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Breed guide · Dogs
She was bred as a bodyguard. She's asleep on my feet.
Last updated 14 October 2026
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What they brought with them.
Tap a card to see what is going on.
At home
Room to room, leaning their whole weight against your legs, waiting at the door until you are home.
What's going onA Doberman was bred to stay beside one person all day. They are not being needy. A long day alone is hard for them, and a midday walk or a visit breaks it up. If they are distressed when you leave, that is something to treat, so contact your vet.
At home
A bark at the doorbell, the lift or footsteps in the corridor, then they stand between you and the door.
What's going onThey were bred to guard the person carrying the money. Give them a mat away from the door and a reason to go to it, and they have a job they can get right.
At home
Bright, fit and full of energy, which is exactly how a healthy Doberman looks.
What's going onDilated Cardiomyopathy (DCM, an enlarged, weakened heart) is the breed's most serious health risk, and it can be silent for years. A baseline screening comes as a puppy, and their first full heart scan is due at two. A yearly scan is how it gets caught early.
At home
A wobble at the back, scuffed nails, or not wanting to lower their head to the bowl.
What's going onIt can be Wobbler Syndrome (a squeezed spinal cord in the neck) rather than their legs. Tell your vet. A harness takes pressure off their neck on the lead.
At home
They stiffen when you tighten the lead, and go on alert when you are nervous about a dog coming the other way.
What's going onBred to work with a handler, they read your tension before you do. A loose lead and a low voice keep them calmer, and crossing the road early helps.
At home
If a small cut ever takes longer than you expect to stop bleeding, this is why it matters.
What's going onAn inherited bleeding disorder, Von Willebrand Disease, runs in the breed. There is a genetic test, and every vet who treats them should know the result before any surgery.
The bit nobody tells you.
Their day
Built for: Walking beside one person, all day.
In Dubai: Waiting in a flat while their person is at work.
Their watch
Built for: Watching everyone else.
In Dubai: A corridor full of strangers.
Their job
Built for: Keeping one person safe on their rounds.
In Dubai: A front door, a lift and a doorbell.
The pacing, the barking at the lift and the distress when you leave mostly come from that gap.
You cannot take them on your rounds. You can give them company, a job and a rule for the door, and the ten things below are how.
Your plan is built around their breed: the health risks for a Doberman at every age, and the care that goes with each one.
Join the founding families. AED 1,999 of essential care for AED 199.
Ten things that make their life better.
They will tell you someone is there. A rule keeps them out of the doorway.
Every age, most of all 6 months to 2 years
Why
They will tell you someone is there. A rule keeps them out of the doorway.
What to do
Put a mat a few metres from the door. Long before any visitor, teach them that going there pays: a treat every time. When the bell goes, thank them once and send them there. While they are learning, have deliveries left outside. If they have lunged or snapped at anyone, contact your vet instead.
They judge strangers by the people they have already met.
Every age, most of all under 2 years
Why
They judge strangers by the people they have already met.
What to do
In their first months, let them watch all kinds of people from a distance they are happy at, with a treat for each, and let them leave if they want to. Carry them, or use clean ground, until their vaccinations are finished. Keep going through their teens.
The lift is a small box where strangers walk straight at them.
Every age, most of all 6 months to 2 years
Why
The lift is a small box where strangers walk straight at them.
What to do
Wait for an empty lift, or stand them in the back corner with you in front. Step aside in corridors and let people pass. Keep the lead short and loose near entrances and blind corners.
They were bred to be busy beside a person.
Every age, most of all 6 months to 2 years
Why
They were bred to be busy beside a person.
What to do
Short training sessions, and their dinner hidden around the flat. If you are out for more than a few hours, arrange a midday walk or a visit. If they are distressed when you leave, contact your vet rather than trying to fix it at home.
Their heart is their biggest risk, and tiring early on a walk can be the first sign of trouble, so it is worth noticing.
Every age, most of all puppies and from 7 years
Why
Their heart is their biggest risk, and tiring early on a walk can be the first sign of trouble, so it is worth noticing.
What to do
From May to September, walk before sunrise and after dark. Put the back of your hand on the pavement for five seconds: if you cannot keep it there, they cannot walk on it. If they tire early, cough or lag behind, stop and tell your vet that day.
A basket muzzle they are used to keeps a stressful moment calm, at the vet or anywhere else.
Every age, easiest under 2 years
Why
A basket muzzle they are used to keeps a stressful moment calm, at the vet or anywhere else.
What to do
Teach it young and slowly, while nothing is wrong: show it, treat; nose in, treat; a second longer each day. A well-fitted basket muzzle still lets them pant, drink and take a treat. Never put it on for the first time in a hurry.
Their heart is scanned every year from two. Make lying still easy for them.
Every age, start as a puppy
Why
Their heart is scanned every year from two. Make lying still easy for them.
What to do
A few minutes, a few times a week: lift a paw, look in an ear, lift a lip, and practise lying on their side on a mat for a reward. Brush their teeth every day while you are there. Stop before they get uneasy.
New guarding often shows between one and three years.
6 months to 3 years
Why
New guarding often shows between one and three years.
What to do
Reward calm, every time. Walk them on a harness rather than a collar to protect their neck, and keep sessions short. Skip anything that hurts or frightens them, and never punish a growl: it is how they tell you something is wrong. If new guarding appears, contact your vet early.
Hip Dysplasia (a poorly fitting hip joint) and Wobbler Syndrome (a squeezed spinal cord in the neck) both run in the breed.
Every age, most of all while growing and from 7 years
Why
Hip Dysplasia (a poorly fitting hip joint) and Wobbler Syndrome (a squeezed spinal cord in the neck) both run in the breed.
What to do
Rugs where they turn on marble, a ramp for the car, a harness on walks, and a lean body. Have their hips evaluated before they turn two, and their Von Willebrand test done before any surgery, neutering included.
Faster breathing while they sleep, a cough or fainting can be their heart: for any of them, contact your vet the same day.
Every age, most of all from 2 years
Why
Faster breathing while they sleep, a cough or fainting can be their heart: for any of them, contact your vet the same day.
What to do
Once a week, run your hands over their ribs, legs and neck, so you know what normal feels like, and weigh them monthly.
Three of these are in your plan. The rest you can do at home.
Join the founding families. AED 1,999 of essential care for AED 199.
Their health, at every age.
How old are they?
Their age
the first six months
What to watch for
The care that goes with it
Their age
6 months to 2 years
What to watch for
The care that goes with it
Their age
2 to 4 years
What to watch for
The care that goes with it
Their age
4 to 7 years
What to watch for
The care that goes with it
Their age
7 to 10 years
What to watch for
The care that goes with it
Their age
10 years and over
What to watch for
The care that goes with it
Breed predispositions indicate an increased risk rather than certainty of disease. What is right for them always comes from their own history and an evaluation.
Before they come home.
European or American
European and American Dobermans are the same breed, but the two lines have drifted apart in build and temperament since the breed reached America in the early 1900s. Ask the breeder which line their dogs come from, and meet the parents to see what that means in practice.
Colours
Each comes with warm rust markings. Black and rust is the one most people picture, and a red Doberman, with rust markings on a deep reddish coat, is just as striking.
The first six months
Their full vaccination course, microchip and Dubai Municipality registration come first, with a baseline screening of their heart and early socialisation. Watch how they walk as they grow, and get them used to a harness rather than a collar.
Puppy health, 0 to 6 months
Getting the home ready
Put a mat a few metres from the front door before they arrive, and rugs where they will turn on marble. Plan who will keep them company on long days: a midday walk or a visit makes a real difference.
Ten things that make their life better
Before you commit
Ask the breeder whether both parents have had their hearts screened, their hips scored and a Von Willebrand Disease test, and ask to see the results.
Before the clinics open
AED 1,999 of essential care for AED 199. No payment now.
For a new puppy: First 30 days with a new puppy · Puppy vaccinations in the UAE · Heatstroke in dogs
When it is not behaviour.
They'll keep sleeping on your feet. Once a year, take them for their heart scan.
Before they were yours.
The 1890s
Louis Dobermann, a tax collector in Apolda, Germany, bred a dog to walk his rounds with him and keep him safe while he carried money.
What they still carryA dog made to stay beside one person and watch everyone else.
1894 to 1899
After Dobermann died in 1894, breeders in Apolda carried on. Otto Göller set breeding rules and founded the national club in 1899.
What they still carryThe sleek look, and the start of a gentler family dog.
1908
The American Kennel Club recognised the breed in 1908.
What they still carryAn American line that later drifted from the European one.
The 20th century
Dobermans went on to guard, police and serve in the Second World War, where they worked alongside US Marines on Guam.
What they still carryThe reputation, and a devotion to their own person.
Today
In the UAE a Doberman is a family dog and a guard dog, often in a flat, waiting for their person to come home.
What they still carryA dog bred to guard one person on the road, which is why company matters so much.
The ones you type at midnight.
If the Doberman suits you, so might these.
RottweilerThe same kind of dog: a German guardian with a short coat, heavier, calmer and much quieter.
German Shepherd DogAnother German working guardian, with a thicker coat to brush and a little more reserve with strangers.
VizslaThe same high energy and the same deep attachment to their people, in a smaller hunting dog that hates being left alone.
Labrador RetrieverA similar large build and the same heavy shedding, in a more outgoing family dog bred to retrieve.
