If Dobermans naturally had the standing, pointy ears and the very short tail like a C&D Dobe, I think their popularity would be lower; but because John Q.Public has no stomach or desire for cropping and docking, the floppy-eared, long tailed, Dobe is a lot more appealing to the normies.
It's interesting, the notion of popularity. Except for around here (Cincinnati) I rarely saw a Doberman. I knew they were not "rare," but still not at al common. In fact, I have heard it said to me many times "You don't see many Dobermans around anymore," All that said, they've been hovering around the mid-teens on the AKC popularity list for a long time.
As I spent over five years researching and soul searching as to which breed to get next (I am on a Dobervacation). one of the things I looked at over and over as I considered many other medium-large breeds was the AKC popularity list. I want a dog that is as far down on that list as possible. So, breeds such as the Black Russian Terrier, the Boerboel, the American Akita, the Dogo Argentino fit the bill in that regard. The Cane Corso did not, as it has been rising pretty fast in popularity for several years. It is also quite popular with a certain demographic to which I certainly do not belong. The same is true of the Presa Canario and of course the Rottweiler.
www.akc.org
