Doberman Pinscher Pros & Cons
Courageous, bold and resolute, strong yet graceful, well-muscled but finely chiseled — these are the features that define the well-bred Doberman Pinscher. A regal and noble breed, the Doberman is also sturdy and generally healthy; the average life expectancy is 10 years, although Dobermans that live to 13 or 14 years of age are not uncommon.
However, the breed is not without its health problems: Cancer, cardiomyopathy and cervical vertebral instability are deadly or debilitating genetic diseases that trouble the Doberman. Because these diseases are hereditary, careless breeding conducted by irresponsible breeders can increase the potential that a dog and its littermates carry the defective genes that will later shorten the dogs’ lifespan or severely lessen their quality of life. Conversely, conscientious breeders can reduce the risk of genetic disease in their dogs by studying the health history of particular pedigrees, which increases the chances of breeding healthy dogs to healthy dogs.
However, even the most astute breeder cannot ferret out every serious genetic disease a line may carry, in part because the genetic make-up of some of these diseases is unknown and genetic tests for many diseases have not been developed.
Fortunately, many Doberman breeders and fanciers are part of the Doberman Pinscher Club of America and the Doberman Pinscher Foundation of America, two separate but coordinated groups dedicated to unlocking the mysteries of genetic disease in Dobermans and developing better treatment protocols. Not only do these two groups actively disseminate health and genetic information and encourage breeders to breed carefully and responsibly, they raise funds to help underwrite research for several diseases, including the three “Cs” — cancer, cardiomyopathy and cervical vertebral instability.
