Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hey, first time here, thanks for any help you all can give. I searched on the forum but didn't find any information on my questions.

First of all, I have 2 1 year old male dobes. They are brothers. We got our first, and then adopted the second about 6 months later, as the family couldn't care for him.

Monte, our first, is dominant towards Red, our second.

I've heard people say that 2 male dobes can't live together, and my question is, how true is this, and what kind of problems will I face in the future? They do occationally get into fighting matches that are violent and I have to break them up.

2nd question-
I was recently riding in the car with my girlfriend and 2 dobes (in the backseat) I was in the passenger seat (the one I usually will use if I am taking one of them with me on a ride) Monte, my more aggressive Dobe, started growling in the backseat under his breath and looking at me, then started barking/growling at me in a way that said "i'm pissed off, but I know i'm not supposed to be doing this"

It happened in a way that really made me fearful that he would bite, and I know that I shouldn't have shown fear, and that that was a mistake, but I pulled away to the side of the window for the rest of the ride.

This bothered me. Since then, I've had no other problems with him trying to give me problems over couch/chair space or claiming dominance over anything else, I can pick up his food, move him from his seat, no big deal, but this one time scared me. We haven't rode in the car since. Any suggestions?

Thanks again for any help you can give, as you can probably tell, I've got my hands full here, but I have two truly great dogs, I just hope we can work everything out!

I recommend two books: "Feeling Outnumbered" and "Preventing Dog Aggression" I forget the authors of each, but they aren't expensive and should help you out.

I don't have dobe experience so the I'm not sure about your odds of having two males live together will be. In my breed it woudl be possible, but it takes work. Are they in obedience classes? I find classes help deal with a lot of issues overall.
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Chelle and the rest of the crew including, but not limited to Kita and Taiko (the shiba inu wrestle maniacs), Adi (reserved and dignified tabby cat), and all 28 reptiles

You need to address the aggression issue right away. You don't want to penalize the dogs or yourself of the many grand experiences you will have taking them in the car. My two males were best friends until I lost one to cancer in August. They fought like children at times, and like kids occasionally they needed a timeout, but those dogs loved each others company. I have read that more times then not two males will not get along. Only you would be able to answer that question, but don't confuse little challenges for being an insurmountable issue. I brought another male puppy into the house in December. My five year old really likes the company and three weeks ago I adopted another male Dobie (4 months)from the local Humane Society. (Would you believe someone dropped him off stating the pup is chewing everything in his house.) Just keep a watch and correct unacceptable behavior early...