Tag archives: doberman

One of the most intimidating dogs, the Doberman is also one of the most intelligent. Created in the 1890s as a guard dog, the Doberman has a storied history as protector but is now considered a great family and companion dog in addition to being one of the best guard dogs.

Developed by Karl Friedrich Louis Dobermann in Germany, Dobermans were created to protect their owner. Dobermann himself was a tax collector who also ran the town’s dog pound. His access to dogs allowed him to mix and match various breeds to create a dog that was intimidating and aggressive enough to fight off bandits and others that would seek to harm the money-carrying tax man. It’s believed that he used German shepherd, Weimaraner, German shorthaired pointer, Manchester terrier, Great Dane, German pinscher and greyhound, among others. 

The result was an intelligent dog with enough trainability to keep it under control, yet a dog that would aggressively protect its owner on command. It maintained these traits, as well as being athletic, strong, fast, loyal and ferocious, and has been employed as a war dog, police dog and personal protection dog. 

Like many breeds, the war and post-war eras ...

If I could be a dog for a week, I think I would enjoy sleeping the most. I’ve occasionally found myself jealous of my little terrier mix, snoring away as I wipe the sleep from my eyes in an attempt to get my day started. On his back, with all four legs in the air and dreams of rawhides in his head, he frequently reminds me that life doesn’t always have to be such a rat race. While both dogs and humans tend to share their appreciation for a little “R and R”, there are many conditions where sleep is no longer just a common necessity, but a frustrating burden. Whether it’s an inability to sleep or an inability to stay awake, most people with sleep disorders will attest to the overall decrease in life quality due to their sleep disturbance. One such troubling disorder that we share in common with our dogs is narcolepsy.

Narcolepsy is a rare condition marked by excessive daytime sleepiness frequently accompanied by a phenomenon known as cataplexy. Cataplexy is a non-painful recurring condition caused by acute episodes of decreased muscle function leading to a variable clinical presentation from mild muscle weakness to complete collapse ...