge; if it fears an approach from the rear; if it shies at sudden and unusual noises to a marked degree. A dog that attacks, or attempts to attack either the judge or its handler, is definitely vicious. An aggressive or belligerent attitude towards other dogs shall not be deemed vicious.
Size:
Height at withers -- males, ideal 27-1/2 inches (70 cm); females, ideal 25-1/2 inches (65 cm). Males, decidedly masculine, without coarseness. Females, decidedly feminine, without over-refinement. Deviation from ideal height to be penalized in proportion to the amount of deviation. The dog generally weighs between 75 and 100 pounds (34 and 45 kg) and the bitch between 60 and 90 pounds (27 and 41 kg).
Temperament:
Doberman Pinschers are, in general, gentle, loyal, loving, and intelligent dogs. Statistical techniques for assessing personality traits in humans have been applied to dogs, and show that Doberman Pinschers rank relatively high in playfulness, average in curiosity/fearlessness, low on aggressiveness and low on sociability. Historically, the Doberman Pinscher has been used as a protection and guard dog, due to its intelligence, loyalty, and ability to physically challenge human aggressors. A related problem is the misunderstanding of their legitimate roles; because guard dogs are trained to neutralize unwelcome intruders, many people mistakenly believe that Doberman Pinschers are vicious. Due to these misconceptions it is not uncommon to see this breed mentioned in forms of breed specific legislation.
Studies of dog bites and dog bite fatalities have shown that the danger of attack by Dobermans is less than that of a number of other breeds which are not commonly named in breed-specific legislation. Although there is variation in temperament, a typical pet Doberman attacks only if it has been mistreated or believes that it or its family are in danger.
Health:
Common health problems are dilated cardiomyopathy, cervical vertebral instability - CVI (Wobbler's disease), and von Winderbrand’s Disease. Other problems that are less severe or seen less frequently include Hypothyroidism, Cancer, Progressive retinal atrophy, Cataracts, Glaucoma, Copper toxicosis, Color dilution alopecia in blues and fawns, hip dysplasia, and Peripheral neuropathy ("Dancing Doberman disease", very rare).
Average Lifespan:
The Doberman lives approximately 9.6 years on average, with the females usually living a bit longer than the males. Unfortunately, a 10 year old Doberman, for the most part, is considered fairly old.
History:
Doberman Pinschers were first bred in the town of Apolda, in the German state of Thueringen 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, loyalty, intelligence, and ferocity. Later, Otto Goeller and Philip Gruening continued to develop the breed to become the dog that is seen today.
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 Pinscher, the Beauceron, the Rottweiler, the Thuringian Shepherd Dog, the black Greyhound, the Great Dane, the Weimaraner, the German Shorthaired Pointer, the Manchester Terrier and the old German Shepherd Dog - now extinct. The exact ratios of mixing, and even the exact breeds that were used, remains 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 cross with the Greyhound. It is also widely believed that the old German Shepherd (now extinct) gene pool, was the single largest contributor to the Doberman breed.
The first Dobermans to enter the U.S. did so around 1908. In 1921, the Dobermann Pinscher Club of America was organized, and one year later, the standard that was written in Germany was adopted as the standard in the U.S. The next 15 years were very important years in the Doberman's history. World War I had severely depleted the number of Dobies, due to the near, and actual, starvation of many of the people of Europe. The luxury of having Dobermans as a family pet was too much for some, many puppies, as well as adults, had to be put to death. The military, the police, certain organizations, and the very wealthy were able to possess these dogs. So there was a need to be filled by the continued breeding of the Doberman. But now the emphasis was on the best bred dog. After 1921, an American market opened up for these German bred dogs.
Sources:
Wikipedia
CKC
Doberman Pinscher Club of Canada Inc.
Bark Bytes
Pictures:
Photobucket