Doberman Pinscher vs Greyhound

A Doberman Pinscher
Photo: Stonda
A Greyhound
Photo: Neurodoc

Side by side

Doberman Pinscher
Greyhound
Adult weight
Males 40–45 kg (88–99 lb); females 32–35 kg (71–77 lb)1
Males 26.2–38.5 kg (58–85 lb); females 22.3–32.2 kg (49–71 lb) (measured in UK vet records, n = 5,419, mean ±1.5 SD)2
Lifespan
Median 11.2 years3
Median 11.5 years3
Fully grown
13 months, both sexes4
12 months, both sexes4
Group
Pinschers & molossoids1
Sighthounds5
Coat
Short coat1
No sourced figure
Shedding
Sheds through the year
No sourced figure
Grooming
A brush once a week
No sourced figure
Exercise
Plenty
A modest amount
Health
Underactive thyroid (far more likely); Bone cancer (much more likely)6,7
Bone cancer (far more likely); Blood-vessel cancer of the skin (more likely)7,8
Class
Watchdog
Companion

Which suits you

Size
The Doberman Pinscher is a little larger on average: about 38 kg (84 lb) as an adult, against 30 kg (66 lb) for the Greyhound.
Exercise
Plan for plenty of exercise with the Doberman Pinscher, and a modest amount with the Greyhound.
Temperament
They differ most on intelligence (Doberman Pinscher: needs daily brain work; Greyhound: easy-going, simple routines) and on handler demand (Doberman Pinscher: needs an experienced owner; Greyhound: suits a first-time owner).
Neither is the better dog in general. Which suits you depends on your home, your days and the care you can give.
Take the breed matcher

What they're like

Doberman Pinscher
Pinschers & molossoids · Medium

In temperament the Doberman is alert, energetic and quick to learn, closely attached to its household and typically reserved with strangers.

Greyhound
Sighthounds · Large

In temperament the breed is quiet and gentle, content to sleep for long stretches, affectionate with its own people and sometimes reserved with strangers.

The Doberman Pinscher page →The Greyhound page →

Breed traits

Day to day
Doberman Pinscher
Greyhound
Activity
Differs
Needs lots of exercise
Happy with modest walks
Intelligence
Differs
Needs daily brain work
Easy-going, simple routines
Handler demand
Differs
Needs an experienced owner
Suits a first-time owner
With people
Doberman Pinscher
Greyhound
Affection
Differs
A lap or leaning dog
Affectionate on its own terms
Loyalty
Differs
Sticks close to its people
Bonded to its family
Independence
Differs
Keen to work with you
Cooperative, with its own ideas
Around the home
Doberman Pinscher
Greyhound
Sensitivity
Differs
Needs a calm, predictable home
Average
Voice
Differs
Barks to alert, then settles
Quiet
Prey drive
Differs
Chases; needs managing
Likely to chase small pets
Breed explains only about 9% of how individual dogs differ in behaviour9. Meet the dog. A good breeder breeds for temperament as well as health, and matches each puppy's personality to the right home10,11.

Puppy growth

Reference curves · both sexes
The Doberman Pinscher grows to the heavier adult, about 39 kg against the Greyhound's 30 kg.
Doberman Pinscher
Greyhound
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More comparisons

Compare the Doberman Pinscher with
Doberman Pinscher vs German ShepherdDoberman Pinscher vs RottweilerGreyhound vs WhippetDoberman Pinscher vs German PinscherBelgian Malinois vs Doberman PinscherGreyhound vs Italian GreyhoundAll breed comparisons →

Sources

Parts of this page were written by AI ·