THE ORIGINS OF THE DOBERMANN BREED

In the last century, dogs were valued not for their beauty but for their usefulness. Some for their strength, others for their fierceness, others for their skill with cattle, for their speed for hunting, etc.

In the city of Apolda, in the state of Thüringia, in south-central Germany, between 1834 and 1894 lived a man named Karl Friedrich Louis Dobermann. Herr Dobermann had different trades such as managing a skinnery, being a night watchman, tax collector and municipal manager of collecting abandoned and stray animals.

Taking into account the dangers he ran as a tax collector and due to his contact with abandoned dogs, in 1880, he began to develop the idea of creating a watchdog to protect and defend him. Dobermann did not expect any other function from his dogs than that of guard and protection, for which he did not pay attention to the aesthetic aspects, which allowed him to constitute a breed of strength and character like no other.

It is surprising that the selection work carried out to fix the traits of the breed has been achieved in a period infinitely less than the time required for the evolution of most canine breeds.

Unfortunately, there is no absolutely reliable documentation or testimonies about the origins and crosses that Dobermann used in its beginnings. The truth, regarding the origin of the breed, is difficult to determine since the story in its beginning is contradictory and based on rumors from the local people.

There are many breeds mentioned as components of it, but perhaps the most appropriate would be to base ourselves on the research carried out by the German Dobermann Club in 1933, where old breeders and their children were consulted. Among them were Goswin Tischler (1859 - 1939), owner of the “Von Grönland” kennel, who personally knew Herr Dobermann, and the latter's son: Robert.

The Dobermann breed is the only breed that bears the name of its creator.

According to Robert, the inhabitants of the Apolda region were afraid when they saw a black dog with yellow spots. Dobermann referred to them as "my dogs" so that after time they were known as the "Dobermann Pinschers".

Max Künstler, a close friend of Otto Göeller, said in 1925 that instead of Dobermann Pinscher the breed should be called "Apoldauer Pinscher" or "Thüringer Pinscher", thus indicating its geographical origin since by then the breed had evolved and was not nothing like Herr Dobermann's Pinschers.

Otto Göeller (1852 - 1922), owner of the “Von Thüringen” kennel, was a judge of the breed and perhaps the man who did the most for it to be recognized as such. He was the founder of the first Club of the breed (27-8-1899) and a very active breeder whose dogs were sold all over Germany. Göeller claimed that purebred dogs were rather an exception in Germany before 1870 and that none of the black with yellow spots were known to exist in Apolda.

According to Robert, Herr Dobermann had a female German Pinscher type but with very woolly gray hair called "Wattenrock". This female was bred by a German Pinscher producing the female "Bismarck", whose name was later changed to "Bisart", which had yellowish markings. "Bisart" is believed to have been the base female of the Herr Dobermann breeding program. "Bisart" was in turn crossed with other German Pinschers and in her first breeding among her black puppies she had some gray ones.

POSSIBLE ANCESTORS OF THE DOBERMANN:

• Butcher Dog:

In 1924, Otto Settegast, pioneer of the breed, wrote in the German magazine "Our Dobermanns" that he firmly believed that the butcher dog, well known throughout Germany, was part of the origins of the Dobermann breed; above all, because the primitive Dobermanns were used as cattle shepherd dogs, a typical task of the butcher dog. These dogs were long-shouldered and with powerful necks, possessing incomparable bravery just as it took to herd loose and aggressive bulls. They had a strong lust for combat.

• German Pinscher:

In 1933 the German Dobermann Club, after a meticulous study, concluded that the ancestor par excellence of the Dobermann is the German Pinscher. Dobermann wanted to achieve a dog that weighed 15 times more than the German Pinscher and that was more alert and brave than that one.-

• Rottweiler:

Philipp Gruenig, the most scientific breeder of the breed, judge and author of one of the most informative books, affirmed that the Dobermann from 1890 to 1900 showed a remarkable resemblance to the Rottweiler. He mentioned that the strong jaws and wide skulls observed in the first specimens were evidence that the Rottweiler and sheepdogs had a major influence on the formation of the Doberman's head.

The Rottweiler is a herdsman with an excellent temperament, a zealous caretaker of the cattle and of the master, he was heavy, with short legs, a broad head and a great dignity. On the other hand, Otto Göeller categorically denied that the Rottweiler had been used, but admitted that in the transfer of cattle from southern Germany to the Thüringia area, it was possible that some dogs of this type had crossed with female Pinschers from the area before Herr Dobermann began to breed in 1880. Therefore, it could be accepted that the Rottweiler was part of the origins of the breed and that possibly that first female named "Bisart", which produced black puppies with yellow spots, would have some ancestor of this breed.

On the other hand, the Rottweiler lengthened its hair and the height reached was not yet what was desired.

• Weimaraner:

Both Philipp Gruenig and Max Künstler claimed that some descendants of the "indigenous Weimar hunting" dogs (Weimaraner-Weimaraner or Weimar Pointer) were used in the creation of the Dobermann. With its use, the size increased and the coat was improved. It is thought that it is possibly responsible for the color blue.

• Beauceron:

This dog, of French origin, has characteristics very similar to that of the Dobermann, especially in terms of the head, which is the part in which it resembles it more than any other breed. It comes in the same 4 colors as the Dobermann (black - brown - blue - grey) and with the typical signs of fire. Philipp Gruenig believed that the Beauceron breed was possibly part of the origins of the Dobermann.

He thought that it would be probable that some specimens of the breed had passed through Germany with Napoleon's army and that therefore it would be logical to think that they would have been crossed with German bitches. After the fall of French power, some specimens had to remain in Germany.

• Stoppelhopser:

This now extinct and forgotten sheepdog was very common in Germany between the years 1860 - 1870 and it is indisputable that it was crossed numerous times with the German Pinscher, producing the type of dog that Herr Dobermann used as a breeding base. The marking of this dog was evident in the breed for years, until it became dominated by the strong influence of the Manchester Terrier. Dogs of this breed were often born without a tail and this was also the case among early Dobermanns: Pinko a daughter of "Bisart" produced puppies with this feature. An attempt was made to maintain it by using males and females with short or tailless tails, but it was found that dogs born without tails lacked the desired fire signs, which took precedence over the previous characteristic.

• Manchester Terrier:

This breed of black color and tan markings was very popular at the end of the last century and many breeders believed that it was opportune to incorporate it into the formation of the breed. The greatest influence of the Manchester was the elimination of the long and woolly hair replacing it with a short and glossy coat, reaffirming the primitive tan spots. The head became more elongated and less coarse as, likewise, its neck.

The typical shepherd's body was transformed into a more compact and short body with a different forward angulation and closed "cat" type feet.

On the other hand, the size was reduced and black spots appeared on the feet and fingers. The original character of the Dobermann lost some of its "toughness". The first success of this mixture was "Prinz Von Ilm-Athen" born in 1901, son of "Lady", a half Dobermann and half Manchester bitch.

• Greyhound:

It was introduced in 1909 through a female dog named "Stella" the daughter of a black English greyhound. "Stella" was crossed with a Dobermann called "Lord Von Ried" and produced a litter in which the female "Sybille Von Langen" stood out, who despite being highly criticized for her head, typical of a greyhound, became German champion.

It was thanks to the Greyhound that the Dobermann recovered its energetic and determined character that the Manchester Terrier had come to modify.

It also gave you a higher lift.

It is worth mentioning, although there is no evidence, that the German Mastiff (blue variety) and the Pointer (because of their similarity in the head) have participated in the creation of the breed.

RECORD:

At first it was possible that the same name was used for more than one dog and that they could be registered in several different registries. Sometimes the same dog was registered with different names. In addition, because it is a new breed, the registration of dogs whose fathers and/or mothers were not registered was allowed.

The first records made in the German Stud Book date from 1893 and the first two copies were called "Bosco" and "Cassi". However, this line would become extinct in less than three generations.

It was not until 1898 that a line that was to endure, "Graf Belling Von Grönland" and his sister "Gerhilde" were bred by Goswin Tischler, was registered in the first registry of the German Dobermann Verein. These two specimens belonged to Otto Göeller and "Graf Belling Von Grönland" is also listed as "Graf Belling Von Thüring" with date of birth in October 1898.

In 1904 "Hellegraf Von Thüringen" (grandson of “Graf Belling Von Thüringen”) was born, which was considered by many to be the father of the breed.

Ten main lines and many collateral lines descend from it. Gruenig highlighted that "Hellegraf" marked a milestone in the history of the Dobermann since he was a

"model of beauty, perfection and power, his nobility could hardly be surpassed or even equaled. He was one of the most powerful stallions of all times and breeds. Through him the race assumed a new face and stature.

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