How did the reputation of Dobermanns being "mean, dangerous dogs" start? I read that through the 1970s, Dobermanns were one of the most popular breeds in America, being common family dogs, but there was a series of incidents due to irresponsible owners who bred vicious dogs and tarnished the Dobie's

reputation. Dobermanns were even, up until, say, the 80s, associated with upper class people as the consummate guard dog.

Perhaps the situation, of what happened with the reputation of Dobermanns, is similar to the reputation of Rottweilers today. Nowadays, besides Pit Bulls, Rottweilers are a breed of choice for some "lower class" folks who want tough dogs to emphasize their toughness and manliness or whatever, and therefore many Rottweilers are raised poorly and end up being aggressive.

But the truth about Rottweilers is they are one of the oldest dog breeds in existence, dating back at least two millennia to ancient Rome, where they were used as droving and guard dogs for the legions, helping drive livestock that traveled with the legions as a food supply and standing guard at the legions' flanks to alert the soldiers of any potential threats, like an enemy force.

So, being around for at least two millennia, the Rottweiler is obviously a well tested and proven dog breed, versatile in its abilities and not so crazy that it's too dangerous to use. And the reputation of the Rottweiler today is incidental to the fact that unprepared owners are adopting them.

Is this exactly what happened with Dobermanns around, say, the 1970s?