
No need for sorry, very fair questions! The spaniel was an adolescent, unneutered male - he was fine with Opi, but Remy (my male dobe) was the problem. Male dobes are well known for not getting on with other males that live with them. I had hoped sincerely it would work, and did try to make it a success - but I could see the seeds of major problems starting so I decided to rehome Fletcher before a real fight broke out, while he was still young and easily home-able. Not an easy decision to make but it had to be done, for both the happiness and safety of all the dogs. Had Fletcher not needed a home immediately when I took him on - or had another suitable home been offered - I would never have tried him with mine to start with.
The new dog, however, is an older female; both my dogs have previously lived very happily with an older female dog, quite a bossy one (as I'm told this girl is!); they also have several dobermann friends, and have shared their space with an older female mini poodle happily. This is why I'm much more confident it will work with the new girl. They are having a rest for now - they aren't meeting Soli until after christmas, maybe early January - and there will be a meet and greet before I bring her home (so two trips, I won't bung them all in the car at the first meet!), just to be sure. The opportunity to do this wasn't there with Fletcher - my brother couldn't keep hold of him longer than a couple of hours and he had nowhere else to go.
I'm aware it does look hasty given the Saga of the Spaniel (hey, there's a book title!! :D) - but I have actually been considering the ins and outs of bringing in a female dobe to my household since I first wanted another dog - as I said before, over a year ago. One major difference this time around is her owner - I never met Fletcher's original owner, he was dumped on another family (who I also never met), I had no history on him or any info at all. With Soli, the owner is more than happy to tell me anything I need to know about her as she is very worried about Soli going to a good home and being cared for properly.
Edit to say: flippin ec, that was longer than I meant it to be! Sorry!