HISTORY: The Doberman Pinscher became the well known dog breed that it is today all because one day a door-to-door tax collector (now that’s an unenviable job if there was one) decided he needed a little extra job security in the form of a guard dog to accompany him on his rounds.   

The German tax collector in question was called Louis Doberman and around 1870 he began developing a new breed of dog that eventually resulted in the modern day Doberman Pinscher. The dog breeds from which the Doberman Pinscher was derived included: the Rottweiler; German Pinscher; Greyhound; and the Manchester Terrier.   

There are those who speculate that the German Shepherd was also involved in the make-up of the Dobermann Pinscher, but this is unlikely since the Shepherd was also being developed around the very same period.   

In its early form the Doberman Pinscher was a somewhat heavy-boned and rounded dog (more similar in appearance to the Rottweiler). Further development by subsequent breeders transformed the early heavyset shape of the original Doberman into the sleek, streamlined dog that characterizes the modern Doberman Pinscher. The first official records documenting the Doberman date back to 1890 in Germany.   

The 1st official Doberman Pinscher club appeared in 1889 and is credited to Otto Goeller who helped refine the development of the Doberman Breed through his Kennel named Thuringen in honor of the region from which the breed’s creator, Herr Doberman, hailed from. Another individual who played an important role in refinement and development of the Doberman was a Herr Gorswin through breeding efforts from the Groenland Kennel.   

When the Doberman Pinscher first debuted in the show ring apparently judges were so intimidated by the breed that they were loathe to inspecting the dog’s teeth. Thus on account of such trepidation one Doberman Pinscher even attained Championship status even though it was missing several teeth!  

Such fear incarnated by the Doberman of yesteryear was not totally irrational or without basis because those early versions of the Doberman Pinscher were a truly ferocious dog indeed! No doubt with its lithe, athletic and muscular torso backdropped against a forbidding black-and-tan the Doberman certainly made for a splendidly threatening and menacing visage that epitomized the phrase lean, mean machine!   

So it was little wonder that for a time the Doberman Pinscher became Hollywood’s canine villain of choice starring in many a thriller movie where evil, threatening or dangerous dogs were a prerequisite! Unfortunately that image seems to have persisted despiet the fact that careful and selective temperament selection on the part of breeders has considerably toned down the aggressiveness of the modern Doberman Pinscher.  

Dobermann