Quote Originally Posted by Orangutango
Never put a male Dobe with another male in the same house! Females generally tend to get along just fine though, just aslong as you don't have two dominant females.
That's the information that I always received. There was a thread on another board about whether a prospective owner should get a male or female Dobe puppy when the OP already had both sexes, and it was suggested that the OP get a female Dobe because male Dobes are highly intolerant of other males. My original plan was to get a female, anyways, because Lucky is too dominant and Giselle happens to be very very submissive. I won't be getting a Dobe anytime soon, though. This thread is purely for educational purposes

The information I'm getting right now is pretty reassuring. I know I don't have enough comprehensive knowledge about Dobes to successfully train the dog myself (different breeds have different quirks), so obedience classes are a given. I've attended them with Giselle so that isn't an issue.

I do visit DPCA's website every now and then and have memorized their article about the Doberman temperament in modern times and it seems as if it's been a national effort to mellow down the Dobe's temperament. From the info in this thread, it seems like it's working Now don't get me wrong, I'm not getting a Dobe solely for protection purposes, but part of what attracts me to this breed is their guarding abilities. I love big dogs, and I also like knowing that my dog could serve as an effective guard dog should the occassion ever arise. I love Giselle, but, let's face it, Greys are wimps! My question now is: Do Dobermans from conformation lines still retain a strong protective instinct or has it more or less been bred out/suppressed?

I'm still not sure if I would want a dog from show or working lines. I'd most likely get an older Dobe from a show home, but I do like the drives in performance dogs although I highly doubt I can keep up with them. Thanks for the all the info everybody!