He's my boy, even at 430am when I'm trying to sleep a little longer!įorm should always follow function. I wouldn't call him an optimum specimen of his breed, but he's definitely doberman to look at.
I have noticed he has filled out below the eyes and in the jowl, so has a nice wedge from the front now. But I noticed he marked the other day at the dog park so he probably has some hormones kicking in. I'm not sure if this will be something he grows out of or not, and I have my doubts. His teeth don't scissor well like in an ideal head. His nose is pointy and he has a slight overbite. Purposely breeding breathing and soundness issues into an animal seems counter intuitive to me but yet it happens.Ĭurrently Nero has a snipey head. But even then, soundness of movement leading to a longer lived life as a pet, would strike me as an ideal to have in a dog. So what really makes up the ideal? Form should follow function IMHO unless the breed really has no function beyond lap dog. but the differences are smaller compared to the western ones. Even in english styles of riding you will see a different type for hunter, jumper, dressage, etc. Then you have the pleasure and english pleasure bred horses which are built entirely different, and finally the working horses like cutting which again have a different body type. There is the halter horse, which is supposed to optimize conformation ideals, but often, these horses don't move well and many are never broken to saddle. I see this in horses, especially the western breeds like QH, Paint and Appy, a great deal. It's interesting to discuss conformation and how it relates to an ideal body type and then often we notice a difference when it comes to working animals vs conformation. Now, this can be taken too far and I then look at that Dobe and say that's not what a Dobe is supposed to be. These Dobermanns tend toward the heavier, blockier bodies and heads. The breeder got defensive and said something like "You ask about being cow-hocked, but look at them move!" She was right! They were very fast and agile and sturdy.įinally, I will say that while I think Dobes that meet the AKC standard are quite beautiful, I tend to prefer a lot of what I see from good breeders in Europe. With my previous Dobe, I commented on how the dam was cow-hocked (so was the boy I got out of her). I see a lot of top lines that are arched and tails that are set on too low. Look at the Dobes that are well-suited to the sprinting and sharp turns on the IPO fields and they don't have "nice" bodies. That said, It is peculiar to me that the Dobes that excel at athletic dog sports often do not conform to the breed standard very well. The Doberman is supposed to be the ideal combination of strength, speed and agility. Every size, every proportion and every angle has a purpose. It supposedly describes the ideal Doberman Pinscher and the ultimate-performing Doberman. So, I believe in the breed standard – or at least I have historically. Politics and even corruption also come into play when it comes to handing out points, championships, placements and awards. Of course, as in any judged event, personal opinion comes into play. This is what conformation shows (the "dog shows" everybody's familiar with) should be about – judging the dogs based on how close they come to the breed standard.
It's been my understanding (and Archer alluded to this) that a "nice" head or body refers to it adhering closely to the written breed standard. A very good question and nice idea for a thread!
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