[Realms]

So my Dobe loves to play with other dogs but I have to be specific about the kind of dogs he plays with. He likes to play pretty rough (crashing into other dogs and lots of running) so I don't think he would really like to play with little dogs/old dogs. He needs a dog that wont just take all his roughhousing or else he takes advantage of them and turns into a bully but if the other dogs tries to get him back and wont take him being stupid they have the best time together.

Today we just tried going to a dog park to see if it would be okay. The moment we stepped in the park, three dogs surrounded him and after him giving many signals for them to back off and stop jumping on him he chased one (not playing) and then we left. In total we were probably there for about 30 seconds.

We only have 3 friends with dogs, two of which are older and wouldn't be good for him to play with. The other one he LOVES to play with, they are like best friends but she had to get her knee repaired and has a lot of rest and stuff to do so they can't play for a long time which means he doesn't have any dog to play and be social with.

So how can I find dogs for him to play with?
How much do you let your dog play with others?
How are they with other dogs?

Thank you!!

 

[DogsR4Life]

You can try kijiji.com there are plenty of people who post for playmates.

You can stop someone while out on a walk and ask if they know anyone.

You can enroll in some fun classes and meet new playmates there.

Go to dog friendly areas.

Try this website: Toronto Doberman Pinscher Meetup Group (Do something, Learn something, Share something, Change something - Meetup)

 

[madmony]

I too must be choosy about who Oliver plays with, he's 75 lbs., had no mannners instilled when he was younger, had no boundries. He has to realize not all dogs want to play. He only plays with a few in the park and they are all females and all are in charge. He is submissive with them and that's ok with me. Little dogs tend to run up and growl and threaten him, that's when we have a problem. Somewho the size thing is an issue. He always wins. Just kidding, I don't allow him to act that way. That's a whole other issue. Back on topic, he also goes to daycare care and they separate by size.

 

[PatchworkRobot]

Sometimes Craigslist has people looking for playmates. You could also try posting signs around your neighborhood. Have you considered maybe doggy day care?

 

[spocksdad]

If you can't arrange private playdates with friends dogs the next best thing is Doggie Day Care. I don't know your location, but here in San Antonio we use Camp Bow Wow, which is the largest nationwide franchise doggie daycare. They have (2) locations in my town and all over the country. They dogs are all screened for behavior problems and must be up on all vaccinations, etc. My wife takes Spock there 3 times/week for all day fun. He is worn out by the time he is picked up at 6PM. I can monitor him at work on the "Doggie Cams" which they have in the four indoor & outdoor play areas and in selected cabins and the front desk. The dogs are separated by size and large dominant male dogs are usually kept in separate groups until completely socialized.

High energy dogs, such as Spock, are paired up with other similar dogs who like to play hard and rough. An attendant "counselor" is in each play area to monitor and discipline the dogs as necessary (with verbal, water squirts, or separation). Since he started going there, Spock has become much more socialized with strange dogs (he has always been a people lover). I only wish I could afford to open a CBW franchise myself as they are making money hand over fist, even in the recession! There's a huge need for quality dog day care.... There are many day cares around, but CBW is over and above for cleanliness, pack supervision and training of personnel in my experience.

Here are some recent screen shots from Camp Bow Wow webcams:

Spock's Supervised Playing with another High Energy dog.

Spock First In Line at Outdoor Area for Hosedown!

Spock with Small Pack of Hyper Play buddies

Spock (red collar) with Another Dobe Buddy (blue collar)

Spock & Dobe Buddy "Protecting" Counselor

It's interesting to see when Spock and another Dobe are in the same play area, they both tend to hover around the human "counselor" in a protective manner! I suppose it's their Dobe instincts kicking in....

 

[PatchworkRobot]

I forgot to mention this (and I can't edit my post). The one downside to doggie daycare is that after a certain age they won't take intact dogs. I don't know how old your dog is and if he's intact or not but most places won't take an intact male after 6 months and the ones that do tend to only take them until 9 months of age. Daycare is a much better place than the dog park for dogs to learn how to play with other dogs simply because the play is monitored. My boy has always been GREAT at doggy daycare, dog parks, and playing with other dogs. He's pretty rough play-wise but that seems to be how it goes for most dobies. He'd get matched with similar dogs at daycare (boxers, herding breeds, and labs usually). When I was able to take him to daycare he'd go 5ish days a week, however, I was working at the daycare. I'd also take him to the dog park probably 6 days a week. I've since moved and am in your same predicament. The only dogs he gets to play with are the neighbor's small lab mix and young GSD. I'm also looking into ways to get him some more doggy playmates.