Author Topic: To go Dobe or not??  (Read 3990 times)

Offline iluvmyshepxhusky

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To go Dobe or not??
« on: February 20, 2008, 08:46:02 pm »
Okay, from what I've learned about dobes so far is as long as your the pack leader you really won't come across agression issues, but i have another question.
I have a germanshep/ alaskan husky mix and my boyfriend has a mini daushund, we are moving in together in about a year and we both want a Doberman, my dog plays wonderfully all day long with my mom's shitzu but, he has some dominance issues with bigger dogs if we were to raise them together would whis work itself out? and would a excited dobe puppy crush the hot dog?

I would appreciate any feedback anyone has to offer..  :-\
Allison : )

Offline NarniaMals

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Re: To go Dobe or not??
« Reply #1 on: February 20, 2008, 09:52:49 pm »
Your Husky/Shep is a cutie!  His ears are carbon copies of my Husky :)  My husky was the only dog in the house for a year and then we introduced 2 malamutes (at the time they were just about 4 months old).  He struggled for some time with jealousy and could get a bit aggressive with them.  It was some rough play for a while but after some obedience classes he has really settled down.  He still thinks he is alpha (although he weighs about 1/2 of the larger mal) and we still have some wild play - ALl in all getting the pups was a great move - they charge around my yard and poop out my huskey!

Good luck with whatever decision you make!

Marinne
Marianne and the MALS
Jadis (Queen of Narnia - The White Witch) and
Vander  (One of her loyal guardians)
also Maulgrim (our Huskey - Head guardian and our little alpha dog!)

Offline mynameislola

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Re: To go Dobe or not??
« Reply #2 on: February 21, 2008, 02:28:47 am »
It depends on the dog. 

We have two Italian Mastiffs; one will play nicely with my Chihuahua but the other one, Zita, would eat him.  After I removed him from Zita's mouth once, he got his own room.  TG for my teaching bite inhibition so well to darling Zita.  All the Chi got was slobbered on.

I suspect you may be misunderstandi ng something about how the Alpha works in a pack.  Maintaining that status is a 24/7 job.  Some dogs will be more eager to test you, others don't seem to care.  Some dogs will present aggression issues no matter what your status is.

Gender of the dog can also be an issue.  If the husky mix is a male, I'd suggest a female pup, and vice versa.

If your current dog is already known to have issues with larger dogs, it is safe to assume that it will have issues with any large dog you add to the pack.

Side note, there are lots of sad stories out there about people cohabitating who get a pup together and fight over ownership when the relationship goes sour.  While there are lots of laws in place to help decide who gets what when a married couple breaks up, there is not much in most places for non-contractual relationships. 

Please check out your state and local civil laws on that.  In a worst-case-scenario, if you think you'd want the dog, get the breed registration and all the Vet. records in your name only.  Pay them in cash or a check drawn on an account with only your name on it.  If you contact the breeder through email, keep the tone as though you are the only person in the deal and do not delete any of them.

If you do decide on the Dobe, I'd suggest getting it at the same time as you move into the new place to limit immediate territorial issues with your other pets.  Doxies are famous for getting back injuries, so you will want to keep it calm until everyone settles in.

The canine kids:
     Cody Newfoundland
     Wally Italian Mastiff
     Zita Italian Mastiff
     Sparky Chihuahua