[Monk]

I currently have a 10 month old Red male Lennox..he's the love of my life. I wanted to get another pup soon, but everyone said to wait until he was older then get another one. Well, last night i found out a friend of mine's wife is expecting a child, and the wife doesnt want a dog in the house, so they are getting rid of their pup, which ironically is a 1 year old female blk/tan dobie. If i dont take her, she is going to the pound...so of course i'd rather her go to me than anywhere else.

I've never had 2 dobies together, and never had 2 dogs at the same time that are both under the age of 1. Can some of you vets give me some words on what to expect, or some guidance on how to make this situation as seemless as possible. I know its going to be a lot of work, but the work is worth it to me to not have this beautiful pup go to a rescue.

Thx in advance!

 

[ggrogers]

:grinball2: Don't have advice cause never had 2 Dobs at one time, but glad u took her. But I do know that having more than one dog in the house under 1 yr. is like having 6 little 2yr. old human children playing. I have 5 little ones and 1 Dob. I tell everyone it's like running a preschool at playtime...... Enjoy!

 

[madmony]

I've had 3 dogs at a time twice. Only one was a dobe. I think if you take it slow and remember Lennox was there 1st. Hopefully, they have met before. Kudos for you taken her in, it breaks my heart that there are so many that needs homes.

 

[StarlightDobe]

Always remember Lennox is first, treats, food, attention, anything like that. But dont short the new girl either. Make time for each dog individually too, giving each one some separate training time, and cuddle time. Sometimes (if you have a significant other) it is good to have cuddle time with each dog going with one individual, and you can change this up from time to time, but if Lennox is mainly your dog then he should spend a bit more time being your cuddle partner. But still make sure you spend enough time bonding with the new girl too. Also supervised play time is important with them so they can become friends. Its going to be different with them both being a little older because they dont have the benefit of one being older and one a pup and being able to adjust over time to the new one growing up. But the principle is the same. You will probably want to keep them separate at night for a while until you know how they act, and the new one will be unfamiliar in the new territory. You dont want her adventuring in the night and possibly harming herself and other stuff.

It will be fun, but you have to be diligent with two, there is now twice the fun and twice the work with them. You are just lucky you didnt have to go through house training all over again! lol I hope this is helpful advice.

 

[Lori Z]

Eli's sister lived here for 5 months. They actually put a couple of dents in my walls, I kid you not. Now they were littermates but still. I should have never allowed wrestling in the house from the beginning. They were about 15months old at the time. She was a very rough player and really knocked Eli around. I had to teach her to be more gentle with him. He is a hard player too but doesn't use his teeth, she used her teeth and he had tears all over. If I was to do it again there would be house rules that I was consistant about. I never had a problem with multiple dogs before, I have always had them but the two dobes the same age, oh my!!! LOL LOL. I wish I could have kept her as we worked that all out but she was too intense with my tiny dog so it just wouldn't work.

 

[vivienne00]

Eli's sister lived here for 5 months. They actually put a couple of dents in my walls, I kid you not. Now they were littermates but still. I should have never allowed wrestling in the house from the beginning. They were about 15months old at the time. She was a very rough player and really knocked Eli around. I had to teach her to be more gentle with him. He is a hard player too but doesn't use his teeth, she used her teeth and he had tears all over. If I was to do it again there would be house rules that I was consistant about. I never had a problem with multiple dogs before, I have always had them but the two dobes the same age, oh my!!! LOL LOL. I wish I could have kept her as we worked that all out but she was too intense with my tiny dog so it just wouldn't work.

I too have dents in the wall and I haven't had 2 the same age for a long long time. What I have now is that my 7yr old bitch who never really knew how to play, has learned with the little kelpie bitch - starting when she was 10lb. Now Jill plays like a doberman but ever so much faster and more nimble. They play t-bone, rough & tumble, up on the rear legs and bitey face, take turns on their back so the other can torment and they play chasings around the house inside and out. I am some happy deep deep inside that my strange little Enid can actually play without thinking it is some form of self-defense. She loves it and I love it and Jill loves it. Yoda is too big for her to play with like that.

I am saying I don't think age has much to do with how 2 dogs play. I usually have 2-5 years between dogs and normally 4 is my limit. But they all learn to play (eventually apparently)...

 

[brw1982]

I think it depends on the individual dogs' personalities as well as how able you are to enforce what's expected of them.

My two are a year apart in age but Tali's mellowness works well with Fiona's insanity. I couldn't, nor would I ever try to, have 2 Fiona's together no matter the age difference. My girls do like to rough house indoors. I just tell them when to knock it off and that's that. (And yes, I also have some wall dents to show for it.)

Could you take her to keep her from going to a shelter and if it doesn't work, you could try to get her into a rescue?

 

[DoubleDogDare]

Make sure one or both are fixed, first off. Dents in the wall are one thing - puppies are entirely another!

When we introduced our (late) 7-month old Brussels Griffon to our (late) 1-year old lab/aussie mix, we put the larger dog (a bitch) in her kennel, and let the smaller dog (a male) get used to her that way. When he started showing more playfulness and confidence than fear or submission, we let the lab/aussie out, and supervised them closely. The little guy immediately said "yes, dear" and that was that. The female never had territorial issues, as Bubba never challenged her. We fed them separately in their own kennels, because he would immediately back down and give her all of his food. But feeding them in their kennels with the doors shut seemed to really prevent any resource guarding. They shared toys, but never chewies. I say, just take it slow, introduce them to one another in perhaps a neutral place until they're comfortable, and really pay attention to potential territorial issues and resource guarding. Have fun!!

 

[MeadowCat]

I think you'll be signing on for a LOT of work. It probably can be done, if you are dedicated and have a lot of time. I'd suggest doing some reading on the perils of raising siblings - I think a lot of that may apply here, even though they aren't siblings. If you're going to do it you will need lots of one-on-one time with them, training separately, etc. They will likely reinforce each other's bad habits.

All that said, if she and your boy get along fabulously, and you can make the time commitment, it might be awesome.

 

[wgsdluver]

I would say go for it. 10 months and 1yr are completly different than 3months and 4 months! The basics of house, crate training and basic behaviours should already be learned. Of course if they are not, it could be a workout. I have quite a few dogs here, not all trained but managable so just having two seems like a walk in the park. LOL

 

[KCFilley]

I suspect the little girl will sooner or later be the boss. You always have enough love for two but it seems like you lose that close knit relationship unless you make a real effort to spend time alone with each. I think that's important also so they learn to depend on you and not just the other dog. Jo Ann will probably give you some advice too.

Thank you for giving the little girl a home.

So where are the pictures?

 

[Monk]

i appreciate everyones advice here..a lot to think about.

The good news is the new girl is fixed, so puppies wont be an issue. I get to meet her this weekend, and from what i hear she is very mellow, which is a great thing b/c Lennox is a crazy man. He also has not one issue with another dog..i really think this will all work out, just going to take a lot of TLC.

Also, i'm in medical sales, so i basically make my own schedule as well as work from home a lot. I'll probably be home the first 2 weeks a bunch, to monitor, then see how things grow.

 

[akturbo]

There will be times when you want to just give up. I know the female is a year old, but sometimes putting them together when they are young makes for some crazy times. There will be good and bad days. Be prepared for both. You may feel like they're ganging up on you just to make you mad every now and then. It's just a lot of dog (young dog) to handle. As long as you are prepared for what you're about to talk into and set aside the time, effect, and money to make it work then go for it. I love having two Dobermans but I will tell you its not for everyone. Good luck!! Keep us posted. I'd love to see pictures of both of them.

 

[Okie-dobie]

I would introduce them on neutral ground and not at your house or the owner of the females house. Have them meet in a park if possible. They are young but still either one of them can be "guardy" around their homes. I have two and have no problems, although the female is much older than the male.

 

[Adara]

I would agree with reading up on raising littermates or 2 puppies. Lots of one on one time, separate crating, separate times so they don't become dependent on each other.

I've never bought into the always feed one, pet one first stuff myself...all dogs are treated equal. I get to choose who I work with, pet, feed, etc.

Like with adding more kids to the mix, 1 plus never never JUST equals, 2 it's more like 10