Friday, June 8, 2012

Dictionary Doberman

Because I'm a nerd, I sometimes look at the dictionary for fun.

Because I'm a tremendous nerd, I sometimes look up Doberman in the dictionary.

This time around, I was so struck by the picture that I didn't even read the definition. I'm sure it said something like "breed that originated in Germany, developed by Karl Friedrich Louis Doberman."

The picture, though. No wonder Elka was accused of being a greyhound mix. The Doberman in the picture is rather...stout. It's hard to tell in the picture (sorry), but her tuckup is not all that pronounced. Her tail is a bit too short for my tastes, and she doesn't seem square.


I frequently wonder, in dictionaries and encyclopedias and dog breed books and dog training books, who are these dogs? That I've seen, there is rarely credit given. Wouldn't it be fantastic for dogs with Championships, working dog titles, or both, to be the Dobermans used in books of that sort? 

8 comments:

  1. I think it's fun to see how the dogs have physically evolved over the years! It would be cool if dictionaries posted where their pictures came from. I wonder if there's any way to figure it out!

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    1. I always wonder too! Some dog training books will give credit in the back, but I've never seen it in a dictionary. I should email them or something.

      It's also kind of neat to look at "historic Doberman" pictures and see just how soon the dogs are in fact recognizably Doberman.

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  2. Hhhm Elka doesnt look much like a grey hound to me, clearly a Dobie

    urban hounds

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  3. I agree with houndstooth, it's fun to see how the breeds have evolved over the years. The picture of the dobie looks like a Shepard dobie mix to me-with short hair and skinny legs.

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    1. The Shepherd (And other mysterious breeds) went into the making of the Doberman...maybe it isn't a modern picture like I assume it was. I wondered why they couldn't get a "pretty" one!

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  4. I would say that dog looks a bit pudgy and you are right, not square.

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    1. I mean, I know Elka is not a conformation champion, but it doesn't mean I haven't been learning! Dictionary, why??

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