Question about two male dobermans

I have owned multiple males many times and the main reason why the problems were limited was training. All knew who was in charge and boundries & limitations were inforced. If theres atleast a 3 year age difference this can decrease the issue for dominence. In dealing with this issue I've found when owners who are not strong willed people can and will be the cause of fighting when all participants are together, many times if the dogs are by themselfs their issues are reolved by posturing and eye contact. There will be a doimiate one and the submissive one will deffer but if their even with their dominate characters you will be in for issues that can get very serious. i recently broke a fight up between two males (90lbs) and owner would have been in a very tuff situation without my help. Don't think you can handle a fight easily. I'm very experienced with dogs and I have the scares to prove it haha!!! VON>
 
any updates ???

Its been more than a month , I leave the dogs by themselves when i am at work , and when i dont work i observe them closely and they get along great , each mind their own bussiness, the Obidience training has probobly something to do with it , tlaloc has completed his last november , and now choco its attending obidience classes. I will keep you posted.
If this is what you are looking for, then, Yup, one page back!
 
Glad to hear they are doing well so far, but please bear in mind they are still very young and down the road when they are older, like 2 or 3 years old, things could change.
 
If this is what you are looking for, then, Yup, one page back!

yup i saw this one, but thought he might would give another one :) and CS i agree, still very sceptical about this , i think both dogs are very young, so there can be a lot happens in the future and i hope the OP, is carefull and keeps a very close eye on it.
 
I have owned multiple males many times and the main reason why the problems were limited was training. All knew who was in charge and boundries & limitations were inforced. If theres atleast a 3 year age difference this can decrease the issue for dominence. In dealing with this issue I've found when owners who are not strong willed people can and will be the cause of fighting when all participants are together, many times if the dogs are by themselfs their issues are reolved by posturing and eye contact. There will be a doimiate one and the submissive one will deffer but if their even with their dominate characters you will be in for issues that can get very serious. i recently broke a fight up between two males (90lbs) and owner would have been in a very tuff situation without my help. Don't think you can handle a fight easily. I'm very experienced with dogs and I have the scares to prove it haha!!! VON>


I totally agree with you VON is how you train them and show them who is the alpha, I keep my dogs in check and they know who is in charge..
 
You will have some confrontations so certainly don't be surprised. Be aware of possessions and also play fighting, if one hurts the other playing they can get into it. If their strong willed dogs dominance will sneak in, I guarantee you. Deal with the aggressor quickly and firmly, don't seperate them after the fight but keep them at a distance from one another unless you need the time to settle yourself down. Two adult males fighting for real gets heavy duty very fast if you haven't experienced it before have a plan in place. Don't waste your time giving commands if their already fighting you have to seperate them, have a pole, water, air horn, fire extinguisher etc. you have a very good chance of getting bit, if you do don't take it personal, their dogs. hahaa!! Good luck and always stay two steps ahead theres usually a key to read before a fight but sometimes it's on before you see it. VON.
 
Quinn was completely happy to be around everybody, he was a happy go lucky guy with all dogs. Well that all changed when he turned 13 months old. He has very serious aggression problems with other males dogs. Your boys are still young, I wouldn't leave them together by themselves at all. It's scary how fast things can happen. I know that it can be done, but the odds are not in your favor. I don't think I could even risk the lives of my dogs to find out if I am one of the few that can manage it.
 
Even with two altered opposite sex dobes things can get out of hand without warning once they mature. I continue to agree with what everyone is saying, you have to stay on top of this. When my female, Chloe, turned two years old she began attacking Herc, my male, out of the blue. I mean the least little thing would set her off and she'd be going for his throat. Play fighting turned serious in the blink of an eye. Once she even ripped his ear to the point that he had to have five stitches to mend it. Yelling at her to stop was fruitless. Hitting her did no good. I had to keep a belt handy and loop it around her neck and pull her off and then muzzle her. She nearly bit me on several occasions. It was very stressful on me. I mean, up til then she was a playful puppy and out of nowhere she became this ferocious beast. I worked on it and it's better now but it took a long time for things to change. To this day I don't leave both of them roaming free in the house when I go away even though it hasn't happened in a year now.
 
Although I prefer males, and your two are gorgeous, I couldn't live the way having two males requires you to. You can do it, lots do, very successfully, but they do have to be very careful. I've done a ton of research on this issue and there are many experienced Doberman owners out there that don't tell you the truth out in public as to how they really have to live with multiple males. For some male pairs once they have a spat, it's game on from that day forward and you have to run interference for the rest of their lives. This may never happen to your boys, but it could. A breeder I know has a father and son. They are about 4 years apart, they were the best of friends until the son turned 2. Since then they hate each other. Being aware and prepared is a good idea, and you most likely won't see problems until the boys are mature, after the age of 2. Good luck.
 
I totally agree with you VON is how you train them and show them who is the alpha, I keep my dogs in check and they know who is in charge..

What about when you are not around to 'keep them in check'??? :no2:

I wish you the best of luck but I KNOW how this is going to turn out already...

Leaving them alone together, and unsupervised is just asking for trouble IMO.
 
Quinn was completely happy to be around everybody, he was a happy go lucky guy with all dogs. Well that all changed when he turned 13 months old. He has very serious aggression problems with other males dogs. Your boys are still young, I wouldn't leave them together by themselves at all. It's scary how fast things can happen. I know that it can be done, but the odds are not in your favor. I don't think I could even risk the lives of my dogs to find out if I am one of the few that can manage it.

Amen to this, and 2 females together can have the same issues.
 
Amen to this, and 2 females together can have the same issues.

AMEN TO this and the two females, always the same sex , can ask for trouble, no matter what.
and i so agree with quinn_c also, Apollo was the same way, til the hormons kicked in, that when we went to get him neutered. didn't wanted to find out, what really could happens or what he might be capable off.
 
Tlaloc is getting Neuter next wenesday, the hormons kicked in about 2 months ago , I just didnt have the money to get him fix.
 
Neutering is NO quarantee that a dog will be submissive, their genes sometimes carry through any alteration. Many times when the presents of people are eliminated theres a chance of coexistence. It's a chance that isn't prescribed, trend lightly. VON.
 
It's not just two males...I have 1 male and two females, in age from 2 yrs old, 1 yr old and 9 mos old. The two girls will fight for attention. They want the attention from the male. They will fight over who gets to be closest to mom. When the older girl went into heat a month ago, I thought I was never going to get to sleep for 3 weeks. When I am home, I can keep an eye of them. Now I have learned (the hard way) that when I have to go somewhere for over 30 minutes, I must crate at least one of the girls.

I also have learned that one Doberman is a piece of cake. Two Dobermans are a bit more of a challenge. Three Dobermans become a pack, and that becomes PACK MENTALITY!!! Even in play, two will gang up on one, and it can turn ugly really quick. Their games never start out as a fight, but it can turn into one really quickly. I am never more than a few feet away, I carry a spray bottle of water all the time. I have my hose turned on JUST IN CASE (spray nozzle at the ready). Even a simple thing like one jumping into the bed to go to sleep can turn bad if the girl happens to land in a "bad spot" on the boy!!!! He is very protective of his family jewels!!!

I go to sleep with the spray bottle on my night stand. Some nights just one pup trying to get closer to me can lead into a confrontation. I love my pups, but I also know that they are dogs, and natural instincts are stronger than all the training in the world. Especially when there is more than one Dobie in the house. I have no fear of my dogs for my own self, but I do fear for them if left to their own devices.

Dobermans are one people dogs, and as such, they have a hard time sharing that person with anyone or anything else. Especially one of their own. It was easier for me to have one of my cats near or on me when I had one Dobie than it is to have one Doberman closer to me when I have 3 of them.

I now have to keep my poor cats confined to three rooms in the other side of the house. If I allow one dog at a time around the cats, NO PROBLEM. But the minute all three see one of the cats, that PACK MENTALITY kicks in, and it is corner the cat time. I will not allow that, so for my cats' sakes, I keep them separated. One of my Dobie's was not raised with cats, and she is the one that will start the "get the cat" and the other 2 (even though they were raised with and get along with the cats) will jump in and go nuts to get the cat. Ironically it is my smallest cat that causes the problem. The older, bigger cats will run and hide from the dogs, but she is fierce and will stand her ground. NOT a smart move around 3 Dobies.

And this is how you learn to live your life when you are owned by cats and Dobermans. No one said it would be easy, and it isn't, but it does have its rewards.

I hope that having your boy fixed will help, but if he has already learned to mark territory, it might be worth your while to look into getting a crate or two. I never believed in crating any animal, but when it comes to their own safety, I learned that this is better than the alternative.

Good luck!!!!
 

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