I am new both to this forum and to the Doberman breed, so please forgive me if this has been answered previously.

I have recently been looking at Doberman pups and adult rescue dogs. I have noticed that some have had a mane of longer hair down the neck of both adults and pups.

Someone told me it was a throw-back to a time when the breed had longer hair. Is this true? If I have a bitch pup from a litter that includes some with a mane (although not having one itself), how likely is this problem likely to appear in pups bred from my own bitch?

I have never seen a Dobermann with anything that looks like a mane or long hair but occasionally they will get a ridge where the hair appears to grow the wrong way, often on the muzzle or a cow lick which is a circle of hair and can appear almost anywhere.

If you are thinking of buying a pup or breeding from your own bitch then please do lots of research on the breed first as there are too many in rescue and ensure the adults are tested for von Willebrands Disease, Hip Dysplasia and PHPV (eye condition) before they are bred from.  Pups can (and should in my opinion) also be tested for PHPV

HTH

Thanks Kerioak.

Please rest assured, I would have no intention of actually breeding until I knew the breed inside-out. My question on breeding was hypothetical.