The Doberman pinscher is a relatively young breed for AKC since they are just over 100 years old as a breed. The Doberman was created by Karl Friedrich Louis Dobermann a tax collector and dog catcher/dog pound owner in the early 1800's.
He started working to create a new breed to assist him in his trips around town collecting taxes which could put him in danger since he was carrying money and entering questionable areas of the town. He wanted a dog that appeared physically intimidating, smart, fast, agile and loyal to the end. He used a mixture of dogs that he had caught to create the breed which to the best of AKC knowledge included the German Pinscher and Weimaraner and other unknown European breeds to create the unflappable temperament of the Doberman breed. The Doberman Pinscher stepped foot for the first time into the AKC show ring in 1897. in the early 20th century breeders brought in manchester terrier and greyhound to add to the sight hound look we see in todays american doberman pinscher. American soldiers used the Doberman dogs during the first world war II and prized them for their loyalty and courage. During WWII the US marines considered the Doberman Pinscher its official war dog. 

The European Doberman breeders bred away from the terrier, greyhound look hence this is why in european countries they are referred to as Dobermans not Doberman pinschers as "pinscher" was a term for terriers and they were bred away from this and more to the style of the original dobermann that Louis Doberman had aimed to create. There were European doberman breeders that sought to retain and breed for the trainability, family loyalty and personal protection instinct in the breed and these are what today are considered the European Doberman. The American Doberman was bred to instead have more of a sight hound appearance with its long fine bone, tucked up abdomen and long angular neck and to be more of a family or show dog that had lost most of its natural protective instincts in order to fit the show dog lifestyle. 

The European doberman is typically slightly thicker boned, angular strong head, docked tail that points to 1 o'clock, tight round cat like feet, athletic and strong protection instinct. However, do not be fooled by over done European dobermans such as the "warlock" these extremely over done dobermans often have shockingly deep chests that increase their risk substantially for bloat which is often lethal. Also when breeding to exceed 120-160lb the dogs are typically either crossed with dane or overfed because they are not built for this excessive amount of weight. Not only does the excess weight slow them down making it harder to protect their family but it will in turn shorten their life by causing premature bone and joint issues as well as increased risks of cancers.

The European Doberman is still able to be AKC registered as long as the registry they are registered with overseas is accepted by the AKC. Our dogs are all registered with AKC and health tested long before the first litter of puppies so that there are never issues with registration of our puppies. 

The European Doberman is an absolutely amazing family dog when started off and treated correctly. The breed is a large and higher energy breed that requires time, space and exercise both mental and physical. This is not a breed that can go for two short little walks a day and sit still without becoming destructive. For example we let our dogs run and play on 2.5 - 5 acres each morning and evening at the very least. We typically go play ball or frisbee each day and we do short training sessions to keep their mind working. Now with this being said we bring them in several times a day to "have a cooling down time" and they come in hop on the couch and fall asleep for a few hours. In the winter they go out for 15-20 min a few times a day and we do training sessions in the house to keep them mentally active so that they do not become destructive from boredom. 

I do know of people that have them in apartments or town homes but these people are aware of the energy and take the extra steps to ensure they get adequate exercise every single day. They take them and play ball,frisbee or take them biking, hiking or running. Another option if you live in an apartment is a dog tread mill which is not electric and moves only when the dog moves and stops the second the dog stops. These machines are typically $600-$1000 but allow your dog to do a full out gallop in your home or garage during times you cannot get them outside enough such as in bad weather or winter when it is too cold. This is not a breed for you if you are a couch potato but if you are somewhat active and like to get your dog out to play they will be your best freind. I know of elderly people with European Dobermans and the dogs are not short of exercise as they spend the time to pay with them and let them run so you do not have to be an athlete to manage the breeds energy.

Starting the dogs as soon as you get their last shots done at 16 weeks in AKC star puppy or other training program is a fabulous way to start a solid training foundation and partnership with your dog. Training does not have to be outrageous in cost. We use a local trainer to do AKC star puppy training and testing for our dogs and it is usually around $300 for the full 8 week program which is once a week and absolutely invaluable to us. The training allows them to socialize in a controlled environment, learn new tools, and creates a line of communication for your and your dog that will make your life so much easier. This breed learns incredibly fast compared to most breeds. I had labradors growing up and I thought they learned fast until I got my first European Doberman and I was absolutely blown away at how fast they learned new tricks or words. Withint a handful of reptitions the dobermans had it down when I was used to taking a few dozen sessions to be solid with a labrador. According to dogster.com the are average repititions required for the average breed to retain a new trick is 25-40 repititions unlike the dobermans that took an average of only 5 repititions to retain the same new trick or info. Now this goes two ways, you can teach a bad habit in 5 reptitions! So if you want your dog to sit when you open the door start as a puppy. Have them go lay on the bed on comand or sit when you reach for the door. Want them to be calm when the door bell rings? teach them to run and lay down on their bed when they hear the doorbell. They are a nosey breed so mine love to look out the windows and survey the world. They are not an overly barketive breed but will alert if something or someone comes into their perceived private property. It is also important to teach the "quiet" command so that if they start barking you can say "quiet" and they immediately cease barking.

I hear fairly often from people how much they want a doberman but they have heard from people that they will eventually "turn on their humans". This is FALSE on so many levels. To start off the breed became wildly popular in the 70's-80's due to movies portraying them as lethal killing machines and many unscrupulous american BYB started breeding any two they could find and selling them without any temperment training or testing, no health testing and poor health. 
The breed fell out of favor due to so many having "junk yard dog tempers".  The military and police used the breed for many years but finally fazed the breed out of their programs not because of viciousness but because these dogs would bond so deeply with one police officer or military officer that if something happened to that person they would not work the same way for the next person unlike breeds such as a german shepherd that could be handed back and forth between half a dozen people and work the same as they lacked that loyalty to one person.
   The breed is slowly but surely coming back in favor as a family/personal protection dog. The key is to find a breeder that breeds for health and temperament and that the puppies have exposure from day one to children, adults, other animals and household stimuli such as a vacuum, blender, TV, radio, etc. setting them up for success with their new family. This breed bonds very tightly to their new family and yes they can bond tight to one person but this is not to mean they don't care for the rest of the family but that they may seek that one person out. For our family Karma is bonded to us all but our little girl is the one she feels the most protective of and insists on sleeping on her bed at night which is fine with me because i sleep sound knowing not a soul would make it in to her room without the entire house knowing about it. Yes they are velcro dogs meaning if you go to the bathroom they are most likely to follow you to see where you are going and if you are going on a walk they want to come too. Do they get separation anxiety? They can get separation anxiety when not trained properly and taught that it is okay to be alone sometimes but as in our case we start crate training very young and make it their safe happy place with toys and a bed.  As puppies they stay in the crate at night and if we leave the house but once house broke and teething is over they are out 24/7. The crate is never a place of punishment so when times arise that they must be placed in a crate it is not a big deal to them. We teach the word "kennel" and I just say the word and they go get in and lay down. Crate training allows you to have a safe place for them while they are learning to be house broke and going through the teething phase. Once ours are done with these two things we don't crate them but its is a good foundation and you have to consider the unknowns such as what if something happened and you had to board the dog somewhere, then the dog is not distressed at being in a cage. Leaving a radio or TV on while away from home and plenty of toys will help alleviate any possbile anxiety as well. Fire works? each dog will react differently but again this comes down to training and exposure at a young age to let them know that loud sounds are not a danger to them. 

Why do I only breed Red/Rust and Black/Rust? Because these are the standard colors for FCI and AKC. The dilute colors (fawn or blue) are at a much higher risk of skin issues and other dilute disorders. The "white/albino/cream" are at the highest risk of allergies, skin issues, alopecia and eye issues due to the lack of pigmentation which can require goggles for life if outside to avoid blindness. 
The black and rust is the least likely to have a skin issue as is the red/rust. Make sure that the breeder you choose does not use dogs in their program that have any food or skin allergies in the parents. 
Do you have more questions I didn't cover? message me and I am more than happy to answer your questions on the breed.