Re-printed with the author's permission
The legs should ALWAYS be set UNDER the body - if the dog fights to
post (feet in front of the body) - this indicates the placement of
the front legs is IN FRONT OF THE BODY instead of UNDER the body -
and, of course, this is caused by the shoulders being too straight
and set too far forward - in which case, the withers are too high -
the top line slopes down instead of being level - the croup is too
flat - and the tail set is too high!!! Need I add that the neck
does not flow smoothly into the shoulders - it sits on top of the
withers - it cannot do anything else because the shoulders are too
straight and placed too far forward. Added to this conglomoration of
faults is usually a rear which is over-angulated and weak - which
accompanies hocks that are too long.
Now, coming to the head - this is not a head breed, per se, but the
planes of the head should be parallel - and what do we see today -
DOWNFACED DOBERMANS!!! I can forgive a lot - but a down-faced
Doberman does not and cannot have the true noble expression we seek
in our breed.
Now, to add insult to injury - the Dobermans described above are
actually WINNING!! Judges today see so many of the wrong type of
Dobermans that a correct one looks out of place to them, at least to
those judges who haven't really studied the breed and the breed
standard thoroughly.
In my estimation, the most correct and finest Doberman LIVING today
is Ch. Eastwick's Meadow Monster, (Monty) and, of course, he isn't
being shown. What a loss to the breed!! He comes by it honestly,
because his dad was Ch. Beaulane's Hot Topic (Dagger), another
excellent Doberman who produced fine specimens of the breed -- whose
Sire was Ch. Cambria's Cactus Cash (Eddie), a great producer and
another very correct Doberman that we all loved and admired, who was
the sire, and grand-sire, of more great producers!! Just "follow
the yellow brick road" - read up on these three Dobermans - look at
their pictures - study their history - their pedigrees - and then
try to emulate them - and perhaps you will breed a better
Doberman!!!
Sincerely,
Grace A. Black, Invicta
Dobermans