Doberman rank on Normal is a more forgiving Rank 1 compared to Big Boss. It may be a nice transition for those looking to learn Very Hard Big Boss, or those looking for a stealthier way to run Normal.
Ideally, Doberman only loses around 70 to 90 seconds over Any%.
The ration can be used where you like, but it's best to save it for Stage 08. This way you can damage boost in the basement, and have a greater margin for error during Nikita Skip. Alternative places to use the ration - Stage 04, Stage 10, Stage 11, and Stage 12.
Notes: Continues do not matter on their own for Doberman Rank. Continues can cause additional alerts depending on where the checkpoint is. Getting spotted again in Caution/Evasion counts as an additional alert. If you cause an alert by tripping lasers, and a guard spots you afterwards, that is 2 alerts. You can die during an alert on the screen you were spotted on to remove it.