If you have been shopping for a Doberman or doing research on the breed you may have come across the word “Z-list” and want to know what it is. If you search google for information you will likely end up at one of a handful of bias articles, generally put out by the DPCA (Doberman Pinscher Club of America) explaining how the Z list is a bunch of poorly bred dogs not worthy of existence. That all of them should be altered and never bred. But while their articles are long on hateful rhetoric they are short on explanations. So allow us to explain to you what the Z list is, when it was created, why it is, who created it, and where it is applicable.
When was the Z-List created:
The Z list was created in 1996 by the AKC after protest by the DPCA about them allowing the registration of the first white Doberman (and her subsequent white offspring). The DPCA’s stance was that a white Doberman should NOT have been given papers. The AKC’s stance is that if the breeder bred two Dobermans together the entire litter was able to get papers regardless of color just like every other registered pairing ever. The AKC has never required the breeding dogs to prove they meet the standard to be bred. At its core the AKC is simply a pedigree tracking organization. While they do hold dog confirmation events and sporting events titling of a dog is NOT and has NEVER been a requirement to breed the dog and attain litters eligible for AKC paperwork. We can argue that perhaps that should be a requirement but the fact is that unlike other FCI orgs at this time and at the time of the birth of the first registered white Doberman meeting the standard is not a part of the requirement for registration paperwork. It took twenty years of whining from the AKC to get the Z list created. The birth of the first REGISTERED white Doberman was in 1976. The Z list was created by the AKC in 1996.
Why was the Z-List created:
Because the DPCA whined and whined and whined about the existed of white Dobermans and how they were so horrible and detrimental to the breed to the point that the AKC simply caved to them to make it easier to track which Dobermans trace back to the original white Doberman born in 1976. The Z list was not however retroactive. Meaning dogs that traced back to the first white Doberman who were not at the time on the Z list did not have their existing registration numbers changed. But after 1996 and onward if your dog every traced back in its pedigree to the first white Doberman the second letter in their AKC # would be a Z and that letter would forever brand them as unworthy to the DPCA. Regardless of if 10 generations they had EVER thrown a white dog and despite the fact that the greater majority of the Dobermans now bearing that scarlet letter Z have never produced a white doberman and do not carry the white gene. Regardless of any careful breeding and testing. If your dog has ever traced back to the first white Doberman your dog is considered worthless to the DPCA. The list was simply created to make it easier for breeders to ID dogs that were considered poor breeding by the DPCA and eliminate them from their programs.
Who created the Z-List:
The Doberman Pinscher Club of America lobbied the AKC to make it easier to identify dogs who may carry the white gene and keep them from being bred. Because they could not successfully lobby the AKC to restrict the registration status of white colored Dobermans this was the best alternative choice for them to try to completely breed out the white color.
Where does the Z-List apply:
The AKC is the only registry that keeps and maintains the Z list. Other breed registries in other countries either do not allow the registration of white colored Dobermans, restrict them to a non breeder status, or do not regulate what color Dobermans are depending on the registry and country. White Dobermans are not an American issue. The occurrence of whites in the lines of Dobermans has been recorded before the first AKC registered one.
Why does the Z-List exist:
Well, if you ask the DPCA the Z-List exists so that breeders can easily identify and eliminate dogs that can trace back to the first white Doberman from their programs and therefore, they hope, eliminate white Dobermans from being created entirely. DPCA lost their minds when the AKC allowed the first REGISTERED white doberman to be registered with their registry without consulting with them first. DPCA maintains the dog should have NEVER been registered. And after the dog was registered and had a few litters the DPCA decided to “test” the white Doberman to prove it was an unworthy dog to be bred. Their super scientific testing included buying several heavily inbred Dobermans, raising them in kennel environments, and then even more heavily inbreeding them to produce more white colored Dobermans to run these tests on. In doing these breedings the DPCA abandoned ALL their established principles. They followed -none- of the health testing or confirmation or temperament testing guidelines established at the time. They simply put bought dogs who shared direct genetics with each other (mothers bred to sons to sisters to dads so forth) and then repeated that very inbred set of breeding breeding mothers to sons and so on so PURELY so they could reproduce the color. The dogs they produced by these tests were then often raised in kennels with basic puppy mill like setups. Allegedly all of these HEAVILY INBRED dogs were terrible health and temperament wise and many had to be euthanized because they were unpredictable if the DPCA is to be believed. Thus the DPCA decided the white Doberman was not only not to standard they were also a dangerous unpredictable menace. This was BEFORE they had established they were a type of “albino”. Thus they lobbied these crazed monsters HAD to be tracked and gotten rid of from the breed. AKC does not restrict registration based on color so a very unhappy compermise was made to mark all dogs that can trace back to the original white Doberman that was registered with the AKC with what is essentially a scarlet Z. If your dog has a Z as the second letter in its AKC number at some point in its genetic lineage it can trace back to Padula’s Queen Sheba.
Why the Z-List is both useless and hurtful the Doberman breed:
The Doberman breed suffers from a well established genetic diversity issue. Removing essentially hundreds of thousands of dogs from the gene pool for the crime of once being related to a dog that carried a white gene is foolish. It was foolish then and it is even more foolish now that we have genetic testing that can easily identify a dog that does or does not carry said gene. If your goal is to NOT produce a white Doberman you can for $30 test your Doberman for this gene. Currently there are over 500,000 dogs on the “Z-List”. And if a Doberman is on the Z-List regardless of their ACTUAL color or genetic status the DPCA refuses to recognize them for things like their Longevity Certificate or to temperament test them unless they are altered.
A genetic study of the Doberman breed found that on average the pet bred (which are mostly Z-List) Dobermans are actually less likely to have DCM related issues and live LONGER then the show line dogs. A pedigree review of Z-List vs non Z-List Dobermans shows that there is actually GREATER genetic diversity among the Z-List Dobermans. On average each year there are around 8000-9000 Dobermans registered with the AKC. In the year 2022, based on DPCA’s own records around 30-40% of Dobermans registered in 2022 were on the Z-List. White Dobermans accounted for less than 3% of those registrations. The greater majority of the Dobermans registered on the Z-List in 2022 were Black or Red. Imagine eliminating 40% of your breed from the genetic pool because of a 3% chance of the wrong color. A color that can be GENETICALLY tested for. Our major issue with the Z-List is that there is no way off it. You cannot provide a genetic test showing the dog does not carry white and get off the list. If DPCA’s goal was actually eliminating the white coloration a genetic testing method to exit the Z-List would exist. Regardless of color, titles, or genetic/health testing if your dog is on the Z-List the DPCA wants it neutered and its genes removed from Doberman gene pool.
Our second issue with the DPCA’s Z-List is that their tests on the White Doberman were bias, skewed, and made with extremely unsound down right horrible standards that NO TRUE BREEDER would ever replicate. While we do not dispute the stance that the white coloration is a form of albinism since genetically this is easily proven, we do dispute the idea that the dog is less a Doberman because of its color. ANY Doberman bred the way that these dogs that DPCA produced during their white doberman test would end up with the exact same issues temperament wise and potentially health wise. Any breeder with a brain knows that heavily inbreeding dogs, breeding with zero health test purely for color, keeping dogs/puppies in kennel environments, and just putting two dogs together with no consideration of temperament is BAD BREEDING PRACTICES and OBVIOUSLY would produce dogs with issues. If you listen to the DPCA all white Dobermans are ticking timebombs ready to maim people at the drop of a hat. Which is simply utter nonsense.
Our third issue with the Z-List is that is based on a cold hard lie. Padula’s Queen Sheba IS NOT the “first white Doberman” she is merely the first AKC registered white Doberman. The history books mentioned white dogs in the past, including the breeder that bred and eventually registered Sheba acknowledged they had had past whites they just had not registered them. Pretty much the standard at the time were that these white puppies would be culled as undesirable and therefore never make it to adulthood.
DPCA says that the white Doberman is unhealthy, which is not entirely true. The white Doberman is not any more or less unhealthy as a whole than the standard colored Doberman. They do however have a much higher chance of cancer because of their lack of pigment. This is however true of any white dog or animal. It is well established int he horse industry that gray horses are pretty much guaranteed to get cancer at some point in their lives. Horse with white faces (especially with blue eyes) are much more prone to cancer and tumors. The same goes for white colored dogs be they mutts, purebreds, or Dobermans. Aside from higher cancer risks the white Doberman has the same level of risk for all other health issues as a standard colored Doberman much of which can be reduced or eliminated by genetic and health testing. The higher cancer risk can be reduced with the simple use of sunblock during outside activity. White Dobermans blue eyes are light sensitive but so are any other blue eyes. They do tend to squint on bright days. And like any other blue eyes this can be mitigated with sunglasses. Because of DPCA’s almost gestapo like hatred (one must remark how the Z-List somewhat feels like the Joodselijst) of the White/Albino Doberman however most of the white Dobermans produced are not from health tested parents.
We could accept the idea of the DPCA not supporting the breeding of the albino Doberman even though we feel that they are unfairly labeling them. But to eliminate 40% of the gene pool as undesirable when genetic testing is available to test for the gene that creates the white coloration is foolish. DPCA needs to recognize that the breed NEEDS more genetic diversity and that allowing a genetic test proving a dog does not have the albino gene should be enough to qualify for the programs that DPCA offers all other Dobermans but the Z-List. Many dogs on this list share but 1 ancestor that is related to Sheba. They have never carried the white gene and never produced and never can procedure a white Doberman. If you have a fully CHIC tested with multiple titles dog that is 25 generations of non Sheba line and you bred it to a multiple titled fully tested dog that’s great grand father 10 generations ago was related to Sheba boom. Every puppy produced is now on the Z-List. Forever. Regardless of titles, testing, or anything else. The simple fact that some generations back there was a Sheba related dog means to the DPCA your dog is genetically worthless. Oh and to further help restrict the health of the breed, you cannot get a CHIC number for a Z-Listed Dog.
The Z-List has not helped in anyway eliminate the white Doberman. It has been FIFTY years basically and they are STILL being produced every year. The Z-List registrations has only grown yearly. The fact 40% of the breed registries per year are Z-List dogs means that their goal has failed. Almost completely. Still grasping to this concept of ostracizing dogs based on an ancestor is stupid. Further restricting those dogs from temperament testing and health testing to us proves it was never about the breed. The existence of the Z-List is bad for the breed.