SearchEuropean vs. American
Any opinions/comparisons on the two? As far as I have gathered, physically, the euro tends to be stalkier, perhaps a little taller and a little shorter in length. Ive also learned that that european has retained its working characteristics compared to the american which has evolved into more of a pet. Personally, I will be getting a european in a couple weeks, simply for a pet and great companion. However, i have little experience dealing with the two, so I would just like to get some general info from some people who have dealt with the two.
thanks for your input. I'm not exactly sure on the line. I'll try to remember to post as soon as I find out. What you said is along the lines of some of what I've heard. My friend works with a man who has had dobies all of his life, some euro and some american. He said the main differences he has noticed is his euro is sharper and more attentive, and based off the americans i've met, I find it amazing you can have a sharper and more alert animal. My breeder also noted subtle differences, she said for example if there is an animal or something around her property in the middle of the night, her euros always pick up on it quicker than her americans.
I've owned several American AKC Dobes in the past. Now, my wife & I own a European AKC Red & Tan Male Dobe. He is almost 10 months old. I was saw both his parents & they were HUGE. The female weighed around 100 lbs. & the male around 120 lbs. So, as already mentioned the European line tend to be bigger compared to the American line of Dobes.
BTW, I'm brand new to this site.
I've seen many European dogs that are smaller and fine boned also. So I think it depends where you are looking and the quality of dogs you are looking at. The European standard is VERY similar to the US standard as far as height goes. Their are many Euro dogs that get sold to the US because they are unable to compete in the Euro rings due to size issues. The Euro standard has a disqualification for dogs that are over the standard where the US they would have a hard time finishing but it is not a disqualification.The Euro standard if they are 2cm over or under the standard it is a disqualification. I don't think it is fair to judge one or the other comparing them against eachother because the general public doesn't know what a doberman who actually fits the standard would look like. Each and every one of us thinks that our dogs are beautiful and they are in their own way but that does not mean that they meet the breed standard that is set forth.
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I have never owned a European but I'm around them quite often because of the Schutzhund club I belong to. The one thing I have to say about the European is they tend to be more sharper in personality what you refer to as the working character. The thing I really like about them is the dark markings. On reds the color is very dark and with the black and tans they have the most beautiful dark rust/mahogany markings you have ever saw. Conformationally speaking they have some draw backs, this would not hold me back from breeding into a good working line European dog. In fact we are looking that direction in the future, not to stick with a solid Euro line but to integrate it into our lines, to sharpen a thing or 2. All in all I love the Euro dogs that I've been privileged to see work and experience first hand.
What line are you buying from? Have fun with your new family member.