European vs American Dobermans

It's almost obligatory for a Doberman breeder to have a page on their website describing the differences between American Dobermans and European Dobermans. This will be a pretty brief overview, but we'll hit on the major differences.

Physical Traits

Granny Novella was the epitome of a powerful European Doberman Female

American Doberman Male, they often look more feminine than European Females

The vast majority of American Doberman lines were bred for showing. The original purpose of personal protection was discarded to breed to a show standard set by the American Kennel Club (AKC). Most American Dobermans' necks are too weak to do bite work, though they are often very skilled at agility and scent work. European Dobermans, bred to the FCI standard (instead of the AKC standard), are sturdy, powerful, and intimidating. They excel at personal protection work and are generally heavier in size than the AKC standard bred Dobermans (American Dobermans). Typically, European Dobermans are bigger boned than American Dobermans.

Personality

European Dobermans are generally feistier than American Dobermans

We have a friend that we have shown with a few times, who we were talking with about our dogs and her dogs. We talked a bit about some training we were doing with our dogs and she said that her dogs were just "Show Dogs", and that they don't really do anything other than train for shows, and show. Her dogs are very well taken care of and loved, and were very happy too! This is just the perfect example of the differences between European and American Dobermans. Most American Dobermans are just "show dogs", or come from just "show dog" lines. They are content in just being a "pretty thing". It's not something we would want for a dog that we own, but for those that do want that, we have no problem with it! Get the dog that is going to make you the happiest. We've also met excellent agility and scent work american dobermans. They just simply do not do as well at bite work/schutzhund.

In our view European Dobermans are better all around dogs. They have a much higher standard level of working aptitude and drive. They're protective, loyal, intelligent, and most of all, family-oriented. They desire nothing more than to be with you and their family. Our dogs are "everything" dogs, meaning they can do everything you want to do.

American vs European Doberman Lineage

Our Opinion

Considering that we're European Doberman breeders, it should be no surprise that we prefer European Dobermans over American Dobermans. We've met lots of American Dobermans over the years and the vast majority are very well trained, elegant, good dogs. They make great family pets and we know many people with American Dobermans. It just depends on what you want in a dog. We want and produce a Doberman that has protective instincts, great drive, intelligence, working ability, tenacity, loyalty, and love - for that, an American Doberman just can't compete with a European!