The dobermann was named after its main creator, Karl Friedrich Louis Dobermann (1834-94), a man that worked as dog catcher and executioner at the Apdola prison, Germany. He needed a sharp guard dog, and collected dogs that he and his friends bred to form the breed known as doberman. It is believed that they used rottweiler, german pointer and probably longhaired sheepdogs in their breeding project. The genes for bobtails which can be found in the dobermann most likely comes from the sheepdogs, as well as the fact that some of the earliest dobermans had scruffy fur.
In the 1890's the breed was crossed with manchester terrier, which made it more elegant and possibly calmer. It may also have been crossed with greyhound. The modern dobermann was created by Otto Göller, who started his famous kennel von Thöringer in 1901. The temperament caused the breed many problems, but was improved through careful breeding, and today the dobermann is a quite popular breed around the world.
The head of the dobermann should resemble an elongated wedge, with parallel top of skull and top of muzzle. The muzzle is deep and broad with dry lips. The ears can be cropped or natural, natural ears should be set high and carried close to the head. The neck is quite long, beautifully arched, muscular and dry. The body should be square with a short, strong back and good depth of chest, with slight tuck up. The tail can be docked or natural. The coat is short, hard and glossy, laying close to the body.