| by Mary Spinelli
If you've been following it, there's been quite a
discussion on several of the Doberman related email lists about movement. Many
well-respected breeders and judges have weighed in with their perspectives and
a lively discussion has ensued. The importance of movement and being able to
recognize good movement in our breed is important enough, but not so important
as the first two topics in the title of this piece.
Think back to the actual purpose of this breed.
Dobermans were designed and bred as personal protection dogs. They were not
perimeter dogs like a German Shepherd Dog, they were not flock guardians like
several other working breeds. They are personal protection dogs. They were
meant to walk with their handler and then retire back to the furnace and the
guard hut after their rounds. Does a Doberman need a flying trot to perform
this duty? Do they need the tireless trotting gait akin to a Siberian Husky?
No. In order to apprehend a criminal they need short bursts of tremendous speed
and power much more like their sighthound cousins than their sled dog
group-mates.
But, of course, they are not sighthounds. Getting
there is only half the battle for a Doberman. This is where breed type comes
into play. These dogs need to be able to confront and bring down a 200-lb. man
who in all likelihood is going to resist. For this reason alone, a Doberman can
not be built along the lines of a sighthound. Maximum density—good bone,
rib spring, depth of body, superior muscle mass—is what contributes to the
bulk that is a good Doberman. This is not a two-dimensional breed. Outline
alone ignores the third dimension. A Doberman without sufficient body mass can
not adequately perform its stated purpose. If you need an illustration of this
point, consider a basketball and a medicine ball. Both are about the same size.
Which one do you want thrown at you? The word elegant in the Doberman Pinscher
standard seems to confuse a lot of non-breeder judges. Quite simply it means
"elegant, as in does not look like a rottweiler." It does not mean
"elegant, as in looks like a whippet." Next time you are looking at a ring full
of dogs, say to yourself, "Okay, I'm alone, I'm in a nasty part of town, my car
has just broken down and I need to walk." Does that two-dimensional picture
cutout look so good to you now?
Consider this recent class of Alaskan Malamutes. The
class contained among others, a faultlessly constructed and moving bitch with
uncommon facial markings and an atypical head. It also contained a bitch with a
textbook pretty head but seriously flawed movement. In choosing the prettier of
the two bitches the judge remarked that while the other dog was certainly a
better moving animal, he just couldn't "buy the head." If he had remembered the
standard he would have been reminded that freighting ability is to be
considered above all, and anything that detracts from it is to be seriously
penalized. Now, take this same judge, this same class of bitches and toss them
out on the frozen tundra, fifty miles from the nearest shelter. Still want
pretty? Maybe, as hypothermia set in, he could find comfort in that stunning
facial mask.
I've left the most important for last. Type and
movement are irrelevant in the absence of temperament. Humans can be considered
a Doberman's prey, if you will. Even the most poorly contructed Doberman can
catch a human. A three-legged Doberman could catch most of us! All the movement
and type in the world will not help you as your Doberman cringes in fear or
runs the other way. The progenitors of this breed were so concerned about
temperament that they made it a breed disqualification. And, for those of you
who don't understand the concepts of shyness and viciousness, they spell it out
for you. I can't honestly say I've seen a lot of vicious dogs being shown. I
wish I could say the same thing about shy dogs in the ring.
To refresh your memory, direct from the standard, "a
dog shall be judged fundamentally shy if, refusing to stand for examination, it
shrinks away from the judge." Shrinks away. Does not stand its ground. Let's
face it, if a dog can't tolerate a friendly stranger walking up to it saying,
"Hello, pretty boy/girl," what would be their reaction to someone jumping out
yelling, "Your money or your life"? Remember the purpose of this breed. A
mugger is not going to be very influenced by you saying, "Hey, hold on a
minute. Let me stack up my Doberman so you'll recognize it for the man-stopper
it is." Temperament is paramount. Judges that ignore the standard, exhibitors
that make excuses for their dogs, breeders that allow these mental flaws to
perpetuate, all need to be tossed out of their cars, 'round about midnight in
downtown Detroit!
I've heard all kinds of excuses: "She's in season,
he's just a puppy, he was a kennel dog, he was bitten by a snake and doesn't
like people looking at him!" He is a Doberman—deal with it. All the other
bitches in season aren't pitching a fit. Other animals have had things dropped
on them, have been smacked in the side of the head by doors, have been exposed
to adversity and they are not back-pedaling trying to get away from the big,
bad, scary judge. Face it people, your dog has a flaw, and in this breed it is
serious enough to remove it from competition. Breeders, remember, the shame is
not in producing a poor temperament so much as in defending a poor temperament.
And to those judges that allow these animals to remain in their ring I have one
question for you. If you can't apply the parts of the standard that are
not open to interpretation, how much confidence should I have in your
ability to interpret those parts of the standard that are?
So, once you've determined that a dog has the proper
temperament and breed type, then by all means start looking at movement. The
criteria for temperament and breed type are not impossible to find, and if they
are, then you should be withholding ribbons, not contributing to the next
generation of fearful, scrawny Dobermans. All dogs must have the first two
attributes—the best dogs will have all three.
April 2001 |
