By: Samary Birkline © 2024
The Doberman Pinscher is the best dog on the planet (I admit I harbor massive bias) but they live a comparatively short life to other dogs their size. They expire young, from a small cache of ailments, and recently, there has been a deep dive into what ends them. As a professional Doberman breeder now for close to 30 years, it is of great interest to me how long dogs from my breed, and more specifically my lines, live and how they pass away. It’s part of my life-long dedication to extend the lifespan of our dogs by fine-tuning the breed as best I can by responsible breeding practices, continuing my very specific education, and using my voice to educate others on this subject.
Death is hard. That’s the only trigger warning the reader will get here. While it is not the intent to be crass or insensitive, breeding is not for the faint of heart and neither are Dobermans, given their health challenges. Pets have lifespans and they vary from animal to animal and from breed to breed amongst the animal groups. Every breed of dog has its own Achille’s heel. The Doberman has, for decades, been known as a dog to suffer a variety of different diseases and disorders. In a study of 3,226 deceased Doberman Pinschers, combining data from The Doberman Diversity Project and The Doberman Longevity Program, death data were analyzed for trends, causes of death, and the trends in regional fatality data. This article is an analysis of that combined data and a review of the remarkable emerging trends in the relationship between Doberman causes of death and the ages at which they pass away.
Analysis of this data determined that the leading cause of death was heart disease. 28% of these Dobermans perished from congestive heart failure (CHF) or Dilated Cardiomyopathy (DCM), however this percentage wildly varied between European and American genetic lines. Cancers, collectively, accounted for 14% of these deaths, with gastric dilation volvulus (bloat) taking its toll on a measurable number of Dobermans.
The major identifiable disorders leading to death in the reported animals and in order of impact are:
- Dilated Cardiomyopathy (DCM)
- Congestive Heart Failure (CHF)
- Osteosarcoma (bone cancer)
- Cervical spondylomyelopathy (Wobblers)
- Lymphoma (lymphatic cancer)
- Gastric Dilation Volvulus (bloat)
- Spondeylosis (spinal disease)
- Haemangiaosarcoma (connective tissue cancer).
The below chart (Fig. 2) shows the proportions of dogs that perished from these illnesses and the ages at which they passed away. The data expose several interesting trends in Doberman fatalities. Reports of death by DCM begin at age 1.5 years and peaks at age 6 years, however reports of DCM taper off after age 11, giving way to higher reports of “other” causes of death. The last reported death by DCM, among the sampling, is at age 14 years.
It’s also notable that DCM is the only ailment that peaks as early as age 6 years, and that all other ailments seem to have a peak at age 10 years. It’s interesting that the death data reaches the highest peak at age 10 years, but there are smaller secondary peaks at age 8 years and 12 years, with a smaller swell at age 6 years. Old age, additionally, is defined, in this study, at age 9 or older, with the majority of old age mortalities occurring at age 12 years. Cancer deaths began as early as 3 years old and were reported as late as age 16 years. In the study, the average lifespan was 9.1 years and the oldest death was age 17 years, dying of old age.
Regional Distinctions
The study also shows measurable differences in the percentages of these causes of death regionally. Researchers, who performed a detailed analysis of the genetic variants in the individuals determined that there are four major cohorts in the breed genotypically.
- Euro-Exhibition Bred (European Show Lines)
- American-Exhibition Bred (American Show Lines)
- European-Working Bred (European Working Lines)
- American Informal/Pet Bred (American Non-Show Lines)
These four cohorts are reflected from and reside in two autosomal chromosomes. Expressed in scientific terms, these four chromosomes are all distinct variants of the CFA3 chromosome. (Therefore, any “professionals” you may have heard that suggest that Euro versus American bloodlines are irrelevant are simply wrong. Forgive them, though. They may have not heard the latest.)
Furthermore, what makes these distinctions important is that the genotypes greatly affect the risks for death by any particular malady. For example, the causes of death European lines for DCM or CHF is approx. 36%-39%, while for the American lines, the cardiac death rate is much lower, approx. 27%-30%. Far fewer pure American Dobermans are dying of DCM and CHF than pure Europeans. The American lines, however, have a much higher rate of death by Wobblers (10%) than their European counterparts (1.9%). That’s an 80% lower risk in Euros than in Americans for Wobblers.
Age of Death by Regional Distinction
Following the analysis of the data of cause of death in relativity to genotype, the next genotypical data to examine is the age at which the individuals died relative to that same regional genotype.
One thing to note that has not been mentioned yet in this article, is that there was a significant lack of information with Australian participants and a limited number of United Kingdom Dobermans. The sample group for both of these aforementioned genotypes were small enough to skew potential results. The majority of participants were either American or European by genotype. For this reason, we will examine primarily the European vs American differences. There are also European mixes and American mixes, which will also be reviewed.
There are several trends in the lifespans of these lines that are noteworthy by region.
European Working Lines
Sadly, the chart shows that European working lines seem to begin passing by age 2.5 years, Approximately 94% of the dogs in this category were still alive through their fifth birthday, at which time there is a steep increase in death rate. By age 7 years only 60% were still living. By age 9 years, only 30% of the dogs in the study were alive. At age 12 years, the percentage is down to 10%.
European Exhibition (Show) Lines
Similarly to the Euro working lines, the European exhibition (show) lines begin to go around age 2.5 – 3 years. By age 5, only 10% have died. However, like the working lines of the same region, death rate spikes dramatically and by age 7 years, the same percentage of individuals (60%) is still alive. By 9 years, they’re doing slightly better than their working counterparts, as 40% are still around. At age 12 years, 15% of them were still living.
European Working/Exhibition Mixed Lines
When the aforementioned lines are mixed, it seems the lifespan begins to see some improvement. By age 5 years, 10% have gone, same as the exhibition, but by age 7 years, roughly 75% are still wagging their tails. By age 9 years, that number is up to 55%. There is a step drop off at age 10 years, and by age 12 years, only approximately 10% are left.
American Exhibition (Show) Lines
In American exhibition (show) lines, the 10% level of death in the study doesn’t appear until age 6 years. At age 7 years, 85% are still living. By age 9 years, 70% are still alive. By the age of 12 years, 30% were still around. This is a 300% improvement on the odds for even the mixed European lines to reach age 12 years.
American Pet/Informal Lines
There is an even more dramatic improvement in early life expectancy in the American pet/informal or non-showing lines. This genotype is the one that begins to die much later than the previously mentioned, with the death reports beginning at age 4 years. By age 5 years, only 3% – 4% had died. At age 7 years, less than 15% had gone. At 9 years, approximately 65% of Dobermans in this study were still living. By age 12 years, 75% had perished.
American/European Mix Lines
While many breeders from both side of the genotypical “aisle” would loudly protest his line of breeding, analysis of the American/European hybrid, the study’s results strongly indicate that the marriage of the genotypes produces a longer-living individual. Euro/American hybrids reported the deaths beginning at 6 years, a startling difference from the European or American lines of any genotypical variation; as seen above to be 2-3 years. At 7 years, approximately 95% were still living. 80% of 9 year old American/European hybrids were still living. By age 12 years, still 30% were still around.
Coefficient of Inbreeding (COI)
Every dog has a COI. This data, expressed as a percentage, is a measure of how closely the four branches of any one dog’s family tree are related. The COI of an inbred pup, whose parents were a set of littermates, will have a much higher COI than one whose grandparents and parents (and subsequent generations) are unrelated.
Purebred dogs have much higher COI than mix-bred dogs, because the less related the parents are, the lower the COI. Having a very high COI can dramatically affect the risks of maladies. Along the same lines, a low COI, comparatively to other individuals of the same breed can be a general indicator of robust health and resilience.
Historically, the average COI of the Doberman has been 45% – 55%. Among the nearly 3250 Dobermans analyzed, the average COI was 40% COI was calculated by taking the number of array variants in runs of homozygosity divided by the assayed genome size, or what variants an individual has divided by the number of the historically known genome size.
The researchers involved in the study concluded that the hybrid technique extends the lifespan of the Doberman. Delving even deeper into the hybrid data, mixing an exhibition line [higher COI] with a non-exhibition line [lower COI] within a particular genotypical region produces healthier Dobermans with remarkable longevity.
Photo by Marina Leonova on Pexels.com
How Ethical Breeders Can Help Preserve The Doberman
Variant analysis of assayed genome shows that intercrossing between European and American bred Dobermans re-introduces variation at many loci that are strongly homozygous. This means that breeders can increase the health and lifespan of their lines by intermixing American and European genotypes. There are breeders in the Doberman community that will resist this mingling of blood. Every breeder has their pillars of priority. Preservationist breeders, such as Birkline Dobermans, plan litters prioritizing physical and mental health of each puppy, and great efforts are made to track maladies within the lines and steps taken to eliminate any illness or ailments that can be controlled.
There are other breeders, particularly the title-focused communities on both sides, that resist the mixing of the genotypes due to their notable physical differences. Mixing their proven, championship titled lines with [even championed] foreign lines, will inevitably alter the physical appearance of the progeny, essentially eliminating their chances to continue capturing titles in their prospective regions. For this reason among others, show-circuit breeders tend to frown upon the mixing of their lines with genotypes outside their own.
Additionally, there are kennel club restrictions that pose barriers to these mixes. While the American Kennel Club (AKC) allows importation and registration, not every kennel club is as import friendly as the American Kennel Club. In some cases, there seems to be a sense of pride and superiority that prevents such a marriage of diversity among the different kennel clubs.
Because heart health is such a large concern, wise breeders will do well to keep the size of their pups in mind. The larger the Doberman, the harder the heart has to work and the higher the risk of spontaneous cardiac arrest. While the Doberman is classified as a medium-sized breed, there are breeders whose priorities lie in created a super-sized version of our beloved dogs. As a rule, the breed standards do not allow males to exceed 100 lbs; restricting females to about 90 lbs. While massive chests make them look tough and majestic, the truth is that the larger the dog, the harder the heart must pump to supply the body with blood. In a breed where cardiac failure is already so prevalent, it’s not worth the extra risk to their lives.
While prior to the release of this research we did not have concrete proof of the intense benefits of mixing American and European genotypes, The Kennel Birkline, has appreciated the diversity for well over a decade, wisely pairing qualified member of both sides of the Doberman coin. The results have been encouraging, and now, with the data proving positive what we’ve been doing already, we’re relieved to see other quality breeders doing the same.
We strongly believe that if breeders work together we can elongate the lifespan of our precious breed, reaching new records of age and health. It may take some time, but we’re sure other breeders will agree with us given enough time and information exchange.