doberman puppies, doberman breeders
DPCA Judge's Education Page
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ILLUSTRATED STANDARD
AKC Standard HEAD Long
and dry, resembling a blunt wedge in both frontal and profile views. When seen
from the front, the head widens gradually toward the base of the ears in a
practically unbroken line. Eyes almond shaped, moderately deep set, with
vigorous, energetic expression. Iris, of uniform color, ranging from medium to
darkest brown in black dogs; in reds, blues, and fawns the color of the iris
blends with that of the markings, the darkest shade being preferable in every
case. Ears normally cropped and carried erect. The upper attachment of the ear,
when held erect, is on a level with the top of the skull. Top
of skull flat, turning with slight stop to bridge of muzzle, with muzzle line
extending parallel to top line of skull. Cheeks flat and muscular. Nose solid
black on black dogs, dark brown on red ones, dark gray on blue ones, dark tan on
fawns. Lips lying close to jaws. Jaws full and powerful, well filled under the
eyes.
Commentary
The
Doberman’s head is essential to breed type. There are a few
criteria that must be met for the head to conform to the standard. However, it
is possible for all of these criteria to be met and still have correct heads
that are appreciably different from one another in overall look. The
head must be long (but always in balance with the neck and body)
and dry. The term “dry” means that there should be no looseness of
skin. As with the body, Dobermans should have tight-fitting skin on the head,
with few or no wrinkles when the dogs are fully alert.
The shape of the head is a blunt wedge that should be apparent when
viewed from the front or from the side. The wedge can vary in width. Typically,
a heavily-built dog will have more breadth to the head and therefore a wider
wedge than a more slightly-built dog, which generally has a narrower wedge. What
matters is that the width of the head be in proportion to the dog’s overall
conformation.
When
approaching the Doberman head on, two flat planes fitting flush with the sides
of the head should be visible. The
head widens from the nose to the ears in a nearly straight line. Eyes
are almond shaped and dark — the darker, the better. Common faults are light
eyes, round eyes, and oblique eyes. Round eyes seem to be much more
prevalent than oblique eyes. The
Doberman is a protection dog and should have eyes that convey alertness,
determination, watchfulness and unmistakable fearlessness. Round eyes can create
a soft, gentle appearance that deviates from the Doberman’s ideal appearance.
Similarly, light eyes and bird-of-prey eyes are deviations from the standard. Ears
are normally cropped and carried erect. “Normally cropped” means cropped in
a normal manner. Normally cropped
does not mean “usually cropped.” Cropped ears will always be carried erect
on a fully mature Doberman. The upper attachment of the ear to the head should
be level with the top of the backskull when the dog is alert.
The shape of cropped ears can vary because veterinarians exert their own
vision on the final shape.
The
top of the skull is flat, as are the cheeks. These surfaces, along with the
slight stop, create the impression of planes and angles. Curves can give a
softer look to the head, which is contrary to the characteristic appearance of
the Doberman. The
muzzle is parallel to the backskull. Although the standard does not address
muzzle length, the length of the muzzle should be equal to the length of the
backskull. The muzzle is strong and powerful with a fully developed underjaw,
which should be clearly apparent when viewing the head in profile. The lips,
including the flews, should be tight-fitting.
Typical
deviations
Teeth Teeth
strongly developed and white. Lower incisors upright and touching inside of
upper incisors a true scissors bite. 42 correctly placed teeth, 22 in the lower,
20 in the upper jaw. Distemper teeth shall not be penalized. Disqualifying
Faults: Overshot more than 3/16 of an inch. Undershot more than 1/8 of an inch.
Four or more missing teeth.
Teeth
should come together in a scissors bite — that is, the outside top edge of the
lower incisors should meet the inside edge of the upper incisors as shown.
Lower incisors should be upright.
Incorrect bites include a level bite (the upper incisors meet the lower
incisors at the biting edge), an undershot bite (the lower teeth extend beyond
the upper teeth), and an overshot bite (the upper teeth extend beyond the lower
teeth without contact).
The
Doberman is expected to have a full complement of teeth, so there should be 42
correctly placed teeth.
The
teeth, muzzle and underjaw are interrelated. Each
element can affect the others. Missing teeth are considered to be structural
faults because they can affect the other elements of the head and because they
have a direct bearing on the dog’s ability to fulfill his working purpose. Four
or more missing teeth is a disqualification. However, a missing tooth or two
should be weighed against the dog’s virtues. Missing
teeth can appear in a number of places. Sometimes
there will be five incisors that are evenly spaced, and a missing tooth can be
difficult to detect. Missing
premolars are the most common. Occasionally
the rearmost molar is missing, especially on the lower jaw.
It is imperative to open the mouth to view the back molars, as it is
impossible to see or feel them with the mouth closed. Dobermans
can sometimes have extra teeth, usually in the premolar area. One
or two extra teeth are fairly common. Although
there is no disqualification for extra teeth, the standard does call for 42
correctly placed teeth. Extra
teeth affect the correct placement of the other teeth. Extra
teeth deviate from the standard in two ways: the
extra number of teeth is a deviation from 42, and the extra teeth affect the
correct placement of the other teeth.
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