Myths or Facts
Their brains grow too big for their skulls and cause them to attack their owners. - Myth. No evidence shows that Dobermans' aggression stems from their skulls being too small for their brains. In fact, there is a disease called Chiari-like malformation, which occurs when the back of the brain and the brainstem are compressed because the brain is too large for the internal space of the skull, and a disease called syringomyelia results from it; however, Dobermans aren't at risk for this disease.
There is a DCM-free Doberman line - Myth. Because of their shared origin and low genetic diversity, every Doberman line is at risk for DCM.
DCM can be prevented within the breed's inner gene pool when parents are diagnosed as not having DCM through Holter monitoring and echocardiograms - Myth. Parent dogs may not have DCM at the time these tests are administered, but they can develop DCM in their remaining life after giving birth to puppies. And while DCM genes are widespread in the Doberman gene pool, Dobermans' average genome-wide coefficient of inbreeding is 40%. That is the reason why the efforts of individual breeders couldn't make a meaningful change within the breed, why the Doberman Diversity Project exists, why the Finnish Kennel Club decided on outcrossing project for Dobermans, and why I started this blog and that petition.
Dobermans have pointy ears - Pointy ears are the result of ear cropping, not natural. Doberman puppies arrive with soft, floppy ears, and many countries have banned ear cropping.
Dobermans are aggressive - Aggression is influenced by various genetic and environmental factors, such as irresponsible breeding, abuse, and a lack of socialization. In fact, the FCI Doberman Standard considers aggression a disqualifying fault, and the AKC Doberman Standard does not give an advantage to aggression either. The reasons for this stereotype regarding Dobermans include their historical breeding for guarding roles, unstable dogs from backyard breeding due to their popularity in the 1970s, and media portrayals. However, large dogs generally have a higher potential to cause more severe demage than small dogs, and in particular, since Dobermans were originally bred as guard dogs, they tend to be somewhat aloof toward strangers naturally. So socialization training is essential for Dobermans.
All breeders are only interested in profits - Myth. While it is true that such greedy breeders exist, not all breeders are like that. Responsible breeding requires significant costs for health checkups, genetic testing, puppy rearing, and prenatal and postnatal care, and on top of that, a tremendous amount of time must be invested to monitor parents and puppies/kittens. Furthermore, responsible breeders scrutinize the buyer's lifestyle, and have written agreement that states take the animal back if the buyer is no longer able to care for it. I think the problem is that too many breeders don't know much about genetics, so they just adopt the outdated practices of kennel clubs when they started breeding; therefore, I think we need to focus on education, that is why I like Functional Dog Collaborative.
Good breeders should enter dog or cat shows - Myth. Traveling for dog or cat shows is costly, time-consuming, and logistically challenging, making it impossible for every breeder to undertake. Furthermore, there are instances where breeding standards have a negative impact on the welfare of the breed; for example, unlike show-line German Shepherds, Working Line German Shepherds have straight backs that made them less prone to hip dysplasia, and the original Dollface Persians breathe more easily than the peke-face Persians that appear in cat shows.
Carriers shouldn't used for breeding - Myth. Removing all carriers narrows the gene pool, that increasing the average coefficient of inbreeding. Therefore, many breeders choose to bred carrier animals with clear animals; in this case, clear and carrier puppies/kittens are born, but no affected puppies/kittens are produced.
If the parents are not affected by a genetic disease, the puppies/kittens will not get it either - This depends on whether the disease is caused by a single gene or is polygenic. In the case of single-gene diseases, puppies/kittens will not be affected unless carriers are bred together. However, since polygenic diseases involve the interaction of multiple genes, there is no guarantee that the puppies/kittens will not contract the disease simply because the parents are not affected. Therefore, to reduce this probability, breeders conduct periodic health checkups, and some breeders use Estimated Breeding Values.
Champions are the best choice to use breeding - Myth. There are champions with poor health testing results. And judges often title champions simply because they have a connection with their breeder or handler. Plus, there have been several instances known as popular sire syndrome, that is the use of the same champion on multiple females leads to the spread of hidden genetic defects, and a reduction in the gene pool because other males didn't bred.
People who choose purebred dogs and cats do so with the intention of showing off their pet - This may or may not be true depending on the individual. Various factors are reflected in human choices to varying degrees, and showing off is one of them. As someone who personally has a favorite dog or cat breed, I believe that people who like specific breeds do so because they love their appearance or personality, so I do not think it stems solely from showing off. Of course, it is not good to make a decision based on only the breed's apparance or certain "charming" personality traits.
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