Penny Won Westminster. The Doberman Still Isn’t for Everyone.
When Penny the Doberman Pinscher stepped into the spotlight and claimed Best in Show at the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show, it was definitely a moment worth celebrating. Westminster remains one of the most prestigious stages in the dog world, and a win there reflects excellence in structure, temperament, and breed representation at the highest level.
But before we talk about prestige, popularity, or what this win might mean for the breed, there’s a small detail worth noticing.
Penny’s ears, arguably among the most photographed Doberman ears in the world right now, have a slight curl at the tips.
Yes. That Penny.
Which is a useful reminder of something we have written about in the past, about the myths that often contribute to extreme 1-2 year ear-posting times, that some people subject their Dobermans to: even at the pinnacle of the show world, perfection does not mean rigid symmetry, endless taping for over 6 months or even years of re-posting in pursuit of mythical straightness. The most celebrated Doberman in the world stands confidently in the ring with ears that are simply… normal.
Healthy. Functional. Alive.
If that feels mildly destabilizing, good. It sets the tone for what follows.
Dog Shows Don’t Create Fads. Culture Does
Historically, winning Best in Show at Westminster has not, on its own, caused meaningful spikes in breed ownership, including the Doberman¹. At least not when looking at analyses of American Kennel Club registration data, which show that dog show victories rarely translate into long-term increases in demand². Thus, depite winners appear all actross the news and internet, the audience for conformation shows is relatively niche, and most people do not choose a breed simply because it won a ribbon.
In the past, when dramatic popularity spikes have occurred, they’ve, according to the AKC³ followed a different pattern altogether.
Think Lassie. Think 101 Dalmatians³ .
Those weren’t dog shows. They were cultural moments. Mass media exposure that reached millions of people who were not looking for a dog, but suddenly wanted that dog.
Today, we no longer live in the Lassie era.
We live in the ever present algorithm era.
From Lassie to Instagram: Why the Context Has Changed
In today’s landscape, breed visibility is shaped less by television and more by social media influencers, short-form video, and aesthetic-driven content. Platforms reward what is visually striking, emotionally engaging, and instantly legible. Any topic of interest is now always accessible.
This shift matters. Much of what we know about breed popularity was formed in a media environment that no longer exists, one where exposure was limited, gatekept, and slow. Today, search engines and algorithms surface whatever performs best, and early exposure is rarely driven by nuance, risk, or long-term responsibility. What people see first is what draws clicks. Once people fall in love with someone or, to some extent something, they tend to ignore or minimize negative information and focus on what confirms their positive impressions.
Dobermans perform exceptionally well in that environment.
They are:
Sleek, athletic, and high-contrast on camera
Expressive and intensely bonded to their people
Often shown displaying advanced obedience, calm public behavior, and deep loyalty
All while quietly disproving the myth that intensity and seriousness are the same thing. Yes, they can be and usually are genuinely hilarious.
Over the past several years, Dobermans have seen a noticeable increase in visibility on social media, often portrayed as elegant, hyper-attuned, almost effortlessly “perfect” dogs that “just” need training.
Many responsible influencers do try to highlight why Dobermans are not for everyone and to address the breed’s health realities. But naturally, that content makes up only a comparatively small portion of the overall narrative. While this is not the fault of the responsible influencers, when combined with algorithmic amplification, this imbalance matters.
Psychological research helps explain why. Well-established concepts, confirmation bias being the most straightforward and strongest in desired outcomes and emotionally charged situations ⁴ , show that once people fall in love with someone, or even with an idea, they tend to minimize negative information and focus on what confirms their positive impressions. In other words, what aligns with the image is absorbed; what complicates it is filtered out.
Against that backdrop, while Westminster alone doesn’t create demand, a Westminster win layered onto an already visually amplified breed can reinforce interest more than it historically would, not because people suddenly understand the breed better, but because the image becomes harder to ignore.
Aesthetics Are Not the Same as Suitability
Social media does an excellent job of showing what Dobermans look and act like in short-form content.
It does a far poorer job of showing what Dobermans require on a 24-7-365 scale.
What is often missing from the frame:
• The time-continuous investment required to raise a high-energy Doberaptor puppy and maintain emotional stability
• The structured training needed beyond basic obedience
• The ongoing relationship investments to support a deeply bonded, highly sensitive dog
• The long-term planning involved in a breed with significant health risks
A Doberman’s intensity and closeness are not ‘’cool’ or cute’ accessories. They are core traits.
Which brings us to the part that matters most.
Why the Doberman Is Not for Everyone
1. This Is Not a Beginner Breed
With limitations, research shows that first-time dog owners tended to prioritize appearance (especially size) more that experienced dog owners, which may suggest less knowledge of in-depth behavioral traits and a greater influence of looks or breed stereotypes on their choice.⁵. This is especially a problem with a breed like the Doberman. Anyone who has spent time in Doberman training groups on Facebook has seen the same themes repeat themselves. What’s often framed as a training issue is, more accurately, the result of underestimating what it means to live with a Doberman. Dobermans are intelligent, emotionally perceptive, and highly responsive to their environment, a powerful combination that leaves little room for casual or first-time ownership.
They tend to struggle when:
• Boundaries are inconsistent
• Owners are unreliable caregivers (e.g., being unavailable through absence).
• Training is reactive or sporadic
• Owners are unsure how to lead without force or chaos
These factors don’t make them “difficult.”
It makes them unsuitable for people who are not prepared to be deliberate, consistent, and present.
2. The Velcro Nature Is Real—and Non-Negotiable
Dobermans are not independent dogs who simply coexist in a household. They are the Velcro dog on steroids.
They form tight bonds. They track their people. They notice everything. And only when they can live that trait, they feel oriented and grounded.
For owners who want deep companionship and are home, engaged, and invested, this is one of the breed’s most rewarding traits.
For owners who are frequently absent, overwhelmed, or expecting a dog to be emotionally self-sufficient, it can become a problem fast.
This is not separation anxiety by default. Despite being with us 99% of the time, 24/7/365, our Dobermans can be alone for several hours when needed, calmly, without distress. They do not have separation anxiety.
That said, they are virtually never alone. Outside of the occasional 20 minutes in the Tesla on Dog Mode during a post-hike grocery stop, our lives are intentionally dog-centric. We live secluded. We plan around them.
If that sounds like privileged gatekeeping, you’re not entirely wrong. The Doberman breed matters to us enough that we built an entire world around it.
In short, the Doberman is a breed designed for proximity.
3. Health Is Not a Footnote
Dobermans also require informed, proactive health management.
Well-documented health concerns include:
• Dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM)
• Von Willebrand’s disease
• Cervical spine instability (Wobbler syndrome)
• Bloat (gastric dilatation-volvulus)
• Thyroid disease and orthopedic issues
These realities don’t mean Dobermans are fragile, but they do mean ownership often involves:
• Regular screening
• Long-term planning
• Financial and emotional preparedness
Even though some influencers highlight these challenges, a beautiful dog in a viral video often doesn’t show that side enough to make the message truly stick.
Pride With Perspective
Penny’s Westminster win is a genuine achievement and a testament to what the Doberman Pinscher can represent at its best: balance, intelligence, structure, and connection.
But admiration should not automatically translate into making a Doberman part of your life.
If heightened visibility leads more people to learn deeply about the breed before committing, that’s a good thing.
If it leads people to pursue Dobermans based on aesthetics or even their goofy side alone, it risks repeating a pattern we’ve seen before, where dogs pay the price for human projection.
The Doberman is not a trend.
It is a deep relationship that comes with many footnotes.
And like all meaningful relationships, it asks for clarity, honesty, and commitment, long after the applause fades.
References*
Herzog, H. (2016, February 19). Does breed popularity go up after a dog wins at Westminster? How we tested the "Westminster surge hypothesis" . Psychology Today. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/animals-and-us/201602/does-breed-popularity-go-after-dog-wins-westminster?
Herzog, H. A., & Elias, S. M. (2004). Effects of winning the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show on breed popularity. Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, 225(3), 365–367. https://doi.org/10.2460/javma.2004.225.365
Makichen, M.F. (2022, March 24). The price of popularity: What happens when a breed becomes a trend? American Kennel Club. https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/dog-breeds/price-of-popularity-breed-trends
Myers, D. G., & DeWall, C. N. (2015). Psychology (11th ed.). Worth Publishers.
Udvarhelyi-Tóth, K. M., Iotchev, I. B., Kubinyi, E., & Turcsán, B. (2024). Why do people choose a particular dog? A mixed-methods analysis of factors owners consider important when acquiring a dog, on a convenience sample of Austrian pet dog owners. Animals : an open access journal from MDPI, 14(18), 2634. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani14182634
*Non-scientifically themed articles use superscript citations, instead of APA in-text citations for readability but APA-formatted references.