Male vs female

There are many considerable differences between a male and female Doberman. The first one that should come to anyone’s mind is the size: contrary to the general image people have of Doberman, females are considerably smaller in size and weight compared to the males. Official CKC standards state that the ideal female should be 25.5” tall while the male should be 27.5”. As a rough rule of thumb for American bloodlines, this would put an ideal female between 55-70lbs and an ideal male between 80-90lbs. European bloodlines will be heavier by 10-15lbs in average. Although there is nothing wrong per say to breed Doberman well above of below these norms, at the end of the day, those are the show standards used to judge the Doberman breed. It is also worth mentioning that larger Dobermans may very well look more physically impressive, but they also may have a shorter life expectancy and be more prone to medical issues such as joint, bone and hip problems.

A second consideration is the Doberman’s general behaviour. When it comes to visiting public parks, the most likely properly trained dogs to get into a confrontation are two males. If properly trained, a male and female, or two females (as opposed to two males) are much less likely to get into anything beyond rough playing around. As far as bonding or behaving well with adults, children, babies, man, woman, strangers or any other random categories of individuals, there is no rule. The Doberman – or any breed for that matter – will adapt to its environment and bond, love, dislike, be protective of one individual or another based on completely immeasurable and random factors, chains of events, circumstances and training methods. Anyone who tells you otherwise is, in good faith mind you, taking their own experience with their dog and extrapolating it to all males or females.

A third consideration is whether you plan on having your Doberman spayed or neutered, or if you will keep it unaltered for show and breeding purposes – or other reasons. A spayed or neutered Doberman should somehow reduce “behavioral worries”. Also, should you decide not to alter your Doberman, be very aware of your female’s “off-leash whereabouts” especially when in heat of course, to avoid unwanted pregnancies, but also when not in heat, to avoid false pregnancies and the medical issues and costs which can be related to it. She will also have two heat cycles every year, during which there will be slight droppings of menstrual blood over a period of 10 to 21 days. Intact male Dobermans will experience a variable discharge of smegma – natural genital lubricant – although most are good at keeping themselves clean without human aid. They will also be somehow more territorial, which will mean more urine markings and can also sometimes translate into escalating aggression if unchecked. They are also more likely to try mounting other dogs – including, yes, other males, for motives of dominance. Many municipal off-leash parks have rules against unaltered females being there while in heat, and against unaltered males being there at all.