Would a new Doberman pup ( with training of course ) get along with my 3 Pugs or I am asking for disaster ?
Posted: March 8th, 2011 | Author: admin | Filed under: Common Questions | Tags: along, asking, Course, disaster, Doberman, Pugs, Training, would | 7 Comments »I have 3 older established Pugs that are trained in age from range of 2 1/2 yrs to the oldest Alpha female , being 5 yrs old …
I would really like a new Doberman pup & integrate her into the family …but a next door neighbor had commented that he didn’t think this would work ..because both breeds have such high prey drives …And a vet had said that she thought it would be ok as long as there was strict training and supervision and as long as they were fed separately …Any merit to this ?..Anyone have a Doberman and other smaller dogs ? Can it work ?..Any advice ?..This would be my first ” large ” dog since I was about 12 ….My male Pug is very submissive & he is 3 , and the middle girl is 2 and way playfull , , oldest female is 5 ( she is a bit more high strung – but all are trained and behave ) ….Or am I asking for disaster ?? I would be looking at a puppy aged female for sure 
Thank You
I am 35 and on disability ( due to an old injury to my spine when I was 16 ) so I have plenty of time to spend with all my ” fur babies ” ..With the exception of bill paying , errands , etc …I am at home pretty much 24/7/365 …Otherwise , I wouldnt even consider it . Thnx .
This might work, but isnt three dogs enough? I find two dogs already high maintenance and time consuming enough!
Dobermans are very loving dogs. They get along with everybody as long as they are not trained to be mean. As for the pugs, if they are older and have been in the house for a while, they will be dominant over the doberman puppy. I’d worry about how the pugs treat the doberman.
It should be fine. Slowly introduce the puppy to the pugs when you get it. By keeping the pup in a cage and letting the pugs sniff and see the pup for about an hour before they are put in the same area is usually a good idea. After this get someone to be with you when you let the puppy out of the cage just in case you need extra control. If it is a gradual and supervised introduction the puppy will be part of the family in no time.
Slow down there, buddy!Don’t get a doberman!if you want a big dog, get a golden retriever,great Dane, or a German Shepherd! And if you can find one, an Australian Shepherd!
I have owned and trained dobermans for 18 years.
They are not all that great with smaller dogs.
Dobs tend to play rough and they run and body slam each other and chase and bite and it looks like a dog fight. A small dog is not going to want to play like this and could very easily be hurt. Dobes get frustrated if they do not get to run out and play off some of the energy. They are high energy and high exercise need dogs. A walk a day does not do it for a dobe.
They also require lots of training and can be tough to train. They are smart and were bred to work independantly from the handler and they do think on their own. Sometimes they do what they want not what the owner wants.
With three pugs a dobe would not be a good choice. I think it would make the pugs crazy.
Also dobes have a problem with same sex aggression. If your female pug tired to put the puppy in its place the pup most likely would attack the pug. The rescue I work with will not place two of the same sex in the same household. As most times one dog comes back as they will fight with the same sex members.
Since you have three and are successful I would stop there and be very happy you have a happy healthy well adjusted pack.
Just a couple of weeks ago I took in a female Doberman puppy for the rescue near me. I have a 6 year old male alpha pekingnese and a 13 week old female Dachshund pup. The Doberman puppy was rescued from a life of living outside and barely being thrown food. She was very high strung and always wanted to play but other than teaching her how to ‘play nice’ with my smaller dogs she was a JOY to have! She got adopted immediatly and it was so hard to let her go. Overall after a couple of days of realizing she was TOO rough with my Dachshund puppy .. she did well. I always supervise any dogs that are together anyway so you should always have them supervised. My peke doesnt care for other dogs so he just stayed in the backroom like an old grumpy man LOL
With the proper training you should be fine. Are your pugs aggressive eaters? I know I have to seperate my peke and dachshund during feeding time because my Peke is very food aggressive. But when I fed my Dachshund and the Dobie pup .. I fed them in the same room next to each other. Sometimes my doxie would try to eat her food and she wouldnt mind .. she just sat there and let her eat it! Which I had to keep a close eye on because they don’t eat the same food. The dobie was not food aggressive at all.
One thing I do with my Dachshund pup to make sure she never gets food aggressive is I pet her while shes eating and sometimes I’ll stick my fingers in her bowl. If she tries to chew my fingers I say “NO” and take her food away. Then after 5 minutes I make her sit and give her her food back. And do the same thing over. She’s doing very well with that.
Here are a couple of links I think would help you out! And it is always a plus that you get to be home all day (sorry about your injury). More training is always good!
http://www.dogbreedinfo.com/doberman.htm
http://www.chazhound.com/training/dogs6.html
http://www.gentledoberman.com/ptrain.htm
http://www.yourpurebredpuppy.com/training/dobermanpinschers.html
http://www.kingdomofpets.com/dogobediencetraining/?hop=beer1981 (I HIGHLY recommend this book. It is always good to be over prepared .. or if you have any training questions you can e-mail them and they will e-mail you back with training tips!)
Any other questions you have you should ask a good breeder you find. They will be MORE than happy to help you figure out if a Doberman is a good choice for you. You can go to http://www.AKC.org for breeder referals.
I hope you decide to get a Dobie. They are wonderful, beautiful and loyal dogs! Good luck and I hope this helped!
Yes, I raised dobermans for years and he/she would be fine with your pugs. A pup will not know the difference and treat them like one of the pack. You won’t be sorry. Good luck.