10 week goldendoodle meeting 2 year old dobermans - help!

[Training - Experiences, Challenges, and Mindsets]

Hi All!

Hoping to get some input from experienced dog owners - my husband and I picked up our 10 week old goldendoodle, Oliver, yesterday and we're so in love with him!

Our neighbors (and really close friends) have two 1 year old dobermans that they let run all over the place. We need to introduce them to Ollie so that they all know the others' smell since they will definitely be overlapping their areas, but my husband and I would like to keep them all on leashes for the first few interactions. We don't want them able to run and chase and play without us able to quickly step in. Of course, they'll play together and get along just fine when Ollie's alittle older, but at less than 20 lbs, I'm worried about him. They're sweet dogs and would never intentionally hurt Ollie, or anyone, but they're about 85 lbs each of pure muscle. They are littermates, so they've grown up playing very rough together. They also don't really understand personal space, they'll climb and sit on other dogs and even humans.

Recently, we dog sat a four month old goldendoodle and they all met out in the yard. One of the dobermans got so excited that she was chasing and basically body slamming this puppy (picture her going up on her back two paws, with her front two outstretched in the air, and slamming down onto the puppy's back and head with her front legs). The thing is, our friend's aren't super hands on with their dogs and when this happened, they simply said "stop" (which didn't really help) and told us she would calm down in about ten minutes. This goldendoodle started the interaction having fun but was quickly overwhelmed and unhappy.

Ollie hasn't met any other dogs (besides his mom and littermates), and I'm nervous that this will overwhelm or scare him, causing lasting damage in his socialization confidence. Am I being to over-protective? Will he be able to hold his own? Or will the dobermans know not to play so rough? Like I said, these are our close friends and we don't want to cause any tension, but we're raising our dogs very differently. Should we stick to leashes and limited interactions for now or just let them do their thing?

Thanks!

[Cynthia, Elvis & Pink]

Please don't let you puppy play with with the dobermans until he is much older. They are too big and too old. The best way to socialize Ollie is to enroll him in puppy kindergarten classes. If he gets too overwhelmed by much bigger and aggressive dogs, he may become fearful and reactive as he gets older.

[Deborah Brown]

I agree.  Your pup is too young and small to play with these dogs.  If you want them to meet, do it on leash and with only one of the dobermans at a time.  Some gentle sniffing is all you need to do until your doodle is older.

I am concerned, however, because it sounds like these dogs are in your yard. Is there no fence between your properties?  Will you be able to play with your pup outside without these dogs joining you?  Can you ask your neighbors/friends to contain these dogs at least until your pup is older?

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

In my opinion you will need someone who really knows what they're doing and truly understands dogs' body language to manage the first few introductions....and I would definitely wait a few more weeks until your puppy is fully acclimated to his new environment and gains confidence and trust.  I have watched how our Daycare manages introducing new dogs to the "pack".  It's very controlled and methodical.  It always starts in a small area with one dog at a time.  There is a trainer watching everything that goes on to be sure that there are not going to be any problems.  When your puppy is a bit older would you consider having a trainer come to your house to help get this "relationship" with the Dobermans off the the right start?  Maybe at the same time the trainer could give you some helpful suggestions as you begin training your puppy on some of the basic commands.

[Cheryl and Finnegan]

You're not being too overprotective at all. One large excited dog can easily overwhelm a pup. This is not a situation where it's safe to just let them do their own thing. You can't  assume that 2 young littermates would know not to play rough or that they would not act as a "pack" with your pup being odd man out...even playfully.  So I agree with Jane's suggestions.  Also, having 2 dogs running uncontrolled may complicate your training efforts. Hopefully you and your friends can agree that even if the dogs become great friends - they still each need their own safe secure space.