Differences Between European Dobermans and American Dobermans by Stephen Self

European Dobermann Pinschers Focus on Workability

The Doberman Pinscher was originally produced in Germany as a personal protector for individuals and families, and for police and military work. Throughout Europe, this is still the case. Here the Doberman, or Dobermann as it is spelled, is viewed as a dog primarily for protection work and is breed with the intention of maintaining the traits needed in a protection dog, usually termed ‘workability’.

In fact, before a Doberman’s offspring can be registered in Europe, one of its parents must hold a Schutzhund title. Schutzhund is German for ‘protection dog’ and refers to a system for testing dogs of working breeds for workability. It has also grown into a popular sport in Europe and somewhat throughout the United Stated, although the American Kennel Club (AKC) does not allow its affiliates to sanction Schutzhund trials.

Under the common European and German philosophy, the Doberman is a compact dog untouchable by anyone but its owner, handler, or family. He must be strictly obedient under all circumstance and is expected to meet threats with all-out aggression.

It is understood and accepted that the Doberman Pinscher is a real physical danger to anyone approaching the Doberman’s home or family in a threatening way. Understand, the European Doberman, like all healthy and properly socialized Dobermans, is not vicious. A mindless attack dog is not the goal of Schutzhund- the opposite in fact. A mindless attacker is useless in protection work.

The ideal protection Doberman is clam and friendly- until a threat is revealed. Then he will emit loud warning barks and keep himself between his handler and the threat, not pulling or leaving his handler. Only when the threat attacks, or when he is commanded, will the ideal protection Doberman attack. This is the goal of preserving the working traits and a priority in European and German Doberman Pinscher breeding.

American Doberman Pinschers Focus on Pets and the Show Ring

The main difference between American and European Doberman breeding is human social attitude. In the United States, where litigation involving dog bites is as rampant as irresponsible dog owners, the common consensus seems to be that only ‘vicious’ dogs bite.

This was no more evident than when the United Doberman Club was formed in the US after the AKC decision to disallow Schutzhund due to the protection phase which involves bite work. The United Doberman Club currently holds Schutzhund trials under the auspices of the American Working Dog Federation.

Also making this misguided social view starkly evident are the Breed Specific laws that have been proposed, and many passed, in an effort to reduce dog bites. Advocates of Breed Specific legislation ignore the real cause of dog bite, irresponsible people, and place the blame not only on the dog, but on specific breeds of dog. This is unfair but more importantly, it is ineffective. Breed Specific laws will not and do not fix the problem.

Regardless of popular attitude, many Doberman owners and breeders in the United States still work to maintain the working traits in the Doberman and participate in Schutzhund.

Partially due to the popular attitude and partially due simply to Americas love of different aspects of the dog, the goals of most Doberman breeders in America are for the production of pet or companion dogs, and show dogs.

One of the reasons the Doberman is so popular in the US is that it is such a loving, gentle, and devoted companion dog who fits exceptionally well into the busy American family. Quality breeders focused on producing the Doberman as a companion are most concerned with health and temperament. However, the temperament most companion Doberman breeders look for is a general sure and friendly temperament.

In the US there are no temperament tests required for registering a Doberman litter; certainly not anything approaching the intensity or required human dedication as with Schutzhund trials. This lack of temperamental standardization has allowed irresponsible breeders to register their ill planned litters, which has contributed to the degradation of the Doberman breed. Irresponsible breeders have further degraded the Doberman breed by placing their puppies with who ever offers money. This has placed the Doberman in the hands of irresponsible owners who have neglected the Doberman’s needs, such as training and socialization, creating troubled and dangerous Dobermans.

This irresponsible branch of Doberman production in the US is certainly the main cause of the misguided American attitude toward the Doberman. Also contributing are the many movies and video games depicting the Doberman as vicious.

Regardless of temperament standards, quality breeders in the US maintain exceptional standards on their own for the temperament of their breeding Dobermans. Quality breeders are highly discriminative when placing their puppies; they will only place them in homes that have shown their willingness and ability to properly care for a Doberman.

This dedicated type of Doberman breeder, often called master breeder, is the guardian of the Doberman breed. Their breeding is well planned with goals of contributing to and improving the Doberman breed.

These dedicated master breeders have produced some of the healthiest and beautiful Dobermans in the world and have grown a strong branch of quality Doberman lines in the US, often including German imports. Dobermans from this branch, in comparison to their European counterparts are gorgeous, the super-models of the Doberman world. They are longer lived, and possess the same distinctive Doberman temperament but slightly sweeter and friendlier; a soft temperament by European standards.

This awesome branch of American Dobermans has taken over the US show ring, no longer referred to as guard or protection dogs but as family companions.

Also producing quality American Dobermans, but contributing less to the Doberman breed, are breeders focused on show dogs. The problem with these breeders is just that, they are focused on show confirmation- not health and temperament.

The differences between the European and American Doberman Pinscher has caused some people to suggest that the breed be split. However, any guardian of the Doberman breed will fight such a foolish idea. Doing so would drastically reduce the already small quality gene pool and would likely further reduce the American Doberman’s working traits further.

You can learn everything you ever needed to know about the amazing Doberman Pinscher, including History, Health, Care, Obedience, and much, much more at http://www.Ultimate-Doberman-Guide.com

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The Easiest To Train Dog Breeds by Jessica Grace

When learning commands, some dog breeds learn faster, remember more, and respond faster to commands than other dogs. If you want a dog that is easier to train then consider one of the following breeds:

Poodle
Border Collie
Golden Retriever
German Sheppard
Doberman Pinscher
Labrador Retriever
Papillon
Shetland Sheepdog
Miniature Schnauzer
Vizsla

It is important to note that all dog breeds can be trained to learn and obey commands. You’ll see just about every dog breed competing in obedience competitions. However, these breeds (listed above) learn training commands faster than other dog breeds do. This means that training them is a lot easier and requires a lot less patience and time. Just because these breeds learn faster than other breeds doesn’t mean they are more intelligent. Unless, you’re definition of “intelligence” of a dog is  “it’s ability to learn training commands quickly”.

You see, when it comes to dog intelligence, experts have a lot of difficulty determining what dog “intelligence” actually is, just as they do when trying to define what human “intelligence” actually is.

For example, other breeds may understand your commands just as well as these faster learning breeds, but they simply may not have as much desire to carry them out. They simply may not be as eager-to-please you and are therefore not as obedient as the breeds listed above. Does that make them less intelligent though?

No. For example, a Siberian Husky is not as interested in pleasing his owners as some other breeds, so teaching him to obey commands – training him – takes longer. However, just because he is not “quick to learn” the Siberian Husky has other talents, such as his ability to figure out ways to escape from seemingly inescapable backyards. So if you are measuring a dog on his ability to find ways to “escape”, the Siberian Husky would be right up there.

So don’t think that the breeds listed above are any more intelligent than any other breed of dog. They’re are just quicker to learn and obey your commands.

To learn more about these easy-to-train http://www.justdogbreeds.com

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Common Beagle Characteristics by Jake Kennedy

Have you heard of characters such as Snoopy from the Peanut comic strips, Underdog from the cartoon series, or Shiloh from Phyllis Reynolds Naylor’s book? All of these are examples of the Beagle, a dog that has been in the top 10 list of most popular dog breeds in the United States for 30 years. If you have not read or seen any of these examples and are unsure what this breed of dog looks like you can read below to find the common Beagle characteristics.

You may not know what a Beagle looks like but a Foxhound looks extremely similar. Beagles are miniature versions of the Foxhounds but have broader heads, shorter muzzles, and the legs are shorter in proportion to their body. They are typically between 13 to 16 inches in length and weight between 18 to 35 pounds.

The common Beagle characteristic of the skull is that it is domed, with medium-length, square-cut muzzle and a black nose. Their eyes are large and either hazel or brown. The have long, large ears that turn toward the cheeks and round at the tips. Their upper teeth fit perfectly over their lower teeth with both set aligned square into their strong jaw.

These dogs have a medium length neck, just long enough for them to pick up a scent from the ground, and there is sometimes a dewlap in their skin. The Beagle has a broad chest that narrows to a smaller abdomen and waist. At the end of its body is a short tail that curves to a white tip. The white tip has been selectively bred as it allows for the dog to be easily seen when its head is down sniffing.

One of the biggest characteristics of the Beagle is their sense of smell. These dogs have the best developed senses of smell of any dog, next to the Bloodhound. Starting in the 1950s John Fuller and John Paul Scott began a 13 year study into the behavior of canines.

Part of the research they did was testing the scenting abilities of a variety of breeds by putting a mouse in an acre of field and they timed how long it took for the dogs to locate the mouse. A Scottish Terrier was unable to find it, a Fox Terrier found it in 15 minutes, and the Beagle found it in less than one minute.

The problem with this breed is that they are extremely good at ground-scenting, but they are not very good at air-scenting. For this reason they are not used for mountain rescue teams and rather collies are used because they are able to use their sight in addition to their air-scenting, making them the best choice.

These are just some of the Beagle characteristics that should help you identify this breed without doubt.

Jake Kennedy is an avid http://www.iluvbeagles.com Beagle Dog lover providing valuable advice at I Luv Beagles for fellow Beagle lovers, where he shares Beagle dog info and training tips with Beagle lovers worldwide. Visit our Beagle Photo Gallery too: http://www.iluvbeagles.com/gallery/main/ Beagle Dog Pics

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