Pros/Cons of Multiple Dogs

[holicanmc]

Hi,

I've been poking around this site the past few days and I've noticed the majority of you guys have more than one dog. I currently just have my one mutt Cheyenne but I will be getting another in the future sometime. I am waiting until Cheyenne is very reliable with respect to obedience training. My worst nightmare is have two unruly dogs that I can't take places or do anything with.

I was wondering if you guys could maybe throw out some good and bad things about having multiple dogs so I can be a bit better prepared. One thing I am afraid of is my relationship with Cheyenne changing, maybe her being more interested in the new dog and not at all with me.

Thanks.
Holly

[fireworksinjuly]

Originally Posted by holicanmc

One thing I am afraid of is my relationship with Cheyenne changing, maybe her being more interested in the new dog and not at all with me.

Cheyanne could possible be jelouse of your relationship with the new dog. Some dogs sulk, get agressive, etc when they are jelouse.

pros- twice the love, twice the dog fur, they may keep each other company when your gone...

cons- if twice to cost of food and vets, they may fight when alone...or be destructive...

[Pippinislove]

Pros:
+if you have high energy dogs they can exercise and stimulate eachother
+It's a joy to watch two dogs playing together
+Twice the looooove
+If you're into dog sports, you'll have more choices at what you can do... one dog may be good at tracking, one may be good at agility, etc.
+Can keep eachother company while gone

Cons:
-There's the possibility dogs will grow to hate eachother, or generally just not get along. Getting two dogs of the opposite sex helps lessen this from happening
-Twice the money spent, and generally more toys than just double so that they don't feel the need to fight
-In my experience two dogs get into more trouble than just one (like chasing cars, barking at people, etc.)
-More time spent. You have to give each dog individual attention away from the other

Yeah. In the beginning, existing dogs tend to be pretty jealous. So make sure you take time away from puppy-rearing to spend some individual time with the dog.

[poodlesmom]

Welcome to GP!

For at least the past 25 yrs I have had 2 dogs. Personally I find the pros outweigh the cons (well, I should say, most days I find that! )

You are making a wise decision to wait until Cheyenne is reliable in obedience. It does make life much, much easier and in fact, some pups will learn faster with being able to watch another dog that is trained.

One thing I have noticed is that when I have a dog that is 1+ yrs old and bring a new 3 mo old pup into the household I find that the pup tends to bond with my other dog first & then with us.

I think it is important to give each dog their own individual time with me without the other. I alternate who gets to go on errands with me and they each go to obedience school in different nights.

I agree with the prior post - twice the love, twice the expense. I have always been lucky and the pairs I have had got along with each other - that's not to say they don't have their little squabbles - what family, human or fur, gets along 100% of the time. Although I generally let them resolve the issue themselves if I feel it is headed to being too heated I will call "ENOUGH" and they stop. I have always spayed/neutered around 6 mos. old with every furpal I've had - this can also help alleviate many potential problems as well as greatly reduce possible health issues later on.

Personally, I don't think having 2 doubles the work - for the most part it just adds a little to what you already have to do.

I haven't found that I really lose any affection from the original dog but I do lose having to be his playmate 100% of the time which can be quite helpful. And altho the new pup bonded with the other dog 1st it has always had plenty of affection for me as well - it just takes a little bit longer for our relationship to evolve. Plus I really enjoy the different personalties they always have. Farley is my goofball & Chloe is my gentle princess (altho she can definitely give Farley a run for his money )

Holly, if you have the time, the room and are financially able to handle a 2nd dog I am sure you have the love & dedication to turn your home into a 2 dog family successfully.

[rmci]

pros- twice the love, twice the dog fur, they may keep each other company when your gone...

LOL! Not sure if I'd put "twice the dog fur" under pros

[elegy]

for my home-

pros: they play with and entertain each other, i enjoy training dogs with their very different personalities have really broadened by skills and experiences, i have a whole other dog to love and enjoy and spend time with

cons: they do fight sometimes, they're double rowdy, twice the food and vet bills, twice the poop to pick up

it's hard for me sometimes to be able to give them both the one-on-one time that they need.

[Novel]

Depending on how long the foster stays with us, we will soon be up to 5, all living in the home with us. When you write it out like that, it sounds kind of nutsy, but we have been at 3 or more for almost a year now.

Pros:
*Socialization between dogs
*Always have a dog that is willing to do whatever you want to do
*The joy of watching them interact
*Different personalities, likes, dislikes (It's like having multiple best friends!)
*They can teach each other good manners
*High energy dogs (all of mine) can play together to exercise
*Multiple dogs intimidate more than an individual I've noticed. (Our UPS man hands packages over the fence. He's petted them all individually, but he has mentioned he wouldn't chance them all at once.)

Cons
*Costs and Expenses (it's not always multiplied by number of dogs you have though, you can now buy in BULK!)
*Personalities do not always get along every moment of every day. Sometimes they wake up on the wrong side of the bed too!
*You always have a dog that wants something
*Keeping them in toys, blankies, crates, bowls, etc. can get a little tiring. They seem to go through toys three times as fast, because they play rougher.
*Individualized attention can be very time consuming
*Illness can be passed from one dog to another if not careful
*Trying to give them all names that sound different enough so they actually can differentiate their names (does anyone else have this problem??)
*Dogsitting - A small vacation can cost a fortune with a boarding kennel, you start learning who your dog friends are and planning to strategically place them for a night when you're out of town
*Your friends think you're nuts! (Of course this could be a plus too!)

There is so much more to it, but it doesn't really express itself well into words. I was a multiple dog person before I met my husband. I had three lab mixes. I can attest that you must have the first trained before you bring in the second. Our first two years of marriage we were a one dog family, and we've been multiple dog ever since.

One thing I might add though. I like an even number of dogs. If you have three, five, etc. one may be left out when they play, unless they learn to tug three ways. If I want to take two for a walk, I have to leave one at home alone, etc. If you have an even number you can split them up and everyone still have a playmate!

[gaddylovesdogs]

Pros
They play and exercise with eachother - they keep eachother busy
They learn good behaviors from the other dogs
There's more doggie love in the house
Lots of training and walking

Cons
They rile eachother up
They get on eachother's nerves
Vet bills are larger and happen more often
There's lots and lots of mess
Lots of training and walking

[kazkirkpatrick]

Cons: Twice as many titanium body parts to purchase

[mulroony]

One con not covered is they can teach each other bad habits. My dog never barked until it saw my parents dog do it to get food so now we are dealing w/ that.

[Pippinislove]

Originally Posted by mulroony

One con not covered is they can teach each other bad habits. My dog never barked until it saw my parents dog do it to get food so now we are dealing w/ that.

I agree with this! One of our dogs taught the other two the chase cats. Arrrgh.