Patrick Duffy

GE 117
Final Paper The Doberman Pinscher: A Force to be Reckoned With The Doberman Pinscher was first bred with the intention to be the most lethal and efficient K9 known to man. The Doberman possesses the necessary characteristics to be a fierce guard dog, yet a loving companion. For these reasons, the Doberman has become much more popular in the last hundred years as the military, police, and residential population realize what a great addition the Doberman Pinscher can provide to your family. Unlike people who look at the Doberman as a friendly house pet, law enforcement along with breeders tend to search for Dobermans with full European descent in order to keep their Doberman's with the purest bloodline possible. A dog with such qualities can dominate by using great intelligence and energy, thus, allowing the use of Dobermans in many career fields today. The great success of the Doberman first began with it's origin in Apolda, Germany. The man, Louis Dobermann, had many jobs and often traveled through dangerous lands. In need of personal protection, Dobermann wanted to breed a dog with great loyalty and also with the ability to handle any threat that may arise. Therefore, Karl Dobermann experimented with the breeding of dogs such as the Greyhound, short-haired Shepherd, German Pinscher, Rottweiler, Beuceron, and the Manchester Terrier to produce what we now know as the Doberman Pinscher. The Doberman Pinscher was an instant success when first offered at a dog show in 1876. The high demand for the Doberman Pinscher sky rocketed throughout Europe as people saw the great looks and companionship that the dog possessed. It wasn't long before the AKC (American Kennel Club) recognized the dog as a breed in 1908. The AKC considered the Doberman Pinscher to be a Working Group dog and listed the breed to be a superb guardian as well as loyal companion. The physical stature of the dog is a great contribution to its success. Being a medium sized dog with a height of between 24-28 inches tall to the shoulder, the Doberman is fierce looking, however, very beautiful at the same moment. With the ability to maintain and produce much energy at will, for any occasion, the Doberman will not hesitate to throw its full weight of 100-130 lbs. at any attacker for the sake of his master. The dark brown and black colorations of the dog consequently make the animal a terrifying experience to come across, especially due to the dog's ability of cover under nightfall. The first time the dog was utilized in a military aspect was by the Nazi SS in World War I. The German military saw this breed of dog as a ferocious competitor in the war which could instantaneously diminish the enemy's morale to close to nothing. These dogs were used for many reasons at this point in time, however, particularly utilized by German Police to search for any hiding Jewish members among the community. Extended use of the Doberman also included the responsibility to simply inspire fear in the prisoners as they passed by in German Concentration Camps. The United States Marine Core named the Doberman Pinscher their official war dog in 1943, when they were first deployed in the Pacific for battle of Bougainville. After this battle, the deployment was high in the war against the Japanese. Many soldiers saw his new dog and loved the agility, loyalty, and intelligence it had to offer. Not only that, but owning a dog proved to beneficial to soldiers by accommodating them with a lifelong accomplice. There was one case in the battle of Quam, where a Doberman named, Kurt, was responsible for saving the lives of up to 250 soldiers by detecting a large ambush of Japanese soldiers ahead. The dog was then the first to be killed by a grenade. There is currently a memorial, located among the various WWII memorials, to represent 25 Marine War Dogs that gave their lives in the liberation of Guam.
Today the Doberman is used in many ways such as for obedience trials, agility, a guide dog, patrol dog, detection dog, and tracking dog. The Doberman is able to perform well in these career fields due to the incredible will to learn each dog possess. The Doberman Pinscher will do virtually anything to please the owner, furthermore enjoying each experience with the owner. Dobermans provide the perfect candidate as a Police Dog. The United States trains their K9 units to be trained the best, consequently, using the Doberman. The animals are trained to facilitate the owners requests under stressful situations, even if the saught action could result in harm to the dog or fellow officers.
The Doberman Pinscher was first bred with the intention to be the most lethal and efficient K9 known to man. This goal has been greatly accomplished through the intelligent, yet ferocious characteristics of the Doberman. Not only bred to be a dangerous being to be encountered, the Doberman was also bred to be a great companion, one of the most loyal dogs found in the canine kingdom.

Works Cited

"AKC MEET THE BREEDS: Doberman Pinscher." American Kennel Club. © The American Kennel Club, Inc., 6 Nov. 1990. Web. 20 May 2012. <http://www.akc.org/breeds/doberman_pinscher/>. This was a great source of detailed information about the breed. Many topics were covered such as precise detail on the physical characteristics of the dog such as specifications for the size of the head, chest, fore and hindquarters.

AlphaAdmin. "Everything Doberman Online Community." Doberman Pinscher History. 23 Jan. 2010. Web. 20 May 2012. <http://www.gentledoberman.com/doberman-pinscher-information/history>.

"Doberman Pinscher Information and Pictures, Dob, Dobs." Doberman Pinscher Information and Pictures, Dob, Dobs. Dog Breed Info Center®. Web. 20 May 2012. <http://www.dogbreedinfo.com/doberman.htm>. This source provides good general information on the doberman such as description of height/weight, temperament, health problems, living conditions, and origin.

Humphries, Rod, and Joanna Walker. The Doberman Pinscher: Brains and Beauty. New York: Howell Book House, 1999. Print. In this book there are chapters on the Doberman's history, how to buy a dog, grooming, temperament, understanding the breed, breeding, and listed health concerns making this book a valuable source.