Q: We have a 2-year old, female Doberman who is not spayed. She's very energetic and plays well with other dogs. We took home an 11-month old healthy male Doberman from an animal shelter. He was not neutered but we had that done within the first week we got him. Both dogs stay in a crate during the day when my husband and I are at work and when we sleep.
The male wants the female to play with him when she wants to rest. He will bark/whine in a low voice when she won't play. She eventually makes the same sound back to him. This will go on all night. We have two separate food/water bowls for each dog, yet the male will not let the female eat until we pull him away. Whichever bowl she tries to eat from, he decides that's the one he wants. The same thing happens with bones. We give each dog their own bone but they want whatever the other one has. We don't give them bones any more because they eventually break out into a fight. The female does not back down from the male (because this was her house first?). The female Doberman has had basic training (sit, stay, heel, but she has a hard time with the "come" command).
We don't know what training the male has had but he does come when you call his name and I am currently teaching him to sit on command. They usually get along well but the fighting for the bones and the whining is really getting on our nerves. Also, he does not like any other dog but the female Doberman. We have tried to introduce him to the female boxer next door and the male Rottweiler (our other neighbor) but he bares his teeth and growls. He is a good dog with people but has a problem with dogs. What can we do?
A: Good for you for having him neutered. Having her spayed would help, too. When she goes in heat, it's going to be rough. And a neutered male can still sometimes achieve a tie with a female in heat, which could be dangerous. Plus, he may be very upset, agitated, even aggressive at stages of her cycle--and she could be, too.
It's fortunate that she plays well with other dogs. That might change as she gets older. It's not surprising that a male Dobe would not play well with other dogs outside your family. I think you would be wisest not to ask it of him. He has his "sister" at home to play with, and that's enough.
You could make him more reliable to control around other dogs by taking him to a good obedience class, and I would certainly recommend it. If you don't think you can control him around other dogs in class, talk to the instructor when you call about class and they can probably help you work out a plan. You can usually find an affordable obedience class through a local obedience club. They are listed on the AKC website by state at http://www.akc.org. You might not find them just by looking in your local phone book, because the classes are taught by volunteers.
I would totally separate the two dogs when they have their food. It's not safe to let dogs bother each other while they're eating. The same goes for when they have any toy or treat that gets them too excited. Have them in crates or separate rooms, totally unable to get to each other until they are done with the special stuff.
Dogs will often get into a survival instinct over food, and behave in ways they normally would not. It's not something you can expect to change with training. We do train dogs to tolerate humans coming near them while they are eating, but it's really not reasonable to train them to let other dogs bother them while they are eating. It's just too dangerous.
As far as the noise at night, I'm not sure of the setting on that. If they are in their crates in your bedroom, I expect they will soon learn to settle for the night and accept your schedule. It can take a little time, but dogs kept inside at night usually learn to sleep when you sleep. My dogs also enjoy synchronized napping! With a few changes, you can probably have a couple of happy dogs. Enjoy them!