The Doberman Pinscher, a grand, agile, elegant and formidable dog.

They are instantly recognizable not only from their stature but for their black and tan, or sometime chocolate brown, colour.

And these are the only colours, right?

Well no, there are actually some other rare, but accepted colours, and one of those is Blue!

You won't see it as often, but you will certainly notice it.

A Blue Doberman is a unique sight. If you have seen one in person, you know exactly what I'm talking about.

Blue Doberman male Image taken by the Euro Puppy team

 

What makes a Doberman blue?

If you are one of those people that has come across one of these beauties I reckon you have wondered why some Dobermans turn out blue?

Here is the answer:

"Blue" and "fawn" colours are controlled by the colour dilution gene. This is a special gene that only some Dobermans have.

Two different colour genes exist for the Dobermann: one is the regular colour; that is black (B), this is very common. And one for is colour dilution (D), a rare and special gene.

In fact there are nine possible combinations of this variation, dilution gene. And one of these is blue.

The blue Doberman has the colour gene with at least one dominant allele (variant form of a gene DNA sequence), and the dilution gene with both recessive alleles (i.e., BBdd or Bbdd).

Rare gene variation occur not only in the Doberman, but in other dogs too, providing rare colours in other breeds such a the French Bulldog.

Why is the Blue Doberman rare?

You won't see many blue Dobermans around, because they are very rarely born in the first place and some people don't feel like this special colour and unique look is worth the risk of a possible skin disease associated with blue Dobermans.

Blue Doberman Syndrome

Sadly many blue Dobermans suffer from a skin condition which causes very flaky, red skin, and even for hair patches to fall off. It was so common in the past it is even called 'Blue Doberman Syndrome'.

It still occurs to most blue Dobermans, but more vets are aware of treatments.

One treatment is to use organic shampoos and ointments that rehydrate the skin. Fatty acids and Vitamin A supplements are also helpful. For severe cases, the vet may decide that oral antibiotics. All these treatments alleviate the symptoms, they do not cure the skin issue sadly.

And thankfully it is generally a cosmetic issue, affecting appearance, and not leading to medical problems. Their health otherwise is unaffected.

Many people, however, are constantly on the look out for blue Dobermans. They don't care about possible skin problems, as they have found working methods to alleviate them, and they don't mind paying thousands of dollars for a blue.

While blue Dobermans may have genetic health issues, this shouldn't be overstated. In general they are strong, healthy dogs, that live on average for over 10 years.

We have had many wonderful blue Dobermans for sale. Several years ago we had a fantastic blue male, called SilverLight, for sale. He came from great parents: World Dog Show Winner sire and a beautiful and healthy dam.

silverlight Siverlight by the Euro Puppy team

Blue Doberman Character

In every other way, except colour the blue Doberman is just the same as the common black and tan.

They are a smart, faithful, eager to learn dog, that is good to train and proves a wonderful guard dog.

And despite the association of aggression, the blue Doberman, just as all Dobes, is a warm natured, happy dog, loving to it's family, including children. And if properly socialized is good with other people and dogs too.

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More so than most dogs, choosing a blue Doberman is an important decision.

Because of the skin issues associated with this colour, you want to make sure you are choosing a puppy from a professional, responsible breeder. Some breeders, knowing the price people are willing to pay, may breed blue Dobermans without consideration for the quality of the parents or the bloodline.

Always make sure you get info about the parents and the bloodline, as well as ensuring that your Doberman puppy is full health checked and vaccinated.

One thing you can be certain of when choosing from Euro Puppy, is that our Dobermans for sale, whatever the colour, are from the best breeders. We will be able to advise you on getting the right Doberman for you, from the healthiest bloodline, and having had the best start to life.