The mindset that births the assertion – that the Doberman is skinny and weak – I think comes from those who dig that thick, studly look of Rottweilers and big Pits and Molosser breeds. German Shepherds do look bigger and a lot of it is coat, but they are often a thicker dog than a Doberman. That covers size. Now, I wonder how they know the breed tends to be weak. I think they're drawing an unfounded conclusion.
As for Dobes tending to start fights, I don't know. Maybe sometimes they have enough dominance to be that way. Maybe their quirkiness doesn't let them get along as well with other dogs? To me, a Doberman is usually less "doggy" than most dogs. Maybe it's hard for other dogs to read them. I will say that in my opinion, Dobes don't do too well in dog fights, but then that's not what they are designed for. I mean, if I needed my Dobe to protect me against another dog, I hope he'd be able to, but the threat from humans is more important.
Strength: My first Doberman came from a hobby breeder – nothing notable or recognizable in his pedigree. He happened to be thicker and less elegant than the standard describes. He was 28 1/2 in. and topped out at 96 lbs. When he was pretty young, I decided one day to let him (yes LET, not make) him pull my Harley Sportster from a dead stop up to 14 mph. I'll find that polaroid and post it here some day.
Here's the kicker: The Dobe I got after him who was from serious working lines I considered to be stronger by the age of 6 months than his predecessor was as an adult. So the type of lines the Dobe comes from makes a big difference not only in strength (pound for pound) but in physical capability, drive and fight.
Yes, there are a lot of Dobermans out there that in my opinion are too tall, lanky, and not put together right. Most of the time their temperament isn't that sound, and certain drives are kind of low. So, in essence, a skinny, weak dog. You can look up my thread entitled "My Grim Fearful Prediction" for some talk on the current state of the breed and my prediction as to one possible road the breed might go down. Actually, I just remembered this thread is like two years old, so it's kind of moot here.
I happen to love a stout, strong-looking Doberman. The pic of Kaiser there is kind of what I'm talking about. However, if you look at a lot of the working Dobes (as in Schutzhund / IPO) they are small and spindly looking. But you know they are strong and driven.
I would love to have the best of both worlds. My previous Dobe from working lines happened to turn out pretty good and strong looking. My current pup, however, I think is going to be a small working Dobe. My goodness, his chest is SO narrow. He's 8 months and 60 lbs. We shall see. But he's pretty strong, has a surprisingly deep bark and is a real firecracker. I think he's going to be all kinds of tough.
