Son came home with two doberman puppies

[itzaspicypizza]

Hello, looking for some insight. My 21 year old adult son brought home-totally unannounced-two doberman puppies. One male and one female about 12 weeks old now. To say that my husband and I are not thrilled is an understatement. We already have a elderly dog, who is simply wonderful and fits that family well, and I am not interested in going though puppyhood toward two larger breed dogs.

So you say, that this is very thoughtless of son, I agree, he has some mental health issues, and well if he was not with us, he would be homeless. They are helping him mentally and emotionally, but I am finding it draining. I am mostly insisting that he does the work himself (I help when needed), but it is very tiring watching and supervising them with my five year old and older dog.

I have found a lady who trains working dogs and she has families who would take them, and I am willing to foster while looking for a good family. Of course he loves them and won't want to do that.

What say you of the forum?

Two questions? My 12 year old Pomeranian mix (27 pounds) has arthritis and has never been that interested in other dogs. I would hate to put him in danger. Is it safe to have dobermans around elderly small dogs? It is breaking my heart to have him stressed and sad.

I have a five year old. She is scared of them because they act so different from our dog. Is it safe to have dobermans around a timid child?

Thanks for all advice.

 

[itzaspicypizza]

Dog wise manners they bow play to him and he ignores it, they sniff he is appropriate, they sniff in an in your face puppy way he gruffs, but he also hides under the bed a lot and and that makes me sad.

 

[Drogon]

If it makes your son happy and the dogs don't have health or behavioral issues then I say give it a try. Talk to your son and give the dogs X months to see if they'll work out. Keep an open mind. The dogs may be a good thing for your son. Make him take responsibility to train and exercise them. Sometimes the love & responsibility of a dog brings out the best in people.

 

[MischasMomma]

Hi there and welcome! Ultimately, you know what is best for your family and household, so none of us can tell you what to do, but we can certainly offer our advice!

May of us have older and/or smaller dogs in addition to doberman. @Tropicalbri's is the first to come to mind, as she has a senior beagle and got 2 doberman puppies together as well. With the proper training, anything is possible though. She has success with her crew, but I know it has taken her a lot of work. Anyone with 2 puppies will also tell you, it is HARD. You need to work with them separate, give them each one on one time, so they do not become dependant on each other.

I'm regards to your young child, it can absolutely work. Look up cutie and the beast! Your daughter should be involved, so the dogs respect her as well. Teach her how to approach and treat them properly, have her feed them and do some basic training with them as well so they look at her as an alpha in the pack and not as an equal or below them. Again, with proper training anything is possible!

 

[JanS]

Welcome from Minnesota!

You have some very tough questions here. Doberman pups are a handful and need a strong leader because they're so smart, but at the same time they will be great with kids if raised correctly. If you keep them, I'd suggest finding a good trainer who your son can take the pups for training and socialization. This breed is very loyal and will stand by your side for a lifetime so it's worth giving them a chance.

 

[Oh Little Oji]

Welcome!

Boy, what to say here? I guess we would be hard pressed to offer you advice on family matters; however on the Doberman puppies:

Two Doberman puppies at once will take a lot of commitment and work. I'm glad you have found a trainer that works with working dogs. A lot of work still falls on the dog owners though.

Dobes play rough. You will have to be careful about your elderly smaller dog. If your Pom is not the type to be alpha and put the younger dogs in their place, she might get steamrolled (figuratively and literally). There is also at least some chance that at some point your Dobes could get aggressive with your Pom. Prey drive can make a larger dog see a small dog as prey to be chased and subdued. When you have more than one dog involved (speaking of your Dobes), they can feed on each other's energy and it can be multiplied.

As mentioned, you will need to watch out for "littermate syndrome" where the dogs basically are more into each other than into the humans in their life.

You will need to either get one of the pups spayed/neutered early on, or be extremely careful that they don't breed (which will take a lot of work and attention).

These pups, while they may be bringing some positivity to your son's life, were not a wanted addition to your home and life. So, do you think your son is going to – for the life of the dogs – do what is needed to care for them properly? I know I said it'd be tough to give you family advice, but I have the overall opinion that these pups, and your family, might be better off with the pups in another home.

I wish you and your family success and happiness.

 

[Brioddy]

Oh boy... TWO? One is hard enough my boy took literally all of my time and energy to raise. I am only thankful I didn't have to work during his puppyhood.

 

[Judith]

Doberman's are not the easiest of breeds and two puppies would test even the most dedicated and experienced of Doberman owners, it takes most people weeks or even months to prepare for a new puppy so having two arrive out of the blue must be very stressful, your son is not going to be able to do everything that these puppies will need they are not puppies/dogs for the inexperienced and all the family has to be 100% on board, I would hate to stress the smaller older dog out with these two boisterous pups which will soon be two very large dogs weighing 80lb+ I would seriously consider getting the trainer to find them new homes and getting your son something that will fit into your family better and also be able to prepare for a new addition by getting your son involved with this process, not sure if this is what you wanted to read but I am being honest and I feel this is what would be best for the puppies and yourself, I adore Dobes and would never have any other breed but there is no way I would be able to cope if one day someone just walked in with two Dobe puppies they are so demanding, I hope you find the answers you need.

 

[alphafemale]

Somw great advice here. Just wanted to add that with mine, I have a 15 yr old pom mix and 7 other small dogs w Mila. Her rambunctious can get outta hand, she can get rough without meaning too, knock them over at times outside (at 1 yr, we are still working with her and the littles outside at the same time. BUT. Those are the bad. The good? My elder isn't an alpha. Also isn't submissive. She just doesn't care! Lol She is snappish at times because she's a stinker and doesn't like that long cold nose up in her business and Mila respects it. Amber doesn't have much teeth anymore either so it's not as if she could hurt Mila. When Mila was an insanity walking puppy (well, they are) she'd nitpick like crazy but even then seemed to sense the difference in each age of dog, even the cat (our cat is bigger than our shih tzus).

What I'm basically saying is that as with any puppy they are difficult. However they can be taught respect, and I've found w Mila, she understood it easier than others.

Image that shows Mila and some of her buds. Amber is the golden one on the far right Instagram post by Mila (Grace) The Rebel • Jan 21, 2017 at 3:17am UTC

I personally think children and small dogs teach the bigger breeds a gentility and respect nobody else can. Yours may sense your son's needs, even as puppies, and adjust their behavior in time.

But do what feels right for you. Trust your gut.

 

[itzaspicypizza]

Thank you for the advice. It is very stressful. I would put myself at a moderately experienced dog owner. I just at this point was looking forward to having some free time now that my youngest is going to Kindergarten.

I do like dobermans. I was never inordinately afraid of large breeds, because I grew up around them.

What I think I will do, is tell him that I have a suspicion that there will be issues of dog aggression, and if they do come up, I have to prioritize the needs of our other dog. He was here first, he is a good dog, and his last years should be safe and calm.

I will perhaps, (still thinking), say that we can try keeping the female for a longer time, but rehome the male.

I will also think about adding a dog to the house that is not intimidating to my five year old and harmonious with our family dog. I do like how having a dog to care for of his very own is very good for him. He faces crippling ocd, anxiety and depression.

We have had them a month and they have been easy so far. They are pretty calm.

In whatever case, I will make sure they get to a good home.

 

[alphafemale]

Sounds like a good plan to me. 4-8 months is usually the hardest time to deal with. Then outside of that, you see the real side of them. I'm amazed at how much Mila has calmed and I don't think it's her being female. It's training (I trained her no different than my other dogs - more like Doggy Dan type of training) and learning on her own how to behave.

I can only imagine how hard it must be to have 2 pups dumped in your lap out of nowhere, but this is a great place to release frustration while they grow if nothing else. This coming from someone who MANY times during that tough phase thought she may have to give Mila up because on top of everything else in my lap, I wasn't sure. Figured I was failing miserably. She's only a year old and it's like night and day, lol. Couldn't imagine not having her now.

 

[Judith]

If you are keeping one I would consider keeping the male, others may like to chip in with their experience but I have always found males to be more loving and perceptive also calmer than the females, which might be better for your son, the girls seem to have more spirit and independence always pushing boundaries, good luck .

 

[Tropicalbri's]

I am so torn on how to respond here. While I think the breed is the best ever, I also know how difficult they are in their first year and definitely with two it is very, very trying!
My older beagle absolutely loved these puppies as if they were her own. They gave her a new lease on life but they are rough with her (not intentionally) and I sometimes have to intervene as she has arthritis in her back and knees, however she will usually be the one to get the pups going.
I would seriously consider rehoming one pup.
I do feel this breed could be a great asset to your son. Animals are amazing in helping us with situations we have to deal with in life but I think two may be a bit overwhelming as they go through their doberteens.
I am hesitant to make reccomendations because I don't truly know your situation but without any planning and everyone wanting the addition of two puppies, I fear there may become some resentment down the road when they destroy things in their puppy behavior and I would hate to see that turn to negativity towards them.
This breed is very intelligent, loyal and sensitive and requires training with someone familiar with this breed.
If your older dog is not wanting to be around them I would definitely keep him away from the puppies to prevent him from injury with the pups rough housing.
It would not take much for the pups to accidentally harm him. He shouldn't have to be hiding in his golden years of life. Make sure you keep the puppies confined to areas that are not accessible for them to accidentally injure your older dog.
Bottom line, no matter which way you look at it, it's going to be a LOT of work but the rewards are so great as these dogs are amazingly loyal and incredible dogs.
Also this breed is plagued with many health issues and I do question the breeder in allowing two, let alone one going to a home that is not experienced with this breed. I would get health insurance on them as it can get costly if they were to eat a sock, toy or anything your youngster may leave around. They will eat ANYthing and it may cause a blockage that could cost $3000. in surgery to remove. Puppy proofing the house is extremely important.
Keep us updated on how things go and we wish you all the best!

 

[FerguAA]

I am researching littermate syndrome in dobermans and am wondering if these two Dobermans developed successfully?