The
Doberman pinscher has quite a
reputation for being an excellent guard dog and a loyal pet. If you have come
to a decision to bring a Doberman into
your home, it is best to get a puppy. The question is,  which breed line of Dobermans should you choose
from.

Once
you start talking to Doberman owners, you start to hear about European
vis-à-vis American breeds. This might confuse you, so to help you figure it
out, here are the basic differences between the two breeds.

normal\">The European Doberman

History
shows that Dobermans are originally
from Europe, more specifically, Germany.  They were produced as military and police
dogs, but quickly became a personal favorite among private families and individuals.
They were brought up to be work dogs, not family pets. In fact, each Doberman
puppy could only be registered if one of its parents had a Schutzhund title.
This is a certification that the dog passed a test as a working breed. It is
still an ongoing test used in Europe, and by
some organizations in the United
States.

As
a guard dog, the Doberman is taught as a puppy not to be touched by anyone
other than its owner or handler.  This is
why in many movies, you see Doberman dogs being used as the ultimate protection
for homes of both VIPs and gangsters alike. They can be very fierce and
threatening, not to mention physically dangerous. However, a distinction must
be made that the Doberman dogs are
taught to attack with intelligence. These are not dogs that randomly run after
just anyone aggressively. They can stand in attention even in the presence of a
stranger, but pounce at moment’s notice once a command is given by its owner.
You could not have made a better choice if you are looking for protection.

normal\">The
American Doberman

Doberman puppies born and bred in
the United States
are segregated into security dogs or for show. However, what stands out even
more than this is the social aspect of raising these dogs which is almost like
night and day. In the US,
the dogs raised to protect carry an even bigger threat of litigation from dog
bites. Civil suits filed against owners of dogs, any breed, that threaten or
bite have increased exponentially over the years, lending too much stress on
the kind of training given to Doberman
dogs.

This
could have led to the current trend to have Doberman dogs trained as pets or
show dogs. If you notice, the usual colors of this breed is black/rust but
there are albino, blue, fawn, or tan colors. Don’t believe breeders or sellers
who tell you that these unique colors distinguish the puppies as those from
European lines.

normal\">Other
Myths About The Doberman American and European Breeds

Surprisingly,
it’s easy to get fooled about a lot of things, and Doberman puppy buyers can
quickly fall into this category because of limited information. Here are the
usual lines sellers use to get you to buy their puppies.

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European Doberman
dogs
are healthier - This is not a continental feature, but should be based on care
and maintenance. You can ask for the history of the puppy so you can trace its
genetic make-up and find out if the puppy will have a good survival rate

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North
American Doberman dogs are likely to
suffer from heart conditions - Not a valid statistic since it happens across
the board

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European
are high strung and too aggressive - As a matter of fact, because of its
training, it does not attack without a command, and children can come up close
to them without parents worrying about it. The Doberman puppies tend to be
overly excited, but these are growing pains and so the necessary precautions
should be taken

With
these in mind, deciding the origin of your soon-to-be normal\">Doberman puppy should not be a difficult decision to make. It would
be far more important to know the bloodline of the puppy, shots, genetic  frame, and what kind of training, if any, has
been started.

Owning
a Doberman puppy is going to be a
decision you most likely will not regret. However, you have to  establish the purpose of your puppy even
before you buy it, so that you can plan the training process better.