The Doberman Pinscher breed of dog is muscular, athletic, focused and intelligent. He is renowned for his sleek elegant appearance and noble bearing. No longer bred for ferocity, the Doberman Pinscher of today is a responsive and loyal companion, as well as a popular police and war dog. The Doberman’s short shiny coat can be black, red, blue or fawn. The Doberman Pinscher is compact, muscular and powerful, built for both endurance and speed. He has a square-ish body and a long, wedge-shaped head. His eyes are almond shaped, somewhat deep set, preferably quite dark. His ears are often cropped and carried erect. The top of his skull is flat, and his cheeks are flat and strong. The nose of the Doberman Pinscher breed of dog is black on black dogs, dark brown on red dogs, dark gray on blue ones, and dark tan on fawns. His jaws are powerful, with strong white teeth. The upright lower incisors touch the inside of the upper incisors: a true scissors bite. The Doberman Pinscher breed of dog carries his arched, muscular neck proudly. His withers are pronounced, and make up the highest point of his body. His back is relatively short, but muscular at the loins, and forms a straight line from the withers to the slightly rounded croup. The Doberman's chest is broad, with a deep brisket. His belly is well tucked up, his loins wide and muscled. His hips are as broad as his body at the rib cage and shoulders. The Doberman's tail is typically docked at about the second joint. The legs of the Doberman Pinscher breed of dog are perfectly straight, heavy boned, muscular and sinewy, and run parallel to each other from elbow to pastern. His feet are well arched, compact, and catlike. Front dewclaws may be removed; rear dewclaws usually are. The Doberman Pinscher breed of dog is known for his sleek, short, hard, thick and close lying coat. He may be black, red, blue or fawn (Isabella). He may have sharply defined rust markings above each eye and on his muzzle, throat and forechest, on all legs and feet, and below his tail. A small white patch, not exceeding ½ square inch, is permissible on his chest. The Doberman Pinscher has a free and vigorous gait, with good reach in the forequarters and good driving power in the hindquarters. Each rear leg moves in line with the foreleg on the same side. A properly built dog will single-track when moving at a fast trot.