Doberman Pinscher

The Doberman is an intelligent and active dog.  They are powerfully built and square looking yet very elegant.   The height range is about 24 to 28ins (61cm to 71cm) and they weigh in at about 70 to 100 lb (32 to 45kg). 

The Doberman was originally bred as a guard dog and unfortunately some people do find them intimidating.  However, a well trained Doberman is a delight to know and in right hands they can make a good family pet.

If you are considering getting a puppy do please make up your mind to get to know the breed and to train from a very early age.  For one thing Dobermans can get bored quite quickly and they need to be kept occupied, and for another thing you don't want a full grown dog of this size getting out of control. 
 
I have handled a number of these dogs in the past and I found them all to be very patient.  They loved training and seemed happy to be handled.  In fact I always thought the Dobermans would go on and on long after the dogs had  given up.   These were the best of the breed.  I have known others that haven't been so well trained and they were fairly difficult to control and could be rough with other dogs.

If you do agility with a Doberman it will give them a focus for their energy.  Train them well on the contacts though as they can so easily jump over the contact points on the up ramps and they may simply step over them on the down ramps.  

Thanks to copyright free pictures
for this lovely photo
 

Thanks to Dawn Turner of morguefile
for another good photo

If you like collecting things there are some lovely dobie products on the market.  A few of them are shown below.  There are also some useful comments from dobie handlers who tellus what their dogs are like to train and handle as agility dogs.

Comments on the Doberman

J-Man:
I know it doesn't have anything to do with agility but I'm thinking about getting a doberman but I'm a teenager. will my dog be fine when I start school?
Pat comments: Providing there is someone to look after your dog for at least a part of the day he should be fine. 

Rowan:
My doberman is really unwilling, she has been sort of willing to do agility after she lost her sister and has had no-one to play with. Her sister was amazing at agility BUT hated other dogs so she could not compete. If she is in the right frame of mind she can be fast and precise. She gets bored very easily and would rather sleep! She has taken the loss of her sister very badly and wants to play so she is more interested in doing agility.

Kirsty J:
Dobes are quite easy to train as they pick stuff up really quickly and jump really well. They'll never compare with collies for speed but mine tries really hard at everything and will do anything to try and please you. The only thing is is that they get really excitable when they are having fun so I have to stop mine before we do weaves or slower things.

Dobie handler:
He is very precise and alert plus easy to train but no match to the extra fast collies you see! There should be two categories collie and other! it doesn't seem fair!!  Its like putting up a thoroughbred and donkey to race at the derby!!
Pat comments: You might be able to find some ABC (Anything But Collie) classes to enter.  A precise dog can beat a collie hands down on a difficult agility course, but you may find your Doberman speeds up as he gains in experience.