When I was a kid, I wanted a dog so badly that I badgered my parents daily (not kidding) until they finally relented when I was seven years old. Figuring I was on a roll, I did ask for a second dog and my parents shot that down emphatically, saying that when I was a grownup I could have “as many dogs as I wanted.” I took them at their word and got my first dog all of my own while still in college and just kept adding from there. That first dog was the gateway drug, so to speak, to a life devoted to dogs, my own and other people's.
I've had as few as just one dog, and as many as four dogs, at a time in my home. We had four dogs when the kids were little and I probably should have had my head examined to have that many creatures depending on me for their care and keeping, LOL. For me, the sweet spot is two to three dogs, with one being a senior. Seniors seem to be rejuvenated with the activity and antics of younger dogs and having two younger dogs means having someone to play with when the human (invariably) is busy working or tending to the senior dog. I have friends with four or more dogs and I'm amazed at how not chaotic their homes are. I'm pretty sure that having four or more dogs would be chaos for me, but that's the point. Only you can decide how many dogs is right for you. Beyond the obvious pathology of people who hoard dogs (or cats), having a lot of animals to care for is a personal choice. You are the only person who knows what your capacity is for their care and keeping; the health and welfare of a lot of animals isn't cheap, that's for sure. But there is some science to support that less may be more. You knew I was going to bring in science, right?
Whether you will have harmony in your multi-dog home or chaos really depends on a couple of factors. The most important being, how sociable are your dogs? While dogs as a species are sociable, there are individual differences in that sociability. Some dogs are total social butterflies, flitting from dog to dog at the dog park or dog daycare, making new friends right and left. At the other end of the spectrum are dogs who are afraid or behave aggressively when they encounter another dog, whether that other dog is encountered on a walk, or at home. Then, of course, there are all of the dogs in between, those that enjoy the company of other dogs, but can self-regulate, moving away from interactions when they need a break. I think the best dogs to have in a multi-dog household are those dogs in between social butterfly and complete introvert. Basically, dogs who like other dogs, know how to share resources, and are able to set up good boundaries when they need space or time to themselves. And science does support this. Dogs who have social anxiety or who suffer from issues in aggression do not thrive in multi-dog households; they do better in homes where they are the only dog.
Don't get me wrong. Even in homes where the dogs do all get along with each other most of the time, there will still be skirmishes, small tiffs, and hurt feelings. That's normal. We don't always see eye to eye with our human family members either. My kids sure showed me what that looked like. As an only child whose sole “sibling” was that dog mentioned above, my kids had each other, for better or for worse. They got along for the most part, but every one in a while the fur would fly, demonstrating that siblings do have each other to wallop on as well. The same goes for dogs in multi-dog homes. They will, on occasion, growl, bark, snap, or even grab a canine housemate they think needs correcting. Oftentimes, this will be an older dog correcting a younger dog or puppy, but you will also see confrontations between similarly aged dogs. Oftentimes, these confrontations are over resources. Who is on the dog bed, and who wants that spot. Who has the bone, chew, or toy. Who is currently being petted by the human, and so on. Expect some grumbling in a multi-dog household and don't insert yourself in the drama; let your dogs sort it out on their own. If we insert ourselves too much, we end up causing more problems than we fix. My rule of thumb is no blood drawn, no one getting hurt? Let them solve it themselves. If it gets loud and doesn't seem to be resolving quickly, I might see if I can redirect them, or tell them to take it outside, at which point my dogs seem happy to move on. I know that's not the case in every home, but I'm grateful that it works in mine.
It's also important to remember that our own behavior affects the behavior we see in our dogs. For example, if you are petting one of your dogs and another approaches for attention too, resist the urge to pet them both. Just because you have two hands doesn't mean you should split your attention! Keep petting that first dog and don't allow another to usurp that attention. When you are done petting that first one, move on to whoever you want to pet next. It should never be the case that the pushiest, most obnoxious attention hog gets all of the attention. Make them wait. Tell them to sit or go lay down. Honestly...make them wait their turn. This takes the pressure off of the other dogs as they see that you have the dynamic under control, no need to snap at the dog trying to shove their way in when the human has the situation covered.
I think one of the hardest things to do is to make sure you are spending enough one-on-one time with each of your dogs in a multi-dog home. Yes, it's quality over quantity, but there are only so many hours in the day and you do need time for yourself as well. I walk my dogs together most days as that's what I have time for. I do wish I could walk each of them separately for the simple reason that when I do, they seem so happy to have been on a solo walk with me. So how do I give them one-on-one time? Well, Ozzie needs to do multiple sessions a day on his t-PEMF mat for his spine and joints. When he's on his mat, I put up a gate to that room so that Henley (and Zelly, if she's visiting) can see what we are doing, but have to remain at a distance. This allows Ozzie to fully relax on the mat, gaining all of the benefits t-PEMF therapy has to offer. I sit on the floor next to him so that he knows I'm there; I remind him by petting him gently. This is our quiet time together and I think he looks forward to it at much as I do. Henley is an active dog. His joy comes from playing games and learning new things, so I play fetch with him and tug-of-war, his two favorite games. I also work with him every day on tricks he knows and new ones I think up. He loves this. We do this when Ozzie is outside resting in the yard or sound asleep in another room. If Zelly is visiting, I put her in her crate with a bone or chew where she can watch and keep busy, but not insert herself. And when Zelly is here with me, she gets one-on-one time as well. I'll crate Henley with a bone, put Ozzie outside with his chew, and then work with her on tricks and new behaviors with a focus on teaching her self-control and calm execution of tasks. Ideal activities for a busy adolescent collie!
Now, you've probably figured out why I set a limit of less is more for myself when it comes to dog ownership! I just don't have enough hours in the day for more than this. At least not right now. I'm leaving my options open though. My parents did say I could have as many dogs as I wanted when I was a grownup. I figure I'll be a grownup soon.
As always, if you have questions about your pet's behavior, you know where to find me.
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