male Aussie question

[dobesgalore]

Are male Australian Shepherds same sex aggresive? What about if neuterd? Aussie and Saban (a male dobe) were playing over the weekend and suddenly the playing turned serious. We separated them, and will stay that way. Male dobes are same sex aggressive, but Saban is SUCH a goofeball(and neuterd), he has never shown aggression. From what Wayne & I saw, Aussie started it.(he's not neuterd,yet). IF all goes well, this summer we are getting an Australian Shepherd pup. I had wanted another male, but after seeing shift gears like he did, I am reconsidering. What do ya'll think? Two males both neuterd, or best to be safe and go with a female? I havn't heard of the breed being aggressive, but...

 

[xpaeanx]

How old is Aussie? How old is Saban?
How long have they "known" each other?
Do they live together? For how long?
Where there any toys or food or anything like that around?

 

[Lizmo]

Are you sure Saban didn't accidently bite Aussie in the wrong place at the wrong time?

 

[dobesgalore]

Are you sure Saban didn't accidently bite Aussie in the wrong place at the wrong time?

That is entirely possible, because they have played fine otherwise. They had just been playing chase around the whole yard, 100 miles an hr! They would bouce and jump, play bow etc...It just came out of the blue, and Aussie was the one really trying to tear Saban up! I thaught the same thing you just said, but I am an over protective mommie.

 

[Laurelin]

Well if it's just the one incident then there could be so so many factors going into things. My past shelties lived together peacefully 99.9% of the time but there were two instances in their entire lives when they went after each other. Since dogs are animals even dogs that have lived together quite happily can suddenly decide they're not going to take it that day.

So it's not necessarily DA if they fought this one time. Who knows what could have triggered the fight and who knows if it is an isolated incidence or something else like DA.

 

[xpaeanx]

If she plans on keep the Aussie intact, and even adding another male... she still needs to watch her dogs to learn their triggers(which is why I listed a bunch of questions).

intact males are generally more aggressive... so you want to make sure you aren't setting them up to fail. You have to get to know your dogs and their personality.... so asking yourself exactly what was going on every time there is a fight really helps you avoid fights in the future.

And as a side note, I've noticed that any fights starting over a nip that was a little too hard usually end just about as quick as they start....

 

[Toller_08]

I can't answer the question as to whether or not Aussies are same sex aggressive, but I am very concerned that you have a male Doberman with another male dog. That's not a risk I personally would ever take, regardless of the male Dobe's temperament. Dobermans are notoriously same sex aggressive, regardless of whether or not they're neutered. There are very, very few homes out there able to have a male Dobe and another male dog living peacefully together. Most that choose to make that decision end up with a severe (or deadly) dog fight, or need to go the crate and rotate route. At this point I don't feel it matters which dog started the fight, but I would be prepared for it to happen again in the future unfortunately. I hope that your boys will continue to play nicely together and that this one squabble will be an isolated incident, but based on my experience with Dobermans, I'm a bit worried for you and your boys.

 

[dobesgalore]

They have played fine up until this, so I hope Saban just pissed Aussie off for some reason. I just want to make sure the breed as a whole is not a same sex aggresive type. I have been investigating the breed for about six months or so, and I've never heard anything about it.

 

[Zoom]

As a whole, no. Aussies are typically not same sex or dog aggressive, it had zero use in stock work when you've typically got a couple of dogs in high drive out working together. If they were more concerned with killing each other than rounding up/moving stock, they'd be useless.

Now, there ARE DA Aussies out there, don't get me wrong. But as a general rule they're not supposed to be nor is it common. The play styles between Aussies and Dobes are fairly different though and sometimes that can lead to problems i.e. "miscommunication".

My next Aussie is going to be another male as well.

 

[dobesgalore]

Thanks Zoom! I think miscomunication was the problem here. I will still consider a male.

 

[InLimbo87]

Thanks Zoom! I think miscomunication was the problem here. I will still consider a male.

Did you read Toller's reply? I suggest rereading it and considering otherwise.

 

[dobesgalore]

Did you read Toller's reply? I suggest rereading it and considering otherwise.

Did you read my original post? Read a little closer.

 

[InLimbo87]

Did you read my original post? Read a little closer.

You're name is "dobesgalore" you were talking about a doberman and an aussie (not sure which one is yours), and your avatar has an aussie in it. I'd assume by this reply that you have an aussie, and then I misspoke.

But I'm still confused...

 

[Zoom]

Toller does have a very good point. Regardless of DA in Aussies, it's a well known and documented fact that male Dobes ARE same sex aggressive. It is NOT a good idea, no matter how goofy the Dobe is normally, to have two males (and especially not an unneutered male!) playing together. Things can get out of hand in the blink of an eye as you saw.

 

[dobesgalore]

Yep, I'm aware of Dobes and their aggression issues. All the males I have had over the years who have lived together, have all been neuterd at no older than six months old, and I have never had a problem with them done at that age. They have lived in the house together, slep together etc... Unneuterd males, or neuterd later in life I would never trust together. This has just been my experiance over the last 25 years of having dobes. Our Aussie is the one who initiated the spat, and kept going after the dobe. That is why the question about Australian Shepherds. Saban and Coors are our only two dobes we have now. Coors unfortunatly may not be with us a lot longer due to age,he'll be 12 this year and health is going down. Anyway, the situation with the dobes is thinning out, and we are looking into another Aussie. That was why my question, and Zoom answerd it.

 

[Lizmo]

I can't answer the question as to whether or not Aussies are same sex aggressive, but I am very concerned that you have a male Doberman with another male dog. That's not a risk I personally would ever take, regardless of the male Dobe's temperament. Dobermans are notoriously same sex aggressive, regardless of whether or not they're neutered. There are very, very few homes out there able to have a male Dobe and another male dog living peacefully together. Most that choose to make that decision end up with a severe (or deadly) dog fight, or need to go the crate and rotate route. At this point I don't feel it matters which dog started the fight, but I would be prepared for it to happen again in the future unfortunately. I hope that your boys will continue to play nicely together and that this one squabble will be an isolated incident, but based on my experience with Dobermans, I'm a bit worried for you and your boys.

O/T: I never knew this! How do breeders do this? Crate/rotate?

 

[noodlerubyallie]

O/T: I never knew this! How do breeders do this? Crate/rotate?

They usually keep one male in the house with multiple females - it's easier to keep multiples that way. You still end up with bitch fights though - my breeder has 5 girls in the house, and she has to watch who is out loose with who.

Baby gates are a godsend.

ETA: OP, as a fellow Doberman lover, I am also worried about your intent to add another male to your home when you have an intact Dobe already. I think it's a fair issue to bring up - even if you have experience with multiple males before. There's always a chance it won't work out the way it's worked in the past, and I think that is what we are worried about. I'd always err on the side of caution with Dobermans - that's why I have three girls and one intact male. But that's my household.

 

[dobesgalore]

As said in my first post, they are separated to be safe, and it will stay that way. My question was about Austrailan Shepherds, BEFORE I get another. As far as Aussies' go, I'm still learning about the breed.

 

[Jynx]

I agree with Zoom, at one point I had one male aussie, one male gsd, a female aussie and female gsd.

My male, even tho he has his quirks, and likes to be the "big cheese", will start something IF one of the other dogs nail him unintentionally, as in play.

My male doesn't care what sex he lives with, nor who he plays with within my household, but if he gets ticked off, he's going to react. (and it's usually rough play, with the other dog doing something)

Aussies do tend to be rough players, body slamming, nipping, tumble they compliment my gsd's as they tend to be rough players as well..

I WOULD keep an eye on all situations with them tho..

 

[dobesgalore]

Thank you. I intend to take all this into consideration before getting my next Aussie.