noun
(also Dobermann pinscher)
A large dog of a German breed with powerful jaws and a smooth coat, typically black with tan markings.
‘She walked past cages holding dignified German shepherds, alert Dobermans, sleek Labradors and beautiful Golden Retrievers.’- ‘The dog was one of strange markings, he had brown and black markings like a Doberman, but a white stomach and his muzzle and his neck had a golden color.’
- ‘Canine guards like Dobermans and German Shepherds too may have to give up their role as protectors and just remain our pets.’
- ‘The Doberman pinscher was bred by the Germans for protection; the Alaskan malamute was bred by the Eskimos to help them pull their sleds across the ice.’
- ‘The German Shepherd will usually obey a command which the Doberman might refuse.’
Origin
Early 20th century from the name of Ludwig Dobermann, 19th-century German dog breeder + German Pinscher ‘terrier’.
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