It's known as one of the most intelligent and fearless breeds of dog, but if you have a Doberman, a new study may prompt you to keep a close eye on it. Researchers from the Royal Veterinary College have revealed that the Doberman is the breed with the highest risk of hypothyroidism – a hormonal disorder that can cause lethargy, hair loss and a'tragic' facial expression. In contrast, French Bulldogs, Pugs and Yorkshire Terriers are among the breeds least likely to experience the condition. Bill Lambert, Health and Welfare Executive at The Kennel Club said: 'These findings are important to help us to identify which dogs may be at most risk of developing hypothyroidism. 'Ultimately, this should help owners to spot the initial signs, and vets to diagnose earlier to enable treatment, which is known to be effective in managing the disease.'

It's no wonder, then, why women on average speak less than men in meetings: These risks aren't just perceived, they're proven. The Stockholm-based design firm Doberman believes the first step toward erasing gender bias in the workplace is making it known. For that, it designed an app called GenderEQ that monitors and evaluates meetings based on voice recognition, then analyzes the data to show the percentage of time taken up by male and female speakers. The app works on a phone or tablet, the idea being that the device can be set down on a table in the middle of a meeting and chart, in real time, who is speaking and for how long. The team at Doberman developed an algorithm that extracts data from the sounds picked up by the device's microphone.

For all the people who are under the impression that some dog breeds are more intelligent than others, here is some information about Doberman intelligence and what are the common ideas and assumptions which govern the human understanding of dog intelligence. Firstly, any dog breed including a Doberman is going to have the average intelligence of a six-year-old child. A puppy is going to have an Intelligence Quotient of a 2 to 3-year-old child and an attention span of a two-year-old baby. Some people say this sweeping statement "Dogs are stupid". That is definitely not so.