How to Judge the Doberman Pinscher
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the Doberman Pinscher originated in
Germany in the late 18-hundreds hare
Louis Doberman was a tax-collector night
watchman and dog catcher he developed
this breed to a system in his work the
Doberman is medium-sized agile and
athletic he has heavy bone and muscle so
he looks imposing to accomplish his job
docked tail and cropped ears add to his
demeanor of a force to be reckoned with
to ensure good reach and drive he’s well
angulated and looks poured into a smooth
tight skin
he is Square and balanced quick thinking
and quick acting all parts fit together
to create one complete picture the
examples shown are different styles but
all quality animals remember to focus on
areas of excellence in each dog not
false begin by taking a long look from
across the ring to assess the general
outline of the dogs check to see if the
dog is balanced and one piece do the
parts flow or does your eye stop at one
part if so it’s out of balance the depth
of body should be equal to the length of
leg the back line is one piece from arch
neck flowing into the well laid back
shoulders continuing in a straight line
from the withers to the well filled out
croup and ending with the tail just
slightly above horizontal the top line
approaches level while moving the dog
should look proud confident noble well
angle square tight and powerful walk
down the line looking at the front view
head should be a long and dry blunt
wedge note the alert vigorous energetic
expression and the shape color and
placement of the eyes confirm the width
of the front the standard says chest
broad check for straight front legs with
heavy bone muscled and sinewy cat-like
feet and clearly defined rust markings
walking up the line from the rear
notice the rear muscling in parallel
Hawke’s neck should flow smoothly into
the shoulders top view should look
smooth not lumpy and bumpy check the
shoulders ribs purring and hindquarters
are the same width and the loin is
muscular send them around to verify your
first impressions he should not lose his
outline he should have good reach and
drive the top line should be firm in
almost level the tail slightly above
horizontal his gait should appear
effortless and efficient yet powerful
start each individual exam by assessing
the outline from the side notice the
balance of the silhouette the head and
neck in proportion to the body length
from four chest to rear projection of
upper thighs should be equal to the
height at the withers the depth of body
should be equal to the length of leg the
shoulder blade and upper arm are equal
length and same with the lower and upper
thighs the front angle equals the rear
angle you want to see a picture of
balanced approach the dog from a 3/4
angle and look at the front view put
your hands on the sides of the head to
feel the smooth transition from skull to
muzzle there should be no gaps it should
be a continuous straight line now put
your hand under the jaw and feel the
strength of the under jaw lift the head
and see the correct eye placement
looking at you not looking up at the sky
is the head of blunt wedge and well
filled under the eyes the eyes should be
almond shaped moderately deep set in
brown the expression alert and
intelligent
the slight stop is a short step down
between the eyes from the flat skull to
the parallel muzzle the muzzle and skull
are of equal length examine the mouth
the American Kennel Club recommends that
you ask the handler to show the mouth
ideally the incisors are wide and
straight across there are six upper and
six lower incisors incisors do not
present a hole if they’re missing as
they do with premolars then look at each
side this dog has perfect occlusion the
teeth mesh like pinking shears with no
gaps count the premolars for upper and
lower on each side ask the handler to
open the mouth look at the back molars
three on the bottom and two on the top
of each side 42 correctly placed teeth
disqualifications include four or more
missing teeth / shot / 1/8 of an inch or
under shot / 3/16 of an inch if the
handler is unable to show the mouth use
the same procedure to do it yourself
now go over the body use soft hands this
smooth coated breed needs very little
touching to confirm what your eyes are
seeing this is a well angled breed feel
the correct 45-degree shoulder angle and
90 degree upper arm shoulder lay back is
the chest – the elbows is the depth of
body equal to the length of leg is the
lowing short and why is the dog well
tucked up does the top line flow
straight from the withers which are
slightly higher to the well filled out
crew is the tail slightly above
horizontal the tail is not carried
straight up you may need to see the dog
in a free stack to see the natural tail
set step behind the dog when finished
with the exam to double check how all of
the pieces fit together from the rear
hocks are parallel and perpendicular to
the ground with good width between the
hocks thighs are well muscled note the
clear markings from the rear you can
also see where the dog puts his front
feet
a cowlick is perfectly acceptable it’s
not addressed in our standard and many
great dogs have cow licks send the dog
down and back look for efficiency and
conservation of energy straight legs
moving toward the center as speed
increases coming and going send the dog
around to make sure what you saw and
felt holds up while moving the smooth
one-piece dog has good reach and drive
strong level top-line tail slightly
above horizontal and head slightly
forward the free stack is where you
check how the dog really looks see how
they stand unassisted check their
temperament any signs of shyness is not
acceptable this dog appears square in
balance note the correct tail carriage
and cat feet this dog also has the
correct tail carriage bone and substance
this dog is watching the camera operator
alert and watchful but at the same time
loyal and obedient the Doberman is
elegant alert determined fearless
obedient reflecting great nobility and
temperament never condone poor
temperament if a dog can’t hold it
together in the ring they should not win
hopefully this video has given you a
better understanding of how to interpret
the standard when judging a Doberman
Pinscher
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