Today's
Development
of the Breed
In the early 1970's,
the Dobermann began to see incredible popularity in this country. Larger and
larger numbers of Dobermanns were bred, but unfortunately, many of them were
bred for the wrong reasons. While a breeder's goal should only be the improvement
of the breed using superior specimens, many litters were now whelped solely
for the purpose of making money. A balanced temperament, correct structure and
excellent health were often not important to the profit oriented breeder, and
soon we began hearing stories of the breed's viciousness and decline.
This problem escalated
until finally the serious American breeders and DPCA (Doberman Pinscher Club
of America) members decided to invoke a strict code of ethics and aggressively
educate the public on how to choose a breeder and how to properly raise and
train their Dobermanns.
Today, we have
fewer litters whelped annually, but the puppies are of much higher quality.
Public perception of the breed has turned much more positive, and stories of
vicious Dobermanns have become rare.
The only negative
side effect has been the loss of some of the true working abilities in the American
bred Dobermann. Because of this, we see only few "AKC Dobies" in the
sport of Schutzhund, and many more German and European imports and their descendants
instead.
The shape and
style of the AKC conformation-ring Dobermann is also somewhat different from
the European imports, often with longer necks and less substance, the American
bred Dobies have a harder time performing the work they were originally intended
for. In this writer's opinion, form and function are equally important and she
hopes that someday the gap between the Dobermann showring community and the
Schutzhund/working community will once again be bridged.
|
Danika's
Library
Our newest
addition is a soon-to-grow library of articles related to our wonderful breed!
The Dobermann
Research
Center
Here
is where you'll find pictures and information about many of the wonderful dogs in the history of the United Dobermann Club and
the world.
Doberlist
International
Email-List
Find
out how to
participate in this FREE
email discussion list for Dobermann enthusiasts world-wide!
Picture Gallery
See
pictures of our dogs and read their stories...!
|