The Doberman Pinschers – Excellent Guard Dogs For Home
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the Doberman Pinschers excellent guard
dogs for home developed in
nineteenth-century Germany to protect
the taxman the Doberman Pinscher has
since become one of the most popular
dogs in the United States and around the
world the breed is named after its
creator a German tax collector named
Karl Friedrich Louie Doberman whose
original aim was to create a breed that
would be ideal for protecting him during
his collections a protection animal from
the start the early versions of the
breed earned a negative reputation for
aggression issues but the modern breed
is considerably less hard tempered while
there is only one variety of Doberman
Pinscher there is a growing recognition
among fanciers that American and
European lines may exhibit different
traits the Doberman Pinscher is also
known as the Doberman Pinscher the
Doberman the Dobby and the Dobby
number one appearance thanks not only to
its great popularity but also to
numerous appearances in popular culture
the Doberman Pinscher is one of the most
recognizable breeds in America often
described as the Cadillac of dogs the
Doberman Pinscher is known for looking
very tough and intimidating even
ferocious although many of these dogs
are not although initially bred as a
medium-sized dog
most modern Doberman fencers are quite
large males should stand between 26 and
28 inches tall at the withers ideal
about 27 and 1/2 inches and weigh
between 70 and 100 pounds while the
smaller females typically stand between
24 and 26 inches ideal about 25 and 1/2
inches and weight between 60 and 90
pounds the Doberman Pinscher is a
squarely built dog and all of its
extremity should be proportional to the
size of its body nothing on a Doberman
Pinscher should be overly exaggerated
other than its athleticism this breed is
one of the most athletic looking of all
dogs and most Dobermans are ripping with
muscles this muscular should never make
this breed appear thick but rather lean
and fierce the tail of the Doberman
Pinscher is traditionally docked to
between 1 and 3 inches long and this
procedure is almost universally
performed on Doberman Pinschers born in
the United States however this practice
is falling out of favor and is actually
banned in a number of countries the
natural tale of the Doberman is quite
variable most are short and very thin
but while some are rather straight with
a slight curl many completely and
tightly curled over the back
number two temperament very few breeds
have as negative a reputation in the
temperament department as the Doberman
Pinscher but many of these perceptions
are very unfair to modern breed members
perhaps the Dobermans defining
personality characteristic as its
intense loyalty few if any breeds are as
unfailingly loyal as a Doberman and
these dogs will go to absolutely any
lengths for their masters the Doberman
Pinscher is also a very people-oriented
breed most breed members want to be as
close as possible to their families at
all times which can be a problem as this
dog is often in between legs and on laps
Doberman Pinschers raised in a single
person household tend to become
one-person dogs but those raised in a
family will usually form deep
attachments with every family member
although most family Doberman Pinschers
do have a favorite person this breed is
known to suffer from severe separation
anxiety if away from its family for too
long additionally Dobermans are
extremely sensitive to enter family
stress and shouting and dogs living in
volatile homes may become so stressed
that they become physically ill or
emotionally unstable this breed has a
reputation for aggression or even
viciousness but this is largely a result
of history and holds little truth to the
modern breed the Doberman Pinscher
greatly prefers to be in the company of
family or friends it knows well and is
typically very aloof and wary of
strangers though not especially fond of
them most well-trained Doberman
Pinschers will be polite with strangers
and will only show aggression when
commanded or a situation demands it
in fact many breed members have served
with distinction as therapy
search-and-rescue and service dogs
without proper training and
socialization
however some Doberman Pinschers may
exhibit a strong tendency to become
nervous fearful of strangers and many
develop aggression issues
this breed makes a vigilant watchdog and
an incredible guard dog as Doberman
fencers will not allow an unaccompanied
intruder to enter their
main unchallenged and the vast majority
of breed members will go to any lengths
to defend their family although
potentially aggressive Dobermans greatly
prefer the use intimidation over that of
physical force and aside from a few
poorly or maliciously breadlines are
rarely vicious although controversial
dog bite statistics have consistently
shown that this breed is both
considerably less likely to bite and to
cause life-threatening injury when it
does than many other supposedly
aggressive breeds such as Rottweilers or
Achilles and even traditional family
pets such as a Labrador Retriever Shih
Tzu’s and cocker spaniels
number three grooming requirements the
Doberman Pinscher has very low grooming
requirements the short coat of this
breed should never require professional
grooming only a regular brushing is
required
this breed requires no other care other
than that which every dog does
occasional bathing regular tail trimming
teeth brushing and the like the Doberman
Pinscher does shed and will require
owners to clean up dog hair but the
breed is considered an average shadow
that will only pose problems for allergy
sufferers or the most intensely
fastidious
number four care the Doberman requires
mental and physical exertion daily or it
may become destructive or frustrated
this need can be easily met with a walk
on a leash a run in an enclosed area or
a long jog and while it can live
outdoors in cool climate the Doberman is
most effective indoors as a guardian and
a family companion its coat requires
minimal care
number five health issues the Doberman
Pinscher is known to suffer from a
number of health problems many of which
are quite serious Doberman Pinschers are
susceptible to most disease is common to
purebred dogs in general large dogs in
particular as well as a number of breed
specific ailments different health
surveys and studies have indicated
different life expectancies for the
breed which may be the result of many
different factors the average life of a
Doberman Pinscher is probably between
nine and ten years but most breed
members pass much earlier than this from
health problems are significantly later
as those few Dobermans without these
health problems tend to be robust and
long-lived the most serious concern for
Doberman Pinscher owners is dilated
cardiomyopathy dilated cardiomyopathy
occurs when the heart becomes enlarged
and weakened and can no longer
effectively pump blood to the body’s
systems because this condition affects
blood flow it can have significant
impacts on all of the body’s symptoms
this disease is far more common in the
Doberman Pinscher than any other and
more than 40% of all dilated
cardiomyopathy diagnoses are for this
breed while health surveys are never
precise multiple surveys have indicated
that more than half of all Dobermans
will develop dilated cardiomyopathy at
some point in their lives this disease
is easily the leading cause of death for
this breed as it usually leads to fatal
heart or other conditions at least 75%
of Dobermans diagnosed with dilated
cardiomyopathy died shortly thereafter
either from unknown causes or congestive
heart failure Doberman Pinschers suffer
from at least two forms of
cardiomyopathy one of which is suffered
by all breeds and another which is
apparently limited to Doberman Pinschers
and boxers there is no cure or current
genetic test for dilated cardiomyopathy
but there are treatments most of which
are expensive Dobermans are also
especially susceptible to von
Willebrand’s disease a blood clotting
disorder this disease makes it difficult
or in
possible for the blood to clot which
leads to excessive bleeding in the case
of a cut or puncture this disease can be
fatal in the event of injury or surgery
as it causes the dog to bleed out
rapidly
number six bringing your new Doberman
Pinscher home your first few weeks at
home will be easier for you and your new
pup if you maintain a consistent routine
you might try feeding and walking your
Doberman at the same times each day this
will allow you both to adjust more
quickly to your new life together if you
are looking to adopt a Doberman Pinscher
from an animal shelter or find a breeder
it’s important to look for breeders that
can provide detailed health records for
their puppies and parents as well as
genetic testing for health conditions
the orthopedic foundation for animals
effect and their canine health
information center chic maintains a
voluntary database of Doberman Pinschers
and their health screening results
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