THE FOUR ACCEPTABLE COLORS
The Doberman AKC Standard, which is the "blueprint" of the Doberman,
explains in exacting details how the Doberman should LOOK and what his
temperament should be and therefore how
he should ACT. Part of the Standard
describes the coloration of the Doberman.
There are ONLY FOUR ALLOWED
COLORS for the Doberman.
point to the color you would like to see
Any other
color is a DISQUALIFICATION for
selection of breeding stock through the
Championship point system, whereby Dobermans, through Dog Show
competition in Conformation Classes,
accrue points by defeating other Dobermans to earn the Champion Title bestowed by
the American Kennel Club. ONLY those
Dobermans who accumulate the required points in Conformation can become a Champion and be considered one of the
Breeds exceptional and noteworthy individuals. There are only approximately 150 to 200 Dobermans each year
that are good enough to earn the title of "CHAMPION". These are out of all the tens of thousands
of Dobermans born every year. All four allowed colors of the Doberman are eligible to compete
for Championship points in AKC Conformation.
Besides the more common color's seen in the Doberman---Black & Rust and Red & Rust---there are the"DILUTES" of these two colors---Blue is a "dilute" of Black---Fawn is a "dilute" of Red. Each parent carries
genes that determine color. In the Doberman we have the Black which is "dominant" over red. Each parent
can carry Black Only or Black and the "recessive" Red or Red Only. Besides these "colors", each parent
can also carry a "dilution gene". If both parents carry the "dilution gene" and in the
process of the mating of two parents that carry dilution, the offspring gets a dilution from the sire AND
a dilution gene from the dam---then the "DILUTE FORM" of Black/which is Blue -----or of Red/which is
Fawn can be expressed. So it takes DILUTION from BOTH parents to have any puppies that are Blue or
Fawn. This is really simple Mendelian Genetics.
The Blues and Fawns also have a higher incidence of coat and skin problems. This arises from the way the MELANOCYTES are deposited on the hair shaft itself. These are what "color" the hair shaft .
It is very irregular in pattern compared to the Blacks and Reds and the hair itself is softer and
has a difficult time coming through the follicle and emerging through the skin. There is a higher
incidence of ingrown hairs and staph infections because of the nature of the hair shafts themselves. Below
is a very comprehensive website that explains the coat problems, including thinning
and loss of the coats of DILUTES.
Special Care for Blue Dobermans
Remember, these four colors are the only allowable colors that are acceptable according to the
American Kennel Club and the Doberman Pinscher
Club of America to be shown in Conformation and All Available AKC Events.
submitted by
Theresa Mullen
DPCA Public Education Committee
